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Posts Tagged With: "Communication Skills"

Taking Control of the Room

Posted by Bert Decker   |   December 5th, 2010   |   1 Comment   |  Tweet This

Joel Mowbray is a nationally known syndicated columnist who spoke at a suburban home in Marin County last night, and gave a superb example of how to take control of a room. The event was to be a small gathering primarily to hear Joel, but also to enjoy the group and drinks and appetizers. Ended up more came than expected, so it was packed with over 125 people squeezed into a living room – overflowing into two other rooms and halls. Couldn’t move much, much less eat or have a glass of wine.

I thought that with this crowd, all standing uncomfortably,  Joel would just give a few remarks and tell people to enjoy the party. But he did so much more, and kept everyone’s rapt attention for over 45 minutes!

Here’s how he handled it. (And in the same form we give feedback in our Communicate To Influence program, let me mention 3 Keepers and 3 Improvements.)

Keepers:

  • He came out strong. He didn’t apologize for the circumstance, but just began speaking, with a strong voice, humor and confidence.
  • Great behavior. He has a great smile, open manner, gave insider asides, his voice carried with no mic, had energy, gestures and movement. He showed care and candor…
  • Content. He was interesting. He was authentic as he had lived the experiences he talked about. Lots of stories made his very focused points. Joel did all the behaviors, but it ultimately was his content that carried the day. Impressive, authoritative…

Improvements (only ones are in the Q&A Session):

  • Joel’s eye communication was to each questioner, and he held it. It’s always best to start your answer looking at the questioner for the first 10 seconds or so, and then continue the answer looking at other individuals in the entire audience. This frees your mind to broaden your answer, and avoids this next problem…
  • He got into dialogues with some long winded questioners. By continuously looking at them they could easily feel they were in a conversation, and break in and give their opinions, or begin dialogues or arguments. And they did – this was a verbal group. We (the audience) came to hear the speaker. We’re interested in Mowbray’s opinions, not some strangers.
  • He went too long. The Q&A turned out to be over 25 minutes, and he should have stopped it sooner by saying, “We have time for one more question.”

But the improvements were minor compared to the impact he had, and how skillfully he spoke. He handled the room, and the audience was the better for it.


Categories: Communication Skills, Leadership and Communications, Meetings, Public Speaking, Speakers, Uncategorized
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BP CEO: Communications Failure

Posted by Bert Decker   |   June 2nd, 2010   |   6 Comments   |  Tweet This

UPDATE: June 17. CEO Tony Hayward is live giving Congressional testimony that will probably go down as equal to the Mark McGwire disaster. He has said, “I wasn’t involved in any of the decision making,” and “I don’t know” countless times. Congress, led by a hostile Henry Waxman, seemed incredulous. This whole Gulf oil disaster is a terrible tragedy on a deeply personal level for millions of people – in the U.S., and also in England where BP is a key part of their economy. This Congressional testimony happening right now is a PR and communications disaster that continues. Both in content and in style. I guess it’s not surprising from what might be expected from the following that was posted earlier:

___________________________

I want my life back,” wails BP Oil CEO Tony Hayward. Well, he really doesn’t wail, but he might as well have. Leaders lead, they don’t plead.

The BP Oil disaster on the Gulf Coast needs more than a good communicator, it is a terrible tragedy no matter who is at the helm. But BP does need a good communicator to make the best of an awful plight. Unfortunately, they have CEO Hayward, who has been his own worst enemy.

CEO’s have to be ready to lead with authenticity – where one’s perceived behavior as well as focus really counts. This CEO fails on both accounts.

Authenticity – what you say and how you say it

Hayward has been off from the beginning.  A month ago he appeared aloof – look at his manner in this clip (and above) at an early press conference.

I was appalled at his apparent smug and arrogant behavior. I don’t know him, but if that’s his natural style, I’m surprised he’s CEO. Then again, this is a company that made $10 billion profit last quarter! So where were his advisors? Where were his coaches? Why wasn’t he trained in advance so he knew how to act when the pressure was on. This was not the way.

“I Want My Life Back.”

So here we have a multi-millionaire CEO ‘wanting his life back’ in the face of the families of 11 people killed on ‘his’ oil rig, and tens of thousands if not hundreds of thousands who will lose their economic life because of his oil. OK, not ‘his’ oil, but he has to speak as if it’s his oil. And he has not. What he did have to do was apologize for his remarks. The problem was, and is, we believe he meant it – that he cares only as it affects BP and himself.

Defense is not the best offense

Throughout these first 40 days of the disaster, Tony Hayward was the spokesperson – yet almost all of his statements smacked of defensiveness. First he says the effects will be very, very modest. More recently, in response to the fact that those cleaning the beaches were getting sick from evident oil fumes, he inferred that it could be “food poisoning!”

His appearances, and performances, were so bad that a national Cable News show ended their newscast with an editorial excoriating Hayward and saying, “Act like you care!”

It was just announced that Admiral Thad Allen will now make all the updates on the Gulf Oil disaster. (He’s good by the way.) Although politics are no doubt also involved, it is not surprising that both BP and the administration wanted Tony Hayward off the air. He did nobody any good, particularly himself.

Lessons for us all

We will all be called upon to speak under pressure in important circumstances. Be prepared. It is not just the CEO’s like Hayward that have to be ready, though the stakes might be higher in his case. It’s all of us. In this video and social media age, we are all on television. If we don’t know how we come across, and where our heart and our message is, we may be doomed to fail when it counts the most. And it doesn’t have to be.

No doubt that Tony Hayward would like his life back. And I bet he’d like to start this communications experience over again – after maybe a heart check and a little training too.


Categories: Communication Skills, Leadership and Communications, Newsworthy, Political Communications, Public Speaking, Uncategorized
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Meg Whitman as Communicator

Posted by Bert Decker   |   May 2nd, 2010   |   3 Comments   |  Tweet This

Meg Whitman just debated Steve Poizner for the Republican Gubernatorial nomination. It was interesting, but not as interesting as looking at where Meg Whitman might go – if she can communicate.

First the debate:

Meg did well, but Steve probably did better if this was an equal contest. But it is not – Whitman has a 30-40 point lead on Poizner, and the debate did nothing to change that. On June 8 Meg will win in a landslide.

Bring on Jerry Brown:

Jerry Brown

Where this gets interesting is in the general election this summer/fall, between past Governor, Presidential contender, now Lt Gov. of California Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman. It’s one stiff-communicator against another in a race for a prize that’s dubious at best. The state of California is in the worst shape of it’s long history. Can Meg Whitman convince voters she can change that? (We’ll leave Jerry Brown’s communication content and style for a later post.)

Communicate To Influence, Not Just To Inform:

Look at these cogent words from yesterday’s incisive Business Week article on Meg Whitman:

“The most gifted politicians manage to turn scripted “messaging” into stirring stump material, but there is nothing Churchillian in Whitman’s delivery. Says former colleague Rajiv Dutta, former eBay CFO and PayPal president, now a managing director at Elevation Partners: “Clearly she doesn’t have the practiced ease of appearing to be intimate in front of millions, which career politicians have spent their lives perfecting.”

About 80% of the voters are biased and will vote accordingly. For Meg to get those 20-30% undecided to vote for her she must influence, be trusted (and likable) and inspire vision. She’s not there yet. She still speaks in PowerPoint Speak – bullet points and logic statements, and cluttered. Fine for her as a former CEO directing employees, not so great for inspiring voters of a new vision for a collapsed economy. Leaders must inspire, not just inform.

Behaviorally Meg Whitman must loosen up, engage the media, and at least look like she is having fun. She is smart and capable – these are just behavioral habits that she could change with some coaching.

More importantly perhaps, she needs to create sticky messages.

God knows there is enough material in the collapsed state of California to have vivid examples, metaphors, SHARPS and memorable language to help make HER colorful, and much more memorable. She needs messages that are ‘made to stick,’ for example:

  • The union pension fund obligations are like a tsunami that are about to engulf our great State of California
  • Government spending is as out of control as the BP gusher that is polluting the Gulf of Mexico. It must be brought under control.
  • 40% of California’s public school budget is for admin and overhead. If I ran eBay like that I wouldn’t be here talking to you tonight – I would have been fired.

Stay tuned. This is going to be an interesting general election here in California, and could be a microcosm of what’s to come for the country.


Categories: Communication Skills, Leadership and Communications, Newsworthy, Political Communications, Uncategorized
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The art of storytelling is in the telling

Posted by Ben Decker   |   April 16th, 2010   |   8 Comments   |  Tweet This

My wife and I made a point to see Oscar-nominated films before the Oscars. That was before we had kids. Now, we’re pretty much limited to the Best Animated Feature category. But we did manage to see “Up In The Air.”

As you probably know, George Clooney plays a character who’s a consultant traveling around the nation to lay people off. He incorporates this brief pep talk into his repertoire:

Later, his protégée delivers the same line, but this time, it’s robotic and pointless.

The art of storytelling is in the telling. Maybe you’ve got a great story. A customer testimonial that will knock a prospect’s socks off. But if you don’t tell it well, who cares?

This is something I’ve been working at since I got married – my mother-in-law helped me realize it. My problem is that I tell a story once, and that’s it. I lose my gusto after that. I start skipping the details and deliver the punch line way too soon. But my mother-in-law… she can tell the same story 9, 13, or 27 times, and it loses nothing! If anything, she gains momentum each time. When she tells stories, she nails the behavioral skills around eye communication and energy – facial expression, vocal variety, and gestures (note an unfair advantage: she is Italian).

Whether it’s the first time or the tenth, deliver the story well. On the content side, don’t skimp on the details: describe the pain, celebrate the success. Then bring the content together with the behavior. Show and tell how the lead character (whether it’s you or someone else) felt at that moment.


Categories: Film, SHARPs and Stories
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Damn sticky SHARPs: Spartacus & data integration

Posted by Kelly Decker   |   March 30th, 2010   |   4 Comments   |  Tweet This

Did some work early this month with a client for their new hire training. When we introduce our methodology for developing content, we use the Decker Grid and SHARPs. We’ve talked about our SHARPs before: Stories, Humor, Analogies, References/Quotes and Pictures/Visuals. They’re a handful of tools to help make your message stick.

So, what the heck does Spartacus have in common with data integration?

This particular client of ours is all about data. They love it. Respect it. Manage it. Integrate it. They make data useful to their customers. One of the most important benefits of their products and services is that they can ease tension between IT and Sales/Marketing.

Here’s just one example of what they do: they make it so the sales and marketing teams have the information they need to have a 360 degree view of their customers, all in one place. Better customer relationship management, increased sales…all good news. And, nobody has to bug the IT folks for bad data. To show this (in a mock presentation to a customer), one participant began his message with this classic scene from Spartacus:

Then he went on:

“You have no idea who is the real Spartacus is among your customers. Your data is just plain bad and you can’t service these customers effectively. It’s critical that you upgrade and simplify your systems.”

Now there’s one that will stand out against the competition.

Challenge yourself by asking, “How will I be remembered?” They likely won’t sign on the dotted line right after you finish your PowerPoint presentation. That message of influence must persist longer than the 60 minute meeting that you have with that customer, team member, or boss. As your listener is flooded with all sorts of information for the rest of the day, how will your message be remembered so that they buy off on your message and take action?


Categories: Musings, SHARPs and Stories
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Video Blog: Toyota video conference to rally workers

Posted by Ben Decker   |   March 5th, 2010   |   1 Comment   |  Tweet This

As many of you have seen, Toyota put on a large-scale video conference with 7,000 employees this morning. This is a great example of using video communication to connect in a business setting.

Here’s a video blog about the critical nature of connecting in business, exemplified by this morning’s Toyota conference:


Categories: Leadership and Communications, Newsworthy, Video - Use It
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New Communicator Bursts on the Scene

Posted by Bert Decker   |   January 20th, 2010   |   6 Comments   |  Tweet This

Put your politics aside for a moment – a new communications star was born tonight. Unless you live under a rock, you now know of Scott Brown, who won the Massachusetts Senate race Tuesday.

I hesitated blogging on Scott Brown’s acceptance speech because I just got back from Las Vegas and it’s late and it’s too political – but after seeing him on Tivo I couldn’t resist. What Barack Obama did in 2004 in his speech at the Democratic convention, Scott Brown just did in 2010 in his victory speech – burst upon the national scene.

Here’s why:

  • It’s a national stage – this was a very important election politically. The world was watching – the race and the speech, but even more so the clips of the speech that will be televised and blogged over the next few weeks. And because of his surprising and excellent communicating he is immediately a force to be reckoned with.
  • He packages and uses symbols well (SHARPS in our language). The obvious political phrase “We can do better” became a repeated litany. But probably the best is his iconic and populist green truck that has 201,000 miles on it, and which he made a point of driving and referencing throughout the campaign. Well publicized, he referenced it several times, causing the chant “Drives A Truck, Drives a Truck…”
  • He is humorous – making several jokes – playing basketball with Barack Obama, a sign on supporter’s lawn, and even joked about his daughters’ being ‘available’ (maybe not politically correct however.)
  • Focused on his issues. He appropriately thanked Massachusetts for electing him, and emphasized the independents, but he immediately went to national issues. He was articulate in speaking to his view on the Health Care bill, and what he was going to do about that, as well as his views on spending, taxes and the war.
  • He can turn a phrase. He actually turned many phrases, but perhaps one of the best lines he had was talking about terrorists and saying, “our tax dollars should pay for weapons to stop them and not lawyers to defend them.”
  • His use of the teleprompter was excellent. President Obama could take lessons from him.
  • And the importance of a smile – it served Ronald Reagan very well, and it serves Brown. He is energetic, attractive, personable (spontaneously related to many on stage) and confident – important communication attributes.

But above all, his victory speech created a communication experience, and not just for the enthusiastic, and very large, crowd of supporters. For the viewer the image of confidence, strength and purpose was powerful. Although there’s a lot of water yet to go under Scott Brown’s bridge, right now, like him or not politically, he is a force to be reckoned with.


Categories: Communication Skills, Leadership and Communications, Newsworthy, Political Communications, Uncategorized
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