Deepening Your Influence

This is an example of deepening your influence we highlighted in a recent webinar for ACHSM.

Picture This Scenario in Your Workplace

You have some team members who have to do presentations to the rest of the department in order to try and influence change, but they are falling way short.

Essentially, you want to influence your team to get on board with the idea that they improve their presenting skills. 

How could you introduce the layers of consequence in a way that has impact but does not insult the people in question?

“In the departmental presentations…

1. I’ve noticed that some of the important departmental staff have a tendency to be distracted or switch off [Immediate issue]
2. As a result we are not making the most of our opportunity which, as we know, affects all of us in various ways [Bigger consequence]
3. In fact, there’s a lot of pressure on our presenters because their batting for us all, and after a couple of bad experiences I bet they’re losing sleep or feeling stressed before, during and afterwards. [Personal implication]

Therefore we should ask 'why this is happening?'

'What could we achieve if our presentations had more impact?'

'How good would we and our presenters feel if we nailed them every time?'

And from there, you set the scene for the people with the problem to be much more engaged in your discussion about a proposed solution.

Finally, here is a link to the ‘Quit Now’ advertisement copy we mentioned in the same recent webinar for ACHSM. This gives a succinct, creative example of how to influence your audience with few words, well placed images and a powerful scenario. 

Parents TVC Copy

Phil Preston & Michael Neaylon

Founders, presentability

On behalf of the presentability team

5 Quick Lessons from the Presidential Debate

- by Nick Morgan

The received wisdom is that President Obama lost the debate and former Governor Romney won; 2/3rds of Americans polled thought so, and the commentators certainly did.

So what follows is a contrarian view.

My belief watching the debate was that all 3 participants lost, heavily – including Jim Lehrer, who was unable to function very well as a moderator and should not be asked back.

Read more >

Book Review: Become a Key Person of Influence

Daniel Priestley's book is a call to arms for entrepreneurs to distinguish their space and claim their micro-niche by becoming a KPI - a key person of influence.memorable.

Read more > 

Define Your Own “Style” to Become a Memorable Speaker

As we have found when delivering our public programs, there is always healthy enthusiasm for the style elements we focus on. Content and delivery are both important for structuring a clear message, making that relevant for your audience and engaging them, however it’s introducing your own style that will make you truly memorable. 

 

Why? You are unique. The more you acknowledge and emphasise your personal speaking and communication style, the more you stand out in meetings, board rooms, and your presentations in general.
 

To develop your style, here are five simple, effective tips to become even more memorable: 

1. Get feedback: Ask people who see you communicate professionally for feedback on what engages them most about you and your personal style. Make sure you get a mix of people whose opinion you respect to make the best decision on what works for you.
    
2. Grow the good: when we’re coaching people we like to emphasise what’s working for them - in all aspects, including style – more than what’s not. Perhaps it’s your well-placed humour, natural enthusiasm, or charismatic stillness and authority that work for you the most.
    
3. Discover other styles: once you’ve found the qualities that work for you, avoid resting on those alone, as you’ll limit, rather than expand, your communication style. It’s not unlike going to the gym and only doing the same routine for months or years on end. You’ll end up developing only one muscle, rather than making the most of your own physique by mixing up your routine from time to time.
    
4. Avoid imitation. Phil and I are both members of the National Speakers Association of Australia. A well-regarded and highly paid fellow speaker recently said that he never watches his competitors. We want to concentrate more on our audience and the authentic connection we make with them rather than our competitors or colleagues. By all means watch other speakers for their techniques and their skills, but avoid too much comparison and imitation.
    
5. Bring more of you to the room than you think you need to. Now that you’ve mined your points of difference, bring as many aspects of those parts of yourself and the way in which you communicate to the situation as you possibly can. Most people – in a diligent effort to be professional, or sometimes out of nerves or fear – bring only one aspect of their personality to a presentation. We’ll remember more about you and your material, the more we feel we’ve got to know you. 

There are many people wanting to be heard in meeting rooms, and in the marketplace. Make yourself one of the ones whose are not only heard, but remembered.
 

 

Coaching for even greater presentability

To fast track the definition of your own style and be more memorable in the boardroom, your next meeting or an upcoming presentation, contact us for coaching or details of our upcoming courses. 

Click here to find out more.

Video - presentability Capabilities

Phil Preston & Michael Neaylon give you an overview of presentability capabilities for greater presenting influence: Click here to view video

 

Until next time, keep practicing your presentability, 

Phil Preston & Michael Neaylon
FOUNDERS & DIRECTORS

On behalf of the presentability team

Crafting Content to Captivate Your Audience

We recently gave a webinar on Crafting Content to Captivate Your Audience. 

For all who were able to attend we hope you gained some good ideas that will help inspire you to create captivating content for your next presentation.

A recording of the webinar isn't available unfortunately, however you can view the slides for the webinar here.

If you're in or around Sydney and want more around crafting your presentations for greater clarity, cut-through and influence why not consider our one day public program on Sept 18. 

Click here for more details: Public Program Tuesday Sept 18

Keep improving your presentability

Michael Neaylon & Phil Preston

your presentability team 

support@presentability.com.au.

Gaining Boardroom Influence

How do you gain more boardroom influence with your peers?

In a recent private webcast for a leading association Phil gave a range of effective tips to help people increase their peer to peer persuasiveness, including:

Use framing to defuse issues or dismantle barriers

Give your audience an understanding of you, the topic and them.

• Let them know your role and background and how it pertains to addressing the issue (even if it seemingly doesn't).

• Give them your take on the topic, and display your full understanding of its nuances.

• Show them you acknowledge them and their point of view.

By using this simple, effective technique you can raise the bar on your effectiveness from 4 out of 10 to 7 or 8 out of 10.

To find out more about creating content to captivate any audience we have the following FREE webinars available that you can register for, click on a date that suits you:

Thursday, 9 August - 12:00PM AEST

Wednesday, 15 August - 12:00PM AEST

Keep improving your presentability

Phil Preston and Michael Neaylon

Free Webinars on Overcoming Nerves and Creating Content

Listen to our FREE Webinar - Overcoming Speaking Nerves

We held an online Webinar called Overcoming Speaking Nerves, and were delighted at the number of guests who attended the call.

If you missed out, don’t worry!  We’ve made it available for you so you can listen to it at a time that suits you.

Please click on the appropriate link below to listen and enjoy:

MP4 File: Webinar – Overcoming Speaking Nerves

MOV File: Webinar – Overcoming Speaking Nerves 


Upcoming Course and Another Free Webinar

We run public programs, tailor in-house solutions and remote coaching. 

Our next public one-day course is in Sydney on September 18 and you can take advantage of our super early bird rate of $395 (saving of $255) if you register by August 17.
Click here to find out more

Your next free webinar is on 'Creating Content To Captivate Your Audience.' 
This half hour webinar is on midday, August 9, from the comfort of your own computer. 
Click here to register

Until next time, keep improving your presentability.
  

Phil Preston and Michael Neaylon

On behalf of the presentability team
www.presentability.com.au
support@presentability.com.au

Engage Your Audience With an Effective Opening

Welcome to your third edition of presentability matters. Each month, we provide you with tips to increase the impact of your speaking opportunities.

Whether you’re speaking one to one, one to an important few or one to many, the opening of your presentation sets the scene for your speech. It is vital to use it wisely to gain your audience’s attention from the outset and truly engage them from the beginning. That is why effective openings are the topic of our feature article this month.

We’d like to use this opportunity to welcome Greg Kennedy to the presentability team. Greg’s speaking and training experiences add an exciting dimension to our team.

You’ll also find out more about our upcoming presentability programs, in-house solutions, advisory services and coaching later on.

Engage your audience with an effective opening

Give your audience an incentive to tune into your speech.

Presentation openings are our secret weapon for increasing our level of audience engagement.

Should we rely on pot luck to get it right? We could do, but to consistently achieve outstanding presentability we need to unpack the secrets of effective openings.

Franklin D Roosevelt, elected US President in 1932, pledged a ‘New Deal’ for his people after the national banking system collapsed in 1933. His speech became famous for the phrase ‘The only thing we have to fear is fear itself’.

Here is the second paragraph of his speech; what do you think it sets out to do and how does he achieve it?

This is pre-eminently the time to speak the truth, the whole truth, frankly and boldly. Nor need we shrink from honestly facing conditions in our country today. This great nation will endure as it has endured, will revive and will prosper.

He uses the gravity of the situation to encourage and prepare the listener for ideas and actions that require meaningful change. He then paints a picture of the nation returning to health as the reward. It would lure the audience in, begging the question: how can this be done?

We don’t for one minute suggest that the presentations we do in our day-to-day work and community lives will have as much at stake, nor do we need to be adding theatrical flourishes into the openings of our business meetings, but we can use them to intrigue, command and captivate our audiences from the outset.

Crafting Your Opening For Consistent Results

You may have found that the same speech delivered to different audiences gets variable results. Is this an issue for the audience or us?

More often than not, it is an issue for us. We may not be creating the right environment for gaining attention. Here is a set of questions you can ask yourself when preparing your openings:

1. What does my audience care about?
2. What issues do they deal with and how can I add value to them, even if it involves simply drawing on parallel experiences?
3. How can I pique their interest from the outset, by delivering a teaser of something further to come?

Remember: the opening is not about you, it is about them. It doesn’t matter if you are hosting a client event, presenting at a conference or updating the finance department on your team’s expenditure plans, the audience needs a WIIFM hook – What’s In It For Me?

An attendee at one of our recent courses was a service provider to an internal business development team. He had developed a range of materials to help the BDMs and their sales force deal with client queries themselves, instead of constantly referring inquiries to him.

How could he craft an ‘opening’ to ensure that his message got through? The key lies in appealing to their motivations - increasing sales in less time. Expending excess time on client servicing gets in the way of those motivations

The opening to his presentation could be something along the lines of:

It’s great to have the opportunity to present to you because we’re concerned that you have to deal with a broad range of client queries at the expense of building your sales. We have developed some powerful tools that will dramatically cut down the time you will need to spend in this area.

By aligning his opening with outcomes that his audience are interested in – without giving away the whole solution – they are likely to be curious, attentive and want to know more.

Your presentation opening could be the difference between the audience switching on and switching off. Which do you choose?

Upcoming courses and events

The presentability programs provide a full range of training to give you and your team even greater impact and results from the boardroom to the training room, sales pitches, and at conference and event presentations.

Our public programs are currently run in Sydney’s CBD and we do in-house training tailored exclusively for your organisation in all locations on demand.

Our next public program is on Tuesday September 18.

Numbers are limited for greater learning and places have already been taken.

Click here for more about the course, including a special earlybird offer saving you 40% for a limited time.

Perhaps a tailored in-house program is more in line with your needs? Click here to visit the full suite of capabilities.

We trust you found some valuable tips in this edition and we would be more than happy for you to forward it on to friends and colleagues.

We love getting your feedback so that we can address your burning questions in future editions.

Until next time, keep improving your presentability.

Phil Preston and Michael Neaylon
On behalf of the presentability team
www.presentability.com.au
support@presentability.com.au

Three ways to engage with your audience before you speak

Welcome to our second edition of presentability matters. Each month, we provide you with tips to increase the impact of your speaking opportunities.

In this post we look at audience engagement techniques…before you speak! The more you connect with your audience prior, during and after your speech, the more effective your message or call to action will be.

Engaging with your audience is critical.

As you’ve probably noticed the best television advertisements generate an emotional response from the viewer.  Remember the Old Spice ad – how engaging was that?

While you don’t necessarily have to make them laugh or move them to tears, your task as a presenter is to resonate with your audience.

Every audience is different.

Some audiences will be naturally easy to engage with, others tough nuts to crack.

If you’re an MD giving an announcement to celebrate a highly successful quarter and improved incentives for your people, then you’ll be warmly received.

If you are a local government representative at a public meeting, there to explain which side of the town will be badly affected by the new bypass road, then you’ll encounter much more resistance.

Regardless of the degree of difficulty inherent in your task, there are powerful preparation techniques you can use to create inroads into the hearts and minds of your audience.

Three ways to engage your audience before you speak:

1. Survey a few people who will be in the audience ahead of time to make sure you are in tune with their aspirations and concerns. This will also help you shape your content to be more meaningful for them.
    
2. Do some extra research into the major issues confronting your audience and deliver relevant insights or parallels from your own experience. People like hearing other perspectives; it broadens their understanding of their own issues and sparks ideas about their own solutions.
    
3. Get there early to meet and greet people, giving you the opportunity to assess the mood of the occasion and build rapport with your audience. The more people you can introduce yourself to and shake hands with, the warmer your reception will be when you start speaking.

The MD, before giving good news about the last financial quarter, can speak to key contributors and their colleagues. By actively displaying genuine acknowledgement of key contributors the message becomes deeper and has more impact through the power of giving credit. Drawing on specific anecdotes and accolades will gain even more credibility and respect.

For the local government official, researching the audience prior to the occasion may help to head off excess anger. For example, preface the talk with:

“We know that the road will disrupt the lives of several residents. I personally contacted as many of you as I could prior to tonight to make sure that I fully understood your concerns and, although we can’t fix everything, we became aware of some measures that would help to minimise the impact on you.”

While there are no guarantees of success in these situations, you give yourself the best chance of earning trust and respect.

Engaging with the audience before you speak is invaluable; it is as valuable as what you say on the day. What’s the point of having a great speech if you have no connection with your audience?

Our presentability programs cover the key aspects of successful presenting, using techniques like these to help you increase your speaking impact in the shortest possible time.

Listen to our FREE Webinar - Overcoming Speaking Nerves

We held an online Webinar called Overcoming Speaking Nerves, and were delighted at the number of guests who attended the call.

If you missed out, don’t worry!  We’ve made it available for you so you can listen to it at a time that suits you.

Please click on the appropriate link below to listen and enjoy:

MP4 File: Webinar – Overcoming Speaking Nerves

MOV File: Webinar – Overcoming Speaking Nerves 

Upcoming courses and events

We run public programs, tailor in-house solutions and remote coaching. 

Our next public one-day course is in Sydney on September 18 and you can take advantage of our super early bird rate of $395 (saving of $255) if you register by August 17.

Click here to find out more

Your presentability matters  

We trust you found some valuable tips in this edition and we would be more than happy for you to forward it on to friends and colleagues.We’d love to get your feedback, and  respond to your burning questions in future editions.



Until next time, keep improving your presentability.
  

Phil Preston and Michael Neaylon

On behalf of the presentability team
www.presentability.com.au
support@presentability.com.au

Is the message or delivery of your speech more important?

Welcome to your presentability blog. 

This is where you'll find useful articles with tips, tools and techniques for even greater presentability to help you increase the impact of all your speaking opportunities. 

You'll also find details about free webinars and have the opportunity to sign up to the free regular presentability newsletter. We give details of public and in-house training and coaching programs from time to time too.  

This is from the inaugural edition of presentability matters. 

Is the message or delivery of a speech more important?

Put yourself in this scenario: you’ve been told, with two days notice, that you are required to do a 20 minute presentation to your firm’s most important clients. The objective is to impart a positive image of your organisation on the audience.

You’re scrambling for ideas, losing appetite and biting your fingernails to the quick. You realise that you won’t have time to finely craft your message and polish your delivery – which one would you favour over the other?

This scenario is not far fetched.The content of your speech and the message behind it is important. You want the audience to know what you stand for and give them insights into your firm.

Delivery also counts for a lot.

If you stumble onto the stage, mumble and have a rigid, white-knuckled hold on the lectern then the audience will be distracted from the message that you want to impart.Of course there is no perfect answer to this predicament. However, for a typical speech assignment, a heavier focus on message is likely to produce a greater payoff.A well-sung song loses impact if the words are meaningless. As long as you can minimise any obvious shortcomings on the delivery side, the message will count for a lot more.

Alan Weiss discusses this tension in his book, Money Talks. As a seasoned speaker, he concurs that audiences will remember a speaker for the value of the message they deliver more so than the magnificence of their sweeping hand gestures!

To become a memorable speaker, it is important to get the foundations right and content comes before delivery – unless, of course, you are being thrust into a very theatrical and impromptu situation.

Our core program gives you the tools you need to craft good messages in your content, as well as delivery tips, practice and other techniques that help you become a memorable speaker.

In-House Programs

We work closely with a range of clients on in-house presentability programs. Typically, they run for as little as half a day or up to two full days, spread over several sessions, and can be delivered in Australia wide. 

Please contact support@presentability.com.au to find out more.




Our remaining public full-day programs this year will be run in Sydney on: 

• 8 September; and
• 13 November

Click here to find out more about the programs and register.


Your presentability matters. 

We trust you found some valuable tips in this edition and we would be more than happy for you to forward it on to friends and colleagues. We’d love to get your feedback so we can make sure we are hitting the mark, and find out if there are any burning questions you have that we can answer in future editions.

Until next time, keep improving your  presentability.

Phil Preston and Michael Neaylon

On behalf of the presentability team. 

www.presentability.com.au