SmartMouth Talks!

I Don’t Know

by Beth Levine | Aug 30, 2011

I am not young enough to know everything.

– Oscar Wilde

We never know everything. We never will. Even experts get stumped. There are a lot of great questions. Yet so many people say, “I get so nervous before a presentation because I’m afraid I’ll get asked something I don’t know.“ So?

What you get asked can’t hurt you. What you say in response can. Be comfortable in not knowing something, it’s human. Be ready to openly admit it and offer to help find the answer, or to help find someone who knows the answer. It’s more authentic, and therefore more appealing. Even subject matter experts explore with, and learn from, their audiences. And it’s best when the presenters are completely transparent about their limitations; trying to cover up or make something up is also quite transparent, so don’t go there and risk compromising your credibility unnecessarily.

Just because you’re the speaker does not automatically mean you’re omniscient. “I don’t know, I can find out for you” is a brilliant answer!

A Picture is Indeed Worth a Thousand Words

by Beth Levine | Aug 22, 2011

Using figurative language – e.g. stories, analogies, metaphors – and painting a picture in people’s minds can literally save a thousand words. Certain complicated communications, whether it be a business situation, a technical explanation, or a recommended solution, are often hard to express and even harder to understand with just layers and layers of words and sentences and paragraphs.

If you have a complicated communication, spend a couple of minutes in your preparation time thinking of a story with parallel relationships to your situation, or an analogy that is commonly understood, or a metaphor that presents a more tangible image of what you’re trying to explain or propose. If you can do that, you will save yourself and your audience the trouble of sifting through a lot of words they won’t remember nearly as well as they will the picture you draw for them verbally.

Figurative language has impact … literally!

The 411 on 411

by Beth Levine | Aug 15, 2011

Today’s blog is one of those periodic reminders (yup, I’m still on it!) that too much information, or the wrong kind of information, or information that’s really only interesting to you can kill a speech or presentation.

The kind of info and how much info you bring to a talk is completely driven and determined by careful, thoughtful consideration of your audience. Some specific questions can help:

Will they be in the room by choice, or do they have to be there? The answer to this question will help you prioritize and be extremely selective about amounts of info. And the amount of time you spend sharing info. If they’re in the room by choice, you have a heck of a lot more time and latitude. If not, well then, you do the math!

What do they really care about? Once again, not what do you really care about, but what do they really care about? Okay, so your topic is one thing, but is that what they really care about? Or is there something deeper? For instance, let’s say you’re a doctor addressing a group of senior citizens, and your topic is ‘Geriatric Healthcare Trends’ … hmmmm, I’m going out on a limb and guessing that one of the issues they really care about is cost, $$, healthcare reform. Whenever possible, think a little more deeply and anticipate your audience’s needs, interests and expectations surrounding your topic.

Where are they in terms of knowledge or sophistication or interest level? It’s tricky at times, but talking either over or under an audience is a turnoff. And talking about things that excite you but may not be at all interesting to your audience is also alienating. Let’s say you’re technically savvy and speaking to a general audience about some hot new phone app and how it works, you may want to use analogies or metaphors to convey your information in an interesting and understandable way.

Info comes in lots of varieties – e.g. data, statistics, examples, anecdotes, even analogies – and is used to support a point, a message. Let your audience be your guide when you’re selecting the quantity and quality of your info.

Oral Surgery Sounds Fun Right About Now … ?!

by Beth Levine | Aug 8, 2011

My 10 am client canceled this morning. At 9:45. “Something came up.” Surgery? Family emergency? His boss called him in at the last minute? Not sure. “Something.” It was his third cancelation in less than a month.

If I had to guess, “something” would be along the lines of avoidance … fear, dread, or oh-please-anything-but-speaker-training! Even oral surgery. Understandable. Totally. But only understandable when it’s avoidance of an actual audience of 100. Avoidance of the training though? That just digs the hole deeper. Training demystifies the process of public speaking and therefore significantly reduces the need for avoidance. And we have fun in the training; this client’s colleagues all have done it and they had fun. Here’s what two of them had to say after their sessions:

“I wanted to let you know that I found this session very interesting. I went to it out of duty, but after it was completed, I thought it was time well spent.”

“I found the session interesting and it did get me to think about the topic in a different way.” (And this guy was very late to the session … low priority perhaps?)

Yup, they come into the room somewhat reluctantly, but they leave the room with a new perspective, with useful tips and tools. They didn’t say in their emails that they had fun, but I can assure you there were lots of smiles and laughs.

Avoidance is probably the number one killer of public speaking and speakers. But that’s why there’s training available… to arm folks with the tools and equipment they need for when it’s the real deal and they actually have to get up and be a speaker. Trusting that the training can help you become a better speaker is kind of like driving down a steep hill in the snow and trusting that your all-wheel drive will help you get to the bottom safely. Speaker training builds in the same kind of confidence as your all-wheel drive.

So, accept the gift of training if it’s offered, don’t avoid the support and assistance. The training will give you some super easy tips and tools, and then off you go, downhill in the snow. You can do it. It’s safe. Fun too.

Quote of the Week

by Beth Levine | Jul 27, 2011

“It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.”

– Mark Twain

Presence

by Beth Levine | Jul 18, 2011

“When I’m dancing, that’s what I’m doing.” – Merce Cunningham

How perfect! I recently was exposed to the philosophy and technique of modern dance master Merce Cunningham, and this quote of his grabbed my attention. The suggestion that everything else fades into the background and that he’s immersed and fully present in what he’s doing is instructive for all of us …

Being present when you’re communicating actually involves you and another party – the audience, of course. Being present as a speaker means being willing to “listen dynamically,” with all five senses, to your audience so you can respond, adapt, be relevant, and stay in the moment. And ultimately connect. It means clearing your head of all other noise, including your own ego, in order to be there for and with them.

Rather than thinking about your exact words, all the specific material you want to cover, whether you’re forgetting something, and whether or not you’re going to actually survive (ha, I caught you!), envision being engaged and being present with a person or a group of people. Envision yourself with them; talking to them, maybe even literally talking with them, but definitely not at them. Envision yourself seeing them, sensing their level of receptiveness … without allowing it to be personal and about you (caught you again!). And if that doesn’t help, then at least envision yourself being present enough that you’re open to changing tacks if necessary – e.g. inviting Q&A earlier than planned, turning off the PowerPoint and telling a story, breaking up your talk and asking the audience to reflect back to you what they’re hearing and understanding.

So that when you’re communicating to people – which is, by definition, a two-way street – that’s what you’re doing. And then let everything else fade away …

Vocabulary Word of the Week

by Beth Levine | Jul 12, 2011

ob·tuse/əbˈt(y)o͞os/Adjective

1. Annoyingly insensitive or slow to understand.

2. Difficult to understand.

Props to Dictionary.com for helping me with this blog post …

We’re all professional audience members, so we’ve heard the obtuse speaker before. That’s the one who leaves us thinking we missed something we probably should have known or picked up? Or we leave thinking s/he spoke in circles but never got anywhere? Or we’re frustrated because the s/he spoke over our heads and never bothered to find out or figure out if we were keeping up?

Obtuse speakers are egocentric, not audience-centric. When it’s your turn to speak, give more than just superficial thought to your audience. And if you don’t know enough about them ahead of time, throw (what you think is correct) protocol out the window and ask them … ! Yep, just ask. That’s right, either open, or take a pause, and solicit input from your audience to gauge their interest or knowledge levels. It will accomplish two things: 1. you will earn big engagement and connection points with your audience; and 2. you will avoid being obtuse. Thankfully.

Prepare Your Plan, but Be Ready to Change It

by Beth Levine | Jul 5, 2011

Adaptability is key. In the May issue of Harvard Business Review, veteran mutual fund executive Robert C. Pozen authored an article on “Extreme Productivity” and in it he addresses 6 principles for greater personal productivity. Principle 4 is “Prepare Your Plan, but Be Ready to Change It” … Amen, Bob!

And I quote from Pozen’s Principle 4: “Most executives must give talks to various groups. They often prepare by writing out the full text of their remarks. But that makes them feel compelled to deliver the whole speech even if the audience is not receptive. Speaking is very different from writing. You need a much clearer line of argument, and you have to connect with your listeners at a given time. They may be bored or excited – you won’t know in advance. To prepare for a speaking engagement, you should jot down on one page a list of your four or five key points and a concluding paragraph.”

Nicely put. Less wordsmithing, more dedicated focus on key points. The only part I might take issue with – and those of you who have been through my coaching will smile! – is that I believe four or five key points is too many. Sometimes it’s too many for the speaker to remember, and always it’s too many for an audience to retain. Other than that, Bob nailed it.

You may feel better having prepared a full-text script, rather than putting yourself in a position that feels a lot like ad libbing or winging it. But by being wed to your words, sentences and paragraphs once you’re at the front of the room, you risk sacrificing the real-time connection with your audience. So even if you do prefer a full-text script, be sure to also know your key points and promise yourself that you’ll remain adaptable … if the audience is fading, be ready and willing to ditch the script.

Thanks for this reinforcement, Bob. As I always say to clients, it’s not all about you, it’s all about them … the Audience!

Leadership Development Redux

by Beth Levine | Jun 27, 2011

Fascinating! I find it absolutely fascinating that conferences and summits and institutes and seminars on leadership and leadership development boast agendas chock full of topics, except for the one that matters most … communicating effectively. Wow, really?

Can a leader really lead without communicating effectively? Can a leader succeed on these topics alone: managing tight budgets for profitability, maximization of social media, cutting edge HR programs, understanding corporate social responsibility, or fostering a culture that’s comfortable with change? Um, I don’t think so …

My own obvious bias notwithstanding, you could argue that true leadership is almost exclusively about communicating effectively, and success is almost exclusively dependent on the ability to communicate effectively. Think about it. No one succeeds alone. No one leads alone. “Leadership” implies the involvement of, and need for, other people. And how does one lead other people? Through budgets? Through HR policies and programs? Through Facebook? No. Those are management issues and tools. Leadership is different. One leads other people by engaging, connecting, inspiring, persuading, informing, motivating … all communications tasks.

Successful leaders are people who communicate with a steady, dependable “voice” … a voice that’s clear, open, appreciative, and affirming. The true work of a leader is to be able to find his/her voice, the exact style and tone, and then stick to it. The trickiest part is to remain clear, open, appreciative, and affirming even when times are tense and the message is difficult. This is absolutely the distinguishing characteristic for leadership, though; it’s how one engages, connects, inspires, persuades, informs, motivates, etc. even under duress.

I am not suggesting that managing can be done by a trained monkey and that leadership is for the elite few. Not at all. In fact, managing well also requires the effective communications skills of a leader. What I am suggesting, though, is that, in one way or another, we are all leaders or in leadership positions. And so the single most important skill we can develop is good communications skills, beginning with a clear, open, appreciative, and affirming voice. And then the finer points will come with time … or with reading this blog!

Power Points on PowerPoint

by Beth Levine | Jun 20, 2011

Here’s what we know …

Less is more.
A picture is worth a thousand words.
Microsoft named it PowerPoint, not EveryPoint.
Slides are a visual aid for the audience, not a script for the speaker.
Visual aids are meant to reinforce and illustrate, not narrate.
Screen + darkened room + speaker taking time to boot up technology = naptime.
Slides + bullet points with sub bullet points + handouts + speaker = audience overload.

Nonetheless, PowerPoint is to meetings as negative campaigning is to elections: something we don’t like but feel helpless about and resign ourselves to accepting; something we complain about, but rarely take steps to change.

Soooooo, just a few SmartMouth ideas for changing it up:

Write on a whiteboard or giant sticky notes for visuals. It’s animated and dynamic; it’s as though you’re engaging the audience in the process of creating your “slides,” which is far more entertaining and memorable for them.

Use video footage instead of slides when and if you can. People love to watch TV! There’s so much available out there (YouTube, etc.), and it’s easy to embed a video into a traditional PowerPoint presentation.

Think about creating slides that use one word or one sentence to capture the “so what?” of your points. You should know your stuff well enough to be able to speak to the topic without needing to read a paragraph off the screen anyway. If you don’t, that’s a whole other problem, isn’t it?

Be brief. Be animated. Be present. Be engaged. Be open to a dialogue with your audience. If you do all that, you might not even need visuals. Brevity is so impactful just on its own.

Be adaptable! Be open to shutting down the PowerPoint if you notice you’re losing your audience. When all else fails, connect with the people in your audience. It’s all about them anyway. Don’t kill them with your slides just because you worked hard on preparing them. It’s not all about you!

The word “presentation” is not automatically synonymous with PowerPoint. You have choices …