When It's Time for Plan B

Power Point is not the Devil

2009-11-11T11:26:00.001-08:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

View more presentations from guestbce1265.

I was cruising the aisles of the business section at Barnes and Noble yesterday in search of new alluring book titles and came across a book on leadership and presentations that looked interesting. I opened it up to the table of contents and noticed a section on PowerPoint so I turned to the page indicated where I read "how many of you have ever left a presentation and said 'Wow he/she has a great PowerPoint!'? No one right?" The writer went on to suggest that great leaders don't need Power Point for a great presentation. That may be true in some cases. But to then make the assumption that no one has ever been moved by a great Power Point? Well, I respectfully disagree.

Slides in a presentation have the ability to create a visual experience that a stand alone speaker could never achieve no matter how amazing her language choices might be. That is just the truth of the matter. Millie and I recognize the place of our slides--to provide visual impact to our message--and we design them accordingly. On many occasions our workshop and presentation attendees have commented on how great our slides were and well, I humbly agree. We work HARD at it. Millie has spent an hour on one slide before trying to strike just the right tone with the slide and I can't count the endless hours we have spent looking for just the right image. Why?

Because seeing is powerful.

Because the research is conclusive: people are more likely to remember a message when all their senses are employed.

Because audiences want a multi sensory experience.

Because audiences have a shorter attention span and are more likely to zone out without something to look at.

Because Because Because

Slides are not bad.

The people who design them are usually bad at designing slides.

If you have never left a presentation and said "Her Power Point rocked" you would certainly know it when one did in fact, well, rock. It would make an impact. You would sit up and take notice.

Slides are not going to go away.

People are going to keep using Power Point.

And we are glad for it, because it allows us to work with our clients to help them design slides that, well Rock.

I have a few slides above to illustrate my point. Could you do a better job with words to tell the story that the image so nicely tells on it's own? Take the toy soldiers for example. It is just the perfect representation of the idea we wanted to communicate and for our audience the image is a throwback to their days as kids playing in the backyard with their little toy soldiers. Without it, we might have said "You know it's like when you had all those little toy soldiers you used to play with when you were little..." and it might have gotten a few smiles but the IMAGE is way more powerful isn't it?

I shall not throw the book under the bus I read because I did not read the whole thing and I suspect there is probably some great advice inside the book. But suggesting that great leaders who are great speakers don't use Power Point or Slides in their presentations is just flat out wrong.

Just ask Steve Jobs.....

What ideas are sticky for you?

2009-10-27T16:47:00.000-07:00

We continue our conversation about sticky ideas today by looking a new ad campaign I find sticky. Recently I have found myself not skipping the new Intel commercials. The two we included here are SO sticky. Why?

Well first they are quite simple. "Our Rock Stars aren't like your Rock Stars" and "Our Jokes aren't like your Jokes" is so simple and yet packs a lot of punch. They are also unexpected. When you think Intel what do you think? Well I don't think about clever, funny, imaginative or cutting edge. I think boring technical computer stuff. But this new ad campaign is less than boring.

Next the ads are concrete because they reference things I am already familiar with--rock stars and jokes. I understand those concepts. By suggesting their rock stars and jokes are different from my rock stars and jokes I feel like they are giving me the opportunity to know them better. We share some common ground--we both like rock stars and jokes right?

Finally the commercials tell a good story. The rock star one is a perfect story. We have all seen the crowds of adoring fans waiting for their favorite band to pass by so they can swoon. Only this time, the rock star is the most unlikely fellow we could imagine--Ajay Bahht, co-inventor of the USB. Wow!

So what do you find sticky?

Leave your comments below. To leave a comment simply press on comments.

Are you Sticky?

2009-10-26T10:23:00.000-07:00

In our lunch, learn and LEAD workshop with our friends at VLK this week we are looking in great depth at how to generate sticky ideas for our presentations. I am hoping to get some feedback leading up to Friday that will help us to wrap our head around the concepts of sticky ideas. One of the most profound, yet simple ideas that comes out of Chip and Dan Heath's book "Made to Stick" is "The Curse of Knowledge" heretofore referred to as: CofK. Ok... The CofK concept is pretty elegant in it's description--Once we know something, it is hard to imagine what it was like to not know it. Done. Millie and I have to remember this when teaching presentation and slide design. We have years of experience doing this--most people don't. So we have to carefully construct our messages to fit the experiences of our audience.

Now, if you have ever had to suffer through the pains of helping your little person with multiplication you can understand CofK at work. As an adult, with years of experience multiplying numbers, we have all learned the little tricks that help us to multiple even the most difficult of numbers. Just the other night I was working with my daughter on 7, 8, and 9. I was hoping the pattern that emerges when multiplying with the number 9 would be obvious. You know it right?

9 18 27 36 45 54 63 72 81 90 99 108 117 126 135 144 153 162 171 180

Do you see the pattern?

You probably do.

The number in the ten's place is going up as we climb to 90 and it is going down in the one's place. When we get to 99, we start over again and the tens place goes up one while the one's place goes down one.

But my daughter did not see the pattern on her own.

And this made me frustrated. How could she not see it?

Because I am familiar with the CofK I was good to remember that I probably didn't figure out the pattern on my own either (I'm no rainman mind you) and it is more likley that an adult pointed it out to me. And with that realization I was able to then modify my instruction to her to accommodate for the fact that she does not have the same knowledge base as I do.

So, I am wondering--how does the CofK get in the way of your messages? Consider for example if you work in a highly specialized industry. Do you tend to take for granted that not everyone knows the same things you know? (Computer People can be among the worst! Sorry but it's true!)

Leave your replies below. And good luck conquering the mighty CofK (cue dun dun dun music).

Tomorrow's post will get you thinking about what messages and ideas are sticky to you. Start looking around and considering for example commercials, logos, advertising campaigns, packaging, etc. All of these are places where ideas should be sticky (and often are not!)

Until then, have a great (rainy) Monday

The Cost of Self Delusion

2009-10-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

I am about half way through "What Got you Here Won't Get you there" by Marshall Goldsmith, a pretty good read on how to break some of our worst habits to reach our full potential. There is not, so far, anything revolutionary in his list of bad habits that hold us back but I am always a fan of repetition to reinforce some of those hard learned lessons. I have paused to put down here a great thought from this very book, found on p. 134.

"Your flaws at work don't vanish when you walk through the front door at home"

that is worth typing again

"YOUR FLAWS AT WORK DON'T VANISH WHEN YOU WALK THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR"

I hear people I work with tell me all the time "I am different outside of the work place" and honestly, I have a pretty tough time believing them. The area I struggle most with in my life is organization. I know that about me. Thank goodness I have Millie as my business partner because she helps me with that by 1. being very organized herself and 2. gently reminding me of things I should be paying attention to but have failed to do. "But I am not that way at home". Yeah right.

Goldsmith tells of a Gordon Gekko like character he worked with who was VERY successful financially but a disaster in his professional relationships. Essentially everyone he worked with hated the man. When Goldsmith sat down with him to address this flaw, the guy's response to him was "Oh that is just me at work, I don't act like that at home". So Goldsmith got his wife on the phone who literally burst out laughing at her husbands self delusional statement. I think the word she used was "jerk" to describe him at home. Just for good measure, Goldsmith got his kids on the phone too. And they corroborated her story. OUCH!

My point? Pay attention to the complaints you receive at home, and there is a good chance that those are the very qualities that are holding you back not just in your personal relationships but in your professional relationships too. May Angelou once said "When people show you who they are, believe them". I would add to that--if they show you to be one thing at work, they are likely the same way at home--and vice versa.

Take a week and write down all the comments that people make about you. Even the comments your kids make (ouch!) Write down the good with the bad. At the end of the week, sit down and see if any patterns emerge from the "passing remarks". Then make a plan to do better.

You Gotta Start Em' Early

2009-10-01T06:36:00.000-07:00

My daughter is running for student council today at her school. I don't know if she will win the election as the politics in the 5th grade are just brutal! She asked me to help her prepare her speech and I thought I would share it here to illustrate how I can even apply the principles I teach to a 10 year old's speech to her classmates.

Maddie was a little nervous while she was practicing her speech so I did what I have done for countless other people--I gave her some stage directions. I put them in all capital letters and inside brackets so she would know not to read that out loud! As she practiced her biggest challenge was to not read too fast
(DON’T READ TOO FAST! SLOW) Did you know that a survey I read said people are more scared of giving a speech than of death? Seriously? but I want to run for student council and that means giving a speech.... so here I go.

Maddie had three ideas on why people should vote for her. We used this one as the first because it has the smallest impact. I tried to inject a little humor but who knows with ten year olds if they will laugh at my little attempt at humor. Yeah--I could have told her to just burp really loud--kids love that stuff--but I don't believe in pandering.
(REMEMBER TO MAKE EYE CONTACT)
First of all I think I will do a GREAT job on the maverick morning news. i love watching the news and I think it would be fun to be the newscaster. Have you seen Katie Couric on the TV news? Well I want to be the 5th grade Katie Couric!

(BREATHE, SMILE)
I also like helping other people and I think student council is a great way to serve our school by helping students and people in our community too.

I thought this was the best of Maddie's ideas so we put it last. The idea is a direct connection to the posters she made to hand up around the school. Maddie Spears is Mint and she put packages of spearmint gum all over the poster. It was pretty cute and apparently a hit because all the kids wanted to know if they could have a piece if they vote for her.
The last thing is something I think is a really good idea. Ever wish you could chew gum at school? Well I think we should change twin day to “Double Mint Twin Day”. You would still dress like your friend and be twins but the best part? You get to chew gum in school....ALL DAY LONG! I think that would be really cool.

This was Maddie's idea--I didn't inject a transparent appeal to the audience, she did it herself. You probably have some great ideas too for things we could do at our school. If you vote for me I hope you will tell me your great ideas and I will try and make them happen!

We really struggled here. I had some clever ideas but Maddie vetoed all of them because they were lame and stupid. Her words. So we settled on something pretty simple.
Well I didn’t die huh? My mom said I need a conclusion so here is what I can up with: “If you like a girl with great ideas and want just one day to chew gum at school then vote for Maddie!” (SMILE)

To compliment the speech I made her a T Shirt that says "Vote for Maddie" on the front and "I want to be your DoubleMint Twin" on the back and did black and green to match her gum packets.

Will she win? Who knows. I am more proud that she can get up in front of a crowd and articulate her ideas. She is a pretty great kid and if mom and dad could vote she would be a shoe in. 5th graders are a pretty fickle bunch. But in the end, we had fun working on the posters and speech and win or lose, she is still a great kid.

Chicken Soup is Delicious

2009-09-15T11:29:00.001-07:00

I begin first with an admission: I have never read a Chicken Soup for the Soul book. I love a great inspirational story but here's the deal. When I get those kinds of stories in an email, I tend to dismiss them as made up drivel and find myself saying "Seriously?" or "Give me a break". So, when someone recommended the book "The Success Principles" by co-creator of the the Chicken Soup book series Jack Canfield I thought "Um, pass...." But the glowing review that my acquaintance gave the book challenged me to check it out despite my crankiness toward the whole Chicken Soup series idea.

And yes, as you probably expected--I was wrong to be so stubborn and mean spirited about Mr. Canfield's books. If they are as good as The Success Principles then count me in. (Mental note: Pick up Chicken Soup for the Soul next time I am out and about)

The Success Principles are the nice kick in the butt I needed to finish out the final months of 2009 and stay inspired to continue to deliver quality training and development programs to our current clients, and find new clients who have a need for the services we deliver. I have marked up a lot of the book but the section that really zapped me was his discussion of F E A R. I doubt there is anyone who is not held back in some part of their life because of this little four letter word. In fact, in our public speaking workshops and presentation coaching it is F E A R that limits so many of our participants.

Canfield cleverly refers to fear as FANTASIZED EXPERIENCES APPEARING REAL. And it is our fear that keeps us from truly being successful. So--what is your fear? Mine is rejection. I hate feeling rejected and that keeps me from going out into the world and asking for new business. But I am learning to do it. I love what I do and the only way I can continue is by growing what I've got. And that means asking. And that means getting over my fear.

If your fear is public speaking, confrontation, dealing with your boss, going back to school to pursue your REAL dream, asking that special someone out, telling your kids NO!, finally having that sit down with a distant parent use this short and simple exercise from Canfield's book

I want to ____________, and I scare myself by imagining ______________.

By completing the sentence you are taking away some of the power of your fears. You are taking control for your own destiny by acknowleding that your fear is imagined. Let's say for a moment that your fear is real. Yes--I am going to get rejected by some of the people I ask for their business. But if I re-write my interpretation of these seeming rejections as getting me closer to a YES! then my fear is rendered meaningless.

What is your fear keeping you from?

In Canfield's book he peppers each chapter with some great quotes. My favorite is a fitting close:

"Progress always involves risk; you can't steal second base and keep your foot on first" Frederick Wilcox

A Respectful Distance . . .

2009-08-18T12:56:00.000-07:00

One of the perils of my job is that I could be accused of being a bit of a dork. For instance, one part of my job is to understand and explain how and why people communicate in the ways that they do. One of the ways that people communicate is through their use of space and I'll admit that how people use space is a source of constant fascination to me.

For instance, take the other day when I saw a Dallas police officer who was having a chat with a (rather portly) panhandler in a very busy intersection in Dallas. The officer had pulled his car along the sidewalk and was talking to the panhandler through his passenger window. The panhandler was standing on the far side of the sidewalk (as far away from the police car as possible without leaving the sidewalk) and had positioned himself so that he was almost even with the front tire of the police car. The officer had to lean all the way into the passenger seat and all the way forward just to talk to the guy.

As I sat at the red light watching this interchange, it struck me that the panhandler was using space to lessen the police officer's control of the situation. He was making life just a little bit hard for the cop without being overtly disrespectful.

While I sat there (it was a really long light), the panhandler shuffled up the sidewalk just a bit so that he was pretty much even with the front bumper of the car. At this point, he actually took control of the situation because the cop could not continue the conversation without either leaning completely across the car and out the passenger window or pulling forward. He chose to pull forward and thus surrendered a little bit more of his power to the panhandler.

Clearly, the police officer was still in a one-up position in terms of the power dynamics of the interchange, but the panhandler significantly diminished the officer's power status through nothing more than a shuffle of the feet.

Want the job?

2009-08-12T09:31:00.001-07:00

So I am sitting at Starbucks, again. It really is amazing what we see and hear at this coffee meeting spot. Over the years I have witnessed a number of job interviews take place over a cup of coffee and my little rabbit ears always try and well, eavesdrop on the conversation. Am I nosy? Yes. But that really isn't the reason I pay so much attention to the conversation. I pay attention because I teach this "stuff" and I am always intrigued to listen in on real life interviews. Right now, just to my right, there is an interview happening between two women. I wish I could whisper a few things to the interviewee. One--don't talk so darn much. Yes--you wold think that in an interview you should just talk talk talk talk and then talk some more. You are trying to sell yourself right? But the truth is you need to balance how much talking you do with how much you are listening. You can provide yourself with some listening time with a few well planned questions. Well planned questions do a couple of things. One--it indicates you have done your homework. Two--it allows the other person "shine" a little by telling you what they know.

Now if I could just run her across to the mall and help her put together a knock em' dead interview outfit......

Nose Hair is no small detail

2009-08-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

For those of you that know me personally or professionally you know that I work at Starbucks a lot. Standing in line this morning to order my tall iced coffee with two pumps of vanilla I was confronted by grossness. What kind you ask? The kind involving the nose. And Hair. Nose Hair to be exact. This man, who I am sure is highly adequate in his job, was suffering from an overgrowth of nose hair. Now I try to not judge a book by it's cover but well....I tend to judge a book by it's cover. It's true. If this was not the case, actual book covers themselves would not be so important in determining whether or not the book gets read or not.
According to www.bookmarket.com, the quality of the book cover does indeed make a difference in whether or not we pick up the book and more importantly, buy it. Now let's extend the metaphor shall we? The same can be said for picking a contractor, consultant, doctor, attorney, accountant--well anyone. And our "book cover " if you will is HOW WE LOOK. Personal grooming is a big part of that package. Men--overgrown nose hair is a no no. Giant Cattepillar Eyebrows (a la Bobby Knight) is again, a no no. Don't get me started on ear hair.

Now, if I can find a way to let Mr. Hair Nose know this.....

It's Not Rocket Surgery . . .

2009-08-10T08:43:00.000-07:00

I was driving (really fast, cause that's how I roll) on my way to meet Libby this morning (to work really hard, cause that's . . . well, you know) and I zoomed past a pickup with a logo on it that actually provoked thought! I kid you not! I slowed down and let the pickup catch up with me so I could take a second look.

It wasn't actually the logo that caught my eye, it was the tagline, "Hey, it's not rocket surgery." The company is Logix Communications (a Houston-based firm) that is pretty nondescript as far as I can tell from their website, but their tagline indicates a sense of humor and personality that is just the kind of thing I look for in companies that I patronize. It made such an impression on me that as soon as I got to my office (Starbucks), I opened up my computer and looked them up.

The sad part? I can't find their tagline anywhere on the website. It seems that their marketing/branding strategy is not terribly well integrated. Still, their approach to branding was enough to get them written up in the Bravo blog and, let's be honest, that's a pretty high honor.

-- Millie Shaw

The Importance of getting BUY-in from your people

2009-03-10T10:36:00.000-07:00

I don't watch the mainstream news very often but decided over lunch to turn on CNN newsroom and see what all was going on. Of course 99% of the stories are about the state our economy. Go figure. The state of Virginia was highlighted in a nice story about how they would use their stimulus money ($4 billion) to improve their state. Residents have been asked to offer their ideas on line about how they would use the money. Many requests are purely out of one's own self interests but from the 8,000 submissions Governor Tim Kaine has gotten some great ideas on the direction of their state's future. The struggling college student who has asked for the state to purchase her a car probably won't get what she asked for, but at the same time she has been given a voice to throw in her ideas.

There is something to be learned here. In so many organizations, decisions that affect EVERYONE are made by a select few--those at the top and then implemented from top to bottom without ever considering the impact it will have on those who are affected by the decision. A great example to me are when our elected officials make decisions about public education but don't ask students, teacher, parents, school districts what they would do.

If you have made it to the top of the decision making food chain in your organization, don't dismiss the original and new ideas that others in the organization might have to offer. Likewise, don't underestimate the power of "buy in" for new decisions. If I feel like I had some input on the decision, whether my idea was adopted or not--I am more likely to be on board. Great parents know this. Now...for you cynics don't read into my comment. I am not saying "Make them think we value their ideas and then do what we want anyway". That is manipulative and inauthentic. And people see through that every time. You have to be GENUINELY interested in other people and their ideas.

When everyone is a part of the process then you are going to have an easier time getting buy in. Do you have to get everyone's input on every decision made? No. But judge according to the extent the decision will impact those who follow your lead. If you take the time to just ask yourself this question you will start to have a good idea about when you need to attempt to reach a consensus.

Now off to a family meeting on where we should vacation this summer.....

Language and Airplane Crashes: A Surprising Relationship

2009-01-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

I spent the day yesterday ignoring everyone. I couldn't help myself! I got hooked on a book and couldn't put it down! (Well, I couldn't stop listening to it, as I buy audiobooks so I can safely drive and read at the same time.) The book was Malcolm Gladwell's newest -- Outliers.

Outliers is a book that investigates the unacknowledged and powerful forces that impact the ability of individuals to be successful. Gladwell finds that it isn't simply that a particular person was smarter or worked harder than others. In fact, while being smart and working hard are almost always part of the bargain, Gladwell has found that everything from when you were born, where you grew up, who your parents are, and the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) impact of your culture have a lot to do with your success.

My experience reading Gladwell's work is pure joy with a heavy serving of fascination. How he manages to scare up so many interesting stories and weave the experiences of very different individuals together into a coherent narrative is well beyond me. That's the fascination part. The pure joy comes from seeing how the things that I study and teach (the impact of our communication patterns on our daily lives) play such a significant role in Gladwell's findings.

Take, for instance, the chapter entitled The Ethnic Theory of Plane Crashes. Gladwell's research shows that the problem with Korean Air, an airline with a dismal safety record up until the very late 90s, was not that their pilots were incompetent or their planes were unsafe. The problem was that the ways of communicating in Korean culture that had been passed down from much earlier generations prevented effective problem-solving communication between the captain and flight crew in the cockpit. Korea is a culture in which authority is highly revered. Because of the way the captain and crew related (the crew was expected to take care of the captain during layovers and breaks, even going so far as to cook meals and buy gifts for him), there was very little room for disagreement with the captain's decisions in flight. Gladwell notes that in one instance, a first mate was backhanded by the captain for incorrectly performing a procedure during flight!

Korean Air has turned itself around and is now among the safest airlines. They did this by implementing a new operations strategy that acknowledged the impact of traditional Korean culture and emphasized the importance of language in the relationships of the crew. Language was the key to transforming the culture of the flight crews from one of revered silence resulting in many crashes to respected colleagues who voice their opinions and end up landing safely every time. All Korean Air flight crews now use English (a language that doesn't worry so much about authority and position) in all communication with each other. And, they have explicitly addressed the expectations that are now in place for how pilots and their subordinates should address each other.

Outliers is a book that will motivate you to look beyond the obvious and examine how seemingly unrelated factors can have a significant impact on how you relate with others and the level of success you find in your own life. If for not other reason than that it is chock-full of great stories to tell at cocktail parties, I say that you must read it! I know I'll be using it a lot in my workshops from now on. So, if you'll be sitting in on them, maybe you shouldn't read it, that way all of my stories will be fresh and fun!

-- Millie Shaw

The Stories We Tell

2009-01-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

Just a quick heads-up! We recently posted a presentation on slideshare.net (a great resource for design inspiration and fascinating content), and it was chosen as a featured presentation!! Go Bravo!!

The Stories We Tell

View more presentations or upload your own. (tags: cc bravo)

The Inaugural Address

2009-01-20T07:06:00.000-08:00

Today Barak Obama will be sworn in as the 44th president of the United States of America. Many people, including myself have been waiting for the changing of the guard and I eagerly await watching him be sworn in as well as hearing his inaugural address.

I first saw Obama four years ago when he spoke at the Democratic National Convention. I had no clue who this guy with the funny name was but I knew in my heart that one day he would run for president and possibly even be elected. Little did I know it would be now! I received an email from a former student two weeks ago that said "when you showed us that speech Barak Obama gave at the National Convention, and you said he would be president I guess you knew what you were talking about". That was three years ago. That gave me chill bumps.

As a professional speaking coach, I spend a lot of my time evaluating speakers. One thing I know is that there is a very clear divide between style and substance. Obama has both. It seems that after eight years of Dubya people have become so used to an inarticulate president that some people actually CRITICIZED Obama for his amazing speaking style. Suddenly being a phenomenal speaker was something to be criticized.

So the lesson to be learned here is when we encounter someone in a public speaking setting it is important that we fully take in all the elements of the the occasion. We must evaluate the speaker him/her self and their content. If there is a lack of consistency between what the speaker says and what we know to be true about the speaker, the world, the facts then we have a problem.

Since Richard Nixon's shameful dissent from the presidency Americans have had an understandable problem with politicians. We can all count example after example of elected men and women telling us one thing and doing another. ("I did not have sexual relations with that woman") We have become jaded. Hard. Cynical.

Along comes a man whose message is consistent with his lifestyle. Where are the inconsistencies? I have found none that are substantive. When he says to you and I "I can't do this alone, we must all do it together" I hear the call. I feel proud. I feel American. I believe.

When he says "We aren't red states and blue states, we are the United States of America" I believe. I recognize the truth in the statement. I remember that the media and mean spirited political types have tried to polarize us but I resist their attempts.

When I see a man who is not only married but is partner to his wife, when I see a man who is a devoted father to his daughters, when I see a man holding the hand of his mother in law the night he was elected--I see where style and substance line up next to each other and I tell myself "this is true".

For that reason I am as excited about today's inaugural address as I have ever been about any other "big event". I feel the electricity coming through the television. I feel history in the making. And I am here for it.

We are all here for this day, this event, this moment. America made good on it's promise to one another that equality is more than rhetoric. Barak Obama points the way for all that we can be in our future. I will enjoy watching how the next year unfolds before us as a nation and how our new leader leads us into the next chapter of our nation's story.

The Creative Power of Constraints

2009-01-16T08:00:00.001-08:00

I don't know how this will impact my "professional image", but I have to say -- one of my favorite movies ever is Dumb & Dumber. I think it is one of the wittiest and most innovative movies and it certainly raised the bar for that type of comedy. But, that's not my point.

I watched the director's cut version of it the other day with high hopes of even more insane hilarity and I was very disappointed. Not only was it not any funnier, it actually dragged a little and got on my nerves. Have you ever gone to the special features on a dvd and watched the deleted scenes? I have never seen deleted scenes that I thought should have been left in the movie.

Thank God for editors!! Imagine if every director got to make movies as long as they wanted. We'd be going to 3 or 4 hour movies with about an hour's worth of scenes that would have been better left on the cutting room floor. I don't think I've ever heard someone leaving a movie theater saying, "Gee, I wish it had been a little longer."

Have you ever heard someone leaving a professional presentation who said that, either? When I watch the deleted scenes with director's commentary, I can tell that the directors really think their stuff is great. They don't have the distance and perspective of someone who is not intimately connected to their project. The same holds true for professional presentations -- you can tell that some speakers have put every single thing into their presentation because they think that everything is important. To paraphrase one of my husband's favorite sayings: "When everything's important, nothing's important."

The best speakers can feel passionately about their presentation and, at the same time, put themselves in the position of their audience. They can see the difference between "What's important to me?" and "What do I need to tell my listeners so that they can fully grasp the significance of my topic without being overwhelmed?" This process of thinking like your audience is the same as the editing process for films.

So, the next time you craft a presentation, put yourself in your listeners' seat and edit your content to fit their needs and perspective. And even though it may kill a little piece of your soul to remove some of your PowerPoint slides and information, you'll probably be doing your audience, and yourself, a big favor.

-- Millie Shaw

2009-01-12T16:04:00.000-08:00

Careful the words you choose

A recent meeting with a client led us to a discussion of the word expert. We come across it everyday and when it comes to persuading others--expertise can be a convincing argument right? Millie and I both resist the urge to call ourselves experts in our field because, honestly, we are not sure we qualify for such a lofty title. Expert to me suggests that someone has reached the mountaintop. And while the mountaintop is a great place to be--where else is there to go from there?

Allow a moment to consider my “expertise” as a public speaker and public speaking coach.

First, I was a goofy debate and speech nerd in high school. While my friends spent their weekends (unbeknownest to me) partying and listening to rock and roll music, I was traveling to schools all over Texas debating issues like prison overcrowding, retirement security and space exploration. To make it all the more exciting I also did foreign exptemporaneous speaking where I dazzled a classroom of judges on issues like apartheid in South Africa and nuclear proliferation in the former Soviet Union. Fascinating.

From there I earned a bachelor’s degree in communication studies and a master’s degree in communication studies as well. I peppered it with my PhD program in Information Science where I specialized in instructional communication and design. During that time I started teaching in the college classroom. Over ten years I estimate about 6,000 students have walked through my door and worked with me to become a better communicator.

I can’t count the number of articles I have written on the subject matter and workshops taught to corporate clients on improving their communication skills. If I try to count the books I have read on my subject matter I lose count.

So, I am an expert right?

Well......

No.

I don’t want you to call me an expert because it implies I know it all. And I don’t. Not even close. Do I know a lot more than the average bear? Yes. But that is because I have given my time and attention to this subject matter for a number of years. I have done that because I am passionate and a true believer. I LOVE public speaking. And I LOVE teaching people to be better public speakers and communicators in general.

Every year we get smarter. In 2008 Millie stumbled upon a little book called Zen Presentations and Poof! it forevermore changed the way we approach what we do. We practiced some of Garr Reynolds principles already but with his book we fully embraced a new way of thinking about slide design. From there, Slideology by Nancy Duarte was published and was a nice piggy back to Zen Presentations. Slideology put on the page many of the things that Millie and I knew were right but somehow having Nancy Duarte articulate it in her beautifully designed book suddenly gave us the energy and drive we needed to share it with our clients.

Don’t call me an expert. But you can call me:

A Storyteller

Passionate Teacher

Curious Learner

Engaging Speaker

Which brings us full circle--be careful the words you choose to talk about yourself. If your competition refers to itself as experts then let em’ have the word. Because there are far more interesting words to describe yourself that will have an impact on your audience as well. If someone that we wanted a contract with asked “Are you experts?” my answer might be:

“I hesitate with the word expert because it might imply I am done learning. We are well read, well researched and very well experienced in our field. And we get better at what we do every year. There are things that are always changing in our field too and we stay abreast of those changes so that you get a better quality product from us. Expert? Maybe. But instead we want you to think of us as engaging, curious, teacher, learner, excited and passionate”

Make a list now of the words you would use to describe yourself. How many of them are tired and worn out (the same words that everyone uses to describe themselves qualify in this category) and pin point what you can say about yourself that no one else can say.

If you do this, you will get closer to separating yourself from all the "experts"

2009-01-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

Read The Book!

For me, one of the primary ways I stay smart is through reading books. I thought I would start off Oh Nine! with some recommendations of books I read and throughly enjoyed in 2008 as well as share my list of books to read in the first ninety days of the new year.

This year I read some GREAT books. Here are a few recommendations for your bookshelf.

Brain Rules is a fascinating read about how our brains work and why we do the things we do. For us, it has informed us in our workshops when we talk

about what audiences pay attention to, what they remember and how that impacts presentation design.

For me, this was the best book I read in 2008. The information is relevant, interesting and applicable to what we do everyday--teaching people to communicate their ideas in a way that it sticks to people. The writers are two brothers and the sense of humor they bring to each and every page of the book is what held my interest. There are a number of memorable anecdotes which is a good thing--their book "Made to Stick" is sticky indeed.

What does it mean for a book to revolutionize a field? Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds has done just that by changing the way people think about slide design. For years we have gotten closer and closer to the principles that Reynolds teaches in this bible of slide design but this book was what really sent us into a new league. If you want your slides to stand out from

the rest, use this as your starting point.

Earlier this year Millie and I found a company called

Duarte Design on the Internet and loved the site. Later in the year, company co-founder, Nancy Duarte published her first book on slide and presentation design, Slide:ology, that has been a great add on to Presentation Zen. We like it so much that we are traveling to California in March for a dynamic duo workshop with her and Garr Reynolds to learn first hand how they approach slide design. We will be sure and follow up on our trip with you about what we learn.

The Next Ninety Days of Reading:

So in my quest to get smarter at what I do, I have made my list for the next ninety days. Here is what I am going to be reading:

This book has been on my list for quite a while now. I am

going to embrace my inner artist-doodler-sketcher person and embrace the principles in this book.

Why do people act irrationally? Good question. Sway examines this very question and poses some interesting ways of thinking about this idea. Using

modern day examples of people who have acted well... irrationally we learn the deep psychological influences that drive these very behaviors.

My final read for the next 90 days is going to be Outliers. By---Yep!

Malcolm Gladwell. I have had a lot of fun watching him show up on my favorite shows like The Colbert Report and reading articles about his new book Outliers. In Outliers Galdwell examines the question why is that some people have exceptional success? Are they themselves exceptional? Or is it simply right place, right time?

What are you reading in the next ninety days? Let us know and we will add it to our list!

Why My Job is So Hard . . .

2008-12-06T03:47:00.000-08:00

It's not just that people hate speaking in public. And most people do.

And it's not that people are immediately turned off when they hear about a new workshop they're required to attend (nothing like 4 hours in a room learning about speeches to really start the day off right!).

It's because of other people who teach public speaking skills and do dumb stuff like (no kidding -- I literally copy and pasted this from a professional speaking coach's blog):

"I use hats as an outline of my presentation. Let's say I was talking to a company about the past, present and future of their marketing. I might use one of those funny ball caps that has a long pony tail attached to it and talk about how when this company first started it was wild and carefree in it's marketing efforts.

I would put this funny cap on or have an audience member volunteer wear it. The humor really starts here and in many cases you don't have to say a word. The audience members may start picking on one of their male buddies who is bald or one of their short haired female colleagues who always wanted long hair."

Who thinks this is a good idea? What bald man out there wants to go to a workshop (on public speaking, no less) and get picked on to wear a stupid hat that a cheesy "public speaking coach" thought would add some visual interest to his presentation?

Puh-leeze.

It reminds me of that 80's movie where Sylvester Stallone saves the world with a strong arm and a backwards hat. Okay, he doesn't save the world, but he does bring an emotionally wrought and remarkably cheesy movie to a rather satisfying end . . .

Brainstorming for Grown-Ups

2008-11-13T11:25:00.000-08:00

Brainstorming is that thing that elementary school kids learn about so that they can develop their creative abilities and learn the value of working in small groups, right?

In my almost 8 years of teaching in the college classroom, I have never met students who either understood how brainstorming works or who were willing to engage in an actual brainstorming session. My findings continue to hold true despite the fact that I now work primarily with highly intelligent people who work in very successful businesses.

My non-scientific assessment of the problem is that many people don't trust that the effort will have sufficient rewards and others simply don't feel comfortable with the kind vulnerability required to throw out seemingly off-the-wall ideas to a group of their peers.

This topic has been on my mind for a while, but the importance of it was really cemented by a brainstorming session that Libby and I had last week when we were preparing a proposal for one of our clients. It was not planned and it happened in a very noisy Starbucks, but it worked.

I then ran across this article by Malcolm Gladwell and found my thoughts coming into focus. Gladwell's article follows dinosaur enthusiast and former high-level Microsoft researcher, Nathan Myhrvold, in his quest to literally generate insight. He's not so much interested in developing new technologies or products, his goal is to think them up. He started a company called Intellectual Ventures, hired the smartest people he knew, and then started having them get together for "invention sessions."

What I found fascinating is that these "invention sessions" are really just brainstorming sessions among remarkably intelligent and accomplished people. Here are a few things about brainstorming sessions that I have gleaned from the article:

1. They are informal sessions with no clear-cut goal: "There really aren't any rules . . . We may start out talking about refined plastics and end up talking about shoes, and that's O.K." These guys meet at the offices of Intellectual Ventures, but they also do things like talking over dinner. Notes Lowell Wood, who was a new member of the team: "We sat there. It was a long dinner. I thought we were lightly chewing the rag. But the next day the attorney comes up with eight single-spaced pages flagging thirty-six different inventions from dinner. Dinner."

2. They are meetings of individuals with a wide array of interest and expertise: A chemist, a neurosurgeon, a physicist, a couple of former Microsoft researchers, an electrical engineer, an attorney -- these are the backgrounds of some of the members of Myhrvold's team.

Gladwell notes, "They had different backgrounds and temperaments and perspectives, and if you gave them something to think about that they did not ordinarily think about—like hurricanes, or jet engines, or metastatic cancer—you were guaranteed a fresh set of eyes."

It's a great idea to get all of your colleagues, who do the same job and think about the same things, together for a brainstorming session. But, just imagine what might come out if you threw in a few wild cards . . .

3. They are the result of a great deal of knowledge and research: Despite the fact that these sessions lack a guiding outcome or structure, they are not simply a spur-of-the-moment occurrence, either. When the group is working on a particular topic or idea, they spend weeks doing research about what is already known and what is thought to be possible. They bring their informed opinions to the meetings and use them to build new ideas. This is how synergy happens.

It makes me realize that the brainstorming session that Libby and I had about how to structure our new Get Smart program could not have happened even a year ago. At that point, I knew too little about the industries with which we work to really be a good sounding board. I had to know what I was talking about before I could be a really useful brainstorming partner. But, the funny thing is that, every time we do this brainstorming stuff, we come up with something that really works. Or, as Gladwell points out: "Good ideas are out there for anyone with the wit and the will to find them, which is how a group of people can sit down to dinner, put their minds to it, and end up with eight single-spaced pages of ideas."

Practice Makes . . .

2008-10-27T17:09:00.000-07:00

My old high school basketball coach was so darn witty. "Practice doesn't make perfect!" he'd say. "Perfect practice makes perfect!" A saying which elicited many an eyeroll over the years. And yet, as is the case with much advice I got when I was young, it turned out to be right on the money.

In our public speaking workshops, we don't spend much time talking about how to practice your presentations. But, the how is a very important part of your success.

My basketball team was very successful. We won over 100 games in my 4 years of high school (alas, we did not achieve the ultimate -- state champions). We were ranked in the top 5 in the state at some point in every season. What was responsible for that success; other than my own assist and rebound skills? PRACTICE. (My coach's other favorite quote was, "Once you get the fundamentals down, everything else falls into place." ) We didn't just sit on the bleachers talking about what we were going to do when the game started. We ran -- a lot. Up and down the court -- passing, dribbling, free throws, plays. We practiced it all.

It's not as easy to identify the "fundamentals" of speech practice. Truth is, most people practice speeches in the "Everybody Wants to be a Rockstar, but No One Wants to go to Band Practice" way. (Click here for more on that.) We usually practice presentations by saying what we're going to say when we give the speech, rather than actually saying it. That way of practicing often causes us to "drop the ball" when we're in the real game.

To combat ineffective practice and encourage more successful presentation experiences, I constructed a plan for practicing presentations that breaks up the process into 4 definable sessions, with goals for each session. Here is a link to my Four-Day Practice Plan (it's a Millie original, so value it accordingly).

Remember, you don't get points for good intentions and elaborate plans. You only get points when you execute successfully. Practice execution of your brilliant ideas and when you get to the big game with all of the screaming fans, you'll prove my old coach right. Once again.

Blinded by the light . . .

2008-09-30T19:18:00.000-07:00

Or Why loving your message too much can make you a bad communicator

I was going to call this post "I found Jesus in my cappuccino" but I figured that might make some people stop reading.

I was witnessed to the other day. In a Starbucks, no less! I have to give props to the missionaries: two cheery girls who couldn't have been more than 20. I was struck by the sheer fervor of their testimony -- and the bulldog-esque nature of their unwillingness to let go once they had a good bite (I was the bite).

One of my favorite comedians, Jim Gaffigan, does a bit that perfectly illustrates my experience -

"I do want everyone to feel comfortable, that's why I'd like to talk to you about Jesus . . . It doesn't matter if you're religious or not, does anything make you feel more uncomfortable than some stranger goin' 'I'd like to talk to you about Jesus . . .'?"

The other thing that struck me about these girls was how little they seemed to care about me, their audience. It turned out that what they really wanted to do was perform their well-planned litany of reasons to follow Jesus. The fact that I already knew the litany and expressed my irritation at their very intrusive questions concerning my "personal relationship with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior" had no impact on their message. They were going to say what they had planned, by God!

Everyone has been in a situation like this. Although it may not have been such a spiritual experience, we have all been the victims of a presenter who LOVES their topic and thinks everyone else should LOVE it, too -- the financial adviser who expounds on the state of affairs on Wall Street, the car lover who details the difference between the '72 and '73 corvette, 0r the communication expert who sees every conversation as an invitation for a lecture on how to be an effective communicator. What each of these speakers seems to forget is that no one else is as invested in their topic as they are. They end up turning people off completely, rather than generating interest. They get the exact opposite of what they are seeking.

Oddly enough, the two missionaries would have created a very positive impression with me had they been a bit less passionate about their topic and paid a bit more attention to my responses. I actually had to be mean to get them to leave (and those of you who know me know that, despite my rather surly exterior, I'm really a softie at heart).

It made me realize that if all of us put a little more effort into exploring how our audience might feel, we would probably change a lot about what we say and how we say it. I know I would. It's a good thing that everyone loves communication as much as I do, huh?

-- Millie Shaw

Gender & Sex: The Debate Continues

2008-09-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

I truly hate it when I have to revise my position on a topic like gender and sex. You see for YEARS I taught college students that it was gender: the sociological construction of our masculine or feminine identity that was paramount to all other influences. I was solidly grounded in my belief that nurture trumped nature! Well.....I am not as sure and comfortable in this thinking as I once was. My husband (Mark) and I have two girls who are headed toward adolescence fast and furious. In my attempts to get a handle on this before it happens I picked up the book "The Wonder of Girls" by Michael Gurian, a well published and well respected writer as well as social philosopher, family therapist and all around smart guy.

After I finished this book, I immediately ordered "The Wonder of Boys" to read as well. Now, I don't have sons, but I do have a husband--and I suspected that reading this book would give me insight into how his brain works! A simple issue like "why does Mark (my husband) love to channel surf for long periods of time and it drives me bananas?" Well, Gurian has a simple biological answer for this simple question as well as insight into some of the more complicated issues on how and why we do the things we do.

After I finished both books, I immediately sent an email to friends who are raising kids, friends who are educators and friends who have a pulse--- "READ THESE BOOKS!" It just might help you avoid some of those problems that potentially await you in the future. And save our civilization. OK--that could be a stretch.

Here is the take away from these two books:

1. Boys and Girls (thus men and women) are different biologically. For years, we have ignored the reality of this statement in favor of nurture explanations. Now we have decades of well substantiated research that helps to turn our attention back to the nature of who we are.

2. Moving closer to a balance between nature and nurture to understand who we are is better than a polarized one point of view position (that is as much for me as for anyone else!)

3. The feminist movement and philosophy has done a lot of good. It has taken us only so far though and we need to re-evaluate, redefine and reconsider. (that one is a tough one for me--but after reading Gurian's point of view I have to say I am reconsidering)

4. Our basic nature as men and women do not define our destiny. But, understanding these things (how our brains work, how our hormones work, etc) can allow us to better define our sense of identity and our relationships.

5. Lots of reading, thinking and considering is necessary on our part to fully evolve as men and women. We MUST separate ourselves from the tired and worn out stereotypes that limit us and our relationships.

The content of Gurian's book has caused me to go back and revise my gender in the workplace workshop. That will be the content of my next post: gender at work--moving forward.

To our next president....

2008-09-10T07:54:00.000-07:00

It is election season. Many jaded Americans bemoan this time of year, mostly because the world of politics is ugly, slimy and sometimes downright unethical! Let's hope that the next three months are not as ugly as the last political election.

My daughter has asked me several times when we can go to the White House because she wants to meet and talk with our president. I love the mind of a seven year old--she doesn't understand that you can't just walk up and ring the doorbell. But if you could....here is what I would want to tell the next president:

SPEAK ONLY THE WORDS YOU HAVE WRITTEN YOURSELF

If this were an actual practice we would REALLY see our president for who he (or she...one day, one day) really is. We could all sound presidential I think if we had a team of people writing for us. Can you imagine if our sitting president had to write his own material. I'd betcha that would be a whole different bag of tricks wouldn't you?

One of my favorite shows was The West Wing. Rob Lowe was the president's speech writer and on several episodes we watched him labor to find just the right words for President Bartlett's next important speech. And yes...this fake president was articulate and charismatic as many of our past presidents have been. But he didn't write the speeches! I think a person reveals their intellect in their ability to organize and present their ideas and opinions--and the leader of the free world should be articulate given the thousands of people he or she comes into contact with in any given day or week.

You may not have aspirations to be the next president, governor, senator, mayor or town dog catcher, but everyday you give speeches. Think about it--all our communication is in some way a presentation. Take the time to invest in your ability to translate those amazing thoughts you have into messages that people will respond and react to in a positive way.

Olympic Proportions

2008-08-25T20:34:00.000-07:00

I teach people to be better communicators in a number of contexts. Some of my greatest moments of clarity about how we perform as communicators comes by way of sports. I love sports. I REALLY love when the Olympics come around. This Olympics is no exception. I DVR all of it and then sit and watch with a bowl of ice cream (blackberry cobbler from Blue Bell--yummy!). One of my favorite events is women's gymnastics.

The women's gymnastics team competition at the Olympics provided a great opportunity to look up close at how people perform under pressure. The Chinese women rose to the occasion. (especially for a bunch of 13 year olds! Ha.) The women representing the United States came up short. As I watched these young, incredible talented women I was struck by a few things.

1. The Team effort it takes to win Gold

2. How people respond and react to set backs

"When I say say 'let's go' you say 'team'"

Last night's performance was a team effort. We win together, we lose together. In the case of the women representing the United States, Alicia Sacramone probably cost the team the gold medal. That is a heavy burden to carry. If her parent's happen to read this--I mean no offense. My point is simply this--one person can drop the ball and everyone suffers the consequences. On this day it was Alicia. The same can be said for many of the presentations we see in corporate America today. A team helps design the presentation and very often a team also does the actual presentation. Imagine for a moment there is an imaginary torch that is passed among each team member. If one person fails to pass the torch effectively, it gets dropped (your power point has crazy, unexpected animation; the second guy in the presentation was supposed to speak for 5 minutes and he takes 20 instead; one of the team members does not bother to show up for practice time because she is SO BUSY and she is a great speaker any

way so who needs to practice right?) If you want to win together as a team you have to work together as a team--and enjoy the results.

"You could see it on their faces"

For anyone to make it to the Olympics means they have dedicated their time to the pursuit of their sport. In gymnastics that means from a very early age, these young women have spent COUNTLESS hours in the gym working to perfect their craft. No matter how many hours one practices though, their ability to handle the pressure of the actual event itself is not always a certainty. The night of the team finals, the tension that Alicia Sacramone was feeling was evident in her face and body language both before the balance beam routine, during the balance beam routine, after the balance beam routine and yes, during her floor exercise. You could FEEL her anxiety and stress. How we MANAGE the stress is often what makes the difference between winning and losing. Now, compare Sacramone's display of anxiety and tension to that of the Chinese gymnasts who also had a setback with one of their girls on the balance beam: they were hugging, smiling, high fiving and it looked genuine--not tense and contrived.

Our gold medals are contracts, job promotions, etc.

What do you get for second place? In the corporate world...not much. So while sports metaphors may feel a little tired at times, the truth is there is much to be learned from this area of life.

-- Libby Spears

Attention! Please

2008-08-25T09:58:00.000-07:00

This month's tutorial on www.bravocc.com is about how to get your audience's attention using the rules from Dr. John Medina, author of one of our favorite books this year Brain Rules. Millie touched on a few of them with her post about Ted Koppel and how he used unexpectedness to captivate his audience. I think, at the heart of Dr. Medina's rules about presentations is that we MUST stimulate our audiences in some way or we might as well go home. If you do a lot of presentations and you begin them with the following:

1. Hello My name is __________
2. Ladies and Gentlemen
3. Today I am going to talk about
4. Thank you for being here

Then raise your right hand and slap your self on the face! THAT IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL. No one has captivated an audience with any of these attention getters--in the history of EVER (as my seven year old would say).

There is compelling research that suggests that audiences make up their mind in the first minute of a presentation if they are going to listen or not. And if you are not the first speaker of the day? Then get ready, your audience may tune out in less than 30 seconds! When we focus in on corporate speaking occasions I think these problems are even more prevalant. Corporate America loves a good meeting where men and women bore us to tears with the monotonous droning on and on about information that honestly, no one cares about!

So for your next presentation challenge yourself to find a way to get your audience's attention from the beginning. How?

1. Use visual language--if we can't literally see it, then paint us a picture that we can go to in our minds and see
2. Stop it with the old and tired cliches! I swear if anyone says "think outside the box" or "value added program" or "paradigm shift" to me I might punch them in the face. That is corporate speak! Don't do it!
3. Find a great story that is your own personal story or one you find in your research to open up the presentation with. For me--this is the best way to begin any presentation. People are captivated by (good) stories.
4. Don't be self-centered in the beginning or any part of the presentation. Recently I attended a speaking occasion where the CEO of the company kept saying "help me". Help me win, help me achieve, help me.... Yuck! Given the feedback afterwards, people were saying "help you? How bout' you help us! You are the one making the big bucks!".
5. Use (appropriate) humor. Well timed and well done humor puts us all at ease--speaker and audience alike.

You can do these things and separate yourself from the rest of the pack. QUIT doing it like everyone else does! Separate yourself from the mediocre. And watch the results....

-- Libby Spears