Imagine if these movies had started differently. “In a past scenario, the troop strength of corrupt military-industrial complex had a 500-to-1 equipment advantage over a small but vocal group of dissidents…as you can see in this bar chart on my PowerPoint slide.”  Movies show us the power of storytelling to engage and persuade people, don’t they? I got a reminder of this from a great interview with screenwriter and creative writing teacher Robert McKee on Screenwriting for Executives. Whether your interest is in sales presentation, public speaking or simply team communications, this Hollywood advice applies to you.

Of course, storytelling doesn’t replace facts and logic. Its role is to help bring your information to life and make it more persuasive. It helps people understand complex ideas. It inspires, motivates – and gets remembered.

So how do you start developing the plot line of your next presentation? Storytelling is built on examples, metaphors and analogies. Is your story about the battle for market share? Then the hero may be you and your department. Maybe there’s a metaphorical “damsel in distress” who was rescued by the new training in customer service. Or, perhaps you’re explaining major management changes. Is the analogy the exploration of an undiscovered planet? Or getting a hard-case kid onto the championship football team? Or like the two little nuns who made all the difference when they yanked the carburetor out of the Nazis’ chase car in The Sound of Music? Now that’s a story about innovation and initiative!

Once you’ve decided the plot of your story, how do you put it all together? Here are a few speaking tips:

• Use powerful, concrete words and phrases. For example, in a sales presentation, it’s easy to talk about a new product “providing increased effectiveness.”  But it’s more compelling to talk about “no more Saturday catch-up work” or “make a difference to three more people every day.”
• Laughter is good medicine.  It helps people remember. It lightens the weight of a tough message. Of course, make sure it’s relevant and appropriate.
• Think visually. This isn’t radio – you’re on the big screen. What would be a great prop to convey your message?  A black hat and a white hat?  A letter from a customer? A tiny pebble, a melted DVD, your grandfather’s pocket watch, the contents of your organization’s lost and found box?  Extra credit: make this the only visual in your PowerPoint – or replace it all together.

Presenting your ideas in the form of a story is an emotionally powerful way of sharing the picture you have in your mind’s eye with your listener. If you and your listener are seeing the same picture then you have truly succeeded in conveying your message. 

Image by David Sandell

In part one

One of the points I mentioned before was that people want to know why a change is taking place. It’s easy to think about the more literal response to that question. “It will save money.” “It will help us respond faster.”  “It will open up a new market.” Or, in these tough times, the answer is often, “It’ll help us hang on until the economy turns around.” Those answers aren’t enough. They aren’t enough to qualm fears. They aren’t enough to build buy-in. They aren’t enough to inspire belief and action.

Getting to positive change requires communication skills, powered by leadership skills. Let me explain. All of us are rational and emotional beings – and we bring both those outlooks to the workplace. Transformational leadership requires us to connect with both. The rational mind responds to goals. The emotional mind responds to vision. The two must be interconnected and both must be communicated for successful change. Why?  

• Goals appeal to our intellect. Vision engages us. Goals tell us what we need to do, what the changes will require of us. But that’s just the beginning. Vision brings meaning to the change, captures our imagination for the good that could come from it. 
• Goals give us timeframes and results. Vision shows us our future. Always, the logical mind wants and needs the specifics of goals. Vision helps us soar above the everyday to see the big-picture possibilities.
• Goals drive performance. Vision inspires. We want to understand the standards by which we’ll be measured and rewarded. But vision asks us to think for ourselves and empowers us to find ways to expand upon it.
• Goals solve problems. Vision opens possibilities. For example, goals say, “Reduce customer wait time by 20%”.  Vision says, “Delight customers by easing the stress of their time-crunched days.” 
• Goals are concrete, written. Vision is a living story to be internalized. One you pull up and access on your computer. The other you carry in your mind.

Chances are, you already have skills and training in goal-setting. So, I want to focus on visioning here. Where do you start? You’ll need to do the same thing you’re going to be asking your team to do. Think beyond the current actions to the future.  What does “good” look like? What will a day be like when the change is in full force? What will be the response from customers? How will they write the article on your success in the Harvard Business Review? Gather those mental images for your vision story. Then think about how you want to characterize the vision. Are you on a mission? Is it a battle? A quest? Is it a marathon or a sprint? Is it art or science? Are you creating or conquering? Now build your thoughts into your story, filling it out with details that tie it to the everyday experience. 

Here’s a crucial reminder. Your goals – and especially your vision – may be most important when the changes you’re facing are triggered by “bad” news. Downsizing, financial reorganization or the departure of a key leader can scar a company’s performance for a very long time if not approached correctly. Without being a Pollyanna, you need to focus on the positive future. Not the pain, but the gain. Try to set goals within a positive framework. Define your vision, not in terms of loss, but of the open door. Once you have your messages in place, communicate them often, in as many ways as you can. Update the vision with success stories. Share goals reached. And, when necessary, recalibrate. 

Change is a reality in today’s world. To be a true leader you need to go beyond managing change to empowering it.

Image by David Reece

VoicePro has been called in by numerous clients to help manage change initiatives.  A mistake I see over and over again is that communication is an afterthought. 

Sometimes the call to VoicePro comes when there’s been a breakdown in the system – reduced productivity, high turnover or other problems.  In response to my question about a communications plan, I often hear, “We had a meeting and sent out a memo.”  That’s simply not enough.

People need more than that for change to be truly understood and accepted, and for the change to have the full positive force you intend.  It’s so important that I’m going to devote a couple of these posts to the issues you’ll face and how to prepare for them.

Let’s start with an example to illustrate my point. I participated in a training exercise a few years ago in which the participants were broken into one of two groups – the “employers” and the “employees.” I was an employee.  Unbeknownst to us employees, part of the exercise for the employers was to NOT communicate with us, but only to let us have access to their public news releases.  Even in a small group of pretend employees, complete strangers together for a 3-hour “game” on a Tuesday morning, we became suspicious and confrontational, doubting our employers wisdom and motives.  Amazing – and eye opening.  

Think of change management as facilitative leadership. How can you help assure the change you’re undertaking is going to achieve the hoped-for results?  Here are some things to keep in mind in your communications plan.

• Over-communicate.  Create a message calendar to cover 3-6 months of the change process.  Start early to let people know what’s coming.  Include a kick-off communication at the start of the change.  Then follow through with regular updates. 
• Explain why.  People respond more positively when they know why a change is happening.  Even if it’s bad news generated by difficulty, trust your team to take on a challenge when they know what the stakes are and how they can make a difference.  And don’t assume that the need for a “simple” or “good” change is obvious. Change always brings some discomfort or inconvenience. Help people understand how learning a new sales and marketing system will help them better serve customers and grow the business.
• Listen.  You can’t possibly predict all the questions and concerns your team will have – that’s the nature of the human spirit.  You need to offer frequent opportunities for people to ask questions.  Take those questions seriously and provide serious answers.  Be sure to plan for Q&A throughout the process; issues are certain to arise as you go along.
• Use different communication methods.  Kick-off meetings, newsletters, video, focus groups, training sessions.  Each one reaches people in different ways and invites different (and important) feedback opportunities.
• Reach out to key groups.  You know which groups are most affected and where the fulcrum points are.  Losing these key people can hobble your organization for months. Use change as a team building exercise.
• Involve the whole organization.  Even when a change targets a small group, you may want to widen the communications audience.  Why?  First, there’s a ripple effect to change.  Something new in the accounting department can cause headaches or concerns to anyone who interacts with them.  Plus, organization-wide communication can help control gossip and the fear that goes with it.

Change isn’t just about systems or organization charts, payroll numbers or business plans.  It’s about the people who will implement it, live with it, work with it.  If your want your change to be a positive one, remember make people a part of it.  And communication is the key.

Image by Veri’s kleiner Winkel

I often find myself in this trap…wondering, What if I do it wrong? or How am I supposed to do this?

Have you ever thought that maybe, just maybe, you’re doing it exactly the way you should be? Because, if you did everything right the first time, you’d never learn anything new. And who is defining the right way? What if your way is the right way?

 Sue Thomas is the owner of MAP.  She uses horses to teach people about leadership skills, collaboration, effective communication and team building. One morning, I was in her pasture with three horses and three other people to learn some new approaches to managing. My task, with rope harness in hand, was to go get Boss, a large, black gelding, and lead him back to Sue.

Now, I love animals and I am not particularly afraid of horses. So this was no big deal, right? I just needed to go and get him. But as I found myself walking towards Boss, I began to get nervous because the trap had taken hold. Was I going to do it right. What if I did it wrong? What if I looked foolish in front of the others?

When I got to Boss, I looped the rope around his neck and said, “C’mon big guy,” and walked back over to Sue. My legs were shaking so badly I could hardly walk. And I was so worried about doing it right that I couldn’t enjoy my connection with this big, wonderful horse. Yet I had successfully accomplished my task. So, what is my point in all this? My fear of being inadequate very nearly got in the way of my success. I was getting in my own way.

What thoughts do you have that get in your way? Try this:

• Set a clear goal. If you don’t know what you need to accomplish, it’s hard to clarify your approach. I needed to get Boss and bring him back. This was very clear for me.
• Tell yourself, until you actually believe it, that your way is the right way. You can approach a task quite differently from others and still be successful. You may even experience something new and different that surprises you. If I had taken this approach with Boss, I would have found joy in my accomplishment rather than feeling frustration and pain.
• Take comfort in the fact that, most of the time, other people aren’t aware of your mental chatter and how it can undo you. The feedback I received from the others in the pasture was that I looked confident, comfortable and that I made the process look easy. They had no idea my knees were buckling under me.

When you are faced with something new and challenging, give yourself permission to do it wrong. Then enjoy the process of learning instead of beating yourself up over it. My lesson learned – I don’t need to be like everyone else. I can be different, which makes me unique. My knees can definitely support that.

I have just spent two weeks working on projects with diverse groups of people. At VoicePro, we use the DISC Behavioral Assessment to help clients understand how individual work styles impact relationships. It’s one thing to understand the DISC principles, another to know them well enough to teach them to others, and quite another to respond appropriately when the need arises in real life.

According to the DISC, I am highly results-oriented. At the start of a project, I want to come in, take stock, dive in, barrel through, and be done with it. No chit chat. No messing around. But if I want to accomplish anything, I have to remember: MOST OTHER PEOPLE DON’T WORK THAT WAY. So I must stop, press my reset button, and proceed with a softer touch. Sometimes, I can manage this quite well; at other times it’s not so easy.

Here’s what I’ve learned—or relearned—or re-relearned—about myself and how to work with others. And while my work style may be different from yours, the lessons I continually have to teach myself might be of value to you as well. I hope so, anyway.

Know yourself.  This is where the DISC Assessment and other “personality” type instruments come in handy. You can easily see how your personal characteristics have become your strengths and how, taken to the extreme, they can get you in trouble. Being results-oriented, I put my blinders on and head for the goal. I get a lot done that way. On the other hand, I must be careful not to ride roughshod over people in my zeal to reach the finish line. They tend not to like it very much.

With the DISC you are also able to see how other people differ from you. And how that’s all right. If we were all alike, it would be a pretty dull world. (And if everyone was like me, the details would be lost and gone forever.)

Don’t take yourself too seriously. This is important advice for me. Once I understand what makes me tick and I accept that reality, I need to lighten up. If I use my work style as an excuse for unacceptable behavior, I negate the whole purpose of the assessment. Instead, I can turn it to my advantage by recognizing the humor in the human condition—and in mine.

While you are settling down to analyze the situation, weigh all the arguments, and check your data one more time before making a decision, I’m probably tapping my foot, snapping my fingers, and muttering, “c’mon, c’mon,” under my breath. But if we can recognize the fact that we could easily make each other crazy and then laugh about it, odds are that I will be more patient and you’ll decide a little more quickly.

Keep your mouth shut. Okay, I know you probably don’t need to be told this, but I do. Over and over again. “You don’t have to be right all the time, Carolyn,” I tell myself. “Even if you are right, you don’t have to be right.”

The impulse to argue is alive and well in most of us. If that’s the case with you, stop and ask yourself what’s more important: to win the argument or cultivate the relationship. Most of the time you’ll be better off if you opt for the relationship.

Recognizing and celebrating different behavioral styles is the hallmark of someone with excellent interpersonal skills and is good practice for all of us. And while it’s easy to understand, it’s not so easy to accomplish. The learning continues throughout our careers, and it never hurts to have a refresher course—either in the classroom or the laboratory of real life.

Image by nickwheeleroz

You have just witnessed big-time small talk.  And that same scenario is true for all of us. A presentation starts long before people sit down at the conference room table.  The small talk at the beginning of a meeting – and for the weeks and months before that –establishes your personal and professional presence.  Your self-confidence shows and conveys that you’re comfortable, approachable and self-aware.  So in a way, small talk is one of the most important communications skills and sales presentation skills.   Certainly, it’s one of the defining characteristics of executive presence.

Even if you’re not making a major presentation, the ability to comfortably handle coffee-room small talk with your managers, peers and reports builds your credibility. It’s one of the leadership skills that builds trust in you and your abilities to connect, adapt and meet the world with confidence.

While some people seem to be natural at small talk, most of us need a little coaching and practice.  Even the people on TV have handlers who prep them and help them develop talking points.  Here’s a little small talk primer for all of us.

Prepare before you go. 

Brush up on local happenings or light news.  I know one woman who always skims the sports pages so she’s able to make small talk with her male clients. Read through a popular culture magazine for some timely topics. What are the reviews of a recent movie?  Check the New York Times best-seller list.  Restaurant reviews.  Even a recent news story – just avoid controversial topics or politics. 

Make business meetings work. 

 The small-talk time should be brief. Your goal is to establish rapport before getting started, priming everyone for a positive meeting. You might want to comment on the building or ask about the facility.  Notice an award or trophy.  You may also want to mention a colleague you have in common through work or your extracurricular life, if appropriate.

Networking events: relationships that get down to business.

All the topics for a business meeting are appropriate for networking events.  In addition, you may be able to chat about the purpose of the event.  Is it a fundraiser?  Talk about your and your conversation mate’s connection to the event.  You can share professional information (“What do you do when you’re not raising funds for the Cancer Society?”).   And, believe it or not, the weather is almost always a good place to start.

By the way, the goal of a networking event isn’t to build the fattest stack of business cards.  It’s about starting a relationship, so less may be more.  Make a genuine connection with someone, then exchange business cards as appropriate.

Ask a question.  Then really listen.

It’s what the teen magazines said about meeting people at your first high school dance.  And it’s still true today. Ask a question and you make a connection. Plus, you’re likely to uncover topics to keep the conversation going. 

Be sure you’re really listening, too.  Others sense whether you’re being genuine or just going through the motions.  You know the people who ask a question, then look past your left ear for their next target? Don’t be one of them.  Really listening means responding and having a dialog. It conveys authenticity and gives you a basis for future conversations. 

Feeling shy?  Breathe.  And smile.

Stand with an open posture and breathe deeply. A deep breath helps you relax, focus and smile.  If meeting people makes you nervous maybe the meeting organizer or the event host can introduce you to a few people to help break the ice. If you’re the person in charge, make that effort for others.  Some people get over their butterflies by setting a goal for the number of new contacts to make, and then make a game out of achieving it. Sounds less intimidating, doesn’t it?

Image by Pogorita

The fact is, people long for goals that reach farther and demand more. Imagine that. People want to take on big goals, difficult goals. Is that you? Your team? I’ll bet it is. We seem to be longing to accomplish something important and valuable.

The research then goes on to discuss eight make-or-break factors that are predictors of whether goals are going to help people actually achieve great things. Here are three of them. You probably don’t have to be a professional in leadership development and teambuilding to know they would be on the list:

• I will need to learn new skills

There’s no question that new goals require new skills.  But here’s the one that I bet takes you by surprise:

• I will be pushed outside my comfort zone

Did you do a double-take? Many people do. Why? It’s easy to associate getting outside our comfort zones with mistakes, failure, feeling foolish, getting laughed at. 

But, I’m not the least bit surprised. You know why? I’ve spent my whole career at VoicePro helping people get outside their comfort zones. They aren’t crushed by the effort – they’re transformed by it. The word “empowered” is barely descriptive. I see magic happen every day. People “step out” and discover new strengths and abilities that can transfer far outside the specific knowledge they’re pursuing.

Of course, helping people out of their comfort zone is a skill – and an art. That’s why years of experience lead me to agree with the third success predictor:

• I will have access to formal training needed for new skills

As much as we all can learn on our own – from a book, from a mentor, from e-learning – we sometimes need formal training in a safe environment, where leaders won’t let us back down, but help us find new abilities.

It starts with a safe place away from the people and situations that can make us timid. But there’s much more. My job is to find a way to help you find yourself. Sometimes I coax.  Maybe I nudge. The trigger could be a question – or a story. Sometimes I’m a flashlight that shows the way. And sometimes I help swing that axe that chops a hole in the comfort zone wall. 

That’s what formal training should be about – not just knowledge, but power. By the way, this isn’t a sales pitch. It’s a mission statement and a commitment my staff and I live by.

What are your goals for yourself this year? For your team? Are you’re ready for a trip outside your comfort zone? Are you ready to reach for your goals?

Image by btmlinedan

It’s interesting (and, well, just a little entertaining) to look at the world in that cut-and-dried way. But we all know people in every profession everywhere whose authenticity we can count on. You’ve bought a car from someone you trust. You’ve voted for a legislator you believed in. How did you know you could trust them? We say it’s “just a feeling.” However, the fact is, human beings are constantly gauging credibility by reading very real signals people give in every interaction.

Now you’ve probably got two questions in your mind. 

1. What are the signals of credibility? (More on that in a minute.)
2. Are people judging me by them, too? (You bet they are.)

Let’s take a look in the mirror and see how the way we communicate affects perceptions of our authenticity and credibility – and what we can do to raise our scores. The good news is, the indicators people watch are skills you can learn. With this knowledge – and practice – you can communicate credibility that builds your influence. You can take steps to boost the trust of colleagues and customers, supervisors and employees. You are in control of how much impact your words have with others. 

Here are some proven tips we’ve been sharing with others at VoicePro for more than two decades. Try these ideas in your next presentation or conversation and see the difference:

• Be open. Credible people have nothing to hide, no need to be defensive, and nothing to prove. They can listen, keep eye contact, and have relaxed body language. Their easiness communicates integrity.
• Breathe deeply. When you speak you’ll project your voice with an air of confidence. When a situation gets tense, this advice gets twice as important.
• Turn off the “internal critic.” You know that voice that tells you you’re not smart enough or strong enough?  Don’t listen.  It can unnerve you, cause you to act in ways that aren’t authentic. Learn to trust yourself – and others will, too.
• Loosen up and share your enthusiasm. Your comfort is contagious and so is your dynamism. You’ll connect with people and they’ll respond with trust and respect.

Want to dig a little deeper? You’ll find more tips and newsletter ideas on building influence, creating more powerful presentations and developing a strong presence at our website.

Image by Gregg Obst

Not so fast.  No presentation is complete until you’ve considered your audience.  Why?  The person who’s hearing your message brings his or her own way of interpreting the world to the conference room table.  To communicate successfully, you need to take that into account.  Every conversation is a collaboration.  You need to send messages in a way that the listener is truly able to receive them.  Think of it this way: if you’re throwing a football and your listener is holding a tennis racket, there’s no way to score.  Better communication skills can help you convey information in a way that makes you more persuasive, a better negotiator, a stronger leader.

Psychological research suggests a person tends to respond to communication in one of four styles:  dominance, influence, steadiness or compliance. The styles aren’t good or bad – just different.  When you learn to “speak the language” of others, you’re likely to make the most progress.  And remember, it’s not just what you say that counts — how you say something is just as important.  Human beings are wired to respond to the expressive quality of our communication.  So our speaking style and body language are all part of the message.

Let’s look at the four communication styles and ways to address them.

1.  Dominance.  Think of the dominant person as a “bottom-line” type – direct, active, competitive, results-oriented. She is focused on speed,  flexibility, and achieving results.

Approach: “Cut to the chase.”  Be crisp and to the point.  How are you solving a problem? Moving the organization ahead? If you’re naturally gregarious, you’ll want to tone it down for the bottom-line personality.  Quiet hands, serious demeanor, limited small talk are all effective.

2.  Influence. This person is characterized as expressive, fun, creative, friendly, adventuresome, spontaneous. He is people-oriented, values recognition for himself and others, and focuses on  challenges and action.

Approach: Address people issues with an influencer.  Keep in mind that your spontaneity and passion – in word and body language – will help him respond to your proposal.  A stolid, grim delivery will interfere with message transmission.

3.  Steadiness.  This is someone who values concern, dependability, consideration and cooperation. Appreciation is good, conflict brings discomfort. Feelings and relationships are important.

Approach: How ideas are implemented is important to him.  Will it disrupt good systems? Have you thought through how to eliminate snafus to help keep people in their comfort zones?  Be sure not to rush through or brush off his concerns, either in words or manner. 

4.  Compliance.  Solutions that are safe and proven rank high with this analytical type.  She looks for logic, accuracy, precision, efficiency.  The wise course means proceeding with caution to ensure quality and no mistakes.

Approach: Understand that this person will want to know that you’ve thought through the details. You’ve planned for disruptions so nobody drops the ball.  Even if you’re in the early stages of a project, you may want to outline the steps to assure her of a careful process.  Close attention to details will win the day when your personal excitement or anticipation of potential of results will make no difference at all.

 But, what if you’re talking to someone you don’t know?  A sales prospect?  A new team member?  A consultant?  That’s when you use what may be the most powerful communication skill of all: listening.  Put your script aside.  Look the person in the eye.  Ask questions.  Watch for signs that reveal his or her communication style.  As you’re watching and listening, you’ll be able to adapt your message accordingly. 

Want to know more about motivating and persuading others? Click here.

Image By Meltin Mudd Studio

Whether or not the panel’s actions have undermined basic theories of climate change is not the subject of my comments here. What struck me about the IPCC’s situation is how dependent we are on trust when we do business with each other. To put it bluntly, the questionable actions of some—not all—of the people at the IPCC has severely damaged the credibility of the organization and has given its opponents the opportunity to call for its demise.

When you meet someone for the first time, your first thoughts are likely to be: Can I believe this person? Can I believe in this person? The word credible comes from the Latin word credere, which means to believe. So if you are credible, you’re believable in every sense of the word.

The scary thing about credibility is that you can’t decide if you’re credible. That’s a judgment call made by other people. Public perception of the folks at IPCC is that individuals there either don’t know what they’re talking about or they’ve become advocates in a cause where they’re supposed to be unbiased and impartial. Either way, they’re no longer quite as believable as they once were.

While you can’t actually serve up your credibility to other people on a silver platter, you can influence their perceptions in a significant way. There are four components of credibility where you can make a difference. They are: Integrity, Expertise, Dynamism, and Openness.

Let’s examine Integrity here. This is the big one, and it’s where the problems of the IPCC show up. When you work with someone, that person must be able to trust you implicitly if the two of you are to have a good relationship. Your word must be as good as gold. Your handshake must be binding, even if you don’t have a written contract. Your work life must be an open book, with no hidden agendas or self-serving machinations going on behind closed doors.

Of course, this is easier said than done. It’s tempting, when you want to be seen as the good guy, to hedge the truth and tell people what they want to hear. Office politics may make it difficult to be totally honest, and whistle blowers often find themselves penalized for calling attention to design flaws or violations of procedure no one wants to acknowledge. At its worst, an atmosphere of deception can disintegrate into “group think”, where everyone knows there’s a problem, but no one will step up and tell the truth.

To be credible, you must have a reputation for being honest with other people – for telling the truth even when it hurts. You can be kind, caring and diplomatic and at the same time be forthright in the way you approach your work and your relationships.

The IPCC is in trouble because it didn’t stay true to its mission: Take sophisticated and sometimes inconclusive science, and boil it down to usable advice for lawmakers. Scientists made the mistake of forming conclusions from inconclusive evidence and inserting them into their reports. This is easy to do unless you’re always on guard against the temptation to fudge—even a little—when the truth matters.

In a future article, I’ll have more on how to stay credible in today’s workplace. Stay tuned.

Image by Don Moyer

I want you all to vow to never give another business presentation – ever!

 Why?

 Because they didn’t take the needs of their audience (me) into consideration when they “presented”. As a result, I walked away thinking;

“So what? What do I do now? Why did I need to be here? What is your point?”

So, take this to heart!

If you have the luxury of a live audience, please, give them something (anything) they can walk away with and use. You may be yelling at me as you’re reading this that you are just giving an informational update. I know, you do them all the time….

Okay, and again, so what?

• Why is this information important?
• What is the benefit of it?
• Why does your audience need to hear it now?

If you can’t give them something useful – and usable – then do us all a favor and send an email update. Don’t waste any more time presenting about information that has no meaning to your audience.

To avoid this trap, remember that it’s all in the preparation:

1. Ask yourself, what is the point for the audience of what I am going to talk about? What do I want them to do with this information? If you do not know what the point is, they won’t either.
2. Gear everything you talk about towards that point.
3. Tell stories or give examples that support the point(s) you are making. This will help your audience relate personally to your message. It will also allow you to come alive in front of the group, rather than drouning on about all your data.
4. Be yourself. Most people are different when talking to friends and colleagues than they are when making a “presentation”. Why is that? Why can’t you be the same person in the informal settings as you are in the formal ones? I would much rather listen to the person who is easy, personable, funny, even enjoying themselves, than the one who has to get through their information as fast as they can so they can get back to their seats.

Bottom line – don’t do any more presentations. Reframe the situation in your mind to just having a conversation. Whether you are in a job interview, talking to a client, updating the board of directors, your boss or team, be yourself! Talk about what you know (which I’m sure you can do in your sleep), and help them with the problem or issue facing them in the current moment. Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Believe it or not, being yourself is a lot easier than turning into someone you really aren’t.

Image by Joel Dill

Every day I am more aware of the pressure to improve the economies of scale within our firms, divisions, or departments, leading us to think of more creative ways of doing “more with less.” However, simply asking our people to do more is becoming less and less of an option, in light of the already seam-bursting workloads that most are carrying.

One area that surfaces as a treasure-trove of possibilities is our technical staffs. Technical experts, be they IT, financial or engineering, must now be in direct contact with clients and customers, often at the client site. Having worked in the IT industry for 15 years, I am aware that these interactions can be challenging – left-brainers are great at solving technical problems but may not be so great at communicating. I can only begin to imagine what might be possible if these technical experts were also capable communicators, acting as pre-sales agents, sales scouts, or as a sales triage.

From where I sit, the value added to our organizations would be tremendous, if the technical experts had the confidence and skill to engage with department managers, directors, or even VP level management. I picture technical staffs engaging with senior level managers as trusted advisers, able to describe unrealized issues or opportunities, and propose possible solutions. Or acting as a catalyst to bring the right people within our organizations together to discuss and resolve the issues that only they are aware of. By expanding the skill sets of our technical staffs, our organizations can expand their sales footprint without adding to the headcount of the organization.

Some areas of focus for our technical experts could be:

1. Be aware of the audience’s level of expertise. Not everyone knows what you know. So, guide the rest of us to your level of knowledge.
2. Use language that your audience understands and can relate to instead of technical jargon that causes people to tune out.
3. Recognize that your audience might have discomfort with your knowledge/expertise, and therefore hesitate to approach you with questions. So, smile, be freindly and approachable.
4. Relate your information to your audience’s world using examples and stories, don’t drone on and on with facts and statistics.
5. Accept that questions don’t mean challenges – the audience is just trying to understand your message.

I am not suggesting that our technical experts fill the role of sales people. However, I am suggesting that with increased communication skills and confidence they could help our clients identify and solve problems. They would be highly valued by the client, and broaden the reach of our organization’s sales presence through effective communication – identifying and facilitating opportunities for the sales team. 

Image by :: Adek ::