Whilst I am a fan of the intelligent and sparing use of PowerPoint and other presentation tools I am always on the lookout for great examples of presentations which use props to bring their messages to life.
I recently came across this short 10 minute video on TED and I commend it to you. Hans Rosling is an inspiring and creative presenter and I love how he uses a simple and readily available prop to help his audience understand some mind boggling numbers.
Does your business or at least some areas of it suffer from moaning, bitching & complaining? If it does, these are all symptoms of low level conflict and they could be costing your business dearly.
Think about it for a moment. What are the consequences of such behaviour – Poor customer service, low productivity, poor quality, and low staff morale to name but a few. So what is the cause of such conflict and what can you do about it?
The underlying causes of conflict Ultimately I believe that conflict is caused by unmet needs. Consider this scenario. One of your staff is trying to get on and complete an important and urgent sales quotation whilst a colleague at a neighbouring desk is on the phone having a noisy and very lively chat. The longer the distracting conversation goes on the more angry and frustrated the other person gets until finally they snap. They get up, storm over to their neighbour’s desk and unplug their phone from the wall. The ensuing argument halts all productivity and the tension and ill feeling can last for days if not weeks.
Clearly the quotation writer had a genuine need for peace and quiet to complete their document by the deadline and that need wasn’t being met.
Defusing conflict In order to defuse such a conflict it is vital to acknowledge the unmet need before you try to find a solution. Ignoring the underlying need will tend to cause the issue to escalate and that’s the last thing you want. If you just ask the people involved to apologise to each other you may get compliance but the issue will continue to simmer and is likely to erupt again in the near future. Empathy is a key skill here.
Resolving the conflict Conflict can only truly be resolved when that unmet need is met. In this situation it might mean that either the person on the phone agrees to make their calls outside or that the person writing the quotation can use another quiet office or perhaps even work from home. In business you must take into account the needs of the business as well as the needs of the individual staff. It may not always be possible to satisfy everyone’s individual needs completely but you may be able to do enough to eliminate most of the conflict.
Preventing conflict Of course the ideal situation would be if you could prevent such conflicts from happening in the first place. For this to happen, the manager and their team must be open to and aware of each other’s needs. Now this is perhaps the most difficult challenge. Most people are not good at articulating their needs up front. Walking round the office and just asking your staff “What are your needs” is unlikely to achieve much, at first anyway. But that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to uncover what lies behind their apparently negative behaviour. The best managers and leaders I have known have all invested time in getting curious about their people and in particular what they need individually to perform at their very best. They understand that everyone is different and they are always curious about what makes their people tick. The poorest managers assume that everyone needs the same things that they do and therefore they treat them accordingly.
Conclusion Managing conflict in teams is not an exact science and the consequences of getting it wrong can be painful and expensive. On the other hand, the benefits that comes from investing a little time and effort in understanding peoples underlying needs and then meeting those needs in tandem with those of the business can create amazing results and provide huge personal satisfaction.
Seminars are a powerful business building strategy when done right. They are a great way to strengthen relationships with existing clients and showcase your expertise to new ones.
If done well you can also create an environment where existing happy customers “sell” your services to prospective customers naturally and unobtrusively.
Recently I was privileged to attend such an event run by one of my clients, a large accountancy firm. I had been helping one of the partners put together a presentation including developing powerful visual aids rather than boring bullet points
The event was a great success and here are some of the key things that made it so:
They started with a clear outcome for the event.
They created content that was relevant to their target audience.
They invested in professional advice on how to present the content in the most effective and memorable manner and then implemented the recommendations.
The speakers rehearsed their presentations in advance, sought external feedback and adjusted their presentations as a result.
Their presentations were clear and concise and used examples and case studies to help audience relate to the strategies being discussed
They ran a short panel discussion with 3 clients who gave concrete examples of the approaches discussed in the presentations
They invited a mix of existing customers and prospective ones.
They had sufficient staff present to ensure that registration went smoothly and that there were people on hand to answer questions afterwards in the drinks reception.
In conclusion:
Seminars are a great business development tool but you need to invest a little time and effort as well as money to create an effective event.
If you are not prepared then my advice would be to steer clear as the risk of creating a poor impression to a large number of people is real.
Seeking professional advice to ensure that the content is relevant, interesting and well presented can make all the difference.
If you have any questions or ideas please post your comments below.
Gavin Meikle
The Presentation and communication doctor.
Ever since humans developed language we have used stories as a powerful method transfering knowledge. We teach our children through stories. We build relationships and bonds through sharing stories. We are entertained by stories.
I would argue that we spend much of our non-work time storytelling. Socially we understand that the best stories are engaging, entertaining, and memorable. Yet when it comes to business communications we have a tendency to throw all our experience out of the window and to rely on dry dusty data and abstract concepts that are neither engaging nor memorable.
I don’t know exactly why this is and to be honest I don’t much care. What I really care about is helping business people communicate with their customers and staff more effectively and I believe that storytelling is the way to go.
Storytelling has the power to bring abstract concepts to life.
Powerful stories are sticky – we remember them
Powerful stories are naturally infectious – we are compelled to share them with others
Powerful stories have the ability to challenge and change us
So what makes a good story?
A shift of perspective and context – It transports us to a different world
A clear inciting incident – This is the catalyst that changes the direction of the story and draws us in
A clear and satisfying end point -The payoff that we all expect and need
An identifiable character or group whom we care about – this engages our emotions
A clearly identified and palpable risk – What happens if we get it wrong? another strong emotional hook
Don’t take my word for it. Use the checklist above to test out the stories that you remember and then use it to help improve your use of storytelling in business.
Recently I was having a conversation with a fellow sales trainer about why some people find selling such a challenge. One reason we agreed on was that the words “sales” and “selling” have a ton of unhelpful mental baggage associated with them.
Just test this out for yourself right now. Grab a piece of paper and a pen and write down or draw all the associations that spring to mind when you think of the words sales or selling.
What words come to mind?
What images pop unbidden into your minds eye?
I’ll make a confident prediction that some, if not all of the following ideas appear in your list;
Sharp suit,
Flash car,
Smooth talker,
Used cars,
Market traders,
Foot in door,
High pressure,
Sales pitch,
Con man,
Pushy,
Dishonest.
Was I right?
The problem is that all these concepts are negative, unhelpful and frankly out-dated so perhaps we need to update our sales vocabulary.
So what other more positive words would I personally associate with sales? What phrases better represent an effective buyer-seller relationship?
Buying facilitator,
Trusted advisor,
Consultant,
Expert,
Listener,
Questioner,
Understanding,
Helpful,
Decision support,
Honest & ethical.
Is it possible to change the public’s perception of sales? I believe so. After all, if Skoda can go from being the butt of all bad car jokes to an award winning and highly sought after brand then the mental associations linked to selling can surely be changed too. It’s up to all of us to demonstrate the value of sales through our actions.
If you pitch for a specific piece of work and don’t get it that dissapointing but at least you know that you lost it and you can try and do something about it before the next pitch.
But what about when you give a presentation to a group of potential clients with the hope of generating new leads. What happens if your presentation turns your audience off rather than on? You could be losing sales because they won’t even invite you to pitch and may even talk about your poor pitch to friends and colleagues. The knock-on cost of a poor presentation is potentially enormous.
Recently I attended a networking event where a technical expert was presenting a “tips and tricks” type session. I was interested in the subject and a potential client and so were most of the people in the room. The problem was that the presentation was dry and dull and that reflected badly on the speaker.
His mistakes included:
No interaction with the audience – we were “talked at” for over 45 minutes
Failing to follow the promised agenda
Attempting to illustrate his points with irrelevant examples made up on the fly rather than giving us real examples from past clients
Using slides consisting solely of text heavy bullet points when he could have shown screen captures of real examples
I could go on…
Was I confident that he really was an expert in his field and did I want to hire him – no not really?
Was his audience, involved, engaged and excited?- Nope!
I estimate that his presentation could have cost him at least £3,500 in lost sales.
So what should he have done? Well there are basically two options:
1) Avoid public speaking and rely on traditional marketing techniques to generate his sales.
2) Get some help and learn how to craft and deliver a persuasive presentation.
If you find public speaking terrifying or even just uncomfortable then the first option may seem like a no brainer but stop and think for a moment.
When you are selling professional consultancy services trust is a key part of the sale and presenting is a very cost effective and fast way to establish trust. So don’t write it off without giving it a try. Get some professional help and ensure that your presentations, engage, enthuse and inspire!
Most of us probably can’t rely on the luxury of a professional speech writer to craft our presentations but that doesn’t mean we can’t pick up some great speech writing tips from the pros.
In this post I want to share with you how you can use the same strategy to write speeches that Walt Disney used to create his cartoon masterpieces.
Disney used a three stage strategy which has been modeled by NLP expert Robert Dilts. Dilts labelled these three stages Dreamer, Realist and Critic.
Dreamer:
The dreamer phase is where you let your imagination run wild and create as many possible ideas relating to your topic as possible. You don’t criticize and you don’t judge, you just allow your imagination free reign to come up with a theme, structure or argument for your speech. Here are a couple of ways in which I use the dreamer phase.
Example 1: I know I have to give a presentation or speech on a particular subject in a few weeks. So I turn the creative element of it over to my subconscious mind and ask it to “give me a nudge” when it has a solution to the problem of what I am going to say. I then forget about the speech for a week or so and usually an idea or approach will pop into my head in plenty of time to turn it into a good presentation.
Example 2: I will go for a walk and mull over possible ideas or I will sit back, look up at the ceiling and allow myself to imagine the ideal speech on my particular topic. Then and only then will I sit down in front of my computer and write out a first draft of my presentation without editing or judging. Its a stream of consciousness type of writing. I just let the words flow onto the paper. I know that this isn’t the finished article and so I can let go of criticism and perfectionism.
Realist: This phase is all about turning the initial ideas that came in the dreamer stage into a workable draft. Its still not perfect but it is 80% of the way there. My objective is to develop a plan to realize the dream. In this phase I will develop the original idea and add details, stories, examples and find a flow that allows me to take my audience on a journey from where they are when I start my speech to where I need them to be at the end so that they will be motivated to do what I want them to do.
Critic Phase: It’s important to understand that in the phase you are not criticizing the basic idea. You are evaluating the way you have transformed that idea into a story and are checking that it has impact and that flows. You are the editor, looking to tighten up the language, clarify the messages and ensure that the words sound good when spoken. You are also checking on the length of the presentation to ensure that you don’t go over time.
Typically I do this phase walking about my office, reading out sections of the speech, listening to how they sound and how they flow as I speak them. When I hit a section that doesn’t sound right, I mark it with pencil and then edit it on the computer once I have done a full read through. I use the stopwatch on my iPhone to check the timings and if I am over time I use this phase to edit out non essential content.
I’d love to know how this speech writing tip compares with your own approach so let me know via the comments link below. I plan to write more speech writing tips in the coming weeks so if you have any specific issues you want me to cover just send me a comment.
Perhaps you know someone who has asked you this question or know of someone who would benefit from professional assistance but hasn’t taken the plunge so far. Here are the typical reasons that my clients give me when I ask them “Why did you come?”
To speed up my learning process.
It’s absolutely true that there are good speakers who have never sought the services of a presentation skills expert. They have learned by the traditional method of trial and error but how long has it taken them? And perhaps more importantly how much faster could their improvement have been had they had a coach or mentor?
To save money!
No I haven’t lost my mind. You may think that the cost of coaching is high but have you ever stopped to consider the true price of ignorance? If you use presentations to sell, how much could one bad presentation cost you or your organisation? If you have ever given a poor presentation as part of an unsuccessful job application how much could that have cost you?
To get a new job. These days more and more employers are asking candidates at all levels to make a short presentation as part of the selection process. Since presentations are usually in front of a number of people, a good one can really bump up your chances of getting hired but a bad one can do the opposite. Just this afternoon I spent some time with a new graduate helping him prepare for a high profile job interview. He could see clearly see the benefits of investing in professional assistance to prepare for this important day.
To get feedback and improve. Even a confident presenter could improve and the smart ones know this and seek assistance to keep at the top of their game. In the same way that top sportsmen and women retail a coach, top speakers, presenters, managers and salespeople know that they need someone to keep them sharp. Complacency can cost us a huge amount and a coach helps you guard against it.
To improve my visual aids. How many times have you sat through a boring presentation, bombarded with bullet points and bamboozled by complicated graphs and charts. Many of my clients want a fresh approach and they don’t have the time to do it all themselves. I love transforming dull PowerPoint “scripts” into engaging and easily understood slides. Yes you could learn to do it yourself but you know that is not the best use of your time don’t you.
Think carefully before you say “I don’t need a coach”
Whenever a CEO or Senior Manager stands up to speak they have the opportunity to positively engage and influence. I believe that this opportunity is all too often squandered, Here are some thoughts on the common Senior Management presentation mistakes made by senior executives along with some simple solutions.
1) Just because you are senior doesn’t mean you are automatically a great speaker:
I have heard a lot of senior management, directors and CEO’s speak. A few of them have been outstanding, some have been good, more have been mediocre and far too many have been appalling. Part of your role is to create a vision for your organisation and then to communicate it to the rest of the organisation with passion and enthusiasm.
Public speaking may not be your favourite thing in the world but get over it! If you are not a natural (and few are!). Get some help. Remember, you set the standard for the company and those below you will emulate you.
2) Your people are tired of being bored at company meetings:
Company conferences and town hall meetings can be uplifting, energising, motivational and educational but they can also be dull, boring and sleep inducing. Nobody wants to be talked at, lectured to or patronised. Think of the intangible costs of a boring conference apart from all the logistics, time etc. How much could boredom and lack of engagement be costing your organisation? This is your big chance to engage the hearts and minds of your staff so don’t squander it and don’t allow your fellow directors to do so either. Forget the ego. If you or your colleagues presentations aren’t up to scratch do something about it before it’s too late.
3) Data dumps and bullet points don’t win hearts and minds:
One of my clients called me in because, in a recent company conference, 4 directors presentations out of 7 were voted as poor, by the delegates. Thankfully they had recorded the conference so I could see the offenders in action. One of the common errors these under performers made was a tendency to overload their audience with facts and figures. Data has it’s place and it appeals to the logical analytical parts of our brain but data on it’s on is not very exciting for most of us. However when abstract data is brought to life with stories and case studies our emotions become engaged and motivation is generated. So in a nutshell less is more. Do yourself and your audiences a favour, only give us the most relevant data and bring it to life with examples, case studies and stories.
Oh and please dump those bullet point riddled presentations too. They don’t work in a live presentation. And if you don’t believe me, ask your people – I dare you! Replace them with engaging pictures, simple graphs and diagrams. If you want to see a good example go the the Apple events website (http://www.apple.com/apple-events/) and take a look at Steve Job’s simple elegant and clear visuals. You could learn a lot.
4) Your people want to know what those big strategic goals mean for them:
Corporate speak, mission statements and big strategic initiatives are all very well and look great in the shareholders report but they tend to mean little or nothing to the guys and girls at the coal face. How good are you at translating these abstract intangible policies into specific concrete examples that they can identify with? Remember you are not talking to the shareholders now. You are talking to the people who do the day to day work that brings in the money that pays your salary. Talk in their language or risk losing them.
5) How do you know if your speeches are any good if you don’t ask the punters:
I often wonder why it is that poor presenters don’t seem to improve and it occurs to me that sometimes its because they are blissfully unaware of their effect on the audience. Is it because they just don’t care what other people think or is it because they don’t get any honest and specific feedback about what they did that was good and what they could so to improve?
On my programmes I often hear middle managers say something like “I wish my manager or my CEO would come on this course, they are terrible presenters”. When I ask them if they have given their boss any constructive feedback to this effect the answer is almost universally “No”
The client I mentioned earlier in point 3 actually had the guts to create a mechanism by which everyone in the audience at their company conference could honestly and confidentially feedback on each of the speakers. This is a great way to get honest reactions from the people you are aiming to influence. If they say you need to improve then you should listen to them.
6) Speeches are really about the audience not the speaker:
I hate to spoil your party but far too many speakers fall into the trap of thinking their speeches are all about them. Wrong! The most important people in the room are your audience. You may be the CEO but it’s the people in the cheap seats that actually talk to customers, sell product, manufacture goods, design services etc. If they don’t buy into your vision and get excited then nothing much will happen despite your fine words.
Put yourself in their shoes, research their concerns, hopes fears and dreams. Now think about what you want them to do as a result of your speech. Once you have these two things clear, think of your speech as a bridge to help them get from where they are now to where you want them to be. You are just the facilitator. You can’t make them do it, by you can motivate them to want to make the crossing. So you see it’s all about them!
The problem is too many execs seem to focus on themselves. They just want to fill a slot of time without drying up or looking stupid. This won’t bring you the results you desire. You need to speak to the hopes, fears and dreams of the people in the room.
7) How you say something matters as much as what you say:
And finally remember that it’s not just about the words. You may write a good speech ( or hire a good speech writer) but the content is only half of the equation. How you deliver them the words is crucially important. Your voice, eye contact, vocal variety, passion, movement, gestures and expression all communicate meaning too. And if your body is giving out a different message to your words your audience WILL pick up on it and they won’t believe your fine words.
Earlier this week I gave my first live presentation using only my iPad hooked up to a VGA projector and my iphone as the remote control.
It all worked perfectly and apart from almost dropping the iphone half way through all went well. I even got comments afterwards about the great slides. The only shortcoming I could find was that there seems to be no way to blank the screen in between slides when giving a presentation using iPad.
Keynote for the Ipad has come a long way over the past year and the recent addition of the the ability to control it remotely using the iphone is at last a reality. Please Apple just add the ability to blank the screen remotely and then we road warriors can consign our netbooks to the cupboard forever!
