Category: Presentation

I can haz mad communication skillz…

Post author By Laura Bergells
Post date February 10, 2012

If you say you have excellent communication skills, you’re demonstrating that you don’t. Communication skills are self evident, not self described.

Yet many hiring managers persistently write “strong communication skills” as a requirement in job descriptions. Sadly, savvy job hunters must include the vile term “excellent communication skills” in their résumés …or risk being rejected by an automated résumé keyword scanner.

The automated résumé keyword scanner is a nasty robot that scans your résumé before humans get a chance to review it. If your résumé fails to include all the requirements in the posted job description, you’ll get an automated rejection letter. A human being who has the power to hire you may never even see your résumé.

Therefore, in order to prove that you possess excellent communication skills, your résumé must demonstrate poor written communication skills. Blind to the finer nuances of communication (sentence structure, word choice, posture, tone of voice, etc.), an adroitly programmed robot will systematically reject the most exceptional candidates.

How Orwellian and twisted has job hunting become in 2012? And how might an excellent communicator get around the robot?

The fault lies squarely with hiring managers. Why put “excellent communication skills” in a job description at all? It’s not like “an absence of communication skills” would ever be desirable. And when HR departments use robots to eliminate people, don’t be surprised when résumés include spammy, meta keyword-loaded sections titled “FOR AUTOMATED KEYWORD SCANNING ROBOTS ONLY”. You asked for it!

After all, ‘audience identification & analysis’ is one of the first tasks a skilled communicator will perform!

Three vital presentation lessons learned…from a walk in the woods

Post author By Laura Bergells
Post date January 11, 2012

For close to two decades, I take an almost-daily walk near my office. It helps the creative process to get out and clear my head. My office is located in an old forest. A creek runs through it, creating a sizable gully. I’ve seen deer, coyotes, rabbits, and all sorts of birds on my constitutional.

As one of the more civilized creatures, I walk on the sidewalk that cuts through the forest. No sense muddying my shoes on the way to and from work.

A few weeks ago, something new caught my eye on my daily walk. Someone had crawled down into the depths of the gully to place a red sign on a tree. The bright red spot caught my eye and raised my curiosity.

Sign from the sidewalk — The sign, as seen from the sidewalk

Squinting, I gathered that there were words on the sign. However, the sign was too far down the hill for me to read. An innately curious person, I simply had to know what the sign was trying to communicate. In a typical January, the forest would be filled with drifts of snow, making it near impossible for me to get close to the sign. Even so, the forest floor was filled with slick leaves, so I half slid down the gully to get a closer look. Halfway down, I snapped another photo:

Curses! I still could not read the sign. Determined, I continued to slide down the hill until I got a few feet away from the tree.

No Hunting or Trespassing. — I'm going to be prosecuted.

I felt entrapped. Twenty years, and I never once think to wander down a steep hill to go into the forest. A bright sign inflames my curiosity, and boom. I’m a trespasser.

Vexed, I trudged back up the slippery hill. A Pileated woodpecker gave me a stern lecture, then banged his head on a rotted tree top. The judge banged his gavel. I had been dismissed. Case closed.

What three presentation lessons had I been reminded of from my foray into the forest?

The unexpected will rivet audience attention. Breaking a pattern is a very basic way to grab attention. I was accustomed to seeing only forest: the red sign caught my interest because it was different than what I had expected to see. How can you break a visual or sensory pattern in your next presentation to grab attention and get your audience to take action?

Be careful with negative instructions. If you don’t want your audience to do something, don’t even put the idea into their heads. If I tell you to NOT think about woodpeckers right now, guess what you’re going to do? You’re visualizing woodpeckers right now, aren’t you? Yet, you had no intention of doing so… until I told you NOT to do it.

Take words seriously. If you want me to take your words seriously, how about making your font size huge and clearly visible? What about placing your sign (or your PowerPoint) almost smack in front of me, instead of making me peer down a gully or around a post or from the side or through someone’s head?

I’m pleased to report that the woodpecker let me off with only a warning. I will be doing no serious time or paying a hefty fine for my trespass — other than scraping what appears to be an unpleasant mix of mud and coyote dung off the bottom of my shoes.

Presentation

What shouldn’t you wear?

Post author By Laura Bergells
Post date September 8, 2011

“What should I wear?” I asked the event organizer. We just agreed that I would speak at her winter event.

She glanced up and down at me.

“What you’re wearing now is fine. We’re a very casual business.”

I was wearing dark jeans, fitted t-shirt, and blazer. So was she.

In the olden days, an oft-repeated business maxim was always to dress professionally for a professional engagement. Suit, tie, button-down shirt. Well, you can throw out this rule, pronto.

Fellow presenter Rich Hopkins of Speak and Deliver fame wondered in a Facebook comment today if the days of wearing suits are over. He noticed that two speakers at a Toastmaster’s convention weren’t wearing suits.

photo credit: deepglamour

Dressing too far above the audience can be just as off-putting as dressing too far below. You might stand a better chance of connecting with your audience by matching their preferred style.

Some businesses are casual. Some are business-casual. Some present themselves as very buttoned-down and professional. So what should the savvy presenter wear?

Don’t guess. Don’t wring your hands. Just ask.

Ask the event coordinator. In my experience, they are always 100% happy to tell you how to dress. And they have always been exceptionally accurate in their assessment. I have yet to show up to a scheduled performance thinking: “Wow, the event organizer really steered me wrong. I look woefully out of touch.”

It makes sense. If I look bad, the organizer looks bad.

Starting today, I’m formalizing my approach to the “what to wear” dilemma. Since dress codes are all over the map, I’m adding the following checklist to my standard speaker agreement: Why “other”? There are exceptions, of course. It might be entirely appropriate to dress like an astronaut for an audience of tweedy academics if you’re discussing your recent space shuttle mission. Sometimes, the content of the speech requires more “costume” than “clothing”.

What’s your approach for today’s “what the blazes do I wear?” question?

And perhaps a better question: what should a business presenter absolutely NOT wear?

(I’ll put “message T-shirts” at the top of my “what not to wear” list! What about you?)

content ideas PowerPoint Presentation

Use super sticky notes for super sticky ideas

Post author By Laura Bergells
Post date July 13, 2011

After a longish brainstorming session, I heard Mac Fowler quip, “I should buy stock in 3M.”

He was referring, I reckon, to a perceived uptick in the use of 3M’s ubiquitous sticky note. It was true that I had flung a pack of these little devils on the table during our annual aimWest planning meeting. I carry 3M Post-it notes almost everywhere.

I might go so far as to say I have a severe Post-it note addiction. And it’s not just the regular sticky notes.

I’ve quickly moved up to the Super Sticky. I can’t even consider buying the regular kind in my line of work.

I do quite a bit of online content development. The sticky note is an indispensable tool for content developers and editorial calendar creators. If you’re brainstorming ideas with a team, give a different colored pack to every team member. We jot down ideas on sticky notes and slap them on the big editorial calendar that we keep on the wall (think of a giant grid sectioned off by time and editorial topics).

I recommend the Super Sticky notes over the regular stickies. Sure, they cost a bit more — but if you’ve ever been vexed by sticky notes losing their stick and falling like so many multi-colored snowflakes over your war room floor — you’ll easily see how these bad boys are worth the extra pennies. You can move them around several times — and they still stick.

We move Post-it notes around in content brainstorming sessions. A story headline idea that seemed perfect for, say, a July 6 online post may get usurped for a much larger breaking news story. We’ll move our originally planned story to another day. The Super Stickies give an editorial team flexibility.

Further, I use the sticky note approach for quickly story boarding speeches and presentations. I’m not one to memorize speeches word for word, so I might rehearse a speech by staring at something like this:

Oh, sure, it looks like gibberish to you. But I can assemble a quick speech by arranging symbols that represent stories for my opening, main points, and closing. It doesn’t matter that you know what these little notes stand for. I know that when I see the guy with the top hat, that’s my cue to tell the story about that one time in New York when the guy with the top hat and tails got caught…

…well, you get the picture. This approach works for me. Way better than memorizing a script. Plus, the images and headlines I scratch are for MY head and MY rehearsal. I don’t have to subject an audience to PowerPoint. I can remember a series of pictures in my head way better than a prescribed set of words.

And even though Post it notes may line my desk, office walls, and car interior: I still get a little flak from my high-tech lovin’ friends. A few pooh-pooh my old tech Post-it note habit. With so many software applications available that emulate the sticky note, why do I persist in cluttering up my environment with low-tech paper and pen scribblings?

Tweet credit: Bruce Abernethy | @babernethy

My answer is simple: I like interacting with the physical world. I enjoy touching things beyond my keyboard and screen. The physical world inspires me.

I like to consider sticky notes as colorful, highly tactile playthings for work. Like Play-Doh or alphabet blocks, Post-it notes are fundamental toys for modeling ideas in the physical world.

It can be no coincidence that Play-Doh and alpahbet blocks also grace/litter my office… what colorful toys do you use for idea generation, collection, and management? How do you use them?

ps — to my knowledge, I own no stock in 3M. Nor have they paid me to write this post…

Presentation

He’s Too Manly To Use the Mic – What Can You Do?

Post author By Laura Bergells
Post date May 23, 2011

“I don’t need to use the mic for my presentation,” bellows our baritone speaker. “I have a strong voice.”

“Yes, of course you do,” I soothe him. “But please don’t be afraid to use our microphone.”

Photo Credit: Jim Bahn

Fear.

Many times, fear is the reason why seemingly polished presenters balk when we request that they use the microphone. With macho bravado, a speaker will claim that he doesn’t need extra help. But deep down, the real reason he’s brushing off microphone support is because he’s scared.

Scared? Chicken? Of what?

Sometimes, it’s fear of the unfamiliar. We’re most accustomed to hearing our voices without amplification. With a mic, our voices can sound loud and imposing to our own ears. If you’re not familiar with the sound of your amplified voice, it can sound intimidating or even too loud.

Also, a speaker may not be familiar with the actual microphone itself. This is why running an audio check prior to the presentation is so important. The sound check isn’t merely to make sure the equipment is working: it’s often even more important to make a speaker comfortable with using the microphone.

When a speaker refuses mic support, I’ve learned to accuse him (oh, it’s usually a ‘him’!) of being chicken. I might say,

“I know the microphone must be scary for you. But if we run a quick mike check, maybe you can get over your fear really quickly. Let me set you up… there’s really no reason for you to be so afraid.”

Why do I accuse seemingly confident men of being afraid?

Two reasons:

1. Most of the time, the scared person is quick to prove me wrong. “I am NOT afraid!” he’ll exclaim. To prove it, he often lets me mic him immediately. This saves me the lengthy hassle of explaining that no matter how strong his voice is, it’s not going to be heard by many people in the audience without a mike.

2. Rational explanations take too long and usually don’t work. Let’s say I make the usual rational explanations: i.e.: “The people in the back will not hear you well. We’re recording this, and it will not record properly. Your voice may be strong, but it will tire over time….” Rational arguments are usually poo-poohed with a delusional “No, it’ll be just fine.”

A macho man wants to prove he’s not scared. And a scared man won’t respond well to rational arguments.

Either way, my goal is to get the speaker to use the mic. In my experience, appealing to emotion works faster and better than appealing to logic.

How else might you get recalcitrant speakers to use the microphone?

design Presentation

How much meat is too much meat?

Post author By Laura Bergells
Post date May 17, 2011

I like meat. Grilled, stewed, roasted — properly prepared, good cuts of meat are delicious.

But when it comes to presentation, how much meat is too much meat?

I was enjoying a friendly discussion with another meat-loving chum. We agreed that while the meat prices are very good at a local grocery store, we seldom shop there. Why?

The presentation of their meats.

First, think of the butcher shop portion of your local grocery store. Here, meat is presented like a spectacular array of precious jewels. A butcher, dressed in white, lays out glistening chops on crisp ice behind a shiny glass counter. In most cases, you see more white space (ice, counter tops, aprons) than you do red space (the actual product.)

Now, think of how meat looks at a mega-grocery store. You see piles and piles of flesh, squeezed into tight plastic containers, piled on each other in vast layers like too many rats in an unclean cage. Almost all red space, almost no white space.

Too much red space makes me squeamish. It makes the meat look like what it is — grotesque piles of dead flesh. It looks cheap and unappetizing.

Most people buy meat from the bloody flesh pile. They seem to care more for the price and convenience than the food shopping experience or interacting with a knowledgeable butcher. I get it — meat & food isn’t that important to most people.

If you’re selling a product that most people are content to buy from a bloody flesh pile, how might you fill a niche for those who don’t particularly care for that experience?

Eliminate some red space. Add more white space.

In a grocery store, you’ll see a clean, white butcher shop. Apple distinguished its products and stores to be an almost all-white space experience in what is increasingly a cluttered RadioShack world of components and bargain basement bins. And think of the feeling you get when shopping for jewelry at a crowded and cramped pawn shop vs. oh, let’s say, Tiffany’s.

It’s all about the white space.

How else can you add white space to the presentation of your products and services to heighten the sensory experience of the customer?

Presentation

How to stop a boorish Q&A Hog in 3 easy steps

Post author By Laura Bergells
Post date March 9, 2011

I recently attended a terrific, high-powered panel presentation that unfortunately became hijacked by what I’ll call “a Q&A hog.” You’ve probably witnessed a Q&A hog in action at a conference or presentation.

Q&A Hog, defined: an annoying creature that rambles incoherently during the Question and Answer period of a presentation. The hog typically takes up to 5 minutes to ask the presenter a very specific or off-topic question that no one in the audience has any interest in discussing. Q&A hogs usually have some personal agenda or simply love to hear the sound of their own voices.

The panel presentation I witnessed? The Q&A hog actually grabbed the floor mike and took over. It was a bad scene, man.

The hog held the entire audience hostage with non-stop rambling. The panelists and audience members started shuffling and checking their smart phones. The moderator looked wild-eyed around the room, vainly searching for armed gunmen with tranquilizers to shoot the beast down.

photo credit: Sheep Purple

Boors don’t pick up on obvious visual cues of disinterest. It’s not in their nature. They’re going to keep talking — until you shut them down. Mere body language and facial gestures won’t do the trick.

If you’re the speaker or moderator, you must shut down the hog.

And you must use words. Firm, direct words. It’s the only way.

Here’s a sample script you can try:

“Pardon, I’m going to cut you off. We have a limited time for Q&A. I want you to sit down and think about how you can ask your question in 30 seconds or less. Until you do, who else has a short question for me?” (Body language — scan the room with your arm raised.)

This direct method may seem harsh if you’re a sensitive sort. You may feel that you’re being rude to the hog. But you’re actually protecting and comforting your audience, which is far more important.

And actually, you’re not being rude to the hog at all. Unlike most people, hogs don’t seem to understand the “sit down and shut up” subtext of the above above script. Instead, many seem to like the challenge: “What fun! I need to solve a puzzle! How am I going to reword my question to meet the time frame?”

You can try variations of the direct approach, but stick to three basics.

Tell the hog you’re going to interrupt. Important point: never ask a hog if you can interrupt. Tell them that you’re cutting them off. If you ask “can I interrupt you?” — they’ll probably say “no, bear with me, I’m almost done.” Then you’ll get 300 more hours of rambling incoherence.
Align yourself with the audience. Remember, the audience wants the hog to shut up, too. By using the code phrase “limited time”, you’re signalling to everybody that unlike the bore, you respect their time. You’re going to honor and protect your audience.
Move it along. “Who else has a short question?” while scanning the audience works wonders. During your scan, you will make eye contact with someone who is eager to shut down the hog, too. Giving this person ‘the nod’ is all the encouragement they need to get up and ask…anything.

I always recommend the direct approach for shutting down Q&A hogs. What’s your approach? What works for you?

Presentation Twitter

Your final words: how NOT to close a presentation

Post author By Laura Bergells
Post date January 31, 2011

I asked folks on Twitter:

“What’s the worst way to end a presentation?”

My own personal pet peeve is ending with “Are there any questions?” Q & A is such a weak & wimpy close. Regrettably, I hear it far too often.

However, within 12 minutes of my Twitter query, I received even more brilliant answers — brainstorms from the gang on Twitter:

A few more minutes go by, and I get a few more brilliant answers.

(Thanks to S_Vandergriff, FensterV, Admore, Clairecelsi, jbrons, boyink, bisquiat, mbresnahan, alissajean, and doctorzen for sharing your feelings, thoughts, and sense of humor!)

What’s the worst way to close a speech you’ve ever witnessed — or heard tale of?