June is effective communications month. Focus on being purposeful and deliberate. If you are going to take your own and others’ time, it might as well be on purpose. Whether it is an informal, internal meeting, or a keynote address to hundreds of people, an effective communicator is clear, concise, and compelling. Even good communicators only accomplish two of these attributes. Want to be great? Make sure you have all three covered. Bring focus, clarity and purpose to every interaction – after all, every time you speak, it’s a presentation whether you know intuitively or not.
Focus on Being Focused
Preparing for any meeting, talk, panel or interview must include writing down notes, bullets or even a script in some cases that are built for purpose. Consider your word choices. Self-test your ideas. Are they relevant to the subject? Are they purposeful – in other words – are they helpful, useful/practical? Do they lead to a clear action and are they doable – even if it stretches the teams’ or the audiences’ capabilities? Avoid cliches, meaningless phrases, platitudes and unsupported wishes. These all get dismissed as unhelpful. I call them “waste words.” Combined with industry jargon, catch-phrases and lingo and you have got yourself dismissible content. “We need to do this right, fast and synergistically” – Great. Now what do we do?! “I feel like we need more research-backed evidence to make our case.” What does that mean?! “We’ve got to go-in strong.” Okay….. How? Be specific, offer real solutions – and start with what you are going to do. Better than any of the above to say something like: “From my perspective, we have a better chance of meeting our deadline when I get the research done by Friday and share my preliminary data with Sara before the weekend. Meantime, we’ll have John build the timeline and Susan conduct the interviews.” What we often tell our workshop participants is that it is better to be wrong or disagreeable yet crystal-clear than to be ‘right’ but ambiguous. The former gets things done even if your plan gets altered.
Every Time You Talk Out Loud, It’s a Presentation
Thus far, we are talking about being purposeful and deliberate in small, internal meetings. I hope what you take away from this is that every interaction should be considered a presentation and you must bring focus and preparation. Even when you introduce yourself in a meeting – that is a presentation. Most executives and subject matter experts know that when they are invited to deliver a speech, PowerPoint supported talk or participate in an interview or panel, that they have to prepare talking points, consider the audience and make sure it is compelling and memorable. But, then you look at that crowded schedule on tomorrow’s calendar, consider every meeting a presentation you have to prepare. Nothing compels an audience’s attention (and warms the heart of your boss) greater than a meeting participant coming-in prepared and starting their statements with: “I’ve given this a good deal of thought, and here are the specific actions we should take …”
The Clarity Continuum
So, you have prepared in advance, you’ve got something of consequence, or substance to say. It’s relevant, devoid of ‘waste words’ and practical. Don’t stop there! Throughout the meeting, speech, panel or interview – continue to sharpen the focus. Repetition is vital. Summarize, define roles, enumerate immediate next steps, set deadlines, and commit to your own. Check-in on everyone to make sure all are clear on what was decided before you adjourn. Now, I know we all want to be funny, authentic, and motivating. We want to bring some levity and put your audience at ease. You can do all of that as long as you properly prepare. Audiences remember most what was clear, decisive and relevant to them. This is the complete package, you are an effective communicator!
Presentation Skills Training with Yes& CommCore
In Yes& CommCore Presentation Skills Training, participants learn to combine content and delivery style. We help participants craft key messages and create memorable visuals. We rehearse all aspects of the delivery, with a focus on Q&A—where speakers can score the most points with their audience. We also address presentation anxiety in our Presentation Skills Training, and how to deal with nerves and energy. For all media training and consultive services:
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