I am helping a former student/client with a job interview. The company is a well-known, high-profile consulting firm (whose name is an anagram for toileted?!) This is a creme-de-la-creme position and why I’ve been called to help hone her interview skills.
She sent me the job posting. Most of it is pretty normal stuff, and then this caught my eye:
- Strong oral and written communication skills, including presentation skills (MS Visio, MS PowerPoint).
While they’ve got one misconception nailed (presentation skills are a subset of communication skills), the concluding attitude from such “thought-leaders” causes a trickle-down effect of bad presentations. I fight it every chance I get, but I feel like the voice crying in the wilderness.
Imagine similar postings:
- Strong gardening skills, including planting and weeding (shovel, hoe)
- Strong driving skills, including a sense of direction (GPS, compass)
- Strong writing skills, including technical writing (MS Word, thesaurus)
- Strong leadership skills, including the ability to motivate (Zig Ziglar, Plato)
- Ability to teach music, including theory and appreciation (Pandora, CD player)
- Strong personal hygiene, including halitosis suppressant (mouthwash and floss)
Folks, PowerPoint and Visio have very little to do with presentation skills, and probably do more to show you don’t have any than anything else around. People with real presentation skills usually don’t need Microsoft’s wizard-driven, font- and color-happy animation tools. They can certainly be used effectively, but their use does NOT indicate presentation skills.
This particular job came with a PowerPoint case study, where one slide had 337 words, not including the title (I wish I was making this up). Is that the skill they desire? I know what clients think of those slides.
Remember (and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise)…
YOU are the presentation. A tool should never replace you in a presentation.
 I spent a few hours last night in a most peculiar haunt (for me) — downtown Raleigh at a jam-packed nightclub. The event was IgniteRaleigh. 19 speakers — 15 of them elected by Internet vote — had (exactly) five minutes and 20 PowerPoint slides (automatically moving forward every 15 seconds) to get some message across. While I left at intermission in an attempt to tuck the kids in bed, I did get to see 12 speakers. Some were good. Some were not as good. Kudos to all for standing in front of 700 strangers and giving it a whirl — they’re well on their way to success just for doing that.
But if the measure of success is completion — with no standards — then we miss a great opportunity to improve, educate ourselves, and really have a platform to influence people. Here are some easy things I noticed that most of the presenters could do to improve their talks.
- Learn to stand with neutral posture
So many of the speakers stood with a slant, a wobble, or a lean. The interpretations of such posture is as varied as audience members (700+!), but typically a neutral posture gives you the best chance of being seen as confident, in control, and that you want to be there.
- Eliminate non-words
This is easily done, but apparently no one really has learned how to do that. I watched 87 “ums” and 135 other non-words slip out in these five-minute, highly-scripted speeches. One person (who should know better) had fifty (50!) in 600 seconds. That’s a bit excessive, and it really detracts from a clear message.
- Have a point
Most of the speakers were quite entertaining. Most had pretty creative graphics/slides. None seemed lost and surprised by the spotlight. And most really didn’t have anything to say. Make the audience walk away with a key point (or points) and a clear motivation to DO SOMETHING. A positive example was Miss North Carolina’s speech, whose title was “Live Life Like Jerry Maguire”. Great imagery, clear point, and now I can listen for HOW do I do that in her five minutes of fame (well, in her case, she’ll have quite a bit more than five minutes of fame).
- Stand in the light
About half the speakers walked over to the left side of the stage and stood in the shadows. I presume this is because it was easier on the eyes (of the speaker). But when the audience cannot see you, we miss your expressions, your energy, and draw some negative conclusions about your confidence.
None of these is earth-shattering stuff. But they were so consistently NOT done that it seems worth reminding ourselves that improving any message really isn’t about the hard things, but doing the simple things well.
Follow the Twitter stream of audience comments (including mine) at #igniteraleigh.
Don’t get up in front of an audience without the skills to reach them.
photo by John Rees.
I’ve run into a couple of situations with sales folks recently that remind me that common sense does not reign supreme in the sales world.
First, someone I barely know called and acted interested in the products I provide. He had read enough about me (web site, LinkedIn) to know how to make small talk, but had missed some critical pieces of the puzzle in knowing what makes me tick. After I had about two sentences out, I was cut off mid-sentence (and cutting me off is hard to do!). It became a one-way monologue of what they could do for me. Then right in the middle of the call, his (other) phone rings, and he asks if I’ll hold while he answers “a really important call I’m expecting.“ Who’s this call about again?
Bad etiquette is not confined to cold calls on the phone.
On (Tuesday), January 19th, I got an unsolicited email from a guy who is apparently selling sales (training, methodology, tools, whatever). His lead paragraph ends with a big IF statement — “If your company is in this situation, how will you make this work?“ We’ll never know — it doesn’t apply to me. He gave four bullet points — all with made up, meaningless statistics — touting how if I rip the guts out of my current situation, all will be right with the world. His emails ends with a call to action: “If you’re interested in learning more see this URL.” Since I had no interest, I didn’t visit the URL.
Then on (Tuesday), January 26th, I get a follow-up email from the same guy apologizing for the interruption, asking if I got the first email, more wild claims (no stats this time), and a call to action: “If you’d like to know more, just respond to this email or call me at…“ I didn’t want to know more, and I didn’t call.
Today (Tuesday), I get a(nother) unsolicited email from the same guy. The wording has changed, the message is the same. The action is weaker still: “We can help you improve” (we’ve gone from stats to unsupported claims to helping me improve). “To discuss, just reply with YES to this email or call …“ I didn’t call. Nor will I ever.
I’m left wondering if he was on vacation last Tuesday. Or maybe I only rate to get unsolicited emails three of every four weeks from him. He probably had an important email to send the other week.
Several tips here…
If you initiate the call, it has to be the most important call you can have at that moment.
Give your (potential) clients something of value, not just information about you.
If people aren’t responding, change the message.
“IF” is a weak call to action. Use stronger verbage.
I watched the very cute movie “Charlotte’s Web” last night with the family. I was awed by the technical aspects of the film combining live animals, puppets (there’s probably a better term), and virtually generated animals. But two lines of the film jumped out at me and have a direct impact on our communications. Today you get two nuggets for the price of one — two for Tuesday.
First, when Charlotte (the spider) was addressing the barn animals, she used some big words. This helped to develop the character of the runt pig Wilbur and to give the spider some authority in the barnyard. One of the animals says, “Man, can that spider talk.“ And another responds, “Yeah, but what did she say, exactly?“
My blog title is based on this. We used lots of words. We give off non-verbal signals. We have a plan. But what do we say? And does it match? We drone on and on about our businesses, but what do we say? We speak things to loved ones, but what do we say? We explain our situation, product, and feelings, but what do we say, exactly? This is critical stuff, and insight only a cartoon can give.
What are you saying, exactly?
My second moment was after the “Some Pig” message had lost its allure. The crowds disappeared. The barnyard loses its life. The animals all want something amazing to happen. Narrator: “What was amazing yesterday had suddenly become ordinary again today.“
This is the problem with most of our efforts in life. We work hard to make something amazing happen, and it is no longer amazing. We can easily lose our desire to even try to make the next amazing thing. Yet there are so many things we simply MUST do. And if we view them as amazing, we are inspired, and can inspire others.
What amazing thing has become ordinary in your life?
While I was planning for a keynote I gave this past week, I made a quiz about product brands and catchy phrases. Here are some of them — see if you can name who they stand for:
- Snap! Crackle! Pop!
- We do chicken right
- Quality is Job One
- Don’t leave home without it
- When ____ talks, people listen
- Have it your way
- Like a rock
- Be all that you can be
- We try harder
- ____ spells relief
- Sometimes you feel like a nut; sometimes you don’t
If you get them all correct, you’re dating yourself, because many of these are a couple of decades old! I quit at 68 phrases — I thought that was enough.
The talking point of my keynote was “simpler“. As I looked at the quiz, something jumped off the page at me. In the 68 phrases, only three of them had a single word longer than two syllables! People who market products and need their message to be retained use short words. Short and simple. I think it works for those of us who speak as well.
Keep your message simple. Use short words.
P.S. Answers: Rice Krispies, KFC, Ford, American Express, E.F. Hutton (out of business in 1988!), Burger King, Chevy trucks, Army, Avis, Rolaids, Almond Joy/Mounds
P.S. #2 The only word (not name) in this post that has more than two syllables is the word syllable. I could not find a good word to replace it. It took twice as long to write — I expect it takes half as long to read.
I overheard a presenter using PowerPoint recently say: “On this next slide, there’s a lot of information and it’s sort of complicated, so I’m not going to spend a lot of time on it.“ He was in complete command and knowledge of the content, but this still slips out. And, sadly, I’ve heard it and its variants hundreds of times.
I often wonder what a presenter thinks the audience is supposed to do with a statement like this:
- Ignore everything said/shown until the next slide pops up?
- Try to figure out something of value from the slide?
- Make my own conclusions about the data?
- Cross my eyes and hallucinate until I dream it says something important?
- Sleep?
Since the presenter doesn’t know what to do with the information, there is no way the audience will, either. Let’s break down the statement and its problems phrase by phrase.
“On this next slide…”
I actually love this. It’s a preview. It let’s people know what’s coming. Good beginning.
“…there’s a lot of information…”
The presenter’s goal should be to distill information into manageable chunks. Every visual should have exactly one point. Information/data is great, but there needs to be one conclusion (on each slide) from it. I was focused and ready for “the next slide”, but now I have no idea what deserves my attention.
“…it’s sort of complicated…”
This again sets up a negative expectation. Apparently I am too dumb to figure out what the data means.
“…I’m not going to spend a lot of time on this slide.”
Not only am I unable to understand it, but I don’t have time to figure it out. That which is important is worth my time, so I can only assume this isn’t important. Thus I have wonder what it’s doing in the presentation in the first place.
Use data to draw conclusions. Use visuals to help you make points.
Even if you are politically opposed to Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, you cannot deny that he has burst on the national political scene. It is rare that we get an audience as focused as he enjoyed last night — ‘normal’ Senators share the election spotlight across 50 states and the District of Columbia. Mr. Brown had the spotlight last night, and his acceptance speech could make or break him. Those are high stakes.
Bert Decker blogged about his impact already. I value Bert’s insights (he’s trained 200,000 people!). I enjoyed the video. I’d offer a few suggestions for Senator Brown:
- He needs to modulate his voice more and become more conversational. He has a strong voice. But he spoke in overdrive the whole time. I know this is a pep rally, but especially as he talks about personal things, he should let the microphones do its job and not try to push so hard. I’m sure the adrenaline was pumping.
- He needs to control his repetitive gestures, especially the banging of the lectern. Several times he was pointing on every word. Hillary Clinton used to do this, and was considered “angry” because of it.
- He should pause a moment more before starting sentences. He repeatedly started sentences with the conjunction “and”. His challenge in that environment is the constant interruption of applause, but he should still start sentences cleanly as a new thought.
When I watch good communicators on a big stage, I ask myself, “What would you say?” That makes me admire such communicators all the more — when you have so much riding on a speech, it is not an easy question. I thought Scott Brown started very strong. He has our attention — now is the time for him to step up his communication.
Like all of us, he can improve. Like few of us, he had a global opportunity and excelled.
What are you doing to improve? What stakes are riding on your communication today?
In a conversation with someone who believes in what I do, they told me, “You are giving people a gift. You convince them the pain of public speaking is survivable.”
As someone who long ago overcame a fear of presenting in public (now I LIKE it!), it’s hard to remember those fears (the Curse of Knowledge). But enough students come to me with candid apprehension (worry, anxiety, dread, panic, and even horror) that I cannot ignore the reality that a large chunk of the populous legitimately doesn’t like it. In a safe environment, I lead them to the other side (I don’t expect or demand they like it, but I do expect and demand that they become competent and influential in doing it).
When I was in grad school, an elderly man lived next door. A card-carrying extrovert whose wife was bed-ridden, he delighted in the few moments he could get outside and would talk to me about anything and everything. As a WWII veteran, occasionally he would talk about the war. I remember one of his comments quite vividly as he related his experience in the Battle of the Bulge. He said, “That battle taught me something very important. It taught me how much the human mind and body can withstand.“ If you’re even marginally familiar with the history of that epic battle, you’ll know the Allied forces withstood bitter cold, dwindling supplies, and an entrenched and powerful enemy within earshot. Perhaps their greatest challenge was the dipping morale and the will to push forward. They did, and a key strategic turning point was affected.
I don’t equate public speaking to war. I’m fortunate enough to have escaped the latter and fortunate to have engaged the former. But it really has some parallels. Our life and opportunities are slipping away. The enemy (the audience?!) is entrenched and we can see them. As fear takes its grip, it’s our own will that is challenged most.
But we must win. The experience is survivable. And when we know what we can endure, we are able to excel and push to accomplishments and influence we would not otherwise have.
What do you need to survive and push through? How will you accomplish it?
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