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A charming Frenchman, the vice president of a Southern California bank, participated in a recent Decker training session. He remarked to the instructor that he hated his accent. Even when we suggested that it was charming, he remained certain that it was a detriment – that it blocked his progress. Finally, we brought it to a vote: how many in the class of 12 thought his accent was a plus rather than a minus? Eleven hands shot up – unanimous, except for him.
Unfortunately, he still did not recognize the truth as others saw it.
An accent is a plus – in most cases. If people can understand you, and if your accent does not connote a lack of education, it adds a pleasant characteristic to your personality. We are all more sensitive about our personal characteristics than others.
If you have a difference that sets you apart, use it! In your communications it is usually a strength, and is part of your natural self.
A classic study on the effects of humor from the Journal of Advertising notes that humor:
Increases the attention paid to a commercial
Improves the liking of a commercial
Reduces irritation experienced from commercials
Increases liking of the product itself
Just as humor is effective in positioning products in the minds of consumers, it is equally valuable in positioning your ideas in the mind of your audience. Use the tips below to build humor into your presentations:
Expand your definition of humor to include anecdotes and stories – don’t limit yourself to jokes with punch lines, especially if you’re not a good joke teller.
Use the spontaneity of the moment to poke fun at yourself and situation
Avoid jokes unless they are relevant to your subject and are in good taste.
How many times have you found yourself counting the “ums" and "uhs” in a presentation? Pretty frustrating, but don’t let it continue – especially if that speaker is a colleague or friend.
First, don’t tell any speakers of their flaws right after the presentation. They’ll be on a “speaker’s high” (whether they were effective or not) and not open to constructive criticism. If possible, record the speech so that you can give them the opportunity to personally hear or see the effect of their non-words. They you can suggest the following:
Practice pausing. Non-words are just pause fillers, and extend beyond the typical “um” and “uh” to “you knows,” “ands,” “okays,” “right” and the like. All anyone has to do is practice leaving pauses of two or three seconds after each sentence. In this exercise the speaker will at first feel the pauses are excruciatingly long.
Get continuous feedback. Suggest that the speaker records herself at every opportunity (audio or video) while she is consciously practicing leaving pauses. She will hear the disparity between how much shorter the pauses actually are than they seem when speaking. This gives confidence to practice even more.
Prove it! Pauses appear as measured thoughts. To prove this to the speaker stand up and give a short impromptu talk, consciously leaving pauses of varying length. (Don’t tell him what you are doing.) Then ask his reactions. He will perceive the longer pauses as appropriate additions to the presentation.
Non-words are a habit that pervades casual conversation as well as formal speeches. Those who have the non-word disease can become more aware and learn new habit patterns by recording their phone conversations or informal meetings. They can also ask the help of a close associate to give them direct feedback by just saying their name every time they utter an “um” or “uh.”
A hands-on experience to boost the stickiness of your ideas... and your impact.
A charming Frenchman, the vice president of a Southern California bank, participated in a recent Decker training session. He remarked to the instructor that he hated his accent. Even when we suggested that it was charming, he remained certain that it was a detriment – that it blocked his progress. Finally, we brought it to a vote: how many in the class of 12 thought his accent was a plus rather than a minus? Eleven hands shot up – unanimous, except for him.
