Posts Tagged With: "Public Speaking"

Are you in the weeds?

	Posted by Ben Decker \| November 5th, 2009 \| 1 Comment \| Tweet This

Posted by Ben Decker | November 5th, 2009 | 1 Comment | Tweet This

weeds4 We’ve all been there – caught up in the shrinking world of tunnel vision. But when communicating with others, being in the weeds can lose your audience.

Last week I coached two executives, neither of whom had used video feedback before. In both of these sessions, we addressed the need to “get out of the weeds.” Most often, when we’re in the weeds, we don’t realize it. Having an outside perspective (such as coaching and video feedback) is important for this very reason. When we are passionate and invested in a message, it’s our natural tendency to share as much as we can in as much detail as we can. The material is so important, so brilliant and so valuable that we inadvertently create information overload in our fervor.

When you present your communications experience, are you in the weeds? Consider these indicators:

The verbal content of your message is cluttered with verbosity, technical jargon, industry lingo, and too much detail.
The visuals presented are overkill (too many slides, too much text, little or no graphics).
Your presentation lacks stories, anecdotes, and humor.
Your intensity for the material blinds you from the need to connect with and engage your audience.

The answer? Focus on two things and two things only.

Your point of view: What is the core message you want to convey?
Your audience: What’s in it for them? What are they looking for in your message? How can you focus on the aspects of your message that they’ll care about?

Simplify your material. Divorce the details that excite you but alienate your listeners. Become a master of exclusion and a facilitator of a memorable message. Take “you” out of the message. Focus on your listeners, learn them and create an experience that leaves an impact on them.

Want to connect your message with your audience? Get out your weed whacker!

Photo credit: gracieshoots

Categories: Communication Skills, PowerPoint Abuse - Avoid It, SHARPs and Stories, Speakers, Video - Use It
Tags: better meetings, communicating, Communication Skills, communications, decker, PowerPoints, Presentation skills, presentations, Public Speaking, speaking, success

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Grab a mop!

	Posted by Kelly Decker \| October 29th, 2009 \| 2 Comments \| Tweet This

Posted by Kelly Decker | October 29th, 2009 | 2 Comments | Tweet This

I know. Another Obama post? Put your politics and feelings about health care and the economy aside to learn a great lesson here. Obama brings ideas to life with his words. He did it again on Tuesday at a rally for Senator Creigh Deeds, Virginia’s democratic candidate for governor. With the election just one week away, Obama stumped for Deeds and drew on his own experiences to inspire Virginians to action.

“When I showed up after inauguration, they had left a big mess on the floor. So I got a mop, and I started cleaning up their mess. That’s okay, I don’t mind. But you know — you know, it does bother me when they start saying, ‘You’re not mopping fast enough.’ ‘You’re not holding the mop the right way.’ My attitude is, why don’t you grab a mop?”

He used the concrete analogy of a mop instead of what most politicians and business leaders might have said (warning: this might sound all too familiar to you):

“After inauguration, it became even more apparent that our economy is in crisis. As we strive for bipartisanship, they continuously blockade our endeavors, impeding on our progress instead of joining the effort.”

But instead, he drew a picture. Simply. Right away, you can see that mess and that mop. Then, he tugs at the hardworking, roll-up-your-sleeves drive in all of us – calling us to action, instead of making our eyes glaze over.

This is a quick example of the power of being concrete to drive a message home. We thoroughly explore concreteness (and all Made To Stick SUCCESs principles) in our Decker Made To Stick Messaging workshop – and find that people walk away saying that it will change the impact of their messages immediately.

Think about this the next time you chime in at a meeting and want to get your point across. What could you do to remove abstractions and make your message resonate?

Categories: Communication Skills, Political Communications, Public Speaking, SHARPs and Stories, Speakers
Tags: Barack Obama, Bert Decker, communicating, Communication Skills, communications, decker, Made To Stick, Presentation skills, President Obama, Public Speaking, simplicity

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21 Days to Change a Habit

	Posted by Bert Decker \| August 20th, 2007 \| 1 Comment \| Tweet This

Posted by Bert Decker | August 20th, 2007 | 1 Comment | Tweet This

Maxwell Maltz said it takes 21 days to change a habit. Boo-ya! …or right on!

Our communications behavior is made up of literally dozens of habits, which we need to know first (video feedback) and practice to modify, improve or change second (practice, practice, pracice.) Maltz proved it in his self help classic Psychocybernetics.

In over 20 years coaching and consulting, my biggest frustration is clients just don’t want to practice. If you don’t like to practice either, here’s a great post that should help get you over that hump – on a good new blog I found by Bert Webb (it’s not just the name.)

Categories: Musings, Short Bits
Tags: bert webb, communicating, Maxwell Maltz, practice, Public Speaking

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The Dobson Experience 2

	Posted by Bert Decker \| July 15th, 2007 \| 1 Comment \| Tweet This

Posted by Bert Decker | July 15th, 2007 | 1 Comment | Tweet This

Dr. James Dobson is an icon to many millions – founder of Focus On The Family with a daily radio broadcast that is one of the largest in the world. (Also author of a dozen books, and national spokesperson for Christian causes on all of the major TV talk shows.) This past week I was privileged to spend some time listening to him in a few different settings – and I’m not sure whether I was more impressed when we were chatting on the tender of our cruise ship berthing in Sitka, Alaska, or when he was speaking to 1,000 people about the passion of his heart – the importance of the family.

The Hard-Soft Surprise
A tall man at 6’3", Jim Dobson is soft spoken, and mild in manner. He LOOKS approachable, and even in the formal setting of speaking to thousands he jokes, and kids and gives asides. In two major addresses he started with some pictures of his first grandson – the pride and love was palpable. And then a story or two of hunting, or his recent visit with Prince Charles, or how he had to kill a bear to save his life. He is an interesting man, to say the least.
(He’s also the author of the mega best selling "Dare To Discipline.")

But then Dr. Dobson is called Jim by people who don’t know him well (including me) because he acts ……

Read the rest of this entry »

Categories: Leadership and Communications, Musings, Public Speaking, Speakers
Tags: Focus On The Family, Jim Dobson, Presentation skills, Public Speaking

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The Motivational Speaker

	Posted by Bert Decker \| June 12th, 2007 \| Leave a Comment \| Tweet This

Posted by Bert Decker | June 12th, 2007 | Leave a Comment | Tweet This

Les Brown opened the MDRT Convention here in Denver, and he was great. He’s known as a motivational speaker, and he is that – but more. He has substance and message and art.

What can anyone learn from a motivational speaker? Lots. Although the best learning is by observation – and you can see Les Brown on video – here’s a few points, plus some nice quotes and turns…

Energy – voice, movement, gestures and sweat. Do you sweat when you speak – work at it.
Quotes – he had a million of them. (Well, it seemed like it – and they were good and relevant.)
Authentic – although Les had rhythm, speed and cadence in voice, it seemed that he was also was conversational. He was speaking with us not at us. And his confidence was real.
Stories – he told his stories, many stories, centering around the drama in his life. And all his stories were interspersed with his message.
Practiced - Les Brown IS a performer after all, so although authentic he had some great memorized phrases and sayings. Even the ‘non-performer’ speaker should have some memorized things that they know work to make a point.

Some messages and quotes:

“I’ve been speaking for 20 years, but it should have been 34. Problem was the first 14 years I didn’t think I could do it.”

“Provide more service than you get paid for.”

“People only do business with people that they know, like and trust.”

“Work at your craft. The wood cutter’s wood production dropped 40% because he wouldn’t sharpen his ax.” (Credited to Zig.)

“…be transformed by the renewing of your mind…”

“Don’t take no for an answer. Make ‘NO’ your vitamins. Every ‘no’ brings you a step closer to success.”

“Learn to communicate well. Once you open your mouth you let the world know who you are.”

“Be a storyteller. Give people special moments.”

“Live full, die empty.”

And in the Les Brown vernacular, “You’ve got to be ‘hongry’!”

Part of Les’ impact also came from his vulnerability in sharing his dramatic recovery from prostate cancer. Because I have a friend who is just recovering from prostate cancer surgery it was particularly poignant, and made his funny line even more memorable:

"I’ll be glad when they can check out your prostate by looking in your ears."

Categories: Public Speaking, SHARPs and Stories, Speakers
Tags: Les Brown, MDRT, Million Dollar Round Table, Public Speaking

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Rocky Mountain High

	Posted by Bert Decker \| June 11th, 2007 \| 2 Comments \| Tweet This

Posted by Bert Decker | June 11th, 2007 | 2 Comments | Tweet This

Fix Your Physical Environment

I’m in Denver at the Annual MDRT Meeting, and was not sure what to call this piece, so it’s a few things: an introduction to a series of posts on how to inspire like great speakers, insights into why this MDRT Experience is world renowned, and this first one on how you can almost always set up your physical environment to serve your communication purposes.

95% of the time you can change your environment – I’ll give you a few examples.

But first a description of the Reach New Heights theme and the stage set here at the Denver Convention Center for the Million Dollar Round Table meeting. 8,000 people in a big hall – what do you do? Have a resonant theme, and then make it unique. The hall is transformed into a mountain experience, with real pine trees and 4 large screens with changing scenics, artificial mountains and rivers – but the creative masterpiece is a river of light that makes a continously moving waterfall.

I don’t want to take the space necessary for the words to describe one of the best Convention Sets I’ve seen, (although I plan to get a video of it for YouTube later.) But it stimulated my thinking on a teaching point – make your physical environment work for you.

Here’s a few things you can do:

Move the lectern to the side. Be sure you are the centerpiece of your presentation.
Move any screen to the side – if you have PowerPoints and don’t use Black Slides (but please DO!), then and the screen is in the center of the stage or meeting room, like most are unfortunately, you can’t be in the center, and are stuck on one side.
Get a lavalier (neck) microphone. Otherwise you are stuck with the lectern mike, and you’ll tend to lean over as if you have to talk into it, and the lectern (podium) blocks you. And you can’t move.
Leave the light UP. You want it as bright as possible for audience interaction, but make sure your slides and videos can be seen.
Don’t speak from the head table (if you can help it.) On Saturday I was keynote speaker at a different convention and they were going to have me speak from the head table. There was a lectern and raised platform across the room, so I said let’s have everyone speak from over there. Far better – for lunch or dinner speakers at head tables the audience has to look at all the faces that are sitting at the head table. And they might be staring back, or falling asleep, or doing anything except be non distracting.
Use a table instead of a lectern/podium. Your notes and computer can sit on the table better than a podium and you can refer to and control them much better. (I always like to be hands on with my computer support – better than a clicker if you can swing it. And 90% of the time you can.)

Remember, the great majority of the time you can ask for and control your physical communication setting. Don’t let the phrase, "Well, that’s what they gave me," determine how you set your stage!

And if you are speaking from the Main Platform at a major convention – they’ll do it up right like at MDRT. More learning points coming shortly…

Categories: Meetings, Public Speaking
Tags: MDRT Experience, Public Speaking, Speaking Environment, Taking Control, Using Lecterns

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When to Use a Microphone

	Posted by Bert Decker \| June 4th, 2007 \| Leave a Comment \| Tweet This

Posted by Bert Decker | June 4th, 2007 | Leave a Comment | Tweet This

The Rule of 40

There does not need to be any confusion about when you should use a microphone. Just remember the “Rule of 40” and you will not only be safe, but effective as well.

Whenever there are more than 40 people in a room of any size, use a microphone.

If you have an audience of less than 40, you still might want amplification if:

Your voice projection is soft.
The room is large and acoustically poor.
You want to use special vocal effects such as whispers, dialects or other dramatic devices often used by performers, humorists, and singers.
A stage presence adds to the impact of your talk.

Always get a wireless lavelier mic so you can free up your hands and your body to move naturally. Even with a lectern (podium) we recommend clients get a wireless – you are psychologically freed up to move a little, the sound is more consistent and you won’t spend your speech stooping into the microphone.

And, if in doubt, remember: You’ll be safe and never sorry if you always use a microphone.

Categories: Public Speaking, Short Bits
Tags: Communication Skills, Microphone, Presentation skills, Public Speaking

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