HOW INFLUENTIAL ARE YOU WHEN COMMUNICATING & PRESENTING?

No matter how good your products and services, people will only be interested to the degree your organization and you demonstrates influence.

Robert Cialdini, author of ‘Weapons of Influence’ & ‘The Psychology of Persuasion’, is a leading expert in the area of influencing.

In Robert’s books, he identifies critical principles that generate desirable change. Below are the 3 key points.

To be influenced during your communications and presentations, your audience must: 

ARE YOU TRUSTED IN BUSINESS?

Being a Trusted Advisor in the eyes of your clients is the Holy Grail.

Being a Trusted Advisor is what you must be when selling products and services.

It takes time and perseverance to develop such a relationship, but the rewards for both parties are enormous. However, be aware there are some things that will erode the relationship. Assess what follows to insure you are doing nothing that puts this all important relationship in jeopardy.


1. Telling Is Not Selling

Lead, but don't tell. Nobody likes to feel you are the parent telling them what to do. People respond best when you involve them in determining an action plan or next steps. Their preference is for you to give them strategies on how to think or decide. Ultimately, it is up to the client to choose.

2. Accept Blame

If things go wrong, perhaps with a delivery or an install, take ownership and do not become defensive. Concentrate on what can be done to resolve the issue and never, never lay blame.

3. Focus On A Win Win Outcome

While people want a subject matter expert, they don't want someone only focused on the end game. It will erode the relationship. Remember, it's not about you; it's about them!

4. Demonstrate Your Expertise Is Based On A Professional Network

You are not Yoda, so relax. If you don't know the answer and you're the subject matter expert, admit it or use your network.

5. Listen More Than You Talk

It's easier to say you are a good listener than to be one. The number one skill for being a Trusted Advisor is good listening skills. The client should do most of the talking, not you. Try not to fill blank airtime.

6. Stimulate Imagination

Of course, ask questions but ask questions that get the client to think. A constant barrage of "fact" questions will not engage or help people to envision a new way of thinking.

7. Watch The Person's Reactions

Any changes in your client's body language or voice should be duly noted. If you see them looking perplexed or if you see their body language getting rigid, be sure to make adjustments in your body language; Lean in; Be more affirming; Smile.

8. Show Empathy

People need to see you care. Validate their issue or problem with a statement such as, "That must have been disturbing." Or, "I am so sorry that happened to you."

Even a simple nod or sympathetic smile can mean a lot to a person when they are stressed. If you feel something is bothering your client, pay attention and acknowledge what you see. "From the look on your face, I can see this is difficult to discuss. Am I right about that?"

9. Call Back

When there is a relationship, the client expects you to return phone calls quickly. Even if you don't know the answer, be sure to return the call, instead of waiting. Any update means a lot.

10. Avoid Being Distracted

Today's multi-tasking world makes it difficult to feel it is okay to do just one thing at a time. Your client expects you to focus only on them. Never glance at email, take a phone call or watch people in the hall. Your client will not feel valued and will become annoyed.

11. Be Interested

Reach out to your client throughout the year for other than the sale. Send articles or whitepapers. Notice any trends in their industry. If you see their name in the paper, do send a note.

12. Diagnose Based On Correct Assessment

It is easy to make quick judgments, but resist the temptation. Wait until all the information is in before making any recommendations.

These twelve tips are essential tips for being a Trusted Advisor. These principles will give you the pole position when your prices are not as competitive as others. And, you will be too valuable to lose as long as you remember what is important.


All the best with your business!

Amazon CEO, Jeff Bezos & The End of PowerPoint As We Know It!

COMMUNICATE PAST THE GATE KEEPER

Wouldn't it be great if when we called a business person, we would actually get him/her on the other end of the line?

The reality is that nine times out of ten, we end up talking to the person's voice mail or the administrative assistant. Decision-makers are busy and want their phone systems and administrative people to run interference for them.

Getting past these "gatekeepers" can be tough. Whether talking to voice mail or to the assistant, your challenge is to make yourself important enough to gain access or receive consideration. The following tips should help you to open the gates:

First and foremost, make the gatekeepers your ally. Show them respect. Be overtly friendly and sincere. Be natural and warm as a way to distinguish your self from the many other callers hoping to gain connection with the decision-maker.

Consider the gatekeepers as essential to your knowledge base, not as your enemy. They can help you learn more about key executives, divisions or the company's initiatives. Do everything you can to engage them in conversation so that you can ultimately ask them some questions.

Never try to pretend you are an old friend or family member of the decision-maker because deceptive practices rarely work. If the administrative assistant says the executive is tied up and offers you voice mail, always ask when you might get ten minutes of the executive's time. Typically, this statement will prompt a conversation about why you are calling. If you have done your homework on the company and have identified some of their problems, you should be able to gain consideration with a strong value proposition. You should also be able to ask the person additional questions about your perceptions. The more you know, the more you can fine-tune your communication and sales approach, but be cautious of making people feel like you are interrogating them.

If the administrative assistant still refers you to voice mail, be polite and thank the person.

If this is a repeat call to the executive and the assistant again suggests voice mail, tell the person that you are interested in sending some information to solve a specific / common business challenge. When possible, share a quick testimony of how a similar company benefited by using your business product(s) and service(s).

A simple template to share a quick testimony is:

INCIDENT: What was the specific challenge similar company experienced

POINT: What was the key benefit / outcome having engaged your business product(s) and service(s)

Then, ask a few more questions about the organization. You might also ask if it is possible to have the executive's e-mail address. If the assistant says to send information to his/ her attention, pay close attention to how the company's e-mail system is structured. You may be able to decipher the executive's address from the information the assistant has given you

RELEVANCE: How is your key benefit / outcome relevant to the decision maker you ate trying to connect with

If you are returning a call, be sure to state it. The gatekeeper could give your message priority.

If the gatekeeper does give you valuable information, consider sending the person a small token of your gratitude. If you do so, the next time you call, you may get even more consideration.

If you get the executive's e-mail address and send the person information, ask for verification that it has been received. Place a call to the person as soon as you see the message has been received.

Decision-makers are often at their desks by 8.00 a.m. and rarely leave before 6:00 p.m. so that is a good time for the executive to answer his/her own phone. The lunch hour is another possibility.


Continually, fine-tune your elevator pitch and practice it out loud so that when you do leave a voice mail, it is listener-focused. Also, make sure your message is very concise, under 60 seconds. People rarely listen all the way to the end of a long message. Remember to say your name, company name and phone number both at the beginning and end of the message. Pause for a second or two between each statement so that your enunciation is clear. Make it easy for the person to call you back. Be sure you come across as a strong communicator with a positive, upbeat voice.

Listen very carefully to the voice on the other end of the line before you leave your voice message. Try to get a sense of the person's communication style and emulate it.

Strive to make a positive impression with whomever you communicate with, even if it is a machine.

Gatekeepers can either be your friend or your enemy. If they see you as just another annoying salesperson, you will stand little chance of getting the decision maker to take your call. If they like you and see you as a nice person, they will give you consideration.

Everything depends on your communication approach!

All the best with your future communication and presentations.

What to Consider When You Present Later in the Day!

Is your presentation scheduled for 3 p.m or later? 


If so, you're in the Grave Digger's shift. In fact, any time you speak in the afternoon, you run the risk of digging your own grave unless you are interesting and engaging. 


People are tired and typically have a lot to do before they end their day. Therefore, you cannot present information the same way as you would in the morning when people are fresh and less distracted. Here are some key things to remember.
 

Be Animated 

In a natural way, amplify your energy. Speak up. With a louder voice, you pull people into your world. With a soft voice, you become background music in an elevator. 

Do bigger gestures. They help listeners to visualize your point. 
Remember to smile. You will seem more approachable and friendly. Nobody wants a "sour face."  

Move toward your listeners if you have the opportunity. The mistake that many speakers make in an afternoon session is to sit down or to stand right next to the podium. That's deadly. When you move, eyes will follow.  

Finally, and this is most important, sustain eye contact. You will appear trust worthy and transparent. Also, there is an obligation with eye contact. When you look at people with intention, they respond by smiling or nodding.



Set Some Context    

 
Before you do a deep dive into the details, people need some background on the issue for discussion. Remember your listeners have been involved in other things all day long. Even if you have sent them an agenda, be sure to tell them as you start the criticality of what you are about to discuss and the impact on them personally. 

A boring opening, particularly in the afternoon, is one that starts with "Today, I am going to talk to you about...." A lot of people will shut down at this point because you have indicated that the message is all about you and what you want to accomplish.
  
 

State Your "Ask"        


Hold your listeners responsible. Right up front, tell them what you want them to consider doing and why it would be beneficial. By giving listeners an action step, people listen more attentively, especially if they know you ultimately want a decision.


Tell Your Audience Something They Did Not Know


Not many of us can stay riveted on information we already know or accept. If you are giving an update, tell listeners what's different than last month or last quarter. 


Don't waste time going over data or numbers that are not problematic. If you are meeting with a new client, tell your client how your company or product differs from others. At that time of day, that is usually their main concern. 

A boring diatribe of the history of your company or your extensive client base falls on deaf ears.



Be A Storyteller       


People are easily distracted and pre-occupied as the day intensifies. It is critical to make your points stand out. 

What better way than to tell you listeners a story? People love stories because they are entertaining and engaging. They evoke empathy. They help listeners to experience the same feelings for themselves.



Add Appropriate Humor

If used well, humor can boost creativity, initiate conversation and build a trusting relationship according to research by the Hay Group. It can also reduce hostility, deflect criticism, relieve tension and improve morale. 

Can you imagine how welcome playful laughter can be when the day has been hectic?



Be Short


William Strunk, the writer, said a sentence should have no unnecessary words for the same reason that a machine should have no unnecessary parts, or a drawing no unnecessary lines. 

Don't overwhelm people at the end of the day. Give your listeners enough data or facts so they can make a decision and be done with it. If you have an hour, try to finish in 40 minutes or less.

Presenting an idea or product to an internal or external audience is always a challenge. It is particularly difficult in the afternoon. To insure that you are successful, make the necessary modifications to your delivery and style.


All the best with your future presentations!

USE STATISTICS EFFECTIVELY IN ALL YOUR PRESENTATIONS

In our Effective Presentation Skills Workshops, we at EffectiveCommunication.com.au share the dangers of using statistics in a presentation. A main reason is that you can adapt data to make it mean whatever you want it to mean.

There are times, however, when statistics can be used effectively. Those times are when we answer these two questions, “How much?” & “How many?” When you answer those questions, qualify your answers with these three characteristics: Few, Fresh, and Forceful.


Use Few Statistics

Take for example the problem with garbage. Edward Humes in a recent Wall Street Journal article wrote that Americans toss out over seven pounds of trash per person each day.

 A single statistic was sufficient to cover “how many.”



Make The Statistics Fresh


Recency is important. Check the internet regularly to find the latest statistics on your topic. Because we all take garbage to the curb each week, garbage is continually fresh—well, the garbage isn’t, but the idea of it is on our minds.


In one town, a huge controversy arose over the need to build a new bridge across the town’s river. The bridge presently in use is old and was never made to handle the amount of traffic that now flows over it.

A column in the local newspaper presented that a billion dollars worth of goods crosses the bridge every week, and each month that construction is delayed the cost of the new bridge increases eight million dollars.


Few and fresh are both inherent in these two statistics. These two statistics are sufficient to answer “How much?”




You Can Make All The Above Data Forceful By Your Delivery


Pause before you speak the statistic and then punch out the number. Perhaps take a step toward the audience as you deliver a particularly powerful statistic.

Don’t make statistics a major part of your presentations. Instead, carefully place one or two statistics in your presentation. Make sure the number you mention is relevant.

Add some drama by pausing and punching out the data. Then you will have answered the two most important questions audience members want answered: “How many?” and “How much?”


All the best with your future presentations!

A GREAT PERSUASION TOOL

Groucho Marks emceed a television game show in the 1950’s called ‘Who Do You Trust’.


The contestant had to choose which of three people was telling the truth. On this show, contestants paid close attention to the body language of the three people as a means of determining who was telling the truth.


When business people attempt to sell their ideas face-to-face, their prospect and clients also notice whether body language supports the message. This is not possible on the telephone. Instead of body language, listeners gauge trust by tone of voice.


Over the phone, people assess whether the words the person is saying actually match what they hear in the voice. If they do, they trust. For example, if you say you are sorry for the mix-up and you sound very apologetic, the listener is likely to give you another chance. On the other hand, if you ask how you can help the person, but sound very bored, the caller is likely to feel you are insincere. Your credibility will be severely affected. The person may even ask to speak to someone higher up, rather than waste time with the wrong person.


Tone of voice is very important to credibility when speaking on the telephone. In fact, Albert Mehrabian in his book, ‘Silent Messages’, says that if there is a difference between the person's words and tone of voice, 85% of the time, people will trust what they hear in the tone of the voice over the actual words.


Obviously, we want people to pay attention to the things we are saying when speaking to them over the phone. It is critical that we make a strong impression through the tone of our voice.


To keep the tone of your voice sounding sincere, it is important to assess how it typically sounds. By recording your calls periodically, you can gain powerful feedback on how your voice sounds to others as your day progresses.


To maximize the tone of your voice make sure you pause often and take frequent breaths. A voice that is starving for air will be a monotone, or it will sound strident. If you pause for a second or two where you might want to highlight a point or where you would have a comma or a period, you will greatly enhance the tone of your voice.


Also, if you smile, the voice will be much warmer. It is a good idea to have a mirror by your phone so you can watch your lips and mouth. You may notice that you hardly open your mouth, and, consequently, the voice sounds flat.


Trust and credibility is essential for anyone selling an idea. To insure that people believe your words, make sure that the tone of your voice is not an issue - that it supports and matches the words you are saying.


Your voice is a great persuasion tool.

3 Tips to Better Facilitate Meetings

Facilitating a meeting can be frustrating!

Often, nothing gets accomplished. People start talking among themselves, or they start texting on their phone. No one seems to know where the meeting is going. To get results, you can easily apply the following 3 facilitation principles.


1. Have A Well Planned Agenda

Focus on the topics pertinent to the listeners in front of you.

Don't try to cover too much in one session. As you create your agenda, add a time frame. Ahead, determine how long the group should spend discussing each item and hold them to it. A time frame alleviates people wasting time. Additionally, after each agenda item, list the desired outcomes. This will help attendees stay focused on the end game.

For example:

OVERCOME PRESENTATION NERVES IN FRONT OF YOUR BOSS

Presenting to the boss is a double edged sword!

On the one hand, it is an opportunity to show what you know, to be promoted etc. On the other hand, if the boss thinks poorly of you or dislikes what you say, you may be forever sitting on the sidelines or worse yet, sent home. This conundrum may jar every muscle in your body, leaving you unable to play at your best.

So what’s a presenter to do? There are four simple keys that will support you in stressful times. Embrace all four and you will feel more composed and raring to go. Embrace only some and you won’t!


1. Prepare 

The most reliable stress-reducing tonic available to quiet your uneasiness is thorough preparation.

The more you have researched your opponent, built a solid game plan, anticipated their tough maneuvers and gathered the right support, the more confident you will feel that you are ready.

The more shortcuts you take, the more insecure you will feel. The rougher the opposition, the more preparation you need.



2. Practice

A professional athlete would never walk on a playing field without practicing. It would be unthinkable.

To be a superstar, you need to practice hard. While you can’t rehearse every move, due to the fluidity of a conversation, you can be flawless on the execution of your opening and closing remarks of your presentation and whatever else you might stumble on.

A presenter gets booed by the audience when he or she reads from notes or slides. The same is true when the person explains a complex idea in a convoluted manner. By rehearsing difficult explanations or multifaceted plans out loud, you can make any necessary adjustments to verbiage and also identify critical spots for an analogy or example. 

By rehearsing your transitions from one point to another will become smoother. Lastly, hard-ball questions are the downfall of even the best players if they don’t see them coming. Practice your responses to the questions you have anticipated until your answers are succinct and your voice sounds confident.

 

3. Picture

Many of us tend to devote our energy to what we fear instead of what we want.

Take for instance Mary who was asked to do a quarterly review of her quality team’s performance for the VP of Operations, the VP of Sales and five other members of the executive team. Although knowledgeable and well prepared, she had a bad attitude and hardly got any sleep the night before her Monday morning meeting. All her self messages were things like, “Don’t mess this up.” “Don’t lose it.” “Don’t sound stupid.” Her negative self talk resulted in poor performance and distracting mannerisms. In fact, one of the VP’s commented to her immediate manager that he hoped she was never in front of customers.

Instead of hoping that you don’t destroy your presentation, have a positive attitude. Keep your focus on sharing your all-important news. It is amazing what positive self talk and visualization can do to quiet the hurricane brewing inside you.

See yourself as a dragon slayer and you will be one. Worry that you will be perceived as a blithering fool and you will surely falter.



4. Pause

In stressful times, pausing is a lifeline. If you pause and take a breath, you can clear your head and think on your feet. You can remember where you want to go next or how best to respond to an objection. You can also eliminate those pesky filler words, “um, ah and you know,” that chip away at credibility.

Pausing is also helpful to decision makers. By giving them some breaks, they can think about what you just said and formulate their questions or concerns. They can also absorb what is on your slides or printouts. It can be your winning play.

Presenting before your boss can be scary. It can leave you whirling like a dervish. To be a peak performer, stay limber by committing to Prepare, Practice, and Picture and Pause. The cheers of the fans will be ringing in your ears.

NEED TO BE MORE INFLUENCIAL?

How often have you thought to yourself, “I need to be more influential?”

If you think this to yourself, often we don’t know how to address the issue. From a communication standpoint, three issues are critical to making a powerful impression on others.

People need to:

1. Understand Your Ideas
2. Accept Your Points as Appropriate
3. Trust You as Being Honest & Credible


1. Understand Your Ideas

When you are presenting your initiative, people have to follow your logic. One point logically has to lead to another.

Ideas have to be well supported. You have to provide the data and analytics to make people comfortable moving forward. Decision makers can be risk adverse; they do not want to make a mistake. Although most of us provide the metrics, we may provide too many details. We may also bury our thoughts in long convoluted sentence structures, leaving executives confused and unable to provide a decision.

If you present a simple, well documented solution, you increase the likelihood of having real impact.


2. Accept Your Points as Appropriate

Leaders accept your points as appropriate if they fit into their identified initiatives.

They expect you to do your homework and know what those key ideas are. For example, if the company’s thrust is to grow business in emerging markets and your idea shows how to do that, it is likely your idea will be considered. On the other hand, if your plan is to develop a marketing campaign around a product that is considering a faltering brand, you probably won’t be successful, unless, for example, you can show a trend among the 35-45 year olds for loyalty to products that they loved in their youth.

Presenters who show influence always connect the dots. They don’t expect their audience to do so.


3. Trust You as Being Honest & Credible

People need to trust a presenter as a “straight shooter.” 

Some people are trusted because they have many years of experience and truly understand the business. Their reputations precede them. Others whose reputations are not well known are trusted because they “appear” confident. Their body and voice show that they believe in what they are saying. They stand erect, look people in the eye, gesture in a meaningful way and sound passionate. They easily answer tough questions and sound sure. The speaker who “hems and haws” and reads from notes or slides is not likely to get a positive reception.

While a lot of factors come into play when influencing others, from the perspective of communication, do not overlook the importance of presenting a simple, well supported argument, tying your ideas to the audience’s critical issues and delivering your ideas with confidence and conviction. 

People will never give a nod of approval to someone who rambles, hasn’t done his o her homework or looks or sounds tentative.


All the best with your future presentations

HOW CLEAR ARE YOU WHEN SPEAKING?

Do people ask you to repeat a lot?

Do people tell you to slow down during conversations?

Or, do people often have difficulty understanding the messages and ideas you share?

If so, you might be a fast talker. It might be alright to be a fast talker at home or with friends and family, but it is definitely not okay on the job, especially if your primary communication with others is over the phone as an inside sales or customer service representative.

The problems with being a fast talker are many. People may think you are trying to "pull something over on them" or to commit to something they shouldn't. It annoys them when they don't have time to process the information you are giving them, and thus, it may cause them to end the conversation abruptly.

Since others probably weren't able to take notes or compare what you have said to what others have said, they also can't verbalise their questions or objections. Without time to understand and voice their concerns, listeners hesitate to move forward on a decision or make a purchase.

Talking fast also causes articulation to be sloppy. The person's lips, teeth and tongue cannot get into the right position to say the word correctly. What starts to happen is four syllable words are said in two or endings are dropped. People may incorrectly think you have said something you didn't. Additionally, lots of filler words materialise, and, thus, you will sound ill-informed and not confident.

Finally, if you have an accent and your pace is quick, listeners may interrupt you often, causing you to lose your concentration. It will make listening and speaking a real chore for both parties.

If you are a fast talker, do not despair. You can slow down by pausing and taking a breath at the end of a thought or idea or where you want to highlight a point. The idea of pausing and breathing may sound simple, but it is harder than you think. At the beginning, it can feel like a lifetime to pause for even half a second.

Voicemail can be a big help. By replaying voicemails before sending them, you can monitor your speed. If you hear a number of filler words ("um,", " ah," " like," and " you know") or if words are not clearly pronounced, you aren't pausing long enough.

Another suggestion is to tape yourself reading something out loud, perhaps a business journal or product update and practice pausing and breathing between points for one to three seconds until it becomes second nature.

Finally, try reading children's stories out loud. A fairy tale or nursery rhyme requires the speaker to pause frequently in order to bring the appropriate emotion into the voice.

It is not okay to be a fast talker. The more you work at pausing and breathing, the more knowledgeable and confident you will appear to the person on the other end of the line. Consider how great it would feel if someone described you as precise and thoughtful, instead of as a fast talker.


All the best with your ongoing communications!

What's Your Presentation Objective?

Just as competitive athletes visualise the outcome of their performance before the game begins, it makes a lot of sense for you to do the same thing before a presentation.

Never go into a meeting with only a vague idea of what you want to accomplish. Know ahead what you want people to think or do differently after your presentation. Being unfocused wastes time and leads to disappointing results. With clarity about your objective, you can align your goals and discussion points with what is important to them.

A good starting point is first identify what your listeners are currently thinking or doing and then next, what you want them to change, either start or stop doing. Is it an attitude, a specific behaviour? For example, maybe your audience is currently thinking we tried this before and it didn't work. It is foolish to do it again. After the presentation, you want them to see this is not the same plan. It is different and they need to embrace it.

Your objective should be framed from the perspective of your listeners, not you!

An objective structured from your perspective suggests that the message is all about you, not them. "I want to give an update on a project." "I want to share the month end financials." "I want to go over why the problem occurred and how I have fixed it." 

The reality is people only care about themselves and how your information can help them. Always think from the perspective of what you want or need from your listeners. If your answer is nothing, it's just for me to give an update; it's an invitation for people to tune out. 

If you share the quarterly results, what should listeners do concerning these results? Should they continue funding the project, approve your recommendations, or delay a marketing campaign? Knowing what you want will help you include or exclude certain information.

Begin your objective with a verb. The Team should:

* Understand how this plan differs from the old plan

* Embrace the plan

* Adjust targets and goals by beginning of the new quarter


True professionals always keep their focus on the prize. It helps you stay on message.

You, too, will achieve better results if you ultimately know what you want your listeners to think or do differently. It is your stake in the ground.

All the best with your future presentations!

CONNECT WHEN YOU COMMUNICATE

• Listening
• Acknowledgment
• Understanding
• Trust

CAPTURE IMMEDIATE AUDIENCE INTEREST WITH A CUSTOMISED RECALL

Every audience you will ever present to will immediately want to know that your message is designed just for them.

Audiences do not want to think your presentation is one you have delivered many times, even if you have.

One of the most effective tools to capture immediate audience interest is to use a customized recall during the opening of your presentation.

A customized recall is just what it sounds like; You recall something that happened in the past, which is related to your message. With your opening, there are several areas in which you can make recalls, and here are just 3 to help you:


     1. Something leading up to the presentation

     2. Something that was mentioned as you were being introduced  

     3. Something that happened or that you noticed prior to the presentation


When you open your presentation, you can call back to a story about something that happened behind the scenes that led up to that moment. For example, I spoke once to all the personnel in a school district in Virginia. The Superintendent (Mr. Turner) had been very meticulous with me throughout the weeks leading up to the event because he was nervous whether I would meet their needs.

A very simple tool which when applied can pay great dividend towards capturing immediate audience attention.

All the best with your presentations!

HOW STRONG IS YOUR COMMUNICATION CORE

Every athlete knows that if you want to perform well, you have to have a strong core. They also know that the time to strengthen their core is not while running a marathon or playing 18 holes of golf. 

It needs to happen long before and gradually over time. The same is true for a presenter. You have to have a strong core.

Your core consists of seven key skills. The critical skills you need to internalise and get into your "muscle mind" before an important event or presentation are


1. eye contact
2. posture
3. pausing
4. gestures
5. facial expression
6. vocal inflection
7. movement.


1. Eye Contact

Eye contact is a key skill for building trust and credibility. With solid eye contact you instantly appear transparent and confident. You project sincerity and demonstrate respect. However, remember that being nervous can cause your eyes to shift and dart. 

There is a big difference between glancing at someone and really connecting with them. Not only will poor eye contact make you appear unsure, but it may also result in you and your message being dismissed.

Practice sustaining eye contact by finishing a complete thought or sentence with one person at a time when you are with friends or family in social situations.


 2. Posture 

Posture signals that you are confident and open. It is important whether you are standing or sitting. Most of us remember the message our mothers preached when we were children, "Stand up straight." "Sit up straight." However, when we are nervous we quickly move to what feels comfortable. Sometimes, what is comfortable conveys the opposite of what we are trying to project.

 To practice good posture, balance your weight equally on both feet and let your hands rest at your sides in a neutral position if you are not using them to make a point. Practice this open posture when possible.


3. Pausing

Pausing at the end of a sentence or thought for a breath will help you to think and to let your listeners digest your thoughts. However, while pausing makes perfect sense, it is very difficult for many of us. It may even seem counter-intuitive. 

Practice pausing by recording your voice. Before leaving a voicemail, play back the message to see if your sentences come to definite ends. Do this 4-5 times a day. If you hear non-words, um's, ah's, etc, you are undoubtedly not pausing enough. Keep practicing until you there are no filler words and the pacing is slow enough for your points to stand out.


4. Gestures

Gestures are a perfect way to emphasise an idea or thought. When we are relaxed, we automatically gesture. When we are nervous, we fidget or clasp our hands. The more you let energy out, the more your listeners can see the conviction you have for your topic.

Get feedback from a colleague on whether your gestures come from the shoulder, versus the wrist or elbow. Ask the friend to notice if your gestures are repetitive. Obviously, variety keeps listeners engaged. Any distracting gestures will make people pay attention to your hands and not your words.


 5. Facial Expression 

Your Face speaks volumes. It lets listeners know how they should react to your topic. There is obligation when a speaker smiles. Listeners feel they should smile back. Also, when the presenter smiles, it relaxes others. Tension is reduced. It is never a good idea to have a poker face.

Ask friends and family to give you feedback on how animated your face becomes when you are speaking. If you are one that doesn't easily smile, consider wearing a rubber band around your index finger or wrist as a reminder.


6. Vocal Inflection

Listeners pay attention to presenters who have inflection in their voices. No one enjoys a presenter with a monotone voice. A voice with inflection has highs and lows; words are emphasised in each sentence.

To check your voice for inflection, use your cell phone and record it or leave yourself a voice message. If your voice sounds flat, practice reading business materials out loud, emphasizing two or three words in each sentence. Tell a story to your preschoolers. Children demand that the storyteller be exciting.


7. Movement

Movement makes a presenter look confident, as long as the movement is purposeful. Swaying or a shifting is distracting. When the presenter points to individuals in the audience by moving in their direction, it is compelling. However, movement has to be prompted by the eyes of a listener. It is not natural to move away from someone or to move backwards while talking to them. 

To practice, the presenter first needs to move away from laptop and notes. Then, he or she needs to think that he has a very important message to share. Next, he must engage the eyes of someone in the audience, move in that direction and finish his thought.

Mohammad Ali, Michael Phelps, Patrick Kane and Phil Mickelson are well known athletes in their respective fields. Each one of them would stress the importance of a strong core to performance.

If you want to win at communicating, you must practice the seven core skills identified above until you don't even think about them. You just do them naturally.

As your proficiency increases, so will your effectiveness as a presenter.


All the best with your future presentations!

4 KEYS TO CLOSING YOUR PRESENTATIONS WITH IMPACT

Closing your presentations with impact can open up doors of opportunity because what you say last can significantly affect how your audience feels once they walk away from where you’re presenting back to their busy lives.

You can deliver a wonderful presentation but if the ending is weak, your audience will walk away feeling like the experience wasn’t very strong. So here are 4 keys you can use to strengthen your closing and henceforth your presentation.

1. Signal

Before you close your presentation, you should signal that you are closing. Tell the audience that the end is near. Be more creative than saying, “In conclusion” or “In summary” or something to that effect.

I like to use picture words such as “Let’s wrap this message up” or “As we come to the end” or “I’ll leave you with this…” or “Let’s land this plane and I hope what I now share in conclusion will leave you thinking this presentation was worth the journey”. Whatever you say and do, let your audience know you are closing because here’s what will happen:

They will listen again!

That’s right. People have been trained to know that your closing means you are most likely going to reiterate your message and so their antennas go up and they often begin to take notes.


2. Re Cap

As you move into your closing, make sure you call back to each of the major points you made for each segment of your topic.

Important Point: You can either re cap first or signal first depending on what makes better sense for the flow of your speech.

 

3. Questions & Answers (Q & A)

Never end with Q & A. Why? Because people most remember what they hear first and what they hear last. Your overall message needs to be the last words / picture in their ears.

It is okay to have a Q & A, but ideally this should be facilitated throughout your presentation. Or, at least about 95% of the way through your presentation before you get to signal and re cap. 

 

4. Focused Message

Finally, once you’ve completed Q & A + signaled that you’re closing + re capped your major points, it’s time to move into your focused message.

Just like you should have been doing throughout your entire presentation as you transition from one point to the next, it’s extremely important to tease people before you tell them.

Tease your audience by letting them know at the end of your presentation, WHAT you want audience to THINK / DO + HOW your presentation is RELEVANT / BENEFICIAL to them or their business etc.

BY closing your presentations with impact will significantly open new doors of opportunity.

Great Presentations are a Conversation

Picture yourself attending a staff meeting. How happy are you when the host of the meeting drones on about the numbers or the specifications of a product. Most of us hate lectures. 

What we do like and appreciate is a great conversation. So how do you as a speaker turn something that seems like a formal presentation into a more relaxed conversation?

First, it can't be one way…

You need to plan for interaction with frequent check-ins with your audience. For example, you might say to your listeners, "Does that make sense? Do any of you agree?".

Instead of making a rhetorical statement where people simply nod or smile, ask open ended questions. "Charlie, I know you have had issues in past. Can you share what happened? Does anyone else have a comment?"

Then, listen and build off of what is said. "Yes, that makes perfect sense. We definitely have to go to another supplier or we will be in a bind." Think ahead of the questions you might ask that would spark discussion.

Secondly, speak the language of your listeners...

Keep your focus on who is attending. Do what it takes to make everyone understand. Don't think that big words make you sound smarter. The simpler you speak, the more you insure that people will get your message.

Kathy Sierra of the ‘Head First Series’ says the simple approach actually allows you to go deeper with technical information than if you had used formal language. Acronyms or technical jargon may confuse people and prevent them from staying on point.

Recently during a meeting the executive presenter talked about his strategic ‘Glidepath’. The looks on people's faces demonstrated the speaker might as well have spoken a foreign language.

Additionally, if some attendees are people from other cultures, expressions commonly used in your culture may not be understood.

Thirdly, sneak in a story…

People love stories as long as they can follow the point and it's interesting. You might even include a video within your story.

Get in and out of your story. A long story makes people forget the importance of your original idea or recommendation.

Show some enthusiasm. Someone once said good conversations are filled with verve and fire. Don't hold back and worry about being "over the top". Very few people are ever perceived as "out of control." If you don't sound interested or passionate, why should anybody else!

Emphasise key words or phrases. Add some exaggerated pauses and strong gestures if you really want someone to get it.

Always be talking with someone…

People who talk to their slides or notes definitely do not look like they are having a conversation.

Talk to one person at a time and give each listener a piece of information. Notice their reaction before you continue. Are they nodding, smiling or frowning? Scanning the room will make listeners feel you are talking at them, but not to them.

When you present conversationally the brains of your listeners think they are in conversation and so they have to hold up their end of the conversation by paying attention.

Audiences appreciate speakers who are relaxed and natural, who give the impression they are talking to friends, versus "Presenting".

Remember, great presentations are conversations others can continue.

All the best with your presentations!

5 Content Tips For Your Presentations That Drive Audience Action

Convincing people to act on your ideas is an art. 

If you are one of the people who approach preparing presentations by opening PowerPoint on your computer, the following advice is just for you.

What follows are five content tips that will help you to create high impact presentations. On the surface, they may seem too simplistic. The reality is that most people overlook these pointers and end up with content that is confusing or uninspiring.


1. Invest time to know your audience

Don't make the mistake of assuming they are just like you. People have different learning styles and clear preferences for the way information is presented to them. Begin by creating a list of all the people who will be attending your presentation.


If possible, understand the personalities that you will be addressing. Know how they think. For example, are they more oriented to the big picture, processes, details or relationships? Learn ahead what they care about, what they might find objectionable or why they might resist your topic.


2. Grab attention with a focused opening


You have less than two minutes to gain and hold the attention of your audience. 

If you waste time or begin without clarity of what you want listeners to think or do differently, you will lose your audience. They will begin to respond to email, even though supposedly listening to you. 

A study by the Institute of Psychiatry in London found that participants who were interrupted with emails performed worse on IQ tests than those who were under the influence of marijuana. Just imagine how receptive your audience will be if they are responding to email.

Listeners only care about themselves and what you can do for them. Your opening statement should cover three things: what you know to be a problem or issue, what you want them to do or think after your presentation and why it will be a benefit for them to act on your recommendation. 

Hiding your "ask" to the end is a mistake. People listen better if you tell them up front these three key things. Your opening statement should be compelling and delivered in less than two minutes. Short sentences with strong verbs and adjectives will grab attention quickly.


3. Present a simple, well supported argument

An audience has a limited processing capacity. Less is more! 

Researchers tell us that the most people can remember at a sitting are five key points. However, three really maximizes retention.

While there may be a lot to say, consider your audience and what is critical for them at this particular moment. Discussing information they don't care about is a waste of your time and theirs. Remember people are besieged by information. Additionally, today's audiences are much more skeptical because they are used to people "spinning" a good tale. 

Be sure to support your data with metrics or analyses and explain where your information comes from. If your information solves a problem, your listeners will pay attention. If not, they won't! In fact, Henry Boettinger in his book, Moving Mountains, says the only reason for the existence of a presentation is that it be an answer to a problem. Lastly, make sure one point logically leads to the next. Strategically, organize your content.


4. Go for the heart

When people hold strong opposing attitudes, they "dig their heels in" and hold on to their old way of thinking. 

To overcome resistance, move them emotionally. Advertisers tell us that logic plays only a small role in changing attitudes. People are swayed by stories, examples and brief anecdotes because they can picture, and even feel, what you have said. Nobody remembers a bullet point list, but they will remember your story.

The likelihood of listeners being persuaded improves dramatically when there is a high emotional component.


5. Conclude on a strong note

It is easy to overlook the importance of a strong conclusion, especially if running out of time.

Many presenters end on a limp note, by saying, "Thanks for your time" or by quickly showing the remaining slides in their deck. Your conclusion is the last thing people will remember. It is important for you to reinforce your point of view, the action you want people to take going forward and the benefits they will derive.

Successful presenters are artists, masters of design. They do not skip steps. They carefully address each of the areas covered in this newsletter. Save this newsletter to your desktop as a checklist.


All the best with your presentations!



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Ensure Your Presentations Stick by Keeping Them Simple

We speak to be understood, yet as Robert Greenleaf once said, "Many attempts to communicate are nullified by saying too much".

When asked about information overload in the House of Congress, Representative John Brockmann responded "Most houseplants in the U.S. are killed by over-watering".

Business Professionals today attend meeting after meeting where they are barraged with information. At the end of their week, they may remember only a small portion of the information they were told. Experts agree that if you want your message to be understood, as well as remembered, it is important to make it simple.

In fact, simplicity is the most powerful tool a communicator has.

As communicators and presenters, we know a lot about our topics, and our tendency is to want to share everything we have learned. Our assumption is that people will have the same fascination as we do. Dan and Chip Heath in their book, ‘Made to Stick’ call our problem of "over-talking" the curse of the information era.

Too much information overwhelms listeners. Instead of persuading, it creates confusion and often delays decisions. Ideally, a speaker should think in terms of sharing three key points with an audience.

Dan and Chip Heath suggest that a presenter should focus on the core message and only around that. Pick the key points that will change the hearts and minds of the particular audience. Unnecessary information albeit interesting to the presenter is not necessarily interesting to the audience.

Thus, to make your viewpoint stick, the audience needs to see that it connects to their world on a granular level. For each point that you include, ask yourself "What would this mean to them?" If the answer is "nothing," it's a good indication that you should disregard the point.

When you think about expressing your points, remember that we convey ideas through nouns and verbs. Starkly naked points can be riveting. Adjectives and adverbs often add clutter. Demystify your ideas by stating them clearly and simply. Do not bury your points in long sentences or over-connect your ideas with clauses.

As presenters, we are actually rehearsing our audience to spread the "good news".

With a limited number of key points, listeners have a better chance of remembering what we have said, and they can accurately share that information with others who have decision-making power or with those who missed the presentation. They leave energized versus frustrated or bored.


All the very best with your next presentation

Tell Stories When Presenting To Connect With Your Audience

Many audiences begrudgingly attend meetings with presenters.

Audiences look upon many presenters as an interruption. The last thing a busy audience wants is more information. Often the presenter can be unprepared, distracted and pre-occupied. Anything but focused on the audience and audience needs.

Afterwards, the audience quickly forgets the presenter’s message as they move to another meeting. The presenter’s responsibility is to pull distracted audiences into the world of the presenter; otherwise, the presentation is for naught. A golden opportunity may be lost forever.

A great way to engage multi-tasking audiences is with a good story. People love stories. Since Biblical days, it is the way humans have learnt best and retained information.

By telling a story, your value proposition comes alive. If you aren't already incorporating stories into your conversations, you need to get on the bandwagon.

The mistake that many presenters make is to think audiences want only the facts, the data. Presenters assume they might waste time and annoy them by telling a story. While audiences do need the facts, the data becomes relevant or makes sense through a relevant story.

Consider for a moment how many business meetings most professionals attend in a day or a week. Often audiences get confused when so many companies seem to offer and promise the same thing. The one that wins the business is not necessarily the one with the best solution. It's the one that connects with the audience. A story can do just that.

Many presenters feel they are already using stories when they cite a case study or an example. While these do add color, the human or emotional element is missing. Remember, data is sterile, while stories paint a picture.

Stories have to be short i.e. 2 minutes or less, and the link between your story and what your audience cares about has to be obvious. Your story has to be rich enough to keep your audience engaged from start to finish.

A good story needs a main character, someone with whom your audience can identify. For audiences to visualize, your story also needs a setting and some action. The action begins with an inciting incident and intensifies with additional difficult challenges your hero or main character must overcome. Finally, your story needs a strong ending or resolution.

If your story is engaging, your audience will connect on more than an intellectual level. Pay attention to the fact that there are three levels of connection. The first is to think, the second to feel and the third to remember.

This third level is where you should aim. It is reached when you tie your story to your audience’s business issue. It enables your audience to repeat your value proposition to others after you walk out the door.

As you prepare for your next presentation, invest time ahead thinking of one or two stories to make your topic come alive and to create a memory hook for your audience to share your idea or solution to others.

Remember, any event in your life can make for a good story!

All the best with your future presentations!

Speak Up!

Soft voices are the bane of many people.

Soft speakers may think this is not such a big issue. However, for listeners, a voice that is not clearly heard is maddening. It causes people to interrupt or to tune out, especially if they are on a long conference call or the soft speaker is delivering a long presentation.

One of our clients said, "When I cannot easily hear a presenter, I ask the person to speak up one time. If nothing changes, I begin to respond to email. I am not going to aggravate myself or waste my time".

Most people with soft voices feel it is just something they are born with, and there is nothing they can do about it. In fact, to them, their voice sounds plenty loud enough since it is bouncing off the gray matter in the skull. There are some solutions.

Typically, a soft voice is a badly produced voice. Breathing is often shallow and irregular. The person pauses for air, only when they run out. The solution is to breathe from the diaphragm. Practice taking in a breath while counting to five, holding that breath for a count of three and slowly exhaling for a count of five. Repeat five times.

Lie flat on the floor or speak in front of a mirror while your hands are above your head. The only way you can breathe from these positions is from the diaphragm. Now try raising the volume of your voice. Speak on your exhaled breath. Imagine that you are talking to people who are hard of hearing. Undoubtedly, you will have all the air you need to produce a louder voice.

Until you master diaphragmatic breathing, speak in short sentences. Often a person whose voice gets softer and softer speaks in very long sentences or they connect one sentence to another with "and, but or so." Let each sentence come to a definite end. Then, pause and refuel.

Picture your voice on a continuum from 1-10. Most soft talkers speak with the volume maximizing at 3-4. If you are speaking at a round table meeting, your volume needs to be raised to an 8-9, particularly if there are others sitting around the table or remote listeners.

To monitor the volume of your voice, record your voice regularly. Most mobile phones have the capacity to record. Set your phone on your desk and stand up. Review and see if you can comfortably hear it. Next, move the phone further and further away and continue to raise your voice.

Use a headset when possible and move the mouth piece closer to your lips. Announce to others that you are working on increasing volume. Give people on the phone permission to interrupt if they are not hearing you well. After any phone conversation, ask for feedback on your volume from someone who will be honest.

Soft speakers are not born that way. The environment a soft spoken person was raised in might not have tolerated volume etc. A soft spoken person may have learned to dial down their voice over time.

It is important to remember in a business environment, a stronger voice is taken more seriously. Make sure no one has to say, "I can't hear you." 

Ensure or learn to "Speak up!" 


All the best with your business communications.

Your Voice Inflection Matters in Business!

A voice with inflection is captivating and motivating.

Your voice can command attention and makes people want to hear you more. A voice without inflection is flat and monotone.

An uninteresting voice bores, annoys and confuses those having to endure it. As you consider how you might ‘raise the bar’ when communicating, record your voice and review it as if you were a listener. Is it a voice your audiences would like to hear? If not, make a conscious decision to bring more inflection into your voice. Consider the following suggestions.


1.  Sing in the shower

As ridiculous as this might read, singing takes the voice from high to low. It helps to expand your range. Remember, it is a flat voice that audiences find unappealing.


2.  Read out loud from business journals or your company's marketing pieces

Make sure you are saying all the syllables, especially the beginning and final consonants. Use your mobile phone to record your voice. If you are skipping over syllables, practice enunciating all syllables in those particular words. Redo until you hear a noticeable difference.


3.  Practice stressing particular words in a sentence

For example, "I can imagine how annoying that must be" or "Let's see what I can do to fix that for you." In any one sentence, there should be two or three words emphasized.


4.  Assess the length of your sentences

People with a monotone voice often speak in long sentences. Their voices frequently trail off as they conclude because they are out of air. Often, listeners ask such a speaker to repeat.


5.  Read stories to children or poetry out loud

The words of a story or poem will demand energy and vocal variety. Again, use your mobile phone to record your voice. Review what you hear.


6.  Use your own internal voice mail system to monitor your voice

Before you leave voice messages for colleagues or customers, review them. Redo the message until your voice sounds interesting and sincere.


7. Assess the speed of your voice

If you speak quickly, it is easy for your voice to sound flat.


8.  Listen to newscasters

Notice how much they pause, how slowly they speak and how much they open their mouths. Assess whether you are doing the same.


9.  Stand in front of a mirror and pay attention to how much you are opening your mouth and moving your lips

A tight jaw causes a nasal voice. Practice talking with a wide open mouth.


10.  Keep a mirror on your desktop at work

As you speak to clients etc. by phone, look in the mirror. Pay attention to whether your face seems tense and how much you are moving your lips.



Your voice is the best tool you have for convincing people you can solve their problem and you value their business.


If your voice has inflection, you will be perceived as warm and friendly. You will make a positive impression and distinguish yourself from other business professionals!

 
All the best with your ongoing communications.

Ensure You Connect With Your Audience when You Present

How you relate to others matters greatly when delivering a face-to-face presentation.

A key that creates immediate connection with any executive, manager or peer is strong eye contact. Sustained eye contact should begin the minute you walk in the door. With solid eye contact, you instantly appear transparent and confident. You project sincerity and demonstrate respect.

Remember that being nervous can cause your eyes to shift and dart. There is a big difference between glancing at someone and really connecting with them. Not only will poor eye contact make you appear unsure, but it may also result in you and your message being dismissed.

When you feel you are not on an equal playing field with others in the room, strong eye contact can narrow the gap. It can also help you to read other people's reactions. If their non-verbal messages are positive, it will help you to relax. If the feedback indicates resistance, you can adjust your explanation accordingly.

The beauty of giving strong eye contact is most people will likely return it, almost as if there is an obligation. Consequently, you will keep even the most easily distracted attendee engaged and focused on critical points. Sustained eye contact typically triggers:

    -  Listening
    -  Acknowledgment
    -  Understanding
    -  Trust

It is a critical skill for effectively communicating and building credibility. Never underestimate its importance.

Another way to intensify the relationship with others in a meeting situation is to allow your spontaneous sense of humor and informality to surface during the conversation. However, many people do not do so because they think this is too risky and inappropriate on the job.

When you leave your sense of humor at the door, you are missing a powerful tool for achieving your communication goals. Humor creates rapport and makes even the most senior executive more receptive to you and your message. A dash of humor can also help resolve difficult situations or defuse tension.

A lot of people think you have to be a comedian and tell jokes to convey a sense of humor, but that is not true. In fact, you should never try to be a joke teller. Rather, identify the types of things that make you laugh. For example, if you recently came across a funny quote, you might weave that into your conversation. If you notice someone appears confused, a humorous analogy or example may help clarify your point and alleviate frustration.

Often times, real life is funnier than fiction anyway. An amusing story related to your topic rejuvenates interest when attention is lagging. If you poke fun at yourself, you convey that you are relaxed. The bottom line is people like to laugh. Business professionals are no different.

Connection also comes from being observant. If you know that someone in the meeting is devoted to family, a chocoholic or loyal to a cause, the observant communicator would incorporate these observations into examples or analogies.

Lastly, those that know the importance of building a relationship use others names across the audience throughout the conversation and the pronoun "we" to draw commonalities that subtly suggest you are just like them. "We're both eager to see..." or "As you and I both know...." As the conversation intensifies, these little things matter.


All the best with your ongoing business communications!