Practice in Front of a Mirror?

This is one of the most common pieces of advice I overhear when it comes to public speaking. In fact, I heard it just last week. Again. You’ve heard it too. But I’m calling phooey on the mirror.

Think about it. Practice in front of a mirror ... Really? Why? Because it simulates reality? Because you are your most objective audience? Because looking at yourself talk will make you less nervous when it’s show time?

Folks, I don’t buy it. I love the idea of practice … if nothing else, practice at least gets you accustomed to managing your own nerves. And that’s actually something. Your nerves are your adrenaline, your body’s energy ramping itself up to perform and succeed. You need your nerves, and you need the experience of having and managing them rather than avoiding the speaking opportunity. But you also need some 360º feedback.

Practice in front of people, that’s what I suggest … colleagues, teammates, friends, and even family members. There’s nothing like a real audience, even a small one, who will give you feedback. I’ve seen real audiences, even small ones, who will give me feedback … but I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen one of those in the mirror!

Resolutions

Whoa, December madness! But not in the way you’re thinking. Yes, it’s a busy month for shopping, celebrations, family and friends. But it also brings the busy anticipation of starting anew … and with that, resolutions!

The December madness I’m experiencing is the flurry of interest and motivation around being better. Better than they were last year, better than the competition, better than expected. Companies, organizations, and individual professionals always seem to inquire in December about the availability of workshops and coaching in order to be better speakers and presenters. The New Year is indeed a time to freshen, improve, and renew oneself. It’s also a time to buck the status quo, challenge oneself, and shoot for excellence! People are thinking about their resolutions for 2011 right now, and they aren’t just signing up at gyms for their bodies, they’re looking for places to work out their brains and their mouths too.

The December launch of SmartTalk has been timely indeed … http://smartmouthgroup.com/events.htm. Here’s to fresh starts … Let’s talk in 2011!

3 Tips for Leaders

Ahhhh, “leadership communications” with a group tomorrow … I always love that!

Soooo, what will I inspire them to think about? Their role. People in leadership positions have a higher responsibility when it comes to how they communicate and present themselves than ordinary people do. Leader is a role. And, like any good actor or role-player, leaders have to stay in that role at all times in order to hold onto the credibility and respect they need, and also to be able to stand up to whatever scrutiny they may endure from peers or subordinates.

A couple of tips I will cover …

1) being transparent, especially in their opening;

2) being positive and affirmative all the time, even when the message or purpose is difficult or bad; and

3) being brief.

Good leaders are direct, upbeat, and to the point. And they understand that, as hard as it is sometimes, they cannot let it all hang out … their role requires them to hold it all together. People are counting on them, and their role depends on it.

Got This Text Message ...

... from a friend while he was sitting and listening to a presentation:

"Why is it that consultants who get hundreds of thousands of dollars are always so boring? Blah, blah, blah. Do they think the more they talk, the smarter they are? WRONG!"

My initial reply – "they need messaging and speaker training" – was too self-serving. Then I answered the question, "The simple answer, though, is yes."

Yes, people do think the more they talk, the smarter they are. Self-importance is the kiss of death in life, but it's the death of an audience when it infiltrates a presentation. It violates my #1 rule, which is: it's all about them, the audience; it's not about you!

After thinking about what it's really like to sit through the bluster and blather of self-important speakers, I re-grouped and sent this:

"You know what you guys need for those presenter chairs in that meeting room? A good old fashioned whoopie cushion! Yup, that's what you need ... "

His reply? "Brilliant!" I thought so too.

A is for Audience

In my work, I often capitalize the A in Audience to make a point.

That’s my blog post. It speaks for itself.

Be Disruptive!

I think it's high time for speakers and presenters to be disruptive. And here are a few ways to begin ...

Do you really need to fill the time allotted to you?

Really? Or can you be brief? Why fill it just because you can? So what if you were told you have 45 minutes? Do you like to sit and listen to someone talk for 45 minutes straight?

Do you really need your laptop and your PowerPoint?

Really? Or can you do the prep work ahead of time that enables you to engage, connect, and make a point without employing a “deck”? So what if that’s how you and your colleagues have always done it? Do you like waiting for someone to power up and plod through a series of slides? You’re not that special, no one likes waiting for you either.

Do you really need text slides for visual reinforcement?

Really? Or can you use images that illustrate your points? Who’s the text for anyway? You or them? Do you like to read paragraphs on a screen while someone is talking? Are you impressed with presenters whose slides are dense with text? Do you remember what the slides said and what the speaker said? Doubtful.

Do you really need to open with niceties and housekeeping?

Really? Or can you open with your point, your desired outcome, your call to action, and save the display of manners and protocol for the end? Wouldn’t you rather capture and focus Audience attention right away? You know how your own attention drifts when other speakers start with the usual, expected, mundane stuff … And guess what? People drift when you speak too.

Do you really need to show how smart and experienced you are?

Really? Or do you need to show how smart you are about your Audience? Disruption rule #1: Get over yourself. Literally. Think about your Audience. Really, I mean it, think about them. Deliver something in length, style, and content that will connect with and be beneficial to your Audience!

Be disruptive. Question authority. Question norms. Make it about your Audience.

Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

The more things change, the more things stay the same. When it comes to how people communicate, this phenomenon confounds me.

Certainly, in the marketplace of the world, and even in the smaller marketplaces of our own cities or our own professions, there is so much going on that’s new and changing and ground-breaking. There’s so much innovation, so much progress, so much disruption – in technology for sure, but in medicine, design, fundraising, manufacturing, energy, and even in the basics like education and road construction. You name it, and there’s a new way to do things …

Why is it, then, that most speeches and presentations are, for the most part, still as predictably dull and ineffective as they were a decade ago? Why have we made the “things” in our lives faster, more streamlined and efficient, more user-friendly and accessible, but we’ve allowed our “selves” to lag behind? Most speeches and presentations are old school; they’re anything but streamlined or user-friendly. As much as we expect and embrace advancements in our everyday lives, we deliver and accept the same old same old in our everyday conference rooms.

What would it take to “disrupt” a typical speech or presentation, to deliver something new, better, faster, more accessible and memorable? Let’s explore that next time …

Eat, Sleep, Communicate

Life is busy, life is full. Who has time to think about communicating better?

Sounds reasonable enough. But wait, we send messages, make points, deliver speeches (okay, maybe not from a podium) every single day. We communicate as much as we eat or sleep, but we dedicate less time to thinking about how we do it and making it work better for us.

So what’s my point? Communicating is as central to your functioning as a human being as eating and sleeping are. Maybe more. Communicating is how we relate to others, get things done, solve problems, achieve success, and be in our lives as members of teams, organizations, and communities.

Communicating is the currency of relationships, working and personal, and so you want to think about it, work on it, and keep your currency value as high as possible!

Less is More

Sometimes spin just happens. All by itself. And there's no need for a lot of talk.

Take, for example, the case of Eliot Spitzer who, in a recent interview with The New York Times, was very critical of Andrew Cuomo, New York State's current Attorney General and a prospective candidate for Governor of that state. Spitzer held both of those positions in the past and only relinquished the Governor's seat under, shall we say, a bit of duress and disgrace. In the interview, Spitzer accused Cuomo of being driven by politics and said, among other things, "The real test is, do you take on the battles that have been unpopular and perhaps seem impossible to win but are important to take on?" As in, do the right thing . . . ? Is that what he meant . . . ?

The response from Cuomo's spokesman was brief and brilliant. Spokesman Richard Bamberger said, "The attorney general's record, credibility and honor speak for themselves, as do Mr. Spitzer's." End of comment.

Impressive.

Lean and Mean

I've been thinking a lot lately about the lean movement that's been afoot in industry for almost two decades now. Eliminating waste, promoting efficiency. Producing according to demand, satisfying customer needs. Creating a value stream. Hmmmmm . . .

Surely, there's room for a lean movement in communications. Business communicators in particular have filled virtual landfills of hollow words, meaningless slides, and endless meetings. Waste is an understatement.

The value stream begins with customer -- or audience -- needs. Creating and delivering value, whether in manufacturing or communicating, requires some forethought and some planning on the part of the "producer."

We could all be leaner and meaner if we first thought about our audiences and what would be of value to them, rather than figuring it out as we talk . . . and talk and talk.

More on this another time!

Simple Rx for Speakers and Presenters

When anticipating a speech or presentation, do you have any of the following symptoms:

Don't know where to begin?
Worry about being interesting or relevant?
Have a tendency to ramble or go off on tangents?
Experience anxiety or nervousness?

Repeat after me ten times, "It's all about them. It's not all about me!" Okay, you should be all better now!

It can be such a relief to frame your thinking around "them" - the audience - and can take such a burden off of you!

If you don't know where to begin, or how to be interesting and relevant, think about them or go find out about them. Go deep, and think seriously - or do research to find out - about what this audience really, really cares about. You want to ask yourself, at the end of the day, what do they really care about when it comes to my topic or expertise? Not what you care about, but what they care about . . . this might require a bit of an adjustment.

If you tend to ramble or go off on tangents, it might be that you find your information very interesting and compelling. Or it might be that you're so knowledgeable and eager to share it, and/or that you like to be thorough. Either way, it doesn't matter. It's not about you. It's about them. Every audience is listening for the what's-in-it-for-me nugget. If there's even a question in your mind as to whether the audience will share your enthusiasm for all your info, then you should limit your talk and be sure to give them something of value. Set firm parameters for yourself by thinking about them.

Oh, and here's a quick tip for you . . . If you're really not sure what they really care about, or whether they will share your enthusiasm for lots of detail on your topic, ask yourself this question: why is this audience in the room, by choice or by obligation? Aha! Naturally, if they are there by choice, you have a bit more latitude with time and detail. However, if they are there out of obligation, then you are well advised to be brief.

And, finally, if you are nervous before speaking to a group, look at them, think about them, connect with them. It is said that nervousness is just your body's adrenaline gearing up and giving you the energy to perform well. That may be, but I say turn to them for some relief. Warm up by talking to members of the audience before you begin formally, or open your talk with a question, be sincere about receiving input, and engage in some dialogue or banter. Share the floor with them, and all of you will have a more enjoyable experience!

Which one are you?

"There are two types of speakers: those who get nervous and those who are liars."

- Mark Twain