Quote of the Day

“Three things matter in a speech: who says it, how he says it, and what he says – and of the three, the last matters least.” 
– John Morley, British Politician

When it's Time, it's Time

Have you ever run out of time during your portion of a meeting, panel discussion, or during a presentation? And did you stop when your time was up, or did you keep talking because you had just one more really important point to make?

I had the most interesting experience watching more than 25 presentations in a row at a corporate retreat about a week ago. Even though there was a timekeeper, and presenters knew when they had reached their limit, more than a handful busted right through and kept on going. They had just one more point – or in some cases, several more points – to make. They even called themselves out and said, "I'm out of time, but I just need to tell you this one more thing ... " 

Ouch. Really? Who is that all about? Is it all about the audience? Or is that all about the speaker? You know the answer.

So, here's a reminder about Rule #1 ... It's all about them, the Audience! It's not all about you. You need to respect your audience's time and attention. You were lucky to have it in the first place, don't abuse it. If you build your presentation effectively and organize your content so that messages (e.g. summary statements, statements of significance) are well constructed and primary, and then information (e.g. background, supporting detail, data) is dispensable and secondary, you'll always be able to cut yourself off. Rarely is a speaker that special, or their material that compelling, that time limits don't matter.

Trust me on this, there are two things about audiences you should keep in mind:

1) when an audience wants to know more, they'll ask for it; and 

2) audiences never complain when a speaker finishes early or on time!

Facing Your Enemy

Well ...

One thing we haven’t discussed here is the belligerent, hostile, or grandstanding audience. You know, the audience you are compelled to present to, but the same one that’s also poised and ready to take you down?!? Ugh, no fun.

Aside from being astutely aware of whether the Q&A section of your presentation has turned into an opportunity for members of your audience to make their own speeches (ahem, grandstanding!), I’d like to encourage you to get in touch with and remember these core principles of a leader’s voice:

Be brief. No one has less time, patience, and tolerance than an unfriendly audience, or an audience waiting for their turn to pounce. At least win their respect – and possibly their support? – by being crisp, clear, and to the point. It’s much easier to get annoyed with a rambler than with someone who is succinct.

Be transparent. If you have to share bad or controversial news with an audience, be open about it. Tell them right upfront that this may be hard, or that not everyone will agree, but that you’re hoping at least they’ll be more informed. If there’s an element of discomfort and you’re the messenger, call it out; don’t try to downplay it or hope that it will go away on its own.

Be gracious. Despite the sometimes overwhelming temptation to push back with a corresponding level of hostility or even belligerent defensiveness, don’t … nothing good can come from that. Stay in your most gracious self.  The dictionary definition of gracious is: courteous, kind, pleasant. Try to remain gracious, it’s the high road, you’ll be the bigger person.

Be sincere. Honest, yes, of course. But also sincere as a professional, sincere in your commitment and dedication to your work or your professional standards. People may not like what you have to say, but if you are sincere in your intentions to do right or do well, it can help a lot.

Leave the coat of armor at home, try brevity, transparency, graciousness, and sincerity!

Raise Your Hands!

Did you know that using hand gestures gets your audience to pay attention better and also increases their ability to retain what they are hearing? Your hands provide the punctuation for your mouth. So interesting and so the opposite of what most speakers think is okay.

Here are some hand gesture tips:

Rubbing your palms together indicates the expectation of something positive.

Hands clenched together (with interlocking fingers) can indicate frustration, so be careful with that!

Making a steeple with your hands, fingers lightly pressed against each other, can look like thoughtfulness ... or it can be read as superiority, so be forewarned.

Holding up your hand with the thumb and index finger together, with the other fingers resting in the palm, is used for emphasis by politicians and others engaging in persuasion (but be careful not to rub the thumb and index finger together, as that begins to suggest money and not in a positive way!).

Hands clasped behind the back have an unfriendly authoritarian feel; they're not unlike crossed arms in terms of unfriendliness and should probably be avoided.

Arms open, palms open, arms and hands gesturing upward and toward the audience are all positive and engaging.

Height matters when it comes to your moving parts; keep your arms and hands at chest level or below to avoid blocking your face or being overly distracting.

In any case, big thumbs up on talking with your hands!

**Oh, and as a note, thumbs up or down are very powerful; they have been since Roman times when thumbs up or down meant life or death to a gladiator! Just sayin' ...

Dumb it Down

You've been asked to speak at an event. Or it's on your shoulders to make a big presentation for your company. You want to seem smart, you want to appear to be savvy and sophisticated, you want to make a good impression.

If that's the case, I have some great advice for you: play dumb. Yup, I think you should play dumb.

You know those high-brow talks you've heard with big picture concepts and even bigger vocabulary words? And you know those super fancy slides you've seen people present with, the ones that move and change and grow before your very eyes? Well, forget about all of it. More often than not, when the speaker and the visuals try to go too big, the audience takeaway is "huh?!"

Go for simplicity. Be willing to do the hard work for your audience. Make it simple for them, so they can understand and remember. Dumb it down. Even the most complex ideas, projects or transactions can be made simple. Use basic everyday words, think of metaphors or analogies that can help illustrate, make your sentences short and crisp, keep visuals clean and clear.

If you can simplify for your audience – and make your ideas accessible, understandable and memorable – then you're definitely the smartest person in the room!

Cut to the Chase

Ready for a good summer shortcut to being really effective in a meeting or presentation? Here it is:  Think like an audience member.

How, you ask? Well, here’s what your audience is thinking but not saying out loud: Cut to the chase, please! Spare me all that info, just tell me what you want me to know! Yep, that’s what they’re thinking. You’ve thought the very same thing when others are speaking or leading a meeting, so you can pretty much assume others will be thinking it when you’re speaking or leading a meeting.

So, given your topic or your purpose for the meeting, take a preemptive strike and imagine that someone in the audience told you to cut to the chase. What would you say? Once you’ve thought of that, jot it down, and clean it up a bit, and voilà, you have your opening and closing comments. In the middle you can offer up some background information your audience may need, but only as much as they have the appetite for, so be careful with that!

Bottom line? Just cut to the chase. Everyone will be happier. Everything will be clearer. And all will be well. 

Laugh Track

When preparing a talk, don't forget to build in the laugh track. You're probably wondering if I mean that literally. The answer is yes and no.

What I mean is that audiences need guidance, and they need it to be spoon fed to them. Guidance, cues, prompts, reminders, directions, suggestions – all of it helps an audience to stay with you and to know what's coming and what's expected of them. Audiences don't like to work hard, think hard, guess, or wonder. It's your job as the speaker/presenter to build in the cues and the prompts and as much guidance as possible. 

Some examples: If you're digressing to tell a story, call it out and say, "I'm digressing for a moment to tell a story." If you're slowing down to ensure that everyone follows a complex idea you need to share, say so. If the whole reason for addressing a group is to reassure them, then tell them, "The whole point of my talk today is to reassure you." If you're moving between sections of a longer presentation, then, by all means, announce the transitions. 

For followers of SmartMouth Talks, yes, this is the same idea behind using a Focal Point at the beginning of a talk and reinforcing it at the end – if there is something you want an audience to think or know or do or feel, you need to tell them.  

That's why sitcoms use laugh tracks, they leave nothing to chance; when they want you to laugh, they prompt you with the sound of laughter. And guess what? When we hear the laughter, we laugh. Works like a charm. The power of suggestion. Fascinating. Use it.

Whatever Works is the Right Answer ...

Interesting phenomenon. Yesterday I was working with a CEO who is filming a series of short video messages to his large and growing employee base. The content is good – simple, straightforward, memorable and repeatable, a little bit of humor, a little bit of info, a lot of focus on the audience. The delivery was a bit more of a challenge; we needed to get him to appear more natural and less stilted on camera. Hmmmm, I thought, let's ditch the script and teleprompter and have him just chat with the camera. Sounds reasonable, rational, logical, right?

Well, after versions where we had him wing it and just chat, then had him use just bullet points, then fleshed out the bullet points a bit more, we ended up back at the starting point – pretty much a full script running on the teleprompter. Ironically, that's what helped him relax and appear most natural. In fact, he was quite good, we got some great footage.

In this biz, there are a lot of woulda-coulda-shoulda's, but in the end whatever works for the individual speaker is the right answer. We're all wired differently; what motivates us, comforts us, and gives us confidence differs from person to person, speaker to speaker. I could beat each of my clients over the head with the same baseball bat, but it would be pointless. Whatever works best resides within each of them, and so my only role is to help find that and pull it out of them, that's it.

K.I.S.S.

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."

– Albert Einstein

What Does It Say About You … ?

What does it say about you as a speaker when you stand squarely behind a podium or cling to a lectern during your entire talk? We don’t even need to answer that, do we?

Standing firmly in one place – or, even worse, hiding! – doesn’t really advance the cause of connecting with your audience, does it? Any structure between you and your audience is simply a barrier. And it’s a pretty safe bet to figure on it being more than just a physical barrier.

So, what are you supposed to do when a podium or lectern is turned over to you? Step out, people! Go ahead and use it as a prop or as a place to put your “things” (e.g. notes, laptop), but unless you’re addressing a large audience in a large room and the only available microphone is fixed to the podium (the only reason you’d have to stay put!), step out, around and in front. It sends the most important message to your audience … that you’re coming closer to them!

Game Plan: Your First 8 Seconds

Second 1:  Smile

Ahhh, a smile relaxes you and your audience, and it gets everyone ready for something positive to come.

Second 2:  Breathe

Sounds obvious but it’s not, and those who forget to breathe make themselves more nervous.

Seconds 3 – 8:  Engage

There’s no doubt that you will spend most of your preparation time working on the meat of your talk or presentation, i.e. the 15+ minutes that follow the first 8 seconds. But I would encourage you to give just as much thought and care to what you will say right off the bat. It’s standard, expected, and therefore boring and mediocre, to stand up and thank people for having you or offer other polite niceties as an opening. Set yourself apart by standing up and telling people exactly what they will know or feel after your talk … e.g. “you will be inspired tonight” or “you are about to learn all about xyz today” or “we are going to have some fun for the next 30 minutes” or “what you’re about to hear will change how you do business.” Give some thought to your audience’s needs and expectations in relation to your topic, and let them know – as you’re just getting started – what you’re going to give them during your time together.

Audiences will decide inside those first 8 seconds whether you are worthy of their attention, so speakers beware!

Focus on Focal Points

The focal point, aka the missing link! 

What do I mean by that? The focal point is all too often the missing link from a speaker's talk. When you leave a conference room or a ballroom or an auditorium saying to yourself, "um, not sure what that was all about!" or "what are we supposed to do now?" or "was there even a point to all of that?" then you know the speaker neglected to provide a focal point. The focal point is that little bit of audience guidance you give, where you weave in – in your opening and then reinforce it again in your closing – what it is that you would like them to think or know or do by the time you finish talking and they leave the room. It's a way of setting expectations, locking in focus, or, as I so often like to say, having everyone in the audience turn their brains to the same channel. When it's used, the focal point can make a talk so much more effective.

So, let's focus on focal points for a second ...

If your "job" – your communications task (always a verb) – is to inform, review or update, then your focal point will probably be a key takeaway. For example, if you are presenting quarterly results for your division to the board of directors, and the results are extremely positive due to a variety of factors, then your opening will sound something like this: "I am so pleased to be able to tell you that we made a lot of money this quarter. There are three main contributing factors, and I'll review each of those briefly this morning, but just know that we've turned the corner and made a lot of money this quarter." Key takeaway? Yup, you got it ... "we made a lot of money this quarter." In this case, a key takeaway is the focal point.

If your "job" is to motivate or inspire, then your focal point will look or sound more like a call to action or a charge to the troops. For example, if you are trying to boost company morale after a series of layoffs, and the picture is actually rosier now with a leaner headcount, then your opening at an all-hands meeting will sound something like this: "There is no question that we all have been through a difficult and emotional few months, and we need some healing time. But I would like you to focus on the future now, it holds a lot of promise for all of us. I am going to outline our strategic plan for this year. As I do this, I am going to ask each one of you to be paying attention with an eye toward how your business unit will jump on board and what kind of a positive impact the measures in the strategic plan can have on your numbers. That's why we're here. I want you to leave this room with concrete ideas for how you will move forward!" In this case, a call to action is the focal point.

If your "job" is to sell or persuade, then your focal point will be a version of an ask. For example (and let's switch to non-profit), if you are making a pitch for money (definitely persuading and selling!) and your organization has just completed a multi-year capital campaign during bad economic times, then your opening at your annual fundraising dinner will sound something like this: "Wow, what an amazing group of committed individuals you are! Over the past five years, you accomplished the impossible. Tonight, as part of this amazing program we have put together, I am going to ask you to extend your commitment and make a donation that will help us safeguard the investment all of you have made in the future of this organization." In this case, an ask is the focal point.

These examples are generic and over-simplified, but the point is that if there is something you want your audience to think or know or do, tell them! Be clear and open and transparent. If you don't tell them, they may not get there on their own, and then the opportunity you've had to be in front of them is squandered. Focus on your focal point, it makes better use of everyone's time and energies!

Folksy Works

Is it okay for a corporate executive to be folksy? Well, heck yeah, it is!

There is no right or wrong for a speaker’s individual style except authentic versus inauthentic. If an executive has a folksy style and has risen to the top of an organization, then there is something – or a lot of things – about his or her style that works. And it probably works because it’s authentic, it’s true to who that person is. And it’s probably very appealing, authenticity is very appealing.

Being real is so important. Trying to adopt a persona that isn't real, isn't authentic, just won't work. Audiences see right through it, and it can affect levels of respect, trust and credibility. It's just not worth the risk, so be who you are. If you're folksy, go with it ... but, of course, tighten it up! Know your audience, job, and win. Get your stories (and we know that if you're folksy, you've got some stories!) organized so that they support your point, have a strong open and close, and you're off!

Both Begin With P …

Preparation. Procrastination. Both begin with P. Both are factors before a speech or presentation. And both are easy to conquer.

In fact, preparation can conquer procrastination … but only if it’s super simple. And that’s actually easier than you’d think. So let’s be realistic about preparation, let’s talk about being efficient and effective, let’s talk about what to do when you only have a few minutes to prepare.

Hold onto these 3 shortcuts:

        1. Know your JOB. Are you supposed to inform, entertain, persuade, educate, introduce? What is the communications verb that best describes what you are supposed to do in your talk? Once you know your job, you can focus, and it will help you eliminate extraneous material and relieve you of having to create and deliver a magnum opus.

For instance, if you have been asked to make the welcoming remarks at a nonprofit fundraiser, then you simply need to welcome; you do not need to prepare and present the history of the organization.  

2      2. Have a FOCAL POINT. What is the one thing you want your audience to know, think, do or feel when they leave the room? There is always that something. And that is your focal point. Be transparent and direct, use your focal point as part of your talk … et voilà, you have your opening and closing!  Giving your audience clear guidance helps ensure that they actually do leave the room knowing, thinking, doing or feeling what you want them to.

Let’s continue with the example of you making welcoming remarks at the fundraiser. Let’s say your focal point is that you need your audience to give more volunteer hours in the coming year. So, one option for your opening (and adaptable for closing too) is, “Welcome to tonight’s event. You’ll hear from a variety of people tonight, and you’ll have plenty of time to socialize, but it is my desire that you leave here tonight even more committed to our organization and even more inspired to make your donation this year in volunteer hours.” Focal point set.

3      3. Limit the INFO. Unless you are delivering a technical paper or research findings at a scientific or medical conference, you can probably do without a lot of detailed information. Think about your topic, and what is most significant about your topic to your specific audience, and then plan to tell your audience the significance while limiting the supporting info to anecdotes and/or memorable facts, details or data. You can never deliver all the info on a topic anyway, so take the pressure off yourself and be prepared only to talk about the significance with a few quickie, retainable tidbits of info as backup.

In a nutshell, if you 1) are mindful about your “job” and stay in your lane, 2) know your “focal point,” what you want to ask of your audience, and 3) know what’s significant about your topic and only use “info” as backup, you are ready to go ... !

Unconventional Wisdom?

So, I just read an article about how harder-to-read fonts promote better recall. Uh oh, I wondered, slides too? Yup, slides too.

Interestingly enough, most of the prevailing wisdom about creating effective PowerPoint presentations suggests that clean and lean fonts, anything sans serif – i.e. no curlycues on the letters – are best. But apparently, less legible fonts make readers concentrate harder and therefore retain better. It seems counterintuitive until you really think about it and realize that readers have to slow down and focus harder with a font that isn't as easy to skim.

What fascinated me most, though, about the research presented in this article was that they discovered students learn better from a teacher's or professor's handwritten scribbles on a "chalkboard" (probably a whiteboard!) than they do from PowerPoint. Yes, this would make sense given the font proposition. And it also supports my long-held theory that drawing or writing on a whiteboard during your presentation allows your audience to be present for, and part of, the creation of your visuals ... and therefore promotes stronger reinforcement and stickiness.

No matter what, though, less is always more in the retention department, so feel free to go ahead and use a busier font, or your own handwriting, but keep the number of words and lines as lean and mean as possible!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

If you ever needed a really good reason to improve your performance at the front of a room or at the podium, consider this ...

In an article on "Social Intelligence and the Biology of Leadership" published in the Harvard Business Review in September 2008, Daniel Goleman (of EQ fame) and Richard Boyatzis wrote this:

"It turns out that there's a subset of mirror neurons whose only job is to detect other people's smiles and laughter, prompting smiles and laughter in return. A boss who is self-controlled and humorless will rarely engage those neurons in his team members, but a boss who laughs and sets an easy-going tone puts those neurons to work, triggering spontaneous laughter and knitting his team together in the process. A bonded group is one that performs well, as our colleague Fabio Sala has shown in his research. He found that top-performing leaders elicited laughter from their subordinates three times as often, on average, as did midperforming leaders. Being in a good mood, other research finds, helps people take in information effectively and respond nimbly and creatively. In other words, laughter is serious business.

Wow ... if we all took this to heart, meetings could be a heck of a lot more fun, huh?!

Thanks But No Thanks

Okay, speakers and presenters, you have a dilemma!

On the one hand, it is widely expected and perfectly acceptable to open a talk by thanking your hosts and guests for being there and for their participation in whatever meeting or event everyone is gathered to attend. Sometimes this is even laced with welcomes and other platitudes.

On the other hand, it is also widely known that audiences judge a speaker or presenter's worthiness within the first 10 seconds. Some say 8 seconds, some actually say 3 seconds. Hmmmm. Suffice it to say, audiences judge fairly quickly – in a matter of seconds – whether the person at the front of the room is worth paying attention to and whether they plan to listen attentively or not.

Collision, conundrum, dilemma. What to do? How do you reconcile these two forces? I'm a big advocate for shaking things up and trying something new and different. I'm also a big advocate for yielding to the audience (if there's even a slight conflict between the speaker's interests and the audience's interests, the audience wins hands down!). It'll be a little bit like moving over and sleeping on the other side of the bed (you know you have a side!), but try and grab your audience's attention first and thank them later. See if you can save your niceties and pleasantries for the end of your opening section, or for the very end of your remarks, whichever feels more doable. Open instead with a story, a question, a proposition, or a call to action.

Yes, making this change is likely to feel unnatural at first, but it will make you and your talk much more memorable. If for no other reason, you will stand out as the speaker who had a strong, impressive opening!

Being Real

Kudos to my newest client this morning for being bold enough to be real!

She is opening a three-day meeting of her company's division by being real and calling out the 800-lb gorilla in the room. Specifically, there is so much growth and change taking place in the company that, from one day to the next, people barely even know who they report to or what they're working on. Challenging situation, but not surprising given the fast-paced, high-growth industry in which they operate.

By calling it out – and she's doing it in a light-hearted way – she will not only connect with her audience immediately, but she also will earn their trust, respect and, I would suspect, their loyalty. Everyone wins. She establishes herself as a likable, credible leader, and her team members from around the world feel noticed and acknowledged. Great way to start the group meeting; the air is clear, and everyone can focus on the business of moving forward.

Leaders often feel the pressure to motivate by being cheerleaders, pumping up the troops no matter what's happening around them in reality. It's tempting to gloss over the negatives and the distractions. Frankly, it can feel risky to be as open about what isn't working as you are about what is working, but sometimes it's the best thing you can do for yourself and your employees. 

Nothing quite beats honesty and authenticity for winning over an audience.

Thank you, Dr. King!

Today is the perfect day for a reminder about going to 30,000 ft and staying out of the weeds.
  
Dr. King was the master. He said, "I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal."  He did not say, "We need equal rights and equal access to schools, buses, water fountains, and voting booths for adults and children alike; we need laws to be enacted that protect and promote the future of our people in this nation." Nothing wrong with the second one, but it's not nearly as impactful or memorable as the first. It's all in the why versus what, the message versus the info.

So, in a slightly different twist on honoring the legacy of Martin Luther King, let's all resist delivering laundry lists of items and features when we speak. Instead, let's look at our lists and ask what value or significance or meaning there is in all of our items and features collectively. And then that's the message.

I have a dream indeed.