The Beacon Blog

First the Story, Then the Slides

Here is a conversation we regularly have with new clients…

New Client: “I have a big presentation coming. Will you take a look at my slides?”

Me: “Well, before we get to the slides, what is the point of the presentation?”

New Client: “Here, it is on the slides.”

Me: “I don’t care about the slides. Let’s talk about your story first.”

New Client: “It’s on the slides. Let’s look at the slides.”

And so the conversation goes…

Let me get straight to the point. The slides don’t matter until you first figure out what you want to be talking about. The slides need to be placed in proper perspective. They are nothing more than the visual representation of the story you have chosen to tell. So, you need to figure out what the story is first, and then create slides that bring that story to life.

Most people make the mistake of immediately working on their slide deck, as soon as they know they have to speak. But the problem with that approach is that you are creating slides without first having sorted out what the slides should say. If you create the slides first and then choose your words later, you are essentially reverse engineering your performance. You are creating a deck, with no purpose, and then speaking to the slides you created.

The more effective method is to choose your story and your words and the sequence of your ideas first, and then create slides that tell that story.

Bad presenters give bad presentations by speaking to the slides that they threw together.

Good presenters give good presentations by figuring out first what the point is, the goal is, the story is, the ask is… and then creating visuals that help tell that story.

Have a great day.

Photo: Richard Bowen

Filed Under: Communication, Persuasion, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Skills, Sales Communication

Getting to the Point Quickly is Really About Respect

In our communication skills workshops, there is a theme that always comes up that seems to surprise first-time participants. We talk about many of the most important aspects of great business communication: clarity, brevity, being memorable, setting context, communicating value, staying “on message”… all of the things that are required in the 21st century business environment.

But then the surprise for most people is that we translate all of those communication characteristics into the theme of “respecting your audience.” And we usually get more than a few raised eyebrows when the topic of respect comes up.

It’s a straightforward idea… You are busy, the people you work with are busy, everyone is busy. Busy, successful people (exactly the type of people you probably are trying to do business with) hate having their time wasted. And therefore the best way to build your own credibility, AND the best way to demonstrate that you respect your audience is by showing up to your meetings, conference calls, and presentations prepared. When we do the necessary preparation, and are ready to communicate clearly, we are, above all else, demonstrating that we respect our audience’s time. When we show up unprepared, and cannot get to the point, cannot communicate value, cannot make it easy for our audience to remember the key messages, we are wasting their time and hurting our own brand.

I’ve seen, all too often, projects delayed, careers slowed and credibility hurt because of one bad presentation or one poor meeting. And the biggest roadblock to sufficient preparation is that people convince themselves that they are SO busy, that they cannot find the time to prepare. Well, what will be more costly to you… finding the time to prepare amidst your busy day? Or being forced to spend more time afterwards to clean up the mess from a bad meeting, or to have to schedule a second meeting to get your sales process back on track?

Respect your audience. Show up prepared. And in respecting your audience, you also build your own credibility and your own brand. That’s a win for everyone.

Have a great day.

At The Latimer Group, we believe that successful teams are built on honesty, open communication, and collaboration. For more on team building and team communication, look for Dean Brenner’s latest book, Sharing the Sandbox: Building and Leading Great Teams in the 21st Century, on sale now.

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Filed Under: Communication, Persuasion, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Skills, Sales Communication

What to Do if You Ramble On and On and On…

Most people struggle to get to the point. Most people struggle with clarity and brevity. And this affliction is largely due to an inability to plan out the message, and prepare appropriately. Getting to the point quickly and clearly is not just a delivery technique. It is the output of organization and preparation.

However, on top of good preparation, there are a few delivery techniques that can help. Here are a few quick ideas for you on this Monday morning:

1. Think of your message as your audience’s meal. Don’t try to cram the whole meal down their throats in one bite. Let them chew. Let them swallow. Let them prepare for the next bite. In other words, slow down. Pause. Allow them a moment between ideas to consider what you are saying, before you sprint off to the next point.

2. Speak with periods, not commas. Try to avoid the long, run-on sentence groaning from the weight of multiple subordinate clauses. Try to speak in shorter, simpler sentences, with simple noun-verb-object construction. Try to speak in active voice, not passive. I am not saying “dumb it down.” I am suggesting that we speak in a way that makes it more likely our audience will be able to comprehend what we are talking about. If they have to work really hard to deconstruct our sentences, they will be missing the essence of our content.

3. Speak in bullet points. Whenever possible, try to place key messages or points into a short list, and then speak them as a list. “There are three things you need to remember here… one… two… three….” Or, “our proposal has two key components… first… and then second…” When we speak this way we make it easier for people to remember the key messages. In addition, when we speak this way, anyone who was likely to take notes will pick up their pen at that moment and take notes. Why? Because you just made it easy for them to do so. You organized their notes for them. And the statistics are clear: once someone writes something down, their ability to remember it goes way up.

Do you ever struggle with rambling? The cure for this affliction starts with thorough preparation. But then, on top of that preparation, these techniques will help. When we are able to get to the point quickly and clearly, people look at us differently. They “brand” us in their own minds as being organized, thoughtful, and strategic. Those are good things for you, and it is worth your time to acquire the ability to get to the point.

Have a great day!

Photo: Christopher Berry

Filed Under: Communication, Persuasion, Public Speaking Skills, Sales Communication

A Crisis of Confidence: Do We See What Others See?

I coach communication skills for a living, and have for a long time. That coaching sometimes takes the form of sharing specific tools, frameworks, and message development techniques. But it often also requires something more subtle, personal and emotional.

Many people we coach struggle with the confidence to stand in front of the room and speak. Many fear judgment, failure or embarrassment. Many people have an incredibly low opinion of themselves — what they sound like or what they look like. After spending more than a decade in this business and having coached thousands of people, I can say with absolute confidence that the vast majority of people we meet have an unfairly low opinion of themselves and their performance.

Yesterday, this video came across my radar screen, and it resonated loudly.

It is an online commercial for a women’s consumer product company, and sure, on some level, they are simply trying to sell more of their products. But what struck me was how true and powerful this message really is, regardless of the type of soap you might use.

So many of us see ourselves more negatively than others see us. So many of us suffer from a crisis of confidence. I spend a great deal of time in my professional life, trying to persuade people that their skills are better than they think they are.

And in my personal life, I try to demonstrate my friendship to others on a daily basis by reminding them that they are a good coach, or a good teacher, or that they told a story well, or that they look good… that somehow I appreciated them. Maybe that means I wish them a “happy birthday” or “happy anniversary” on their big day. Maybe it means showing simple appreciation of some kind, any kind.

As a husband and a father, my most important role is to give my wife and son daily love and affirmation that they are special. The greatest gift we can give our young son is the confidence to like himself and believe in himself. So too with Emily. She is a confident woman, with good reason, but we all have our days when a little reminder goes a long way.

My point to you today is that crises of confidence are common, and in our professional and personal lives, the best gift we can give is to remind our friends that what we see in each other is more special, powerful, and beautiful than what we might see in ourselves.

Have a great day!

Filed Under: Communication, Presentation Skills, Public Speaking Skills, Sales Communication

From The Archive: On Labels and Judgments

(Author’s Note: Yesterday, some person or group decided that the best way to vent their grievances was to hurt innocent people. And while we don’t yet know who attacked the Boston Marathon and why, we can almost certainly assume their attack was based on anger towards, and judgment of, someone or something.

I originally wrote the post below in October of 2009, in reference to the baseball playoffs. Upon hearing of this week’s tragedy in Boston, it got me thinking once again about this post, and the all-important lessons we must remember about labels and judgments. While I would never compare a disagreement over baseball to what occurred yesterday, I believe that all acts of violence have the common denominator of judgment… judgment that is vented in the most cowardly of ways.

To all who were affected by the tragic events of April 15th, our thoughts are with you. In a world without judgment, things like those of yesterday would never occur.

Best, Dean)

We communicate messages in so many ways, even when we don’t intend to. We communicate messages in obvious ways… with the words we speak and write, with our body language and our expressions and eye contact. But we also communicate messages in some less-than-obvious ways, and many times we may not even realize we are communicating anything. I like using stories to make my points, so let’s go there quickly on this Monday morning.

It’s October, which is my favorite month of the year. Why, you ask? Well, in my part of New England, the weather is cool and crisp, the sailing is great, the leaves are colorful, it’s baseball playoff time and the NFL season is well under way. (And if you think I listed those things in priority order, you don’t know me very well!) This October is also very special because my wife Emily and I are expecting an addition to our family any day now, so I’m orbiting close to home these days, thereby allowing me to enjoy football and the baseball playoffs in large quantities while we wait for the big day.

This past weekend I watched a lot of baseball with friends, and on Friday night I even caught a few innings of the Yankee game at a local watering hole. I ended up sitting next to some guy I don’t know, and I was wearing a tasteful fall ensemble of a navy blue Yankee t-shirt and my beloved Yankee hat. I’m enjoying the game, minding my own business, this guy strikes up conversation, and it’s obvious he’s not a Yankee fan. In fact, he’s a Red Sox fan, but we were still able to communicate a little. I know how to speak to Red Sox fans… I married one.

So we’re talking, and this guy is desperately trying to bait me into an argument. I suppose he was pretty bitter since the Sox season ended early in the first round of the playoffs, and the Yankees were still playing. But he’s pushing and prodding, looking for an argument, denigrating the Yankees because of this and that. And it’s pretty obvious pretty quickly that he’s labeled me in a certain way because I’m a Yankee fan. The guy doesn’t know me at all, but he made it clear quite quickly that he thought he had me all figured out just because I was a Yankee fan and was proud enough to show it publicly. In his mind I was arrogant and out to destroy baseball for the rest of the country, because I supported a team that spent more money than any other and therefore I wanted to destroy all the small-market teams that could not afford to compete with the Yankees. In his metaphorical world, I was “Darth Vader” to his ”Luke Skywalker.” I was “big city, Wal-Mart and heartless” to his “small town, corner store and caring.” I was “bad”, to his ”good.” We agreed to disagree, I finished my meal, and went home to watch the rest of the game.

But I’ve been thinking about this guy all weekend, and I realized that I communicated a message to him before I even opened my mouth. I was wearing two pieces of Yankee gear, which says a lot. One piece of Yankee gear, and I’m a fan, more than casual, but not over the top. Two pieces of Yankee gear and I’m more than a fan. I’m really into it. Which, in my bar buddy’s mind, validated all the things that he thinks about hard-core Yankee fans. He labeled me with all the negative labels he associates with the Yankees. Before I spoke to him, looked at him, or even realized he was there, I was communicating with him.

We live in a world of labels and judgments. We all do it, myself included. And it’s dangerous. It’s dangerous to begin making assumptions about people based on the pre-concieved notions of the labels we create in our collective consciousness.

I’ll be honest… I’m not really sure what the uber-point here is today. Should I have dressed differently? No way. We wear what we want to wear. Should my buddy in the bar have judged me a little less? Sure, but this is the real world we live in, and I’m not holding my breath. I suppose the point is that we should always be careful about the messages we communicate based on the labels and judgments we know exist, because the stakes are often much higher than a disagreement on baseball. Suppose this blog wasn’t about baseball? Suppose I was writing about politics, religion or national identity? Suppose I was writing about professional or political risk when we ignore labels? What if instead of “Yankee vs. Red Sox” I was actually writing about “Republican vs. Democrat” or “Christian vs. Jew vs. Muslim” or “American vs. European vs. Asian?” I’m not recommending that we adjust our lives completely and make all our decisions based on the labels of others. I would never suggest anything close to that. But I am suggesting that we ignore the labels others might place on us at our own peril, and should always consider the full range of the messages we communicate.

Photo Credit: Stuck in Customs via Compfight cc

Filed Under: Communication, Persuasion