Plan Your Most Important Ideas

One, determine and plan to use your MOST important ideas. Have you ever missed an important sporting event when it was broadcast live? No problem! You can watch it on Sports Center. You will not see every play or every shot, but you will see the most significant ones. Use that same principle as you plan you speech or presentation.

Front-Load Your Important Ideas

Then, front-load your important ideas: Most important first. With every passing moment, our attention spans are getting shorter. We cannot listen as long, and we “bail out” faster. Some executives tell me that they want to know “where you’re going” and “what you’re asking for” in the first 30 seconds!!

So, how long should you talk…? Shorter is better than longer. If you practice these tips, you will Stop Talking Before They Stop Listening.

Start Strong

You must start with a strong opening – a grabber. Your opening is like the headline of a newspaper which says, “Stop and read this article.” Your opening must tell us to stop what we are doing and thinking and start listening to you. The opening “sets the stage,” and creates momentum. If you don’t have a strong opening, you will be in a “hard to get out of” deficit.

End Stronger

And you must have a strong close. You must end on a high note… end with a bang, not a whimper. What’s the last thing you want them to hear? Figure that out, plan it, and deliver it with energy and enthusiasm.

Work hard on your opening and closing. When you do them well, you will gain our attention, keep it, and be ready to follow where you lead!

I often get the question, “A few UHS won’t hurt you, will they?” My answer is to return some questions… Do you want to say UH at the beginning of a speech? How about when you are delivering a dramatic close? Or when you begin the answer to a tough question? The answer is usually, “Of course not.” So that’s why I recommend zero tolerance. Why bother saying them at all…?

Start Using Fillers

Your first step is to determine if you use “fillers.” Record yourself, and ask others to give you feedback. You may be surprised! Then the next step is to focus on the “fillers”. Do they occur when you make a transition? When you stop to think of the next word or phrase? When you are translating from one language to another? Or when you break eye contact with the audience?

Then practice and focus. The “cure” will be to turn the filler into silence. Learn to pause. When you reach any point where you lose your place, stop talking. Mentally regroup and catch your uhs before they come out of your mouth. Then we won’t be tempted to count them, and you’ll sound prepared and confident.

Has this happened in one of your meetings…? Someone has talked for a few minutes, then five minutes, and someone asks, “Excuse me, where is this going?” Or, “What’s the bottom line?” What they are asking is really a statement…get to the point!

Attention spans continue to get shorter – every day! Don’t fight this reality with a long, drawn out speech or presentation. Don’t bore us with a preamble, background information, or endless details. Remember that audiences hear BEST what they hear FIRST. Your strategy should be to stop talking BEFORE they stop listening! So determine your key point and begin with that! If you start with your point, we won’t have to think or even ask you to…get to the point.

When you ask them that question, they usually reply, “Act like it’s opening night!” That’s what makes a good actor even better, and it can make you a better communicator. Of course we know that some interactions are more important: the keynote speech at a convention, the inaugural speech of a president, or the final presentation to a major client. but what about the casual conversation? The creative comment you make in a meeting? Something you say in a private conversation with your boss or your spouse.

There’s a story which I heard about a major corporation. The highest ranking woman in the corporation started her path up the ladder by what she considered to be a routine and brief introduction of a speaker. Now the speaker she introduced was the Chairman of the company! But more importantly was his reaction to her words. He asked very positively, “Who is THAT?” She has had to climb the ladder of success by her performance, but that brief presentation opened the door to get her to the ladder.

Every interaction with another person or an audience has that possibility to make a significant change in your career or life. Now we don’t always know when such an opportunity will occur or where it might lead. So the best strategy and public speaking tip should be to ALWAYS say to yourself before EVERY communication interaction, “It’s Opening Night!”

Superman handles pressure in a different way! Remember that Superman was really Clark Kent a mild-mannered reporter at the Daily Planet with bow tie, large glasses, and a typewriter. When pressure (Danger, crisis) came, he changed clothes, flew out the window, and handled the problem!

When I look out at audiences seated before me I always see…Superman, Superwoman, people filled with confidence, and business savvy. Then the person is called to the front of the room or gets a difficult question… then I see turtles and Clark Kent! The energy level drops, the body language becomes less secure, and “junk words” jump into the middle of what was clear, direct information.

The challenge is to remember the person who you are when you are NOT under pressure: confident, smart, clear, & clever. Now, take that person to the front of the room or into any other pressure situation! And remember you do not have to be superwoman or superman! Just be your best self, and don’t be a turtle!

Is credibility essential?

Absolutely! We are going through troubled times in matters of corporate leadership
and executive responsibility. Now more than ever we are seeking credibility and integrity.
Whatever information you have, learn everything you can about it. When you present that information, be clear and to the point. Tell the truth; follow up; and keep your promises.

Should I be enthusiastic?

Also absolutely! When transactions take place – we “buy” from each other based in large measure on the emotional connection of the other party. If you are enthusiastic about what you have, you encourage me to want some. You cannot sell something if you are indifferent about it.

Should I make a choice between the two?

Absolutely not! This is not an either/or; it’s a both/and. Credibility is your foundation – without it – your building crumbles! Do not “dumb down” or dilute your content. Now add enthusiasm.

Don’t just tell the customer how your product is constructed but what it can do for them. Don’t just tell us what you know; tell how you feel about what you know AND how it’s going to make us feel! Enthusiasm is the fleshing out of your credibility.

The best communicators start with credible information and then add bells and whistles. When your bells and whistles connect with your information…you are communicating!

Do Some People have More enthusiasm than others?

The answer is probably. All personalities are different. Some people are more outgoing. Some people are more low-key. The good news is that people judge us based on how we use our enthusiasm – not how we compare to others. (A six cylinder car can run on five, but it runs far better on six!) Your challenge is give us just as much enthusiasm as your personality allows but never less! Use all of your cylinders. That’s why I keep saying.
“Show more enthusiasm,” because the problem is usually not too much enthusiasm, but too little!

So it is with communication…

I’ve been asking the questions recently in my seminars, “Have you seen any 2-D presentations recently?” I see a lot of heads nodding YES. Someone even said, “We have some 1-D presentations around here!” Those must be really bad. The principle is the same as watching a movie – you either participate in it and feel connected to it…Or you simply watch it. If you want to be a better communicator, you must connect better. Do you want to engage the audience? You must be engaging. Want to excite them? You must be exciting. Want them to feel that you are confident? Then you must look, act, and sound confident!!

You’ve got to connect!

Start with your mindset and attitude… I read an interview with a famous comedian talking about how he prepares for an appearance. He spends only a brief time on reviewing the jokes. Most of his preparation time is spent thinking – How can I get the audience and keep them? In other words, how can I connect? It should be the same in your business communications. Turn your mind outward to the audience – not inward toward yourself.

The reality is about how the pudding tastes!

There is an old saying about pudding: the proof of the pudding is in the eating! Not in the ingredients or the process of cooking. If I tell you about my pudding – eight eggs, cooked at a low boil, stirred for 12 minutes. You will soon stop me and ask to taste the pudding! The critical element in communication is HOW THE AUDIENCE PERCEIVES your message. So ask yourself, What kind of perception do I want to create? What do I want them to do? Buy my product? Adopt my proposal? Follow my direction? Invite me back for a second meeting?

Prepare, think about, pay attention to, and connect with your audience. Make them feel like they have been to a 3-D movie!