The YouBlog

Don't Waffle

BOY, IS THIS AN EASY WAY TO SCREW THINGS UP. Just pick up the phone to call someone about something important, and then ramble on — either live or in a voice mail — until you finally hit on what you were really calling about.
        I've done it, and you probably have, too. It's waaay too easy to do. Most times, we get through it, and the receivers get through it, and life goes on.
        But sometimes, particularly if you're trying to persuade or influence someone, that kind of waffling can weaken your position.
        This act of "winging it" also affects presentations, if you've done the barest of preparations and suddenly are faced with a live audience. And it rarely comes out the way you really want it.
        I'm not saying your calls should be precisely scripted, nor that your presentations should be delivered by rote. (see "Death by Memorization?")
        But you should take a few moments before you pick up the phone (and many moments if you're working on a presentation) to organize exactly what you want to say. Write down the one key idea you want to convey, or the critical question you want to ask, or the three major points that your team needs to address. Just the act of writing them down helps organize your thoughts, so that when you do call, you'll be that much more concise and clear.
        I've stopped myself while dialing more times than I can count and said, "Why am I calling?" or "What exactly do I want to ask?" Then I'd jot some notes and dial again — and the call or voice message has always been better for it.

Warning: Obfuscation Ahead

IT IS SOOOO EASY TO COMPLICATE THINGS. How? Just talk like you write.

"Huh?!" (I hear you say.)

It's true. We tend to make our writing much more complex and dense than it needs to be (and, for most people, a lot wordier than it needs to be), and that too easily spills over into how we talk, particularly when we're trying to persuade or influence others.
        It may seem more professional and advanced to use a lot of long words. You certainly see this in most press releases and marketing pieces, and waaaay too many presentations and sales pitches — phrases like "maximizing your mission-critical applications while simultaneously achieving dramatic reductions in resource-intensive operational flows."
        In reality, writing or talking like that is one of the worst things you can do to keep people engaged in your ideas or message. Here's why:

1) People may not even understand what you're talking about.

2) They may stop listening or reading while they try to decide what something like "mission-critical" really means.

3) Even if they understand both the context and the words, it's likely to sound or feel phony, since only "Me"-focused sales people and marketers talk that way.

You want to know how insidious — Ooh, tripped myself right there! "Insidious" is actually the perfect word for that idea, but will everybody understand it? Not necessarily. Better to go with a different approach, like "...how easy it is to fall into this trap".
        This doesn't mean you have to dumb-down your message. It's just that the simpler it is to follow your ideas, the faster the receiver can process it and the more likely (and grateful) they are to stick with you.
        Back to what prompted today's post: "internationally-active" versus "globe hopping". These came up in a project we're working on. Sure, there are subtle differences between the two phrases, but in the context in which we would use them, they weren't that different.  Meanwhile, it's eight syllables versus three.
        Do you know what happens when you spin out a phrase that requires eight syllables? The receiver's mind just stops, waiting for you to finish the phrase. Yes, it's only two words, but compared to the speed at which our brains work, it takes half a lifetime just to get through those two words.
        And it's harder to say things like that, whether it's you the speaker or them, the readers (who say these words in their heads as they're reading). Try those two phrases right now and see for yourself.
        So keep your words short — and few in number, if you can help it — and your ideas will be much more concise.
        (Time to take my own advice . . . bye!)

Related posts:
  · Busted
  · exercise #2 in Don't Get in the Way of Your Message
  · Stillness in a Hectic Life
  · Why Be Concise?

What If There Were No Speeches?

I HAVE TREMENDOUS RESPECT for people who get up in front of others to share ideas. I have tremendous respect for the people who help them get up there, and for organizations like Toastmasters, and bloggers like Garr Reynolds (whose post on The art of the teleprompter sparked my thoughts today).
        My greatest respect, however (and it should be yours, too), is for the people listening to others speak. They're giving the gift of their time, in exchange for the hope of finding something that will influence their lives. Notice I didn't say "hearing something", but rather "finding something." There's a significant difference. Hearing is a passive act. Taking what you've heard and connecting that with what you already know is active.
        And isn't that what every speaker really wants to do? Change minds, change behaviors, even change the course of history (since we're in the throes of a political campaign here in the U.S.). Some feel they need bold language, stirring rhetoric, and sound bites they hope will endure forever.
        But it isn't about sound bites, not if you really want to move people to action. Of the last nine U.S. presidents, there are only two sound bites that have stuck with me: John Kennedy's famous "Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country." and Bill Clinton's mantra in 1992 "It’s the economy, stupid." Kennedy's was certainly scripted, but it's memorable because it made a personal connection with the audience (which can't be said for the other seven passages cited in that Wikipedia link). Clinton's, on the other hand, grew out of a sign posted on his campaign headquarter's wall. It works because it's so conversational — and because it boiled the whole campaign down to four very human words.
        And it's that human connection that makes all the difference. This applies whether you're a presidential candidate, the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, or someone who is trying to rally support for a cause in your community.
        "Fair enough", you're probably thinking, "but why the provocative title and goofy lyrics above?"
        Because most "speeches" are dull exercises in turgid text. They're not conversations, they're boatloads of logic and grand language. Do they inform? Maybe. Do they motivate? Rarely. Do they bore? Frequently.
        Which takes me back to Garr's post today. Garr's writing and insights are excellent — that's not what set me off. It was looking at the unfortunate piece on John McCain AND (for me) the less-than-inspiring clip of Barack Obama (at least the first two minutes, which was as far as I got). While Obama is clearly far more at ease with the teleprompter than is McCain, they're both still reading.

WHAT IF either of them had instead stepped out from behind the podium, looked straight at the people in front of them, and said "Here are the three things I'd like to discuss with you today." And then they had a conversation. No scripts, no memorization, just really human interaction, where ideas get exchanged, we get to see the person underneath all the (former?) rhetoric, and we make a personal — individual — connection with that person. My God, you really could change the world.
        I am a realist, however, so I don't expect to see that in the U.S. political arena. But you can, and should, take any and every opportunity to throw the script away and just have an open, engaging conversation with your audience — whether you've got three people or three thousand. It's that connection that matters, not flowery language. If we can move people's hearts, we can move their heads.

[Note]
Doing away with "speeches" doesn't negate the value of Toastmasters or speech coaches. On the contrary, seizing opportunities to share ideas is fantastic — just make sure it's conversational and fresh and human, not stiff or formal. And everyone needs an editor and an extra, discerning eye.

What Story Are You Telling?

ONE FILM, THREE DIFFERENT STORIES. That was our experience today when the family & I went to see the new IMAX film, The Alps. According to the film’s notes, this is “a true-life story of extraordinary courage. It's the intensely personal journey of a man who has every reason not to climb the deadly Eiger North Face, yet climb it he must.”
        And it is a stunning film, on so many dimensions. What fascinated me afterward (besides recalling all the exceptional film work and touching story) was how differently we experienced the film. It takes place in Switzerland and my wife, who is Swiss, was enraptured by images of home. My kids were caught up in the story and images of the climbers facing this massive, dangerous challenge. As for me, I was gripped by the personal drama of this man who left his wife and 11-year old daughter at the base of the mountain as he faced the climb that had killed his father 40 years before.
        Same imagery, same narration, same editing and soundtrack and all — and three very different reactions. What each of us saw, however, was relevant to our personal viewpoints, expectations, and ideals.

Guess what . . .
The same thing happens every time you present, or make a sales pitch, or deliver an internal briefing. What you think you’re conveying may be very different from what your individual audience members or prospects may be receiving.
        How do you keep from getting wildly divergent reactions? Get their feedback. Don’t just barge through your presentation or pitch or ideas; instead, stop periodically and ask them how whatever vision you’re creating fits in with their needs or goals.
        (You were creating a vision, weren’t you? You weren’t just rattling off Features & Benefits or drilling through a lot of numbers or bullets or both, right? Right??)
        Another way to make sure they’re on the same proverbial page with you is to keep your core idea reeeeeeeally concise. Here’s a post on that.

Meanwhile, if you have a chance, don’t miss this film. Here is where The Alps is playing, as of March '08.

It’s Rough, But It Works

IT WASN’T A LIFE-CHANGING EXPERIENCE, but I got a wonderful glimpse of the future this weekend, courtesy of my friend, Laura Fitton (in the picture at left), and the folks at Startup Weekend2 here in Boulder. The picture above is a screen grab from a session they ran, where Laura hosted various entrepreneurs-to-be making pitches to Guy Kawasaki (above, at right) and others.
        The intriguing thing was that the startup experts weren’t in Boulder, they were patched in via simple video feeds. And people could send comments or questions that were displayed below the video images. You can see these episodes here.
        There’s a great object lesson for all business communications in what you see in these clips. These aren’t polished, professionally-produced efforts — but they are immediate and authentic and very compelling. That’s what Laura was going for, and she nailed it.
        Authentic trumps Polished any day. This is true whether you’re working on a presentation for a large crowd or trying to make a pitch to your boss for more help. Getting to the point of what really matters is far more important, and more compelling, than having a perfectly choreographed speech.
        Keep your eye on Laura’s Mediacasters site. It’ll be fun to see what she comes up with.

Dashing Expectations

DINING OUT AND PRESENTATIONS are both multi-sensory experiences. The taste of the food is not all that matters, and the content of your presentation is not all that affects an audience. Here’s today’s parable . . .
        We went out last night, planning to have a modest dinner. We ended up at a place that sure looked modest. That’s when the Good News/Bad News experience started. We were seated at modest tables in the loft area, just under the painted duct work. The menu I got was frayed and had big stains on it (Was this place too modest?), but the descriptions of the menu items sounded fantastic — and the prices were anything but modest. I ordered artichoke soup and some crepe thingy with chicken, goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes, and an amazing sauce.
        But the silverware looked and felt like rejects from a soup kitchen. One of the forks I got was bent almost in half. And the feel of those wretched utensils on my lips took a lot of the enjoyment out of those wonderful tastes. Then, someone in the kitchen burned something badly, and the fumes that assaulted us killed any lingering tastes. For all the great flavor of our food, it was a horrible dining experience.
        Similar things happen millions of times a day, in presentations all across the globe. Great content is hampered or killed because the presenter doesn’t take the time or effort to make sure their message is tailored to the needs and interests of his or her audience. Like the server who gave me the warped fork or the cook who sent acrid fumes across the restaurant, too many presenters keep trotting out the same old presentation, loaded with bullets and obtuse graphics. They care more about getting their job done, instead of making their audience’s experience the best it can be.
        You know, every presenter I’ve worked with has had a good story to tell. Most of them just don’t know how to bring it out, or have taken the easy way out by talking all about “Me”.
        Don’t be one of them. Don’t look for the most expedient way to get your slides done. Focus on what your audience needs, then make your story as clear and compelling as possible. Otherwise, you may just scorch your opportunity.

What Does Your Value Proposition Look Like?

GRAPHICS CAN REALLY HELP YOU express your message — provided they are appropriate. But they work against you if the audience or reader is left going “Huh?” And I felt a lot of Huh?s recently when I did a search on Value Proposition images.
        Yikes! What were these people thinking? A graphic should help explain something that otherwise can’t be easily understood, but the majority of these are just visual noise. Worse, most are all about “Me”, which is NOT what a good value proposition is about.
        The “value” in Value Proposition isn’t what you offer, it’s what your customer or client or prospect can gain. In its purest form, a Value Proposition is about them, not you. It’s about what they can achieve.
        A Value Proposition isn’t a thing, it’s an experience or a result or a feeling — something you can’t easily capture in visual form. When you try to draw or design it, you’re putting boundaries on it. Where it should be framed is in the minds of the people you’re trying to influence.
        Painting a mental picture of how your offerings can help them is great. Give them a compelling idea of how their business can be improved and they’ll fill in all kinds of detail that is relevant to them. And that will have much more power than anything you can show.
        (Just don’t use bullet points to paint that picture . . .)

The Blindfold Test

IF YOU WERE BLINDFOLDED, how much of your presentation or sales pitch could you deliver? I’m not suggesting you actually do it that way (that’s bizarre even by my standards), but it’s an incredibly effective way to gauge how well you know your material — and where the problem spots may lurk.
        You don’t even need a blindfold; just close your eyes and try it. Stand up if you like, particularly if you’re prepping for a presentation. Once you get past the novelty (and discomfort?) of going through it without engaging your eyes, your efforts are likely to match your probable effectiveness.

        Does it flow smoothly, start to finish? Then you’ll probably sail through it.

        Do you hit snags or forget what’s coming next? That’s where you’re likely to stumble in the “live” version of your presentation or pitch. When that happens, you’ll rely on the text on your slides or the print-out of your script to carry you through — neither of which makes for a compelling connection with your audience or prospect.

        Do you need graphs and charts to be able to tell your story? Then maybe your story is too complex. (I’m not saying graphics are bad, but too often they’re used as a crutch. And overly complex graphics ARE bad — for your audience and your results.)

Give it a try. Closing your eyes could reveal how effective you really are.

The Rest Can Be A Total Mess

THE MIND IS AN INCREDIBLY POWERFUL THING. Check out today’s example:

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.
 
i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

So much for spell checkers . . .

And you know what this tells us about communications? That people get your point — quickly — if your core idea is clear and concise. In fact, they’ll jump through all kinds of mental hoops to fill in any gaps, as long as your message is clear.
        You know what else? They’ll ignore buckets full of mannerisms if what you have to say is really compelling. So rather than worry about how you say something, make sure that what you say is something important to them.

<note>
I’m not sure of the source of this, ah, quote. I got it from my wife, who got it from a friend of hers (sounds like a disease?). As for the picture, I found it here.

Decisive Presentations

IF YOU REALLY WANT TO GET BETTER at presentations, take an hour to go through our online course, “Decisive Presentations”. You’ll learn more in that one hour than you’re likely to learn in most two-day courses.
        Best of all, it’s now FREE. That’s right free, with no obligations or expectations. If you like it (and I’m sure you will), spread the word to as many people as you like. And come back and view it as often as you need to. Truly, it's free.

Here are some reactions to the program:

“Excellent! Would have saved hundreds of hours of executive time over the years if presentations were organized like this. This’ll make my presentations more relevant and focused.”

“This is a totally new way to present — I’ve never seen this in other sales training programs. It struck a chord because it suggests using a more intuitive, common sense approach to talking with prospects.”

“The slide Makeover section is incredible. The examples and explanations were real, relevant, and visceral. There was so much information that it was almost overwhelming.”

If you want to read what others have said about it, click here.

Why are we giving it away? Because the ideas in this program are too powerful to limit to only those people who we, at Creating Thunder, touch directly. As Seth Godin says, you need to spread ideas around.
        So consider this our holiday gift to you — and everyone you know who needs to influence or motivate people. The program may seem focused on sales applications, but — hey — we’re all selling, whether it’s products, services, ideas, budget plans, or vacation options to your spouse.
        And if you don’t have an hour available right now? No problem. Take five minutes to look at these three things: the Introduction; the first Recap; and the Slide Makeovers. (You can get to the Recap and Makeovers by clicking on the Menu button.)
        To view the program, you need the Flash player. (There's a link on the info page for “Decisive Presentations”.) You'll need a piece of paper, too, for an exercise called “The One-Minute Monet”.
        The other thing you’ll need is a commitment to improving how you communicate with others. And this program will help you get there.
        Enjoy!