by Michael Long of RackerTalent

One of the first culture aspects of Rackspace that I experienced was “Strengths”.

There are a number of sources that you can research to learn more about the topic, but I would recommend you start with the book StrengthFinder 2.0.

You can also read two posts from our very own Kathy Kersten.  She shares some great insights that will get you thinking about the topic!

What Were You Made to Do?

What To Do About A Weakness

Without bringing you through my entire history with Strengths, I will tell you that the topic made a profound impact on my life – professionally and personally.

Taking the evaluation and studying how StrengthsFinder works, teaches us that we each have a set of natural talents.  Once identified, we are better able to target training and development that will help us move a talent through the process towards becoming a Strength.

So, for instance, one of my top Strengths is Communication.  In StrengthsFinder 2.0, this is part of the definition:

“You like to explain, to describe, to host, to speak in public, and to write.  This is your Communication theme at work.  Ideas are a dry beginning.  Events are static.  You feel a need to bring them to life, to energize them, to make them exciting and vivid.”

This is very true of my nature.  I’ve always enjoyed telling stories, explaining ideas and speaking in front of groups.  Engaging in the act puts me under, what feels like, a kind of spell.

Stand and Deliver – Rackspace University

One of the keys to Strengths is pursuing education and training that compliments what we are naturally talented at.

Last week, I signed up for and attended a two-day course on delivering presentations, public speaking and overall delivery methods – it was fantastic!

Mary Rauch led the training and brought us through a number of exercises to improve our performance.  We were even videotaped and went through the process of critiquing as a group – a little nerve racking, but well worth it.

It felt great to know that I was investing my time in learning about a topic that I can actually do something with – training which takes full advantage of a trait that comes naturally to me.

I think we grow used to focusing on our shortcomings at the price of developing in the areas we have the highest likelihood to succeed.

Rackspace University offers a variety of classes for Rackers.  Everything from certification training to speech classes – it’s a wide range and it just keeps growing.

The moral of this story is simple…

You were given a set of traits that are incredibly unique to you.  Provided with the appropriate training, you can become world class in those areas and really move to the next level.

So, instead of investing all of your education dollars in compensating for a weak area, I challenge you to consider spending your time, energy and money on training that makes you stronger.

Dedicate to what you are naturally gifted at.  Do everything in your power to move your natural gifts from talents to Strengths.  Not only will you be fulfilled, the world will benefit from your efforts.

In a presentation, your question and answer session  will give you one last opportunity to impress your audience with your competence, authority, polish, and professionalism.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, it is very important to have a well-rehearsed and strategized question and answer session.   Just remember:  Anything you don’t want asked, will be asked. Be ready with your answers.

It IS possible to prepare and practice your question and answer session.  This is what seasoned public speakers do to get ready for a question-and-answer session.

• Have a brainstorming session with a trusted colleague, friend, or advisor on potentially difficult or embarrassing questions and plan how you will answer.  Remember:  Anything you don’t want asked, will be asked in the Q&A session!  Be ready with your answers.
• Put yourself in the shoes of a member of your audience, and ask yourself the questions they would have for you.  (It helps to think about the troublemakers and argumentative folks who will be in the audience if you really want to be prepared for your Q&A session).
• Strategize on how to transition to major selling points without appearing glib, disingenuous, or downright deceitful.  (This is where politicians typically get into trouble.
• Maintain your presentation posture during Q&A, even if you are seated at a table.  This is especially true if you are participating on a panel.

If you are presenting as part of a team, look alert and interested in your teammates’ answers.  All of the delivery techniques, such as eye contact, voice, posture, gesture, are important here, as well.

Most importantly, plan a second conclusion that mirrors your first conclusion, and deliver your second conclusion at the close of the Q&A session.

For Q&A sessions, don’t ever lose your cool.   You might lose your cool your car, or in a private space, but not in your public space when you are in The Zone.   The Zone does not allow for loss of control, no matter what happens.

The Q&A session is your final chance to really impress your audience with your competence, authority, polish, and professionalism.  Don’t waste it.

You’re up in front of your audience.  You broke the ice and you have the attention of your audience.  Now it’s time to orient them, both intellectually and psychologically.

Direct your audience and focus your subject so your listeners are with you every step of the way.  As you move toward your central idea, create a road map for your audience to follow.

There are three strategies you can use to orient your audience. These strategies can be used alone or in conjunction with each other, depending on the audience’s previous knowledge of your subject:

Preview your major points. State your central idea and the major points that will support it.  If appropriate, be blunt about your objectives and goals (e.g.,” I hope to convince you today that…“ or, “I want to leave you with one, overriding thought…”).   This preview strategy indicates you are not going to waste your audience’s time.

Give background information.  Here you can define your terms, explain the situation, head off objections by indicating the boundaries of your subject, and clarify your position.

Stress the importance of the topic.  This strategy allows you to offer a fresh approach, establish your credentials, and/or acknowledge the experience of your audience members.  For example, “Every one of you recognizes the critical nature of this “ or, “This is too important a subject on which to remain ignorant.”

Getting your audience on board with you from the beginning or your presentation means they will be and psychologically engaged in your presentation. What more could a speaker ask for?

Let’s begin our discussion with a quiz. How well you fare will in large part depend on your age. Listed below are text messaging symbols. See how many of them you can decipher.

WOMBAT
WDALYIC
TTFN
FOMCL
PRW
AYTMTB
@TEOTD

(Answers listed below)

These text messaging symbols are second nature to what I call the “opposable thumb” generation—that generation that grew up using their thumbs to play video games, dial cell phone numbers, and text message their friends.

Every generation has its own language, whether Millennials (1980- 2002—Sometimes called Generation Y), or Generation X (1960-1980), my generation (The Boomers: 1943-1960), or The Veterans, as some demographers call them (1922-1943). These different generations also have different ways of communicating, listening, interacting, interpreting, and responding to the way a presentation is delivered.

First The Big Picture:

The Internet, CNN, YouTube, USA Today (check out the 1986 front page of The New York Times or The Wall Street Journal if you doubt me) have changed everything—the way we buy our Xmas presents, the legibility of cursive penmanship, even the way religious leaders communicate with their congregations.

For instance, some new generation rabbis in Israel are communicating with their followers via text messages. They receive as many as 3,000 messages a month, with such words as “faith,” “doubt,” and “sin” typed in requesting a theological reply.

An Internet story this week discussed parents who obsess with their mobile messaging and ignore their children. Mental health professionals say the intrusion of mobile email gadgets into family life is a growing topic of discussion in therapy.

And don’t even bring up cell phone rudeness. Everyone has a horror story.

How does all this relate to giving business presentations? It means we need to rethink how we present, adapt to our audience’s needs with more precision, and strategize our message not only for its purpose— but also for the generation receiving it.

Here are some practical Do’s and Don’t’s for the different generations. For simplicity’s sake, I have divided the generations into 3 basic technical categories: Young and Savvy (under 40), Middle-aged and Capable (between 40 and 60); Older and Trying (over 60). There will be many inherent generalities stated here, but most observations will be on target.

1. First, we ALL hate to be read to, but the Younger generation hates it even more. So do NOT have Power Point slides filled with words and sentences, as if you were writing a novel on a Power Point. And most importantly, do NOT read them off the slide.

If this is your style, just hand out the slide copies at the door, go stand in a corner, let people read your slides at their pace (it will be quick, I promise you), and see if they have any questions (they won’t).

2. For all generations use the old IBM Power Point rule of thumb: 5 x 5: No more than 5 bullets per page and no more than 5 words per bullet. It is essential to include pictures to capture the essence of the point. The bullets are nothing more than “brain prompts” for you. They are not the presentation.

3. Which brings us to our third point: YOU are the interpreter of the message, not the reader of the message.  You may have a handout or leave-behind—to be given at the close of the program—which contains all the verbal elaboration and additional graphs, etc., but this is not on the Power Point slide.

4. The Older Generation (of which I am a part) can tolerate more words on the slide, and we are more comfortable “reading” along with you, IF the text is animated so that only one main point appears at a time, not all five. Otherwise, we skip to point #5 while you are giving your powerful analysis of point #1.

Boomers and Veterans have a low tolerance for Flashy Power Points. Remember, Special Effects are an option—not a requirement. Choose wisely.

5. For all generations: Know your equipment! Have it all set up long before the audience arrives. Can you imagine still having the stage crew setting up the props in a stage play during Act 1? Keep your “stage” clear: no laptop bags, no sloppy wires, no purses, no bottled water.

6. For all generations: “OWN” your equipment (even if it’s rented!). Never—even if you are the President of the company—have a secretary or “secondary” person in the company pressing the laptop forward button for you. For the younger generations, it looks extremely autocratic and removed. And having to say “Next” 52 times is awkward and distracting for any generation.

7. Make sure you use a remote. Even if your company has one, I can promise you it will be “missing” when you need it, so buy your own. For all generations, but particularly the younger ones, presenter credibility is immediately built up when the presenter seems “with it”—prepared, comfortable with all the equipment, including the remote (do not aim the remote at the screen and point and click and then look amazed when it actually works!)

8. We all have shorter attention spans now, but the younger audiences have even shorter ones. Prepare your presentations carefully and make them focused, clear, and engaging. Younger generations do not like to be lectured “at,” resenting it even more than their older counterparts.

Why? Because they have been on interactive video games since they were 18 months old; they are used to being in control of how quickly their information flows and what information they choose to take in. Capture them with engaging material and an engaged and conversational presenter.

Here, then, are the most important points about presenting to different generations:

1. No one likes to be bored.
2. We all want to feel respected by the speaker.
3. We all enjoy an energetic, passionate, engaged speaker, even if the subject is technical
4. We all want the session to begin and end on time
5. We all want to feel the presenter is prepared and in control of the technical equipment

Yes, there are many differences among the generations, but we have much more in common than we have differences. And, yes, it makes our job as presenter even more of a challenge because we have another strategy to consider: what is the best way to present this message to this audience?

But isn’t this, after all, the question we should ask ourselves as we prepare a presentation for every generation?

SIDEBAR—Just for Fun

Text Chat Emotions
:-X Kiss on the lips
“-# Kiss with Braces
{:-) Toupee Smile
I—0 Yawn
:——-) Long Nose (Liar!)
: - )~ I’m Drooling

Answers to opening quiz:
Waste of Money, Brains and Time
Who died and Left You In Charge
Ta Ta For Now
Falling Off My Chair Laughing
Parents Are Watching
And You’re Telling Me this Because…
At The End Of The Day

Now that you have successfully introduced, organized and analyzed, delivered, summarized and concluded your presentation, you are ready for the last hurdle: the question and answer (Q&A) period.

The Q&A section can make or break a presentation; it can elicit that final YES or NO response.   Unfortunately, people seldom devote time to Q&A preparation and rehearsal.

Why you need a solid Q&A session
A good, well rehearsed, and strategized question-and-answer session will enhance your presentation and your message.  It will:

• CLARIFY.  The Q&A fills in gaps and offers further ¬convincing details.
• CONTINUE your theme and message in an even more personal, conversational way.
• CONNECT you with your audience. It lets them know who you really are
• UNCOVER DISAGREEMENT, hidden agendas, unstated preferences, and discontent, and allows you to handle these in a direct, non-damaging way.
• BRIDGE to your presentation’s core messages

How to ask for questions and MEAN it
When asking for questions, don’t say “Any questions?”    Instead, say,  “What questions do you have for me?”  Assume there will be some, and assume good will, unless you have evidence to the contrary.  Create an environment of friendly eagerness to share information with your request for questions and practice this transitional line, even if you know your audience is hostile.  A hostile audience makes it even more critical that you be perceived as being “in charge.”

Bridging
Let your question and answer session reinforce your already established major points.  Highlight these points and themes as you answer, and return to them when questions are irrelevant or startling.  This is called “bridging” and helps you feel more in control and less vulnerable during Q&A.

The best examples of “bridging” can be heard during interviews with elected officials, who, when pushed, always return to their theme:  “Compassionate conservatism, “positive campaign,” “my agenda,” “the message of hope,” “experience vs. change,” etc.  Listen and learn (but don’t manipulate the technique to confuse or lie to your audience).

Just remember:  Anything you don’t want asked, will be asked. Be ready with your answers.

In previous blogs, I talked about the components and strategies needed for effective introduction.  Now,, let’s look at delivering an effective conclusion.  An extremely important function of the conclusion is to provide a sense of closure for your audience — the final CLINCHER.

A lot of care and time must be devoted to your conclusion.  It is the last chance you have to impress your audience.   Just as you had a “hook” to gain the audience’s attention, you need a “clincher” to drive home a memorable, final point.

What your clincher needs to include
Conclusions should do several important things, including summarizing material and motivating an audience to act.  You can deliver an effective clincher by doing several things:

• Slow down the pace of your voice
• Emphasize key words in your closing sentences
• Increase the dramatic force of your gestures.

“Coming full circle” happens when the speaker picks up a thread of an idea mentioned in the introduction and weaves it into the conclusion.  An audience appreciates this technique because it indicates a thoughtful, purposeful speaker who has complete control of the material.

Here are some suggestions for developing your full circle effect.

• Give a statistic. Population figures relating to your audience, such as age, ethnic background, and profession are all available on the Internet at the U.S. Census Bureau website. Labor figures are available on U.S. Department of Labor website.
• Tell a story.   Your story must relate to the subject, purpose, and audience.  For example, if your presentation is about goal setting, you could say, “I was approached by a panhandler and asked if I could spare $100.  I replied, ‘Geez, I’ve been asked for a quarter, a dollar, even $5, but $100!  What gives you the gall to ask for $100?’  To which the panhandler replied, ‘Hey, I believe in setting my goals high.’”
• Use a quotation.  “The world is divided into people who do things and people who get the credit.  Try, if you can, to belong to the first class. There is far less competition.”—Dwight Morrow
• Ask a question.   Suggest a plan of action for when your audience leaves and then dramatically ask:  “What are you going to take from today’s speech and use in your life?”
• Express your thanks.   Let your audience know you enjoy being with them. For example, “Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to express my concerns.  I look forward to the workshops this afternoon, when I can address more specific issues. Again, I salute your hard work and enthusiasm”.
• Refer to subsequent events. For example, “When Bill Clinton was inaugurated as president of the United States, there were five web sites.  Today there are ten million.  This afternoon’s workshop will help you learn how to build your own web site…and then there will be ten million and one.”

You delivered a really good clincher at the end of your presentation,  But it’s not over yet.  In my next blog, I’m going to talk about an incredibly importantpart of your presentation:  the question and answer session.

Now that you have used an icebreaker and an attention-getter, and have oriented your audience to your topic, it is time to look at – and learn how to avoid - some of the common pitfalls speakers commit in their introductions.

They RAMBLE. Rambling undercuts the audience’s interest and the speaker’s credibility.

TIP:  Be brief, concise. and focused.

They are TOO BRIEF. Introductions that are too brief pass the audience by in a blur.

TIP: Don’t race through your opening lines. Give your listeners time to move from thinking their own thoughts to orienting themselves to your thoughts.  Allow them to become an audience.  Just because they are physically present, it doesn’t mean that they have started to listen or are engaged.

They are APOLOGETIC AND SEEK SYMPATHY.  They say, “Bear with me; I’m not used to speaking to groups.”

TIP:  You are after respect, not sympathy.   Your confidence and credibility should become immediately apparent.  Remember those “vibes”?

They use GIMMICKS.  They shout, slam an object, or throw something in order to startle an audience into attention.  This usually produces the opposite effect, forcing your audience to seek refuge from the perceived hostility and melodrama.

TIP:  Make the opening strategy gimmick-free. It needs to be appropriate, professional, and integral to your entire presentation.

In my last message, I talked about  the importance of using an icebreaker in the beginning of a presentation to establish a feeling of informality and intimacy between yourself and your audience.

The next step is is to move into your more formal introduction and get the attention of the audience.

Your choice of an attention-getting method should be based on your audience, topic, purpose, and personality.  You should also make sure your attention-getter is something you can do comfortably.

The word ”rapport” in French means “relationship”.  How do you build a relationship with your audience?  One of the ways to build rapport is to ask your audience questions immediately.  Simple things – i.e. “How many of you have gone to the Riverwalk in the last month?”    If you can become a listener at the beginning of the presentation, you begin to develop an exchange.   Get them to raise their hands.   Or get them to shout out where they are from.  It is trite but true: know your audience.  Know what they are interested in.  Know what their values are.  Consistently show them you are “at one” with them.

The most important part of building rapport is to see yourself as being in a conversation with your audience.  Presidential candidates 40 years ago were oratorical…but today we live in a conversational age.  If you see yourself as someone who is conversing with the audience – and you are indeed the expert - then your demeanor changes.

The audience needs to see you as a human being, as well as the expert.

Consider the following attention-getting options:

• Ask a question. Your question can be rhetorical (“Is bigger better?”  Or,  “Can having more mean having less?”) Or one requiring audience participation (“I would like a show of hands – How many of you have experienced a major change in your lifestyle in the last year?”).  Do not ask embarrassing or personal questions, and always clarify – either verbally or nonverbally – whether the question is rhetorical or actual.
• Refer to audience members. For example, “I consider it a privilege to speak to the members of the Institute of Small Business.  I celebrate with you as you recognize your fifth anniversary of successful minority recruiting efforts.”
• Tell a story.  Make this an anecdote or dramatic story, but NOT a joke (unless you are one of those rare individuals who can do so successfully).
• Open with a startling, but true, statement. You could say something like,  “According to a recent Pennsylvania State University study, the earth is destined to dry up, burn up or freeze.  Don’t worry about making final plans just yet.  Those catastrophic scenarios are at least 500 million years in the future.”
• Cite a quotation. Just remember:  if you do use a quote, remember to keep your eyes up when you read your quotation and make it brief.
• Refer to recent happenings. For example, “Following Wall Street’s notoriety of the early 90’s, the New York Stock Exchange and Chicago Mercantile Exchange have both -implemented their latest stringent safety measures . . . the decade of greed taught us some lessons.”

Once you get the attention of your audience, the next step is to orient them.  I’ll cover that in my next blog.

To help reduce your nervousness when you begin a presentation, and to allow your audience to relax and listen more intently, you may want to begin by creating an informal atmosphere before moving into your formal presentation.

Starting with an “icebreaker,” (a polite prologue that creates a connection between audience and speaker) is one way to create this feeling of informality and intimacy.

The icebreaker should achieve three purposes:

1. Express your pleasure of speaking to this group
2. Compliment the audience
3. Connect the audience to you and the subject (that rapport concept again!)

The late comedian Minnie Pearl used one of the best icebreakers and she did in one second. Every appearance, in person or on television during the broadcasts of the Grand Old Opry show, Minnie began with her trademark opener,“I’m just so proud to be here!”   Then, if she were making a personal appearance, her next line referred to something about the town or city – a person, landmark or event.

Then, of course, there was President John F. Kennedy’s famous statement at the Berlin Wall.  In German he said,“Ich bin ein Berliner”  (which translates to “I am a Berliner”).  In four simple words, he bonded with his audience, and the audience roared its approval.

We are not world leaders or world-class comics, but we can learn from them.  “I’m just so proud to be here” can become “Speaking to a group such as this is a privilege,” followed by who they are: risk takers, community leaders,movers and shakers, or tomorrow’s leaders.  Describe the audience and connect with them, just like Minnie Pearl and JFK did. These two had very disparate presentation personas, but both were world-class rapport builders—whether at the Grand Old Opry or in the theatre of global politics.

Key points to remember about icebreakers:

• Be honest and sincere.  Flattery for the sake of flattery insults and alienates an audience.
• Make your icebreaker brief and to the point.  You do not want to open with a rambling monologue that loses the attention of your audience and drains your presentation of its energy and forcefulness.

Never underestimate the importance of the first few sentences of your presentation.

You have only about 30 seconds to “hook” an audience. Within those 30 seconds you must send what Dorothy Sarnoff, the famous actress and speech coach, calls “vibes” … that is,  messages of competence, enthusiasm, and sincerity.  This is a lot to pack into 30 seconds, but it can be done.

Your “delivery” actually begins the moment you enter the building or the room where you will be delivering your presentation. Emit an attitude of, “Hello, you lucky people!” Your facial expressions and posture speak worlds about your eagerness to share information.  Give a positive impression by:

• Putting on an active, energetic, confident face.  Say “MONEY” to get those cheekbones up.
• Striding confidently to your speaking position.
• Grounding yourself (feeling a solid and secure speaking posture).
• Making eye contact with at least one member of the audience, pausing, and then confidently beginning your well-planned and well-prepared introduction.

You have now set the stage for TRUST.  Soon your audience will relax and listen because they connect with you, and they trust your competence.  You are obviously in charge.

Next topic:  icebreakers.  They’ll relax you AND your audience.