I was walking through a clearing in the English countryside the other day when two hyperactive, fluffy young huskies bounded into view.
I’m not a particularly dog-orientated person, but I couldn’t help thinking these bouncy overgrown puppies were especially adorable and particularly pattable.
However, contrary to first appearances, they weren’t even slightly interested in getting attention from me. They headed straight for me, but they then shot right past and began whisking around in big circles sniffing furiously at the ground and seeming somewhat perturbed.When the puffed-out owner caught up with them he explained: “They’re confused – because they can’t find your dog.”
If I were to really connect with his huskies I needed to have something they were interested in – a four-legged friend of my own that they could sniff and chase, or perhaps some dog biscuits.
When you are seeking to connect with an audience of two-legged creatures it’s the same.
You need to ensure you have something they’re interested in.
Too many presentations don’t succeed and leave the presenter and audience feeling uncomfortable and disappointed – because the speaker’s efforts are not sufficiently focused on what the audience needs.
While your audience members often don’t know it, what they typically really need from you is a message.
But not just any message.
They need a message that hits the “What’s In It For Me Factor” which is specifically targeted at them.
As with the huskies, if you can’t provide something of value to humans then humans won’t want to engage.
So many people find their audiences drift off or become unsettled because they don’t succeed with this.
Presentation boosting sessions help you to focus on all the things you need to do to grab and hold attention.
This makes it easier to get your structure right and your delivery style confident and powerful.
There’s more at:
Presenting With Confidence, Impact And Pizzazz
Presentation boosting sessions can be run as master classes at your office or away days – or on the big stage at your conference.Sessions can also focus on giving great answers to tough questions that come up during and after your presentation – where you also need to grab and hold attention.
Give Great Answer To Tough Questions
GREAT COMMUNICATIONS INVOLVES A GREAT MESSAGE
To really connect with your audiences you must captivate them.This doesn’t mean telling them exactly what they want to hear. You naturally shouldn’t tell them something if it’s not possible or appropriate.
But when answering tough questions you typically don’t want to be giving just facts alone.
People who give great answers do more than merely convey facts.
Great answers in the workplace do not resemble answers in a pub quiz.
A message can contain facts – and that is a good thing.But a message is a bigger concept than one or more facts.Your message should leave the audience with something distinct to contemplate, act on and benefit from.The message is the major underlying point that your audience ultimately takes away.Typically you work out the message before you formulate the details of your presentation or a great answer to an expected tough question.
By starting with the end in mind, you can determine the outcome you want and set out to achieve it.
Here’s an example…
FORMULATE MESSAGES THAT WORK
A businesswoman flies into a financial district of a city to present and answer questions about her company’s new product. She converses with the gathering for a while, and then she gets back into her helicopter to visit another city.
Suppose someone were to arrive at the venue just after she had left and wanted to know what had been said.If the businesswoman had done a superb job, those in the audience would find it easy to pass on the essence of what she imparted.They might say: “We can potentially make big money by investing in her revolutionary drug that appears to cure cancer and will make the world a better place.”The businesswoman could rightfully be pleased with this.
If she did a great job in persuading the audience, she would also naturally have provided some proof points to back up her contention that the drug cures cancer and the proposed investment is a safe bet.
But her number one task with the audience is to convey her message about the opportunity and the benefits of the discovery.
GET YOUR FACTUAL AND EMOTIONAL CONTENT IN BALANCEExcellent communication involves a balance between facts and emotion. If it’s all factual, your content can be seen as dry and dull.If it’s all emotional, your content can be seen as hysterical and out-of-control.
Think of a great message as being like a train speeding along the tracks towards its destination.
The tracks underlie the train’s journey. They represent the factual underpinning of the message.We can regard this as THE GUIDANCE element.But the train needs some kind of energy to allow it to move – diesel, electricity or steam. The energy represents the emotional content of the message.We can regard this as the PUSH element.The train won’t go anywhere without both elements – tracks and energy.Your message won’t come across without guidance and push.
Doing both with the correct balance allows you to satisfy your audience’s minds and hearts!
BEHIND EVERY GREAT COMMUNICATOR…Not everyone has or needs a dog. But every great communicator needs a great message on every occasion.To paraphrase that old sexist saying about behind every great man is a great woman:
Behind every great communication performance is a great message.
It would be a joy to help you and your people formulate your best possible messages for your next presentations.
And while I’m a two-legged specialist, but I am prepared to have a crack at getting a message through to your dog – at the risk of him ignoring me.
Keep smiling,
Michael