www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine May 2011 1 MAY 2011 IN THIS ISSUE Lisa McInnes-Smith - CPAE, CSP, Master Presenter shares her tips for professional presenting Presenting in Business Managing nervousness The CURE if you’re a worry wart How to manage audience objections How to make your messages meaningful The power of exaggeration Are you making Service Mistakes? Success Stories Parents Corner PLUS: Fashion faux pas Telemarketing Tips
Transcript
www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine May 2011 1
MAY 2011
IN THIS ISSUELisa McInnes-Smith - CPAE, CSP, Master Presenter shares her tips for professional presentingPresenting in BusinessManaging nervousness The CURE if you’re a worry wartHow to manage audience objectionsHow to make your messages meaningfulThe power of exaggeration Are you making Service Mistakes?Success StoriesParents Corner
PLUS: Fashion faux pasTelemarketing Tips
www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine May 2011 2
Michelle’sUpdateWell as How to Present launches it’s 10th issue I’m thrilled to report that subscription has doubled and I’m receiving more and more positive feedback about the articles I’m finding for you - thank you for your feedback! I’m excited about this May magazine with even more articles for you to enjoy!
The Overland Track adventure that I set out on in April (65 kilometres on the overland track in the Cradle Mountain region in Tasmania) with my young family was tough but fantastic! There were times when we thought we’d never get to the next camping site - but we did. There were times when we thought we simply couldn’t walk over anther tree root, or step into mid-calf deep mud but we did it. And There were definitely times when I thought I would prefer to starve to death than eat freeze dried food ANOTHER NIGHT - but we did! My 6 year old daughter was the family motivator and provides a good lesson for us all. She said “it’s really simple mum. If you just keep walking you eventually get there!” So many times people tell me that they feel they will never conquer their fear of public speaking. And this is so, so sad because in the 12 years I’ve specialised in running presentation skills training I’ve certainly never met anyone who wasn’t excited about their next presentation once they learnt what to do and how to do it from me. If you’re nervous, read the article called No more nerves. As Annabelle suggests, if you know what to do and then just do it, you’ll eventually get there - simply really! Check out our holiday photos in our photo gallery.
Proactively managing audience objections is certainly a skill worth learning if you run meetings or facilitate groups in your role. So I’ve included some tips on how to use humour, overcome your propensity for being a worry wart, service mistakes not to make as well as tips on how to Help your Children Present with Confidence PLUS some inspiring success stories and a Special Feature from the joyous, loving and incredibly motivating Lisa McInnes-Smith on how to present like a professional.
So grab yourself a ’cuppa’, put your feet up and have a read! And most importantly, make sure you put the invaluable advice into immediate action so you see some fast results. Happy Presenting!
Who is Michelle Bowden?
Michelle is an expert in influential presentation skills in business. She has run her 2-day Influential Presentation Skills program over 550 times with many thousands of people and she’s been nominated for Educator of the Year 3 years running. Michelle is one of only 25 Australian females who is a Certified Speaking Professional - the highest designation for speakers in the world. For a list of Michelle’s clients please go to: www.howtopresent.com.au
DIARYDATES
INFLUENTIAL PRESENTATION SKILLS(2-day Public Program)
Join Michelle at her next public program IN SYDNEY:
• May 24-25 (full)• June 21-22• July 19-20
BRISBANE:September 6-7
MELBOURNE:August 9-10
To register or chat about your specific needs please email:[email protected]
Marina has over 9 years experience in the telecommunications industry, as a Territory Manager, Learning and Development Consultant and most recently as a Business Liaison Manager. Outside of work Marina runs a Jazzercise fitness class and attends acting classes. Having previously studied Public Relations, Marina is now completing a Business Degree via correspondence.
What kind of presenting do you do?
Every time I communicate at work, I’m presenting in some form, whether it’s formal presentations to customers and senior leaders, informal presentations to team members, and
even an email or phone call. Often I’m presenting to people I’m meeting for the first time which can test the nerves.
What prompted you to attend Michelle's Influential Presentation Skills program?
I knew I wanted to be an exceptional presenter, but I didn’t know how to get there! I’ve always admired the leaders at my work and their ability to connect with their audience and inspire others. I’ve sat in some meetings over the duration of my career where the presenter had little connection with their audience. And I’ve also sat in meetings where the presenter was simply amazing, inspirational and really impressive. There are many inspirational leaders at my current organisation and I realised that if I ever wanted to be a influential leader, I’d need to fine tune my own skills so that I could bring my team members on the journey with me.
In general, what positive outcomes have you achieved from improving your presentation skills?
I’ve been asked to share my experiences and thoughts as a presenter through a mentoring program at work but I’ll admit, I’m using Michelle’s ‘Don’t Picture me Naked’ book as my bible. I was also asked to be master of ceremonies at a work annual award night and present at our quarterly divisional meeting.
The best thing is the confidence and skills that Michelle’s program has given me not only in the workplace, but also outside of work. Presenting and being on stage has given me the confidence to take up acting classes and teach fitness classes in my spare time.
So attending Michelle’s training was one of the best things I have done for my own personal development.
How did Michelle's program change your attitude to presenting?
I realised that it is ok to be yourself, stand out and shine as long as you are well prepared and have a clear message. I particular love this quote that Michelle introduced me to as it really captures how I now attack my presentations.
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ʻWho am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?ʼ Actually, who are you not to be? … Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory…that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others".
By Marianne Williamson
In what specific ways have your presentation skills improved since completing Michelle's training?
Now every time I present, I spend time planning my message and approach. I think about the audience, and the fact that they are giving up time in their day to listen to me! How can I make the message relevant to them? What do I want them to walk out thinking? Do I have a call to action? I’ve also learnt to reduce the number of PowerPoint slides so that they are not the focus
of the presentation. The benefits are huge! There is less confusion for the audience, I don’t have to repeat or clarify my message, the audience walks out knowing what the next steps are, and no-one has suffered ‘death by PowerPoint’.
What were your top three take aways from Michelle's program?
www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine May 2011 6
MAKE YOUR MESSAGES MEANINGFULBY MICHELLE BOWDEN
www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine September 2010 6
You may remember learning about alliteration at school. Alliteration can be very valuable when planning how best to communicate your message and stimulate the people who learn through their sense of hearing or ‘auditory’ channel.
The purpose of alliteration is to create a consistent pattern that catches the mind's eye and focuses our attention. It’s used frequently in news headlines, corporate names, literary titles, advertising, and nursery rhymes. In fact, if you can still remember your nursery rhymes even though you may not have been a child for a while, you’ll already realise that it helps your audience remember your key points because alliteration is 'catchy'.
So what is Alliteration again?
Alliteration is where you repeat the same consonant sound at the beginning of two or more words in close succession. It is not sufficient to repeat the same or similar letter, it must be a repetition of sound.
Well known examples include; ‘Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers’. ‘She sells seashells by the seashore’ and ‘Round the rugged rock the ragged rascal ran.’
Of course, there are numerous examples of alliteration that have been a part of ‘corporate speak’ for years. Some simple examples are ‘boom or bust’, ‘sink or swim’, ‘back to basics’ and ‘balance the books’.
How would you use alliteration in your presentations?
You can use alliteration to emphasise a key message or phrase and fix it in your audience’s mind.
Both John F Kennedy and Martin Luther King were known to use alliteration well. At the 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote speech that brought Barrack Obama to prominence,
Obama said, ‘Do we participate in a politics of cynicism or do we participate in a politics of hope?’ The Wall Street Journal’s slogan is ‘The daily diary of the American dream’. And of course you will have heard that ‘Prior preparation prevents poor performance’.
If you’re keen to try to use some alliteration, I suggest you plan out the purpose of your presentation using my 5-step Audience Analysis Tool and 13-Steps to Exceptional Presentations. Be as clear as possible on your key messages. Once you’ve narrowed down your key messages and written out what you want to say, go over your script with a fine tooth comb looking for places where you could use alliteration to embed your key messages and make them more memorable. For example: Instead of just saying: ‘Now more than ever, we need to work together to achieve results’. You might say: ‘Starting today, we need to undertake to stick together, to strive, share, sell and solidify our results for a successful future’.
Of course you need to work within your own personal style and pattern of speech. Try it! The world will note, and long remember what we say if we use alliteration to word it whether we like it or not!
Quiz: How many examples of alliteration can you find in this article?
www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine May 2011 7
So what exactly is a “worry wart”? Well the dictionary
defines a worry wart as “someone who worries
excessively and needlessly.” If you are one, you will
know exactly what this means! The reality is that the
vast majority of the things we worry about never
happen – so why on earth do we worry about them?
Worry can take away so much enjoyment from life and
it can have a major impact on your business. Here is
some advice that might just help those worry warts out
there to stop worrying and get on with living -
6 WAYS TO STOP WORRYING AND START LIVING
1. Most of the things we worry about are things that
could happen in the future. This means that people
who worry excessively spend way too much time living
in the future and very little time being present right
here right now. So spend more time living day by day.
2.Worry is driven by fear – the big “what if?” To take
the power out of this fear, ask yourself what is the
very worst things that could happen. Visualise that it
has happened. Then think about what you will do to
get on with your life.
3. Acknowledge that you have done the best you can
regarding a particular issue or problem and that that
there is nothing more you can do. If you haven’t
done the best you can – go back and do more.
When you can put your hand on your heart and say
and believe that you can’t do any more, it seem kind
of futile to worry, so you tend to stop.
4. Understand the damage that worry does to your
body. It can lead to all kinds of health issues. Once
you realise the price you pay for worry, you might
not be prepared to pay for it.
5. Deal with facts, not fiction. Try to reprogram your
mind to not worry about anything until you have all
of the facts in front of you. Most of the time we are
worrying about things that are nothing more than
rumour and they will never actually happen.
6. Keep away from people who fuel worry. These are
the prophets of doom and the misery mongers. Do
whatever you can do keep these folk at bay and
don’t buy into their negativity.
And I strongly recommend that you invest $25 and buy
Dale Carnegie’s book – “How to Stop Worrying and
Start Living”. An old book with very sound advice.
Andrew Griffiths is an entrepreneur with a real passion for small business. Inspired by a constant desire to see others reach their full potential, Andrew has written ten hugely successful books (eight are bestsellers), with many more on the way.
www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine May 2011 8
TELEMARKETING TIPS
SWEAT THE SMALL STUFF!Sweat the smallest stuff. A presenter at a company conference I was speaking at forgot to polish his shoes before he got up on stage that day. He delivered a great message - clear, concise and powerful.
When I asked a few of the audience members in the coffee break how they found his presentation, a few of them replied ‘It was good. But I was distracted by the shoes’.
A lady came over to me after a presentation I delivered a few weeks ago and if you’ve seen me present you know I move around a lot and there’s some singing and dancing at times. As a result I can become a bit ‘disheveled’ but I’m pretty good and quick at getting my hair back under control and putting myself right. Anyway, this lady approached me and said, ‘that was great and I loved you. But I was so distracted by your necklace’. Then she said, ‘do you mind if I fix it?’ and she moved the clasp of my very fine chain (you know the bit that does the chain up?) to the back of my neck. It had fallen to the front of my neck when I was dancing.
It can be disconcerting that audience members say this kind of thing, but that’s life.
Some people are focussed on the detail, on the small stuff. They are distracted by things that most other people don’t notice and this distraction stops them listening to the point of your presentation. Our job as presenters is to try and think of everything we can and fix it before it stops them listening to us and our message.
So sweat the small stuff and help your audience concentrate on your message.
Are you in sales and find yourself dreading picking up the phone to prospective clients?
Telesales is like a snowball rolling down a mountain. The more calls you make, the more
success you get. It’s that simple really! However, expert Jenny Cartwright suggests
that because it’s important to keep the energy in your voice up and confident, you
might like to schedule to do your calls in two-hour blocks and then have a break. She also recommends
you stand up every 5 calls to get your blood flowing and re-energise yourself.
FREE GIFT: If you’re in telesales and would like a copy of Don’t Get Hung Up! be one of the first 5
readers to email [email protected] with the words: Don’t Get Hung Up. Good luck!
www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine May 2011 11
How often have you had to deliver a presentation where you know that your audience is objecting to parts of your message before you even begin to speak?
Have you noticed that there are often a number of people sitting in your audience feeling cranky about something? These people have some kind of objection and they aren’t going to listen to you properly until you have dealt with their problem. Can you relate to that?
Whether your message is contentious or needs care in delivery or not, it’s a good idea to work out what the objections might be when you are speaking and then plan to manage them in advance. Managing objections brings the objection out in the open, helps you solve the problem as best you can and allows you to continue to control the proceedings. In other words, it assists your audience to move on and be more open minded to your message than they might have been.
What sort of objections can I expect?
People can object to all sorts of things from your content, to something personal about you, to the logistics of the event. Let me give you some specific objections people may be thinking in your presentations:
It’s too early in the morning for this.I’m too busy for this.It’s not a priority.I already know this.No budget. No resources. This is not relevant to me.
How do I manage objections?
I recommend that you use a technique that I call POO! It stands for Pacing Out Objections. Here’s how you Pace out Objections...
State the objection.
Say ‘and’, ‘so’, or simply pause and say nothing.
Then explain your solution.
Here is an example for you...
'Many people feel that a call centre is not necessary in our business. So, my presentation will delve into the pros and cons of a call centre and then we can make an informed decision together.’
Use this technique and notice how much less stressful and more successful your presentations are!
www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine May 2011 13
If you're trying to make a good impression at your next networking event, you don't want to create a fashion faux pas. That 's why invitations have a dress code so you don't get it wrong. If in doubt, always ask the host.
Smart Casual - It doesn't mean what you wear on the weekend, rather a smarter version of what you wear to dinner at a good friends house.
Business Attire - A classic and professional look with immaculate grooming and accessories.
Lounge Suit - A classic structured look you can wear straight from work, just glam up with high heels, sparkling earrings and a clutch bag.
For more tips read my article in Latte20March2011BUSETIQUETTE.pdf to make sure you're always well dressed.
FASHION FAUX PAS
TESTIMONIALFrom: Mark Cane, Orthopaedic Business Manager, LMT Surgical
“Thank you for your fantastic contribution to our Staff Conference last week. In our line of business, presentation skills are our primary medium of interaction. There is also an added facet that makes it all the more challenging and that is the environment in which we “sell” – the Operating Theatre. Often this is a “sell” of technical support, and rapport is vital to the inducement of ideas or solutions in high pressure situations. Knowing what to say and when to say it – and thanks to you we now know HOW to say it! With this in mind, your powerful and clear direction in helping us understand the pace and lead concept will empower us forever in this particular setting. I have no hesitation in saying that anyone who is selling or supporting in this environment cannot afford to not grant you an audience! Your concepts of universals and truisms hones and creates a more complete transaction and sees the seller, in the context of our business, as not just a salesman but a competent adviser and a member of that O.R team. I am quite sure we will be engaging you in the future to assist us in growing our team.”
www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine May 2011 14
LISA MCINNES-SMITHPROFESSIONAL SPEAKER, CSP, CPAE
Lisa McInnes-Smith is a bundle of positive, loving energy both on and off the stage. It was my honour to work with her in the creation of How to Present - Tips from the Masters.
Here are some of Lisa’s tips for you:
1. Connect with the audience at the heart level if you can. Relate to your audience – have fun with them. It’s about people first, information second.
2. Be present - give people your total focus and attention.
3. Be fun and entertaining – we learn more when we are laughing.
4. Don’t talk to the group – talk to one person at a time – not to the ‘group’.
5. Give them a chance to respond either verbally or even through applause.
6. Make sure your message is something the audience is interested in.
7. Find a way to laugh at yourself – so the audience can laugh with you rather than at you.
8. Write out your stories and work out which details are necessary and cut out the parts that are not necessary. Keep them short - get to the point. Record your stories as they happen to you in life so you can use them when you need to.
9. Ensure you take cultural considerations into account – including words the audience will understand.
10.Stop thinking of you! Once you’re on the stage it’s all about the audience’s needs. Forget about your insecurities and give what you have to give by being yourself. You are unique, shine as you are.
11.Be inspired and you’ll inspire!
What a bundle of energy and enthusiasm Lisa is! I was inspired and I hope you have been inspired too. Please contact me with your ‘presentation’ stories, questions and comments at www.howtopresent.com.au – I look forward to knowing you, helping you and sharing in your success! Happy Presenting!
TIPS FROM A PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER
How to Present - Presentation Skills Tips from the Masters features the top essential presentation skills tips, and techniques from 13 of Australia’s top keynote speakers. You can listen to all the interviews plus much more from the inspiring Lisa McInnes-Smith by purchasing your very own copy of this essential business resource. Purchase your own copy here.
www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine May 2011 15
Dramatically improve the way you present and influence.
Attend one of my Influential Presentation Skills programs.
It’s a life changing experience!
Risk free - 100% money-back guarantee.
Endorsed by thousands of people from over a hundred corporations around Australia.
Interactive and personalised.
Facilitated by Michelle Bowden who has over 18 years experience running her programs and who has been
nominated for Educator of the Year for the last 3 years.
Absorb yourself in a generative and experiential approach. Learn something then practice, then learn something then practice…
Group sizes are limited to only 10 people per program.
Risk free approach to a subject most people find ‘daunting’!
Plenty of time for you to get personal one-on-one time with Michelle’s during the program.
Address your specific, personal needs.
Learning with lots of laughter.
Techniques are embedded so you remember them decades later.
SYDNEY DATES:May 24-25 (full)June 21-22July 19-20August 23-24
BRISBANE DATESSeptember 6-7
MELBOURNE DATESAugust 3-4
To chat about your specific needs or receive more information please email Michelle directly: [email protected]
IS IT TIME YOU IMPROVED YOUR PRESENTATION SKILLS? COME JOIN ME!
CONNECT WITH YOUR AUDIENCESuperstar Jessica Mauboy’s lesson to us all
Presenting is all about connecting with your audience. And I saw a superb example of this at my local shopping centre recently when superstar Jessica Mauboy performed songs from her new Get Em Girls CD for a very enthusiastic crowd earlier in the year. To the left you can see her reaching for my daughter Holly’s hand from the stage. You can bet Holly is a fan for life! And look at the love in her eyes as she smiles at her fans in the photo on the right. Jessica was there purely and simply for her fans - her audience. Remember - it’s not about you - it’s all about the audience.
www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine May 2011 16
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES: ARE YOU MAKING SERVICE MISTAKES? BY ANNE MILES
Do you ever forget that that clients outside your business can’t see what you see from the inside? They can’t see what you see?
Professional services firms often treat their client as if they can see the same thing in the work that you do, but often the nuances are lost. Just as opening up a dental patient's mouth to most would be just a mouth full of teeth, to the dentist it's artistry and every tooth tells a story about what has been done before, what work will need to be done soon and how much it cost!
Professional service firms often forget that the nuances of their craft are lost on clients because they're immersed in the business at a high level of detail every day, all day. As a result of this there is often a sense of indignation that the client doesn't do what you want them to do, or think of them as stupid or annoying. The direct result of this is a loss in sales and damaged relationships.
Symptoms of this lack of understanding include people complaining and whinging about their clients, proposals are not fully understood, the value is missed in the proposals and you don't win the sale. Likewise, its very possible the client is equally complaining about you! This lack of understanding of each other and lack of respect for each other's personality types or modes of thinking get in the way of your sales presentations and sales results. There are so many service providers that think they can keep a straight face and be professional with their client, but I can guarantee that the client will
sense your feelings about them even if they can't quite pinpoint what it is. Having this mindset in everything you do creates a lack of connection and ultimately affects sales.
There is a lot that can be done to build a connection with others in terms of body language and communication skills, but look deeper than that as well and really ask yourself what beliefs do you hold about your client that could come through as a block to your results. Do you think they are stupid? Do you think they are painful? If you have these beliefs driving everything you do then you are sure to have the lights off in the back of your eyes that disconnects you from your client.
My challenge then, is ask yourself what are you doing, or not doing, that is causing your client to behave the way they do or think the way they do? Do they need more information from you? Do you need to spend more time understanding who they are? Are you communicating the value in what you do fully? Do you know where the value is in your service in a way that is meaningful to your client?
Having the these negative thoughts in your mind puts you in a situation where you need to switch on 'hard sell'. In my experience you are not serving yourself and your results if you are in this 'hard sell' mode. Changing the way we think about our clients is crucial for those wanting to shift into truly serving a client and consulting on choice and solutions to ultimately make more sales and build a longer term relationship with your clients.
Anne Miles is a Business Development Specialist www.annemiles.com.au
www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine May 2011 17
PARENTS CORNERENCOURAGE MORE IF YOU WANT CONFIDENT KIDS
Encouragement is a far more powerful esteem-building tool than praise and it doesn’t have the adverse side effects. The differences are slim but important.
Encouragement focuses on the process of what a child does whereas praise focuses on the end result. Encouraging comments focus on effort, improvement, involvement, enjoyment, contribution or displays confidence whereas praise concerns itself with good results.
An encouraging parent gives children feedback about their performance but they ensure the feedback is realistic and they work from positives rather than negatives.
To use an example from when children are very young: an encouraging parent will note a child’s efforts in toilet-training and recognise that mistakes are part of the learning process so they are not too fussed about the results. Praise however is saved for a clean
nappy and a full potty.
Encouragement recognises that a child is participating and enjoying a game while praise focuses on winning or a fine performance. Okay, the differences are academic and it may seem like splitting hairs but the results on the potty, in a game or even at the kitchen table should concern children more than they do adults.
Once they are at school, the issues are more focused around making friends, passing tests, being selected, getting along. As soon as we become more concerned about results than children we move into areas of children’s concern and out of areas of our concern. In short, praise is about control and encouragement is about influence.
Michael Grose
has been
helping parents
raise confident,
resilient kids
for over 20
years. He is a
current
Channel 9
Today Show
parenting
expert, a
popular & entertaining speaker and a frequent
columnist for a variety of media. Michael is the
author of 8 parenting books, including his latest
release Thriving!, widely acknowledged 'as the new
roadmap for raising 3-12 year olds with confidence,
character and resilience." Michael is married with
three adult children who have all successfully flown
www.howtopresent.com.au How to Present Magazine May 2011 18
LIP COLOURThe limited edition VIVA GLAM Lipstick named after celebrity spokesperson Lady Gaga. Features a high lustre finish and cool blue-pink shade. As with all VIVA GLAM products, every cent raised through the purchase of VIVA GLAM Gaga goes to the M·A·C AIDS Fund to support the fight against HIV/AIDS.
CD OF THE MONTHThinking of improving your
presentation skills but don’t want to go on a training program? You need to grab a copy of How to
Present - Tips from the Master. Tips from 13 of Australia’s top public
speakers. Go to my website
TIME TO RELAXMission Beach is one of only a few spots in Australia where two World Heritage areas – the Wet Tropics rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef – meet. Relax and unwind in the stunning Mission Beach tropical environs. http://www.missionbeachtourism.com/
AROMATIC Refreshing but sedative, orange is a tonic for anxiety and depression and can leave you feeling calm but alert. MICHELLE
LOVES...Here are some of my
favourite things for you
BOOK OF THE MONTH
OK, I know it’s MY book, but if you are serious about really
improving your business presentation skills then you need this book. Go to my
website
FRAGRANCEMake younger-looking skin a reality. See a dramatic reduction in the appearance of lines and wrinkles with Estee Lauder’s Time Zone Anti Wrinkle Eye Creme
FRAGRANCEOne waft of this juicy fresh fragrance and you’ll want to eat the bottle! Its apple-y top notes combined with a sophisticated blend of exotic flowers and sensual woods has fragrance fans and fashion critics around the world raving about it’s crisp, fresh scent!
TREAT YOURSELF!Cupcakes on Pitt is the place to go in the Sydney CBD for delicious cupcakes. Here’s their most popular offer - yum!
