Steve Boyd Presentations

Presence and Presenting

            This past week-end the Cincinnati Reds Caravan made its way to Bowling Green, Kentucky, for an appearance. Hall of Fame broadcaster for the Reds, Marty Brennaman, and several Reds players and front office staff made the trip. The caravan is divided into three separate tours making a total of l5 fan stops in four states, covering more than 2,700 miles in four days.

            Why would money and time be devoted to such an event? Why not have a special television program and have different Reds celebrities appear and be interviewed? A main reason is that people want to see those who broadcast their favorite baseball team and meet some of the players they follow daily during the six-month season. Who knows how many tickets are sold to Reds games because the fan now feels a personal connection with the player? No doubt many will listen to a Reds game on radio or watch on television because they have seen in person the announcer or players.

            Sometimes the message of the speaker is not as important as the speaker. We want to see our CEO speak at our company's year-end meeting and we want to hear our minister or priest present at important religious events. We want our leaders who represent us to show up at town meetings and interviews.

            Don't allow your technology to substitute for the person. Important messages should be communicated in person. When a loved one has surgery, we don't want to receive a text message saying our spouse or child did fine through the operation. We want the surgeon to come out to the waiting area and talk to us face-to-face. We will not fire a person by phone, text, or email (I hope!). Watching the nonverbal and getting a sense of the emotional interaction is too important not to include in the message.

            When you have a choice of sending a message or talking to the person, or when you can send out a long memo to the company or appear in person to present the message, don't just consider the content of the message. Your presence may be more important than whatever your message might be.

            When a company has a United Way kick-off meeting, for example, it is vitally important that the CEO be present to speak.  What he or she says is not as important as just showing up. This tells the employees that this endeavor to raise money for community projects is really important to this organization.

            Technology seems to take much of our communication time. But as long as there are people, there is a place for presenting the message in person. Baseball season is still a few weeks away, but fans are buying tickets and anticipating a winning season because their favorite Red came to talk to them.

Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is Professor Emeritus of Speech Communication, College of Informatics, Northern Kentucky University, near Cincinnati. He presents keynotes and seminars to corporations and associations whose people want to speak and listen effectively. See additional articles and resources at www.sboyd.com. To book Steve, call 800-727-6520 or email him through his website.

 

Have a Hook!

Most business speakers who represent their companies as they speak to clients do not have ambitions to become motivational speakers. You, however, can learn to improve your own business presentations by learning from successful motivational speakers. A key to be effective in your career presentations is to have a “hook.”  Paid motivational speakers often have some unique challenge that they have overcome, so they use that event as a "hook" to share success ideas in their speeches.

For example, in March of this year Anthony Robles won the 125-pound NCAA Division I championship in wrestling. The unusual feature of this feat is that he has only one leg. According to Jason Gay in a Wall Street Journal article, "An Inspiration Moves Off the Mat," Anthony has not been home often since his victory because he has been on the road most of 2011, "...building a profession as a motivational speaker. He's spoken to companies, schools, halfway houses and pro teams."  In his speech he tells his personal story of being born to Judy Robles, a 16-year-old mother who raised her son "...telling him he could do anything, and watched him go out and prove it." 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We all have had unique experiences in life that have brought us to our places in our careers. Think about obstacles you overcame, or an event that changed your life forever. Perhaps you had an unusual job at one point that might dovetail into the content of your presentations. I grew up in an auctioneer family and learned to deliver the auctioneer's chant at age 14. I worked as my uncle's assistant until I left for college. I sometimes incorporate the chant in a speech—especially in the introduction.

When I was a boy, my dad and I had one of the largest rabbit farms in Indiana with over 350 in our rabbitry. That is an effective hook I use to talk about different ways to multiply your investments of time or money.

Think about unique life experiences that might make you stand out from other speakers vying for a business contract from a prospective client. Perhaps you need a special way to keep the interest of your employees as you explain a new benefit package or a new software program you are initiating. What is there about your background that might work toward that end? 

In basketball, the hook shot is common for a tall person to shoot within ten feet of the basket; the main reason is how hard it is for the defensive player to block it even when he or she knows the player is about  to shoot a hook. In like manner, a hook in your next speech will demand the attention of the audience even if they don't want to listen. Whether in fishing, basketball, or a presentation, the hook is indispensable.

Don't Miss It!

Some things we miss are obvious. A player for Indiana University last month missed an uncontested layup in a basketball game against Butler. The 17,000 fans at the game saw it, as did thousands watching on the Big Ten Network. Any time high-profile people miss something, everyone hears about it.

Many things missed, however, are not so obvious. That is one of the problems with multi-tasking. When you seek to do several tasks at the same time, you may miss what is really important, inspiring, or helpful. When you are speaking on the phone and reading email at the same time, you may miss the ache or frustration in a person's voice. When you are focused on your smart phone, you may miss a beautiful sunset or flower. One writer said, "The world's most beautiful garden might as well be an asphalt parking lot if you pound through it while barking into your cell phone." 

A big challenge in effective listening is being able to pay attention solely to what the person you are listening to is saying. During conversations I've seen people answer cell phones or read a text message or check email. Not only is this rude, but that person may be missing important time with important people with important information.

Since you think four to five times faster than you can talk, chances are high that you will miss a significant piece of information. We have all messed up the directions when finding an unfamiliar location and ended up on the east side of town instead of the west side—that is, until along came the GPS. However, that little magic box can keep us from paying attention to the highway as we drive. So we are constantly struggling with paying attention. How can we keep from missing the important, the valuable, and the memorable? 

Exercise your mind to learn to focus. For example, you can learn a second language. This makes you pay better attention to the words people use in conversation because you have been studying what that word or sentence means in another language. Because languages have different pronunciations, you will be more sensitive to the tone and pitch of a person's voice. These benefits are in addition to the mental exercise of memorizing words in a different language. I'm being tutored in Spanish and the time I devote to memorization and comprehension certainly motivates me to concentrate.

Carve out quiet time in your daily schedule. When you are quiet for a while, you tend to pay better attention when you do engage in conversation or sit at your computer reading email or composing a letter. Quiet time gives you an opportunity to think and prepare mentally for the important tasks of the day or significant meetings you must contribute to. This might involve spiritual meditation, a walk in the woods observing nature, sitting by a creek enjoying the background sounds, or simply pondering areas important to you for the day as you sit in your favorite chair at home.

Expose yourself to new ideas, activities, and knowledge. When you move out of your common routine, you tend to see things you have never seen before or look at events in a new light. Ballroom dancing has given my wife and me opportunities to know more about the beat and time of music, identify different kinds of music, and visit places to dance that we had never seen before.

Read a book out of your field. Travel to other countries and learn about other cultures. After spending several weeks in Thailand, I pay better attention to ethnic foods and dress.

You only have a finite amount of time to live; don't miss the important. As Paulo Coelho wrote, "You can become blind by seeing each day as a similar one. Each day is a different one; each day brings a miracle of its own. It's just a matter of paying attention to this miracle."

Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is Professor Emeritus of Speech Communication, College of Informatics, Northern Kentucky University, near Cincinnati. You can contact him at 800.727.6520. He presents keynotes and seminars to corporations and associations whose people want to speak and listen effectively. Visit his site to read other valuable articles on effective speaking and listening.

The Gaffe: A Trap Waiting for All Speakers

The word "gaffe" seems to be in print in increasing numbers. When you participate in political campaigns or when any person speaks frequently and is followed by the press, the possibility for gaffes is great. A gaffe is an embarrassing mistake you make in public. Another definition is a blatant mistake or misjudgment, or a social or diplomatic blunder.

History has a litany of gaffes. George Romney, father of Mitt, was a leading contender for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination until September 4, 1967, when he told a Detroit reporter that he had been "brainwashed" by American generals into supporting the Vietnam War effort. His candidacy never recovered.

On the campaign trail in Beaverton, Oregon, in May, 2008, then Senator Obama said, "Over the last 15 months, we've traveled to every corner of the United States. I've now been in 57 states?  I think one left to go." This definitely fit the "blatant mistake" definition of gaffe.

Most recently, Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry, debating in Rochester, Michigan, on November 9 declared that he planned to eliminate three government agencies in Washington. But when he began to explain, he could only think of two and after nearly a minute went by he had to say, "Sorry. Oops."  This lapse on national television did not help his candidacy.

What can you do to avoid the gaffe? Certainly you could just not speak in public. But that is not a practical solution. The key is appropriate preparation of what you plan to say—even if you do not know the questions or context you might be in.

Prepare yourself physically. Get enough sleep the night before you speak and eat healthy foods. The campaign trail, for example, is exhausting and can hinder the ability to think clearly. In the l952 gubernatorial campaign of Frank Clement of Tennessee, he spoke as many as 16 times a day in the last days of the campaign. Exhaustion was inevitable. JFK in the 1960 campaign spoke so often he had chronic laryngitis and had to seek speech therapy help and skip a few crucial campaign days to recover.

Think about questions that may be asked of you and how you will answer them. If you know your subject well and how it relates to current situations, you can anticipate many of the questions so you won't be caught off guard. According to a book by Dan Rather, The Camera Never Blinks, prior to a press conference President Kennedy would call in his White House staff to grill him on questions the press would probably ask. Thus he was rarely blindsided when speaking to the public.

Don't be afraid to pause a moment or two when asked a question. Those 2 or 3 seconds give you valuable time to consider your response. Don't just blurt out anything that comes to mind as soon as the question is asked. What you say cannot be taken back, so the few seconds to think can save you embarrassment and a loss of credibility.

Finally, don't talk too much. Keep your comments short and concise. Don't take a minute to give an opinion when you could say the same information is ten seconds. The longer you elaborate the more possibilities you have for committing a gaffe. As my mother-in-law used to say, "Don't tell all you know." 

The gaffe is inevitable if you speak frequently and over a long period of time. Whatever technique you incorporate, at the foundation of our approach should be the reminder from Robert Benchley, "Drawing on my fine command of language, I said nothing."

Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is Professor Emeritus of Speech Communication, College of Informatics, Northern Kentucky University, near Cincinnati. He presents keynotes and seminars to corporations and associations whose people want to speak and listen effectively and coaches local executives. Visit his site to read other valuable articles on effective speaking and listening.

Coaching for a Specific Presentation

Last week an article in the Wall Street Journal, "Improving Your, Um, You Know, Public Speaking,”  caught my eye. Several speech coaches/consultants were interviewed on how to improve one's presentation skills, making excellent suggestions. One method not mentioned is coaching for a specific presentation.

            In my thirty years of coaching/consulting one-on-one, one of the most effective and challenging situations is the executive who comes to me for help on a specific presentation he/she is delivering within a few weeks or days. This session is effective because with the presentation so close at hand the client has great motivation to practice. The coaching is challenging because of the urgency to be excellent both in delivery and content. Usually a part of the content does not fit or sound right; if so, I can give an objective reaction to the speaking situation since I am responding for the first time. I put myself in the audience and provide input that can be implemented immediately.

            One executive whom I have met with several times over the past decade is an excellent speaker, but he feels that one coaching session a couple of weeks ahead of a specific speaking occasion gives him an edge. He realizes that one tip or an addition or omission of one sentence can make the difference in a good presentation and an excellent one.

            Today's technology allows high-quality filming and minimal equipment for the one-on-one session. I use a flip camera and a small tripod and then play it back on my laptop. I often email the piece to the client to watch the clips several times before the speaking engagement.

            This coaching session just prior to the engagement gives realism to the situation that allows me to suggest a current event that might give the content more relevance. The speaker is often aware of a less than interesting section that must be included and seeks help on a story or one liner to give the point a little "oomph."

            Sometimes we may go over one section several times and play back each time to see places to improve or change content. The client is very willing to do this because of the importance of the material and the upcoming event.

            Usually by this time the client knows what proceeds or follows his/her presentation so we can work on ways to transition to the presentation or to have a stronger ending because of what follows the presentation. For example, if the speech is just before lunch, you might have an ending that easily transitions into lunch. If the speech is first on the agenda after lunch, you might want to have more punch in the opening ten minutes because the audience may be a little lethargic after eating a full meal.

            Any coaching session is going to be useful. However, a coaching session in preparation for a specific occasion gives the coach and client opportunities to improve that are not afforded when you are working on presentation skills in general.

Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is Professor Emeritus of Speech Communication, College of Informatics, Northern Kentucky University, near Cincinnati. He presents keynotes and seminars to corporations and associations whose people want to speak and listen effectively and coaches local executives. Visit his site to read other valuable articles on effective speaking and listening.

The Turtle on the Fence Post

Alex Haley, author of Roots, kept on the wall of his office a picture of a turtle sitting on a fence. To him, the image held a powerful lesson. His explanation: "If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know he had some help." 

I think that is especially true of the effective presenter. Becoming a competent presenter requires help. To become effective, you need others to give you feedback and advice on how to improve. This is important because you are not in the audience to hear yourself speak; you have to rely on the feedback of those who listen. Certainly, there is benefit in watching yourself on video, but this is not the same as getting actual audience members telling you what they saw and felt as you were speaking.

If there is not an organized method of audience feedback, then choose someone you know who will be in the audience to critique your speech. If there is a person in the audience who has heard other speakers in the past, ask how you compare to previous ones.

Choose a coach to give you suggestions. This can be a presentations trainer or someone who has heard you speak several times and knows your style and topic well. My wife is an invaluable resource for me. She is willing to give me honest and specific feedback since she has heard me speak a few hundred times. She is especially helpful in vocabulary selection. She can revise the structure and word choice of an idea that usually makes me think, "Why couldn't I have thought of that?"  Your person might be a member of Toastmasters who has had a lot of experience in critiquing speakers.

When you hear an excellent presenter, ask that person who has helped him or her along the way. I guarantee the response will not be, "Oh, I just kept trying different ways until I thought it worked."  Instead there will be a particular person or an audience he or she addressed where the feedback “made me change the way I spoke,” or a name of someone “who made me aware of a few things I had not been doing.”

For example, one of the greatest regional speakers in the 20^th century was Governor Frank Clement of Tennessee. His speaking was the subject of my doctoral dissertation many years ago. A major influence on his speaking was his sister, Annabelle.

In addition, a major speechwriter for Ronald Reagan who influenced the content of his speeches was Peggy Noonan, now an author and Wall Street Journal columnist.

Outstanding speakers must have help to achieve excellence. Don't become too caught up in your ability to speak. Remember the turtle on the fence post.

Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is Professor Emeritus of Speech Communication, College of Informatics, Northern Kentucky University, near Cincinnati. He presents keynotes and seminars to corporations and associations whose people want to speak and listen effectively. Visit his site to read other valuable articles on effective speaking and listening.

Strengthening Your Speech by Quoting Others

When someone says or writes something powerful or memorable, you might think, “Why couldn’t I say it like that?”  Well, you can!  Jot down the quotation and the author. When you want to include that thought, say it exactly as the person expressed the idea so powerfully—and give that person credit for the statement.

          Strengthen your speech by quoting others. As Michel de Montaigne said, “I quote others only the better to express myself.”

            I have found great quotations from all kinds of sources:  from books and speeches to tour guides and my daughter-in-law. Gina has a knack for saying things in unique and memorable ways. One of her great lines is “Never mess with a happy baby.”  Tour guides repeat the same speech several times a day and have learned to hone their spiels. One New Zealand tour guide said as we got off the bus for our first break, “Remember, the difference between a passenger and a hitchhiker is about two minutes.” 

          Beth Vogt posts a daily blog, "In Others' Words," that can supply you with interesting quotations and thoughts to accompany them.

          Always relate the statement to the point you are making. The point should not be the quotation, but rather the quotation should support the point. When I stress the importance of reading books, I quote Descartes, who wrote, “The reading of all good books is like conversations with the finest men and women of past centuries.” 

          Your credibility is critical in speaking. Thomas Jefferson said, “Nothing is more confusing than people who give good advice but set bad examples.”  In seeking to help people understand the importance of humor and the lighter side of life, Alan Alda in his autobiographical Never Have Your Dog Stuffed wrote, “The difference between comedy and tragedy is that in a comedy, people usually get what they want; in a tragedy, they get what they deserve.”

          Use a quotation to begin or end a presentation. Use a special statement to help the audience visualize better. Use a line as a change of pace from your own content.

          You may think as you read this, “Well, Steve, this is pretty much just common sense.”  However, as Stephen Covey wrote, “Just because something is common sense does not make it common practice.”

 

Top Ten "Must-Reads"

I can't stress the importance of reading books without suggesting some books to read!  Since I have averaged reading 75 books a year for the past fifteen years, I have some strong opinions. Some books may not be the most popular but they are great reads. All I list here are non-fiction because these contain the human interest stories and ideas that can easily be incorporated in speeches and conversations.   

 

        

 

 

 

 

 

 

   But I love fiction, too. My favorite fiction writers are Harlan Coben, Robert Parker, Michael Connelly, Lee Child, Jeffery Deaver, and Barry Eisler. I have never read a dull book by any of the above. If you would like more good fiction/
mystery writers, email me and I'll send a second list of recommended authors.

            My Top Ten "must-reads,” alphabetical by author, include:

• Never Have Your Dog Stuffed by Alan Alda. You may think of Mash when you hear his name, but this book is so entertaining and well-written you can't put it down.
• The Perfect Mile by Neal Bascomb is the story of Roger Bannister breaking the four-minute mile, which many thought would never happen. The account of the race is breathtaking.
• Salvation on Sand Mountain by Dennis Covington. A reporter for The New York Times got so caught up in covering the murder trial of a snake-handling preacher in Alabama that he wrote a book about snake-handling as a religious practice in the hills of the South. I learned about a sub-culture that I did not know existed.
• Going Solo by Roald Dahl, a gifted writer for both children and adults, is a series of short autobiographical stories. His ability to describe and create suspense is masterful.
• Try Giving Yourself Away by David Dunn was first published in 1947 and reprinted in 1987. This is one of the first how-to books I read years ago, and I still refer to it when I need a boost on the importance of serving others for your own happiness and well-being.
• The Luck Factor by Max Gunther is a marvelous little book on how luck comes your way the more you become acquainted with various people. Although it was not hyped as that when this book was published in 1977, this is one of the first books on networking.
• Sandy Koufax:  A Lefty's Legacy by Jane Leavy is not only the captivating story of one of the greatest major league pitchers of all time, but also demonstrates what commitment to principles and hard work can produce. He played in the majors 12 years and retired at 30—one of the youngest ever to do so.
• And Never Stop Dancing by Gordon Livingston is a series of short essays on his life philosophies. I love the title, and the chapter titles remind us of common sense principles told in creative and thought-provoking ways.
• Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer was the beginning of a plethora of books on heroic human fights against nature. This is a view of mountain climbing that is breathtaking and you don't even have to climb to get the feeling.
• Against Death and Time by Brock Yates chronicles one year in the history of racecar driving. The story is told through the daredevil lives of several young men, young because they never lived to old age.

            This is the list. Testimony to how I feel about them is that I kept these ten for my own library instead of giving them away or donating them to the public library as I usually do. Have at it!

            What non-fiction books would you add to this list? Comment so the rest of us can profit from your reading experiences.

Engage Your Audience!

In a recent presentation skills workshop, when I asked the ten people to tell what they wanted from the workshop, I was surprised to hear that over half wanted to learn ways to engage the audience. I realized I had not planned on giving enough attention to this important element of presentation skills. So before the day was over, I shared some ways to do that. Bruce Springsteen said it well about engaging the audience: “The life of a rock and roll band will last as long as you look down and can see yourself, and your audience looks up at you and can see themselves.” 

          We are not musicians but speakers; thus we may have to work harder at making the connection with our audiences. One way is physically to move into the audience. When I stress a point, I may take two or three steps toward the listeners. This action lets them know that I want to make sure they are with me as I share this information.

          Another method is to involve the audience in some activity to process the point you are making. This can be very simple. For example, when I talk about goals or priorities or how a person should spend his or her time, I will sometimes use the following activity.

          Each person gets a blank piece of paper to tear into four equal quadrants. I say, “On each quadrant, write something that you hold of great personal value.”  Then I have them fan the four pieces out as they would a deck of cards.  I say, “Wad up the least important of the four to throw away.” Then among the three, they choose the one that is least important. When two are left, they choose the one most important. This dramatizes the difficulty in choosing what is important in life and how we will spend our time. At this point, the audience has been a part of the content of the speech.

          A third way to engage the audience is ask participants’ opinions on the idea you are discussing. I often talk about stage fright and I will sometimes start the discussion by asking them first if they experience stage fright. Most will answer that they do and then I’ll ask what their symptoms are. This results in an energetic give and take with the audience about the different ways we show anxiety when we are about to speak. That engagement allows me to move into good techniques on controlling too much anxiety.

          These three ways can help engage the audience so that they feel a part of developing your successful presentation.   

Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is Professor Emeritus of Speech Communication, College of Informatics, Northern Kentucky University, near Cincinnati. He presents keynotes and seminars to corporations and associations whose people want to speak and listen effectively. See additional articles and resources at www.sboyd.com. To book Steve, call 800-727-6520 or email him through his website.

 

Communicating Through an Impasse

            The impasse in Washington over the debt ceiling demonstrates how hard negotiations can be. This is probably the most difficult kind of interpersonal communication to engage in. Too often our emotions intervene and we can’t get over our emotional hump to reach a win/win situation.

            Here are some tips on how to negotiate successfully.

            Don’t use emotional language. Don’t say how awful or dumb the other person’s idea is. Instead ask an open question or use a non-judgmental comment such as, “There might be another way of looking at our issue that I’d like to share.” 

            Stress what you can agree on. For example, we all want our economy to remain secure, no matter what political party we represent. We might even agree that we don’t want to go into more debt. But how we go about achieving these goals is where we are struggling to reach a reasonable solution.

            Have a cooling off period. If emotions get too high, take a break. Go get lunch or set a time for the next day or next week. Name-calling or certain words used such as wouldn’t or couldn’t or shouldn’t may indicate it is time for a break in the discussions.         

            Develop as much specific support as you can for your position. The more effective you are in providing evidence from a variety of sources for your position, the more likely the group can reach a satisfactory solution for everyone. Using strong evidence raises the bar for everyone to provide sound reasoning for a point of view.     

            Keep a positive and upbeat approach to the issue. Make it clear that you are sure a resolution can be reached and that everyone has the interest of all involved. Include statements like, “I know when we work through this, our organization will be much stronger because of the conversations we are having currently.”

            Keep the discussions limited to the people who are involved in the decision-making process. Don’t go public with the discussion until you have reached agreement. Usually when participants go public with the content of the negotiations, not much is happening to resolve the issue. Not hearing anything about the discussions may indicate a resolution to the issue is being made.

            Listen more than you talk. Seek to get as much information as you can to better able to assimilate the different points of view and eliminate the impasse. When I listen, I develop my credibility in the eyes of the person talking and thus increase my own chances of being heard when I do speak.  An excellent way to insure that you are listening more than you are talking is about asking good questions that require the other people to talk.

            Get to know the other person personally. President Obama and Majority leader John Boehner recently played golf together. This can’t help but create a bond beyond the negotiating table.

            I’m convinced that a resolution will be reached—or may already have been reached by the time you read this. One major reason is that all involved have the best interests of our country at heart.

Stephen D. Boyd, Ph.D., CSP, is Professor Emeritus of Speech Communication, College of Informatics, Northern Kentucky University, near Cincinnati. He presents keynotes and seminars to corporations and associations whose people want to speak and listen effectively. Visit his site to read other valuable articles on effective speaking and listening.