On April 19^th at about 7pm I walked into the ballroom at the Santa Clara Marriott to a dinner honoring the California Youth of the Year, knowing very little about the organization. Three hours later, I walked out as a new supporter. It got me thinking: What did they do to create a tipping point to motivate me (and hundreds of others) to donate?

1. Make them care.

I believe that people are inherently good and do indeed care about many of the causes in their communities – youth, homelessness, education, recovery, etc. The challenge is to make them care so much that they’ll actually do something, and ideally offer up time, talent, or treasure in support of it. You have to get them to change something – to shift their priorities to your cause, charity, or project. And that means more than just sharing big general stats hoping you’ll impress them into the cause. Numbers alone don’t stick.

At the Boys and Girls Club dinner they did an incredible job striking a balance between collective stats of the organization and the powerful stories of the individuals behind them. While the fact that “nearly 4,000 Clubs serve some 4.1 million young people through membership and community outreach” is impressive, it doesn’t alone move people to act.

So they took it to the next level. And by “they,” I mean the high-school students who were recognized as Youth of the Year. For 4-5 minutes, they each took the stage and told their story. The most moving stories were those that left such concrete images in the audience’s mind that made it impossible for them not to do something.  These 17- and 18-year-olds gave detailed accounts of gang violence, watching friends die right in front of them, enduring physical abuse by their own family members, and even being locked in a trailer for 48-hours with a mother on a meth binge.

Here’s the best part: not one of these speeches was one of despair. Only messages of hope; how the human spirit – even one so young – can rise above anything. Anything…with some help. Their assistance came from The Boys and Girls Clubs throughout California that provided a safe haven, a mentor, a friend.

Make your numbers count. Tell the story behind them.

2. Get specific.

In 2011, my husband and I attended our first elementary school auction. About halfway through the live auction, the auctioneer announced the special project for the year that needed funding. He described the need for $30,000 to purchase new iPads and laptops for the new computer lab. He went on to describe the lessons that would be conducted and how every grade level would use them. Every single parent in the room could see how their own child would benefit from this project. It wasn’t just a pool of money going to pay for a bunch of random stuff. My kid would use an iPad to learn!

It takes two things: 1. A specific amount of money needed, and 2. A concrete image of what it will pay for. In about four minutes (which equaled the quick trip my husband took to the restroom), they raised it all. Not bad.

Interestingly, this past year was not as successful. There was no specific project, just dollars needed for programs. I would guess about 2/3 of the amount was raised. Coincidence?

3. Invest in a great MC/Auctioneer/Announcer.

Or, better yet, use your skills from #1 to make that person care so much that they’ll do it for free. NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott emceed the Boys and Girls Club event, and this guy was good. His skills for closing a deal could rival his career sacks and interceptions. If the kids executed the setup, he spiked it. Here’s how it went down…

The ask at a fundraiser always begins with, “There’s an envelope in the middle of your table.” And this time was no exception. But then, Ronnie continued,

“There’s also a pen.

Pick them up.

Go ahead.

I’ll wait.”

Wait he did. He asked for specific donations, even called out specific individuals, and made a public commitment himself. And he did it all with humor, heart, and humility. (Also worth noting: He did all this on the same night that many of his past 49er teammates were breaking ground on the team’s new Santa Clara stadium.)

We can use these three things for any cause – in our communities, but even at work or at home. Aside from bringing Ronnie home to motivate the kids to clean their room, there’s plenty we can do to create a tipping point for action: add emotion by providing concrete/visual images and get specific.

Any other tips? Would love to hear other tipping point successes!

Painfully long – that’s how I’d describe my list of unseen Oscar movies. But I just celebrated a minor victory when I watched The Iron Lady, which details the life of former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In addition to being a testament to Meryl Streep’s continued excellence (come on, there really is no equal), the movie also speaks to the incredible impact that behavior has on a communication experience.

In one memorable scene, members of Parliament jeer and mock Thatcher for “screeching.”

Did you catch her snappy response? “If the right honorable gentleman could perhaps attend more closely to what I am saying, rather than how I am saying it, he may receive a valuable education in spite of himself.”

Seems like a good retort, at first. Like Thatcher, we assume that if we say the right words, the audience will hear us and understand. But it isn’t that simple. The message has to come through us, and if our behavior isn’t consistent with our content, we can block our own message.

We’ve blogged before about Albert Mehrabian’s classic “Silent Messages.” From this book came the research that shows vocal and visual outweigh the verbal when you have a conflicted message. What does this mean? If what we say doesn’t match how we say it, people might not get it. It means that something as simple as Thatcher’s naturally high pitch and nasal tone could detrimentally effect how others perceived her.

This has profound implications on our daily lives! We tend to spend 99 percent of our time working on a speech, meeting agenda, or PowerPoint deck and we’re lucky if we even consider how we’re going to deliver it. But what people see and hear from us does impact the communication experience.

Bringing it back to Margaret Thatcher, she made changes in her behavior so her ideas could be heard and taken seriously. She received vocal coaching to reduce her “screeching.” She learned to project her voice at a louder volume and in a lower register to command respect and authority. The results were remarkable.

Learn from the Iron Lady.

Video yourself and watch it back. Record a voice memo of yourself on your iPhone. Then, consider how you come across both vocally and visually. Is there anything blocking your message from your listeners? What adjustments in your behavior will help the message come more clearly through you? Taking these steps will ensure that others receive a valuable education from you (spoken in my most punchy British accent).

But first, the most critically important point is that the customer experience drives customer loyalty. And that experience consists primarily of human interaction – how you and your employees communicate with the customer. (See Pine and Gilmore’s The Experience Economy for some valuable insights.)

Here’s the thing — many organizations focus instead on the physical and technological aspects of their customer experience. For example, what does the retail décor look like? How is the product packaged? What are the words on the box? Or, what does the website look like, and is it easy-to-use? Are the colors in brand?

These elements matter, but in actuality, interactions with you and your employees are the single largest determinant of customer experience. The way your employees communicate and interact with your customers drives loyalty, so ask yourself this: How well do you and your people communicate? It seems obvious, but so does loyalty.

To illustrate (using my example from the video blog), I return to my favorite restaurants because they know my name when I walk in, they take their best guess at my order, sometimes the owner says hello to make me feel welcome, and the experience is personalized.

Our marketing director says the same thing of her experience with Southwest Airlines. She flies frequently with them because they deliver a consistent experience. Familiar flight attendants welcome her with a recognizing smile. Last minute emergency or change of plans? She knows a Southwest representative will kindly work with her to make the change without gouging.

So now I’m asking you, how well do you and your people communicate to your customers? Whether you’re selling a retail product or a professional service, please share what you’re doing to enhance your customer experience to drive loyalty, and post ideas for what you could do going forward.

We have seen the fall of giants, as well as the sleaze of some we have never heard of. Just put these names together: Sandusky, Paterno, McQueary, Cain, Bialek, White, Fine, Boeheim, Sheen, Weiner and the list could go on and on to include CEO’s, politicians, Trustees, and celebrities. We name some of them in our Worst list, but we do not get into those tainted by the many sexual abuse cases that have reared their ugly heads in the last few months. Too much “he said, she said” and outright lying – we really yearn for those we can hear, trust, and follow. So here they are – on the Best list:

The 10 Best

1. Steve Jobs – perhaps the communicator of the decade, or century.

Steve Jobs was the rare one who created and developed vision, communicated it clearly and colorfully, and then led to completion. He has been on our Best list four times, was #1 in 2005, and presented his iconic intro of the iPhone in 2007. He not only transformed technology and the way we live, but he also transformed the way business communicates. Renowned for his Apple product introductions he moved the word “rock star” into the business world. For CEO’s, speaking will never be the same. No more Death by PowerPoint – he just used a few visuals, and then spoke from the heart. Well rehearsed, but real – authentic, and always with a message. Perhaps his greatest “speech” was at the Stanford University commencement in 2005. His message continues to echo and be a model for not only business, but the larger world. We will miss him.

2. Howard Schultz – the all around business leader/communicator.

Schultz uses excellent communications to consistently lead Starbucks to success. He began the Starbucks journey in 1987 when he had to convince people to invest and buy at the start, then inspire with vision to grow. Then in 2008 Schultz had to communicate with firmness tough decisions to fire and close stores in turning around Starbucks when they had lost their way. This year he wrote a best seller, Onward, and also we did a blog post on how he elevated his communications to join in national, political and economic dialogue. Always the innovator, now he is visioning a new juice brand with his purchase of Evolution Fresh. All this is the work of a master leader/communicator.

3. Chris Anderson – elevating speech in the TED format.

Founder of the wildly popular TED Talks, Anderson is a visionary who uses speaking and video communication to contribute to the world around him. His ability to verbalize the essence of TED continues to inspire the best and the brightest to participate, leaving viewers with hours of juicy content to imbibe. People are so inspired by the concept that there are independent mini-TED conferences springing up all over the world – and Anderson continues to speak out to support the movement. His challenge to companies to add value when advertising with Ads Worth Spreading is another mark of Chris Anderson as a leader and innovator in the world of communications.

4. Virginia Rometty – communicating on the fast track.

For the last seven years Fortune named Virginia Rometty as one of the top 50 most influential women (#8 this year) – for good reason. This year she became the first female CEO of IBM. And as bright as she was and is, it was largely her communications that elevated her. Leadership is executed through communications, and ‘Ginni’ is likeable, strong, memorable, and connects with large audiences in a very authentic style. She is a natural at incorporating SHARPs in all her communication, and does it skillfully and naturally.  Their stock is at an all time high – and we doubt that it’s a coincidence.

5. Chris Christie – a political poster child for authenticity.

Although it seems like every year now is a political year, this one is a whopper. With Obama already actively campaigning for 2012, over 30! Republican debates, and allegations flying at many of the candidates – who do we believe? Who is authentic? Chris Christie leads the pack – for even his enemies say that he means what he says and says what he means. His manner is direct, often gruff, more often funny. But few question his sincerity, as he is unique in refusing to run in order to finish his job as Governor. Many Republicans wish he was running in the primary, for it’s no coincidence that his communication skills match his ability to get things done in turning around the economy in New Jersey against all political odds. He can persuade public opinion with the best of them.

6. Lady Gaga – speaking out with multi-dimensional creativity.

She’s full of surprises and loves to shock us, but what’s even more surprising is her communication ability. Although Lady Gaga projects a character that’s pretty out there (think meat dress, rotary telephone sticking out of her head, and her new groundbreaking 14’ music video) we can all learn from her creativity. She personifies originality and pushing the edge, and we all need to do a little more of that. Yet when she speaks, she’s articulate. Gaga comes across well beyond her years – poised, confident, and sincere. When interviewed, especially about her Little Monsters (aka fans), her genuine adoration for them is clear, and she becomes again, surprisingly, human. Gaga can own a stage not only with her songs, but also with her goosebump-inducing cadence when delivering a speech.

7. Warren Buffett – years of consistent communications.

It’s been a long time coming – Buffett lands himself on the list for his consistently strong communications over the years. While he is an investor and businessman, the way he speaks and conveys his ideas have made him an icon. He even has spoken on the importance of getting training in speaking! People look to him for wisdom and sage advice. He’s a trusted leader, and known to say what he thinks, even if it’s unexpected and potentially unpopular. Most notably this year, Buffett raised eyebrows with his call for more taxes on the wealthy. And his credibility is supreme, as he was the leader who corralled a bunch of other billionaires to give away their $$$ to charity – leading off with personally donating the largest charitable donation in U.S. history of $31 billion. He puts his money where his mouth is. Although he doesn’t often give long speeches, he’s authentic and powerful when he does, contributing to his long-cultivated reputation as a respected thought-leader.

8. Christine Lagarde – speaking powerfully from the top of the financial world.

She is elegant, stylish and stately – and tough as nails. It’s not a wonder that Christine Lagarde was elected head of the IMF after the Dominick Strauss Kahn scandal. She was the one who could handle the turmoil, and bring direction to this large and important agency. She speaks with clarity and firmness, and in so doing, marks herself as one of the top communicators in the world. She is articulate yet pointed. She knows the facts yet summarizes the key points. She is calm, knowledgeable, measured, and yet forceful in IMF policy in Italy. With one of her most charming and powerful qualities being candor she speaks with firmness and grace, and handles interviews well. She communicates as the leader she is, and if Strauss hadn’t vacated the post she would have ended up leading some other major organization.

9. Morgan Spurlock – high energy and a distinctive style puts him in his own films.

Whether he’s stuffing his face with Big Macs or recruiting sponsors for his own 2011 TED Talk Spurlock’s high energy and distinctive style continues to capture our attention. He puts himself in the middle of his documentaries, like his Academy Award nominated “Super Size Me” where he skillfully walks the line between outlandish and down to earth. Most recently his camera shined a light on movie product placement with “The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.” It’s Spurlock’s pervasive curiosity, grab-a-beer-with-me approachability, and passion that keep us watching and waiting for his next expose.

10. Andy Rooney – a tribute to creating a unique communications experience.

This cranky, prickly mainstay communicator of 60 Minutes was 92 in age, but young in heart and vitality. Andy Rooney continued until his death stating it like it was – as he saw it. In all, he delivered 1,097 commentaries. You might have disagreed, but you would laugh along with him. His energy, forward lean, facial mannerisms and bushy eyebrows made him someone we enjoyed watching and listening to. He made every time we saw and heard him a unique communication experience, and we will miss his witty insights.

The 10 Worst

1. Anthony Weiner – poster child for deceptive communications.

There is a poster child for this year’s theme of deception and evasion that is so pervasive in so many of the worst communicators of 2011. Anthony Weiner was a respected congressman – elected as much by his communications as his deeds. Using that same confident style, he was filled with puffed up outrage when claiming his Twitter account was hacked by someone else showing his lewd photos. Turns out we were the ones to be deceived by his lies, and when he fessed up that it was him who tweeted, he continued to obfuscate, trying to hang on to his office. But he had to hang it up, as his communications this time did him in. He had no apology, in both substance and style. He ultimately resigned in disgrace – because of the photos sure, but just as much because of communications that lacked any degree of humility, credibility and above all leadership. We don’t follow liars very well.

2. Brian Harrison and Bill Stover – Solyndra execs just do not communicate.

It’s never a good idea to NOT communicate when you are under fire, in business as well as in politics and sex scandals. Brevity and effective diversion is one thing, stonewalling is something else. When you take the 5th, you are shoving your communications right slap in the face of the public – unless you perhaps can do it with a smile, or sense of regret. No regret here, as both Harrison and Stover show how closed communications will not further the cause – but will doom it. Such performance reminds us of a few other Worst Communicators we featured here, like Mark McGuire in 2005. Communicating effectively is most critical under the toughest pressure – best to practice before. And it helps to not be guilty…

3. Charlie Sheen – erratic does not pay.

This can’t be a huge surprise for anyone who has watched TV or read the news in the last year. Charlie Sheen lost control and went on a rampage not once, twice, but for a significant portion of 2011. While Sheen has come out saying it was “one weird phase,” his sustained communication faux pas was much more – it was the start of his fall. Following the example of Mel Gibson (#5 on 2010 Worst List), Sheen lost his television role after unleashing a furious rant about his Two and a Half Men producer, and then spun off to rant across the country on a failed tour . As Sheen preached about winning, he was actually failing by becoming a joke. He may be attempting a comeback, but Sheen is a painfully clear example of how erratic communication can destroy a reputation, and perhaps a career.

4. The Murdochs & Ms. Brooks – followers communicate like their leaders.

This motley crew went on the defensive in the wake of their cell phone hacking scandal this year, communicating elusively and trying to get away with as much as possible. Father Rupert’s history of aloofness and arrogance caught up with him this year, especially as he brushed off his apologies to those affected by the hackings. Son Jim spoke most during their parliamentary hearings and found himself hissing like a cornered animal, only further highlighting his deception. To top it off, News Corp staff Rebekah Brooks, when announcing to her News of the World team that they’re jobless due to her mismanagement, spent most of the time talking about her own feelings – unsurprisingly, her staff pushed back on her arrogance. Guilty of bad journalism practices isn’t the only question here – these three are guilty of poor communication.

5. Rick Perry – it’s not just the one miscue, but the overall experience.

Rick Perry had the most publicized communication failure of the year with his brain freeze in remembering his third point in a very public setting. The Rule of Three is good, but you don’t want to say “There are three things…” in advance in a very public forum such as a Presidential Debate unless you know you will remember them. Or have them in your notes. So he could have topped the Worst list with that faux pax along with his early amateurish debate performances, marked by halting mannerisms, jerky style and hostile attacks. But he’s here in the middle because he recovered pretty well, mostly by poking fun at himself. So at least there’s a positive learning point here – the power of humor.

6. Brian Moynihan – not ready for primetime.

Bank of America CEO Moynihan has had several missteps in his first year handling the $billion behemoth, from the $5 debit surcharge to the foreclosure fiasco. And at a time when clear communications and leadership was required, he stumbled, most notably when causing an uproar over his excuse that BofA has a “right to make a profit.” You know you’re in trouble when you’re on a list of CEOs who need to be fired. Business leaders can’t ‘talk’ transparency – they have to live it, and communicate it. Although the returns aren’t in yet, Brian Moynihan has a long way to go to talk straight to re-establish trust with his customers and right the bank that so many feel wronged by.

7. Greg Mortensen – Three Cups of Deceit.

Communications built up the reputation and wallet of this author of the best selling “Three Cups of Tea”. He leveraged that success and began receiving high priced fees for keynote speaking. He actually wasn’t bad – and had a great message to tell about his humanitarian aid for Pakistan women. But that confidence and forward lean style disappeared when he was exposed by “60 Minutes” –  to have lied, and possibly misused charitable funds. Nowhere is guilt more apparent in communicating style than in this clip where he is confronted by a 60 minutes reporter – it’s not just that he is caught off guard, it is his lack of eye communication, hesitation as well as subsequent behavior that shouts “guilty.” He was asked to resign, and this was followed up by an acquaintance writing the book “Three Cups of Deceit” that is outselling the best seller. Character and integrity are the base for the tripod of good communications.

8. The Commissioners: Selig, Goodell and Stern – where leadership requires powerful communicators.

For missing the leadership opportunities in the NBA, NFL and MLB we might dub them the three blind mice – but certainly not the three wise men. Although it wasn’t entirely the fault of David Stern, the NBA Commissioner helped the league lose a couple of months of their multi-billion dollar season this year. Under Bud Selig Major League Baseball lost hundreds of millions in one of the most devastating strikes of any league several years ago. We have no giants at the helm of the big three professional sports leagues  – remember Pete Rozell, Ford Frick, Larry O’brien and Peter Ueberoth, to name a few. They were leaders who communicated, where now we have Roger Goodell of the NFL – he holds himself so meekly we rarely hear of him, but at least he averted a strike. David Stern has been here since 1984 – he’s been around the longest and may be the most offensive communication wise with his arrogance – holds his head high, pompously. Ironically, the healthiest league now is under the worst speaker of the three, Bud Selig, who was #4 on our Worst Communicators list in 2007. He tends to articulate as if his mouth is full of grapes. The Commissioners lead big strong athletes, and they need to be big, strong communicators.

9. Leo Apotheker – a bull in a china shop.

When one of the three key reasons you’re fired as CEO is bad communication, you’re going to make our list. Apotheker was known for going his own way, not communicating a clear vision for HP, not getting consensus and buy-in of his executive board, and standing at the helm as HP’s stock lost nearly half it’s value. The real nail in the coffin may have been his flopped August 18 announcement that HP would kill the Touch Pad and spin off the PC unit, a message that was unclear internally at HP and certainly to customers. Communicating both internally with boards and staff and externally with vision and promise is essential to great leadership. Apotheker fell short and lost a huge opportunity. You can’t be a bull in a china shop without crashing a lot of plates.

10. President Barack Obama – needing to communicate to unite.

The President always appears on the list – sometimes best, sometimes worst – but the bully pulpit is so powerful in America that the communication style and impact of the President has influence far beyond the issues. So it is this year – as Obama, who once led the Best list in 2008, now is the best of the worst. We’ve often blogged on Obama’s failure as a communicator. Here it is not so much deception as evasion – where the promise of Change and Hope was trumpeted from his Bully Pulpit so forcefully that everyone believed. No longer – as leadership from the White House, and from Congress as well, has stalled. Instead of a Presidential vision and message we have political maneuvering and name calling. When we need uniting, we hear dividing. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the politics of the name calling isn’t the point – the learning is that when in a position of power, a leader must trumpet a direction in spite of the circumstances. (And not use a teleprompter to do it.)

We know it, we’ve heard it, and this is one of the big guys behind it. Ron Johnson, while senior VP of retail for Apple, brilliantly created a retail experience that’s unsurpassed. Sure, it’s Apple’s products that make people walk in, but it’s not just the products (if it were, people would buy mostly from discount shops like Target, or online). It’s what he’s done with the Apple Store that recently landed him his new job as CEO of JC Penney.

Reading about Ron in the Harvard Business Review grabbed me (highly recommend you read the article, too). I’m continuously training execs on leadership presence, and a huge aspect of leadership is the experience you create for people around you – so what can we learn from Ron and Apple?

To create a positive experience, it comes down to this (highlights, at least). When you’re interacting with others:

• Are you paying attention to detail? Quick tip: Details make the entire experience. When it’s your meeting, presentation, or even large-scale kickoff, get there early and do some setup. What’s the room temperature? How are the seats arranged?  Has the coffee arrived? If your audience’s experience in the room is better (read less distracting), they can pay more attention to you and your message.

• Are you approachable? Quick tip: Pay attention to your face. Are you someone who has a furrowed brow (scrunched forehead) or frowning neutral face? They can be interpreted as intimidating, even if that’s not what you mean. Think about brightening up with a slight smile.

• Are you connecting? Quick tip: Put down the iPhone for a few minutes (Siri will know you still love her) and hold eye contact throughout the conversation or meeting. It’s very easy to get in the habit of checking the phone or computer screen, but it hurts rapport with those around you.

• Are you listener-focused? Quick tip: Watch your pronouns. Instead of making it all about me and I, think about using us, we, and you. Seems simple, but changes the whole tone of the conversation.

• Do you have a clear point-of-view? Quick tip: The last time you tried to explain your perspective on a project or idea, did you beat around the bush or get long winded? State your position up front, and then support it with all the background and detail. It helps people stay on the same page with you.

Ron Johnson knew that to become a leader in the retail space, Apple had to think differently about the experience they created for their customers. Same goes for us. To be viewed as a leader, you have to think about how you come across and what experience people have when they interact with you.

Try some of these quick tips, and let me know some of your own experiences in the comments.

(I’m skipping the obvious ones like use spell check, avoid !!!!???? and frequent , and let’s not forget that while neon green is your fave color, I can’t read pages of it.)

Use the subject line.

• “Project X” as a subject doesn’t mean much to me, or anyone else. If I’m juggling other tasks, I won’t stop what I’m doing and open it. Try something along these lines instead: “Need input on Project X by 4pm” or “FYI – Update on Project X.”
• We have a client that developed company-wide subject codes: IO (Information Only) and AR (Action Required). A subject might be, “IO – Proposal Progress Report.” Something to think about.
• Instead of “RE: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Office Holiday Party,” consider updating the subject line. After so many iterations, often the content has changed, so go in and change the title.

Bring the main point up front.

• If you’re writing to ask for more budget, begin by stating that your email is regarding your need for additional budget. Then go in to the necessary back info. We often feel like we need to make a case before making the ask, but guess what? If you don’t hit that point up front, it may not be read at all. Many of us read emails on our smart phones and won’t scroll far enough down.
• If it’s a lengthy email, do an executive summary at the top, and then go in to the detail below. Start off with the point of the email, the action that needs to be taken, and the benefit to the reader if that action is taken.

Mind the reply-all.

• You’ve heard it, but somehow this tool is continuously abused.
• Does every single person on this chain still need to be, after several iterations? Perhaps just two of you have participated in the conversation, and it’s no longer relevant to others. If so, yank everyone else off the To/CC: lines.
• Was the email asking for one specific answer from you, like an RSVP? A reply solely to the author would be more appropriate (though I’m sure everyone’s thrilled you’re participating in White Elephant this year).

Use URGENT (and caps, for that matter) sparingly.

• You may think that everything you do is incredibly urgent, but if you flag it all that way, it loses any zing. Use urgent flagging in your email client sparingly, if at all.
• CAPS ARE TYPICALLY INTERPRETED AS YELLING. IT REMINDS ME OF AUSTIN POWERS NOT CONTROLLING THE VOLUME OF HIS VOICE. USE CAPS WITH ACRONYMS, BUT NOT ENTIRE SENTENCES.

Deadline? Be specific.

• “Need your responses by end of day.” At least you’re putting a specific action step in your email, good job! But take it a step further and specify a time. EOD is different for most everyone — my end of day may be 6pm, but perhaps someone else’s is 11:59pm.

Look in your outbox and check out the last few emails you’ve sent. What tweaks can you make to be more effective by next week? What are some of your email etiquette pet peeves so we all can share what to avoid?

That’s the way a Silicon Valley engineer in our training program COULD have started his presentation about the need to standardize. Instead, he took a different route.

“As I was doing some research for this presentation, I read that the city of Baltimore burnt to the ground in 1904. The tragedy is, it didn’t have to.

Firefighters from nearby DC, New York, and Virginia all responded, but weren’t able to help because their hose couplings wouldn’t fit on the Baltimore hydrants – no standard had yet been set. The firefighters helplessly watched as the city burned.

Like Baltimore, our organization will suffer if we don’t standardize our processes.”

A year later, I remember this story and it’s tie to standardization. Considering I see hundreds of presentations, that’s saying something!

It’s so easy to fall in to the rut of starting with, “I’m here to talk to you about [insert topic here]…” or “Thanks so much for being here, I know you’re all busy, so I really appreciate your time.” By the time you’re done with a Lovely-Bunch-of-Words opening like those, guess what? You’ve likely lost your audience. They’re thinking about their next meeting, to-do list, evening’s plans.

Hook them in with a SHARP to grab attention from the very start, and tie it to the point of your presentation. Meaning utilize any one or more of these:

• Stories
• Humor
• Analogies
• References & Quotes
• Pictures & Visuals

Dive right in with something memorable instead of diluting your opener. What’s your story or client example? Can you think of an analogy that will help bring your idea or product to light? Audience members are often very visual, so are there any images you could use to make a strong opening point?

Again, a year later, I remember the engineer’s point about needing to standardize because of the story he told at the beginning. Can your audience remember something as vividly from the presentation you gave.. say, last week?

Please share some of your SHARPs and how you prepare your openers!