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CONNECTING YOUR EXPERTISE WITH PEOPLE, PARTNERS, AND THE PUBLIC

Sarah Marie Curry

Merlin Works

Welcome!Welcome!to

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Connecting Your Expertise with People, Partners, and The PublicConnecting Your Expertise with People, Partners, and The Public

In our line of work, we are faced with having insufficient information, limited 

resources, constant change and not enough time. 

We are also required to produce very public and highly successful results… 

IMPROV

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When we need your attention back….When we need your attention back….

Activity: Two Things In Common

Find a partner

Talk to discover as many things in common that you don’t know already

High five

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Instant Relationships

Be Curious: Ask questions

Be Open: Give a little to get a little

Be Positive: Look for areas of agreement

Be Flexible: Go where the chat leads you

Activity: Group OrderActivity: 

Group Order

Line Up Silently In Order

Activity: Secret Handshake

Find a partner

Create a Secret Handshake

Practice it.

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What do you speak or present about? 

Activity:1 Minute Presentation 

Film your partner giving the first minute of their talk

Presentation SkillsPresentation Skills

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Today’s Agenda

Get Clear: Distilling Your Message

Get Vivid: Making Ideas Stick

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ABCD Introduction

Attention: Grab their attention with a story, a question, a fact or cash money!

Benefits: What will they get out of the presentation? Sell cleanliness, not soap!

Credibility: Be brave and brag on yourself. Why are you qualified to give this talk?

Direction: Outline the agenda. What are you going to cover today?

IMPROV

Communicating Your Research to HumansCommunicating Your Research to Humans

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In our line of work, we are faced with having insufficient information, limited 

resources, and not enough time. 

We are also required to produce very public and highly successful results… 

IMPROV

GET HEREPresence

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Rules of Class

1. Have fun2. Dare to fail

Rules of Class

1. Have fun2. Dare to fail3. Be a good sport

Take a Bow!

Find a partner near you

Share a failure or mistake

Take a bow

Let them applaud you

Return the favor

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Activity: Physical and Vocal Warmups

Body

Face

Voice

Breath

Activity: Gibberish Definitions

In groups of 3-4

Player 1 says a made up word

Player 2 repeats that word and confidently gives the definition

Player 2 gives Player 3 a new made up word, etc

What makes someone seem like an expert 

beside knowledge?Get specific!

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Expert Behavior

Holds eye contactSpecificitySlower pacingFull of breathHigher volumeIntegrated gesturesNo umms and uhhs

StillnessFeet plantedEmotional reactionsPersonal storiesMake statements not questionsTalk directly to the audience

Activity: Gibberish Definitions

In groups of 3-4

Try again with new advice

Activity: Mirror

Face to face in pairs

Player A: You are the leader

Player B: You are the mirror

Switch when instructor says so

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Improv Tip: the communicator is responsible for making sure listener is with them

Be Clear. Be Slow. Be Simple.

Lead and follow with the other person in

mind.

When you are focused on your own plans and 

goals, it’s easy to ignore others and miss the vital 

information you need to connect with them.

Let go of attachment to outcome!

How To Be Present

PRESENTFocusing on others

What should I have done so I

didn’t mess up?

What will I do so I don’t mess

up?Focusing

on yourself

and your failures

FUTURE

PAST

What’s going on?

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Be in the Moment

When you trust yourself to respond naturally in 

the moment, you can focus on listening to other’s 

values, needs and motivations.

Quick Presence Tricks

Deep breaths

Feel your feet

Make eye contact

Listen and repeat

Let Go

Quick Energy Tricks

Power pose

Listen to a Song

Take a walk

Blow raspberries

Shake it out

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Yes! Or...

Yes! And...

Yes! But...

Yes!

Awareness

Offer

Acceptance

Addition

Yes!ANDYes!AND

GET CLEARDistilling Your Message

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Activity: Name That Tune

Tap out a popular tune

How many will be able to guess it?

Curse of Knowledge

When you know something in depth, it becomes hard to remember what it’s like not to know it.

Getting Over The Curse of Knowledge 

Now that you know so much, you have extra

work to do to communicate your knowledge clearly

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What Does This Mean?

In the bottom of the ninth, the New York Yankees were one run down and Derek Jeter worked a one out walk and stole second. But the Boston Red Sox ace reliever got Ellsbury and Teixera to strike out swinging to end the game.

How About This?

The game was almost over. The Yankees were losing to their most hated rival. The beloved captain of the Yankees, playing in his final year, made a last ditch effort to win the game. He took a big risk and it looked like it might pay off. But his teammates were unable to help him score because of the exceptional talent of a key player on the other team. The game ended and the Yankees went down to a bitter defeat.

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Cricket

Greatest batsman in the history of cricket…

What Does This Mean?

“All the Indian bowlers got two wickets each to tighten the screw around Pakistan’s batsmen. Sachin Tendulkar, titled with Player of the Match, was luckiest today, he was dropped four times on 27, 45, 70, and 81 and also got the successful decision review while Ian Gould called him LBW on the ball of Saeed Ajmal of his early spell.”

Special Knowledge Doesn’t Make You 

Smart

Smart people have a hard time

understanding each other when they lack

the same context

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“You don’t think of knowledge as a curse, but 

it’s a curse if I think you know everything I 

know and I talk to you in ways you can’t 

understand me.” 

—Alan Alda

Breaking the Curse of Knowledge

1) Start with the headline. What is the WHY?

Breaking the Curse of Knowledge

2) Ask Questions to Find Common Ground. Learn

where to start.

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Breaking the Curse of Knowledge

3) Reduce Jargon. Keep it Simple

Activity: Time Traveler

Get in Pairs

Partner A is from 300 years ago

Partner B is from today

Partner B is expecting an important phone call on your smart phone.

You have 2 minutes to convince Partner A that you are not a witch.

Strategies: Time Traveler

Blend & Build rapport

Ask questions

Build a foundation of understanding

Personalize

Use emotion

Use effective language

Start with the headline

Metaphors

Story

Imagery

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Story Spine

Once upon a time...And every day...Until one day...And because of that...And because of that…And because of that…Until, finally…And, ever since then…The moral of the story is…

Activity: My Photo

Authentic PresentationsAuthentic Presentations

Work vs Passion

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Today’s Agenda

Get Clear: Distilling Your Message

Get Vivid: Making Ideas Stick

Activity: Putting It All Together

Redo the first few minutes of your presentation using what you’ve learned

Activity: Putting It All Together

Role Play

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www.merlin‐works.comwww.merlin‐works.com

Register for classes today!

More Learning Opportunities

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Presentation Works

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Thank youMERLIN WORKSwww.merlin.works.com

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Any Questions?