Monday, 8 March 2010
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
A Little Extra - A Lot of Goodwill
There's a word - or maybe it's more of a concept than a word - that I came across in Louisiana a few years ago: Lagniappe.
If you look it up in Wikipedia you'll find the etymology laid out pretty clearly, along with examples of how and where it works, but in the simplest of terms it refers to giving someone a little extra: someone buys a dozen breadrolls and the baker throws in an extra one (by the way, this is NOT the origin of the baker's dozen. That's something else again).
Do you remember that time you ate in a restaurant and the owner offered you a complimentary drink after your meal? Well...that was an example of lagniappe, whether the guy called it that or not, and of course you remember...people alwways remember a generous gesture. Even if you never went back to that restaurant, you would probably recommend it to others (assuming the food was OK of course).
Why not take that concept and put it to work in YOUR business? Surprise your client with a little extra; a gift, a freebie, call it what you will, but something with a value to the recipient. That client is going to remember you, recommend you to colleagues, have a good feeling about you and your business, and it will cost you little beyond the foresight to have something on hand to give.
If you want loyal clients, repeat business, an advocate for your products and services, referrals...all that good stuff, then don't just give great service and value, give a little lagniappe too.
If you look it up in Wikipedia you'll find the etymology laid out pretty clearly, along with examples of how and where it works, but in the simplest of terms it refers to giving someone a little extra: someone buys a dozen breadrolls and the baker throws in an extra one (by the way, this is NOT the origin of the baker's dozen. That's something else again).
Do you remember that time you ate in a restaurant and the owner offered you a complimentary drink after your meal? Well...that was an example of lagniappe, whether the guy called it that or not, and of course you remember...people alwways remember a generous gesture. Even if you never went back to that restaurant, you would probably recommend it to others (assuming the food was OK of course).
Why not take that concept and put it to work in YOUR business? Surprise your client with a little extra; a gift, a freebie, call it what you will, but something with a value to the recipient. That client is going to remember you, recommend you to colleagues, have a good feeling about you and your business, and it will cost you little beyond the foresight to have something on hand to give.
If you want loyal clients, repeat business, an advocate for your products and services, referrals...all that good stuff, then don't just give great service and value, give a little lagniappe too.
Monday, 6 April 2009
Can you read me at the back?
I spend a lot of time and effort while training people in the fine art of presentation skills trying to discourage the use of PowerPoint and such, or at least to limit it to some sexy images or pithy quotes to support the speaker.
However, I do know that some people will always want the screen behind them full of 'stuff', and sometimes - very occasionally in my experience - it is actually important that some data be shown on-screen, so I felt it was time to offer a little gentle steering on the topic of graphs.
In general terms there are two kinds of graph folk use in presentations:
The second refers to a graph that doesn't have a scale or any parameters by which the audience can make sense of the data, so it's just a useless decoration.
If you MUST use a graph, identify the most relevant bit and blow it up nice and big, getting rid of all the unnecessary stuff, and label it VERY clearly.
If you are in any doubt about how to wean yourself off the invidious PowerPoint why not give me a call and I'll talk you out of it.
However, I do know that some people will always want the screen behind them full of 'stuff', and sometimes - very occasionally in my experience - it is actually important that some data be shown on-screen, so I felt it was time to offer a little gentle steering on the topic of graphs.
In general terms there are two kinds of graph folk use in presentations:
- The Data Rich Spiderweb
- The Crapograph
The second refers to a graph that doesn't have a scale or any parameters by which the audience can make sense of the data, so it's just a useless decoration.
If you MUST use a graph, identify the most relevant bit and blow it up nice and big, getting rid of all the unnecessary stuff, and label it VERY clearly.
If you are in any doubt about how to wean yourself off the invidious PowerPoint why not give me a call and I'll talk you out of it.
Wednesday, 14 January 2009
How many presentations will you make today?
SO...how many presentations do you reckon you make?
One a month? One a week? One in a blue moon?
How about 20, 30 or more a day? That's probably closer to the truth.
In fact, every communication: every casual chat, every conversation at a networking meeting, even everything we share with our family is, in a very real sense, a presentation.
In every transaction we have with another person or group of people we are presenting something: ourselves, our values, our company, our beliefs, our products, our desires, our needs.
Only when you realise that this is the case do you start to think consciously about how you approach each encounter.
And it's only when you start to think about every encounter that you can maximise the effectiveness of these presentations - whether they are formal or informal - and turn them into opportunities for benefit to both sides.
As an example: you want your son to tidy his room. You could either ask him, tell him, order him or barter with him. No matter which of these you choose, you are more likely to get the desired result (a tidy room without a fight) if you approach the transaction as a presentation.
Evaluate your audience (OK, he's your son...you're supposed to KNOW him, but how often do you put yourself in his place and THINK like him?).
Decide on what you want to say.
Have a clear picture in your mind of why you are saying it.
Make sure you know how to say it to get his attention or acquiesence most readily.
Deliver your presentation.
OK...this is an extreme example, being the polar opposite of what we think of as a' normal' presentation, but it's exactly the same template I advocate you use when making a speech to an audience or pitching for new business.
I'd be happy to hear from you if you would like to explore this more thoroughly, and I'll expand on the topic in future posts.
In the meantime, follow me on Twitter or take a look at our website: www.profile-training.com
One a month? One a week? One in a blue moon?
How about 20, 30 or more a day? That's probably closer to the truth.
In fact, every communication: every casual chat, every conversation at a networking meeting, even everything we share with our family is, in a very real sense, a presentation.
In every transaction we have with another person or group of people we are presenting something: ourselves, our values, our company, our beliefs, our products, our desires, our needs.
Only when you realise that this is the case do you start to think consciously about how you approach each encounter.
And it's only when you start to think about every encounter that you can maximise the effectiveness of these presentations - whether they are formal or informal - and turn them into opportunities for benefit to both sides.
As an example: you want your son to tidy his room. You could either ask him, tell him, order him or barter with him. No matter which of these you choose, you are more likely to get the desired result (a tidy room without a fight) if you approach the transaction as a presentation.
Evaluate your audience (OK, he's your son...you're supposed to KNOW him, but how often do you put yourself in his place and THINK like him?).
Decide on what you want to say.
Have a clear picture in your mind of why you are saying it.
Make sure you know how to say it to get his attention or acquiesence most readily.
Deliver your presentation.
OK...this is an extreme example, being the polar opposite of what we think of as a' normal' presentation, but it's exactly the same template I advocate you use when making a speech to an audience or pitching for new business.
I'd be happy to hear from you if you would like to explore this more thoroughly, and I'll expand on the topic in future posts.
In the meantime, follow me on Twitter or take a look at our website: www.profile-training.com
Thursday, 8 January 2009
Sliding...
I do a lot of work with one particular large corporation, and some time ago was tasked with training a whole department in presentation skills, as briefings and mini-conferences were a major part of the communication strategy and it was felt that some development would be useful.
I quickly discovered that virtually every team member was totally hooked on PowerPoint, and their first action when called upon to prepare a presentation would be to open Microsoft's little baby and start creating slides.
I think the record was 147 slides for a 35 minute presentation.
However, when I asked a few people within the department how they felt about being in the audience for a presentation full of slides, they all groaned and told me how much they hated it!
For some reason, they couldn't see both sides of the equation;
"It's OK for ME to use a load of slides, but no-one else should, because that's boring" seemed to be their attitude.
Since then I've had some success in weaning them off their dependence on slides, but I still meet and work with many people for whom a presentation isn't 'real' without a few dozen bullet-points and a graph or two.
One useful rule of thumb is the 10-20-30 guideline:
10 slides - 20 minutes - 30 pt the smallest typeface
Another way to limit the number of slides is to forego words completely in favour of pictures. Relevant images which back up or reinforce the message you are delivering can pack a powerful punch.
While on the topic of PowerPoint (or whatever other slide software), there's a habit that's all too easy to fall into of putting so much of your material onto your sllides that you end up virtually reading them instead of using them to create emphasis.
This is often (maybe even always) counter-productive. the audience will read the slide, and because they will read faster than you speak they'll finish before you. Then they'll listen to you telling them what they have already read. Unfortunately this doesn't mean they pay any more attention. It just means they're getting the same info twice. Why not just give them the handout? What's happened is that the slides have become the presentation, rather than supporting it.
As ever, my advice is just that...advice. It's not rules or obligations...just advice.
Find out more about what we do at www.profile-training.com
I quickly discovered that virtually every team member was totally hooked on PowerPoint, and their first action when called upon to prepare a presentation would be to open Microsoft's little baby and start creating slides.
I think the record was 147 slides for a 35 minute presentation.
However, when I asked a few people within the department how they felt about being in the audience for a presentation full of slides, they all groaned and told me how much they hated it!
For some reason, they couldn't see both sides of the equation;
"It's OK for ME to use a load of slides, but no-one else should, because that's boring" seemed to be their attitude.
Since then I've had some success in weaning them off their dependence on slides, but I still meet and work with many people for whom a presentation isn't 'real' without a few dozen bullet-points and a graph or two.
One useful rule of thumb is the 10-20-30 guideline:
10 slides - 20 minutes - 30 pt the smallest typeface
Another way to limit the number of slides is to forego words completely in favour of pictures. Relevant images which back up or reinforce the message you are delivering can pack a powerful punch.
While on the topic of PowerPoint (or whatever other slide software), there's a habit that's all too easy to fall into of putting so much of your material onto your sllides that you end up virtually reading them instead of using them to create emphasis.
This is often (maybe even always) counter-productive. the audience will read the slide, and because they will read faster than you speak they'll finish before you. Then they'll listen to you telling them what they have already read. Unfortunately this doesn't mean they pay any more attention. It just means they're getting the same info twice. Why not just give them the handout? What's happened is that the slides have become the presentation, rather than supporting it.
As ever, my advice is just that...advice. It's not rules or obligations...just advice.
Find out more about what we do at www.profile-training.com
Thursday, 18 December 2008
What do you think you're doing?
When you are called upon to make a formal or semi-formal presentation there are a couple of things you can do in preparation which will make the task a lot simpler for you.
First: Define the purpose of your presentation. In other words: what are you trying to achieve with it. If you don't know what your objective is in making this presentation, how can you expect your audience to know? If the presentation in question isn't really yours (if you are delivering a corporate message for example, rather than speaking from personal experience) then you need to sit down with the person who 'volunteered' you and get them to tell you what the objective is. Trying to deliver a message without knowing the purpose is like driving somewhere but not knowing where you need to be. A lot of miles can be covered hoping to bump into a recognisable destination.
Second:..actually, I think I'll leave the second thing for later. Call it a cliffhanger ending...which I wouldn't advise when you're making that presentation.
Get more information about us at www.profile-training.com
First: Define the purpose of your presentation. In other words: what are you trying to achieve with it. If you don't know what your objective is in making this presentation, how can you expect your audience to know? If the presentation in question isn't really yours (if you are delivering a corporate message for example, rather than speaking from personal experience) then you need to sit down with the person who 'volunteered' you and get them to tell you what the objective is. Trying to deliver a message without knowing the purpose is like driving somewhere but not knowing where you need to be. A lot of miles can be covered hoping to bump into a recognisable destination.
Second:..actually, I think I'll leave the second thing for later. Call it a cliffhanger ending...which I wouldn't advise when you're making that presentation.
Get more information about us at www.profile-training.com
Tuesday, 9 December 2008
Stupidly Early
Making a presentation or a speech can be a stressful event. Even the thought of getting up and speaking in public can be enough to induce the symptoms of panic or fear.
Now, while I have many techniques I'd like to share for eliminating or minimising that stress, and fully intend to offer some of these solutions in this blog in the near future, I thought today that it would be a good idea to offer some very practical advice for you when you find you're in the frame for a bit of public speaking. Advice that will certainly lower the potential for stress and make your presentation more enjoyable.
Research your venue: If you are unfamiliar with the location, either go there ahead of the date or at least do some homework on the internet about transport, parking, etc.
On the day: Get there early! Being late is a sure fire way to stress yourself up even if you're an experienced and confident speaker, so leave a stupidly large amount of time for travel. You can always find the venue, make sure you know which door to use and such then go and have a sandwich or something.
A footnote to this advice is that when you have arrived in good time and you find yourself with an hour spare, don't be tempted to have an alcoholic drink - even a small one is a bad idea for loads of reasons - and avoid coffee if you have even the slightest tendency to get wired on caffeine - there's always soft drinks and decaff!
Now, while I have many techniques I'd like to share for eliminating or minimising that stress, and fully intend to offer some of these solutions in this blog in the near future, I thought today that it would be a good idea to offer some very practical advice for you when you find you're in the frame for a bit of public speaking. Advice that will certainly lower the potential for stress and make your presentation more enjoyable.
Research your venue: If you are unfamiliar with the location, either go there ahead of the date or at least do some homework on the internet about transport, parking, etc.
On the day: Get there early! Being late is a sure fire way to stress yourself up even if you're an experienced and confident speaker, so leave a stupidly large amount of time for travel. You can always find the venue, make sure you know which door to use and such then go and have a sandwich or something.
A footnote to this advice is that when you have arrived in good time and you find yourself with an hour spare, don't be tempted to have an alcoholic drink - even a small one is a bad idea for loads of reasons - and avoid coffee if you have even the slightest tendency to get wired on caffeine - there's always soft drinks and decaff!
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