become a more credible presenter - mandel...2014/01/02 · a more credible presenter. inside, find...

Copyright © 2014 Mandel Communications, Inc. All rights reserved, written and digital.

Become a More Credible Presenter:10 Ideas to Boost Credibility and Reduce Anxiety When Presenting

Make Every Communication Count™


IntroductionWhen we launched our blog back in January 2014, our goal was to provide weekly communication skills articles that we hoped subscribers would find helpful, thought provoking, and relevant.

Subscriptions grew quicker than we could have imagined. As of this writing, we have over 12,000 regular readers. Thank you!

To celebrate the first anniversary of the blog, we packed 10 practical, high-impact articles from the past year into a single collection, focused on helping you become a more credible presenter. Inside, find proven tips and techniques to help you reduce your anxiety and gain your audience’s trust and confidence.

As we look ahead to 2015, I hope you’ll keep enjoying the blog. We promise to keep posting quality content that helps you break through and be heard, even in the most challenging communication situations.

From all of us at Mandel Communications, thanks for reading and Happy New Year!

All the best,

SteveSteve Mandel


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Table of Contents

To reinforce why continuing to build your presentation skills is a wise career move

Do Presentation Skills Matter?

To help you create compelling, results-getting presentation content To Innovate, Resonate and Differentiate

How Many Slides Should My PowerPoint Be?

To help you build trust as you handle difficult interactions Tough Questions: Keep Your Cool Under Pressure

To help you project engaging executive presence Mom Was Right: Why Good Posture Matters

You Can Pause Your Way Through Anything

3 Ways to Use Eye Contact to Your Advantage

Don’t Be a Stick in the Mud...Move!

Use the Power of Gestures

To help you meet the challenge of presenting virtually How to Bring Your Virtual Presentation to Life

Copyright © 2014 Mandel Communications, Inc. All rights reserved, written and digital. 4

To reinforce why continuing to build your presentation skills is

a wise career move...


Do Presentation Skills Matter?JANUARY 02, 2014 | BRAD HOLST

Many people dislike or fear having to make a presentation.I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve heard business people share that making a presentation is an uncomfortable, unnatural act — one that they either try to avoid or merely survive.

Many people downplay the need to be able to present.That’s a mistake. Because the truth is presenting is an unparalleled career enhancement opportunity — one of the best you’ll ever get. For those few moments, you, your ideas, and your credibility are center stage.

Great presenters are often the “rock stars” of their organizations.Those who find the courage and do the work required to master the art of presenting are often perceived as the “rock stars” in their organization. Their careers — and their self-confidence — get the kind of boost that some people spend a professional lifetime trying to find.

A good friend, a well-known Fortune 50 senior executive, shared with me recently that “almost no one makes it to an executive position in my company without being a very good presenter.” Take a look at the leaders in your own organization — I bet you’ll find the same to be true.

Those who master the art of presenting are the rockstars in their organization.“

“


Becoming a first-rate presenter takes conscious commitment.But once you start doing the work, your efforts can have immediate impact. The ramifications go beyond just being able to deliver highly effective business presentations.

When a person builds powerful presentation skills, they transform.They have a new, infectious self-confidence and inner strength that follows them everywhere they go and in everything they do. They’re perceived differently by the people with whom they work, adding incalculable benefit to their careers and personal lives.

Making the decision to hone your presentation skills may just be one of the smartest choices you make in your professional development.


To help you create compelling, results-getting

presentation content...


Recently, one of our clients, a cutting-edge company leading the charge in the next wave of IT innovation, invited me to speak at their global meeting in Europe. Also on the agenda were the eight finalists of an internal innovation competition.

Present your innovative idea in 5 minutes.Each finalist would be given five minutes to present their winning idea to the 200 attendees at the meeting. Serious and impressive prizes were at stake. And, win or lose, every one of the eight finalists wanted to make a positive impression to boost their professional reputation and credibility within the company.

Finalists felt a lot of pressure this year because at last year’s event, most failed to achieve the impact they’d hoped for. Since I was already going to be attending, I offered to help finalists prepare for the big moment.

To Innovate, Resonate and DifferentiateOCTOBER 23, 2014 | BRAD HOLST

Success or failure happens in the first 2 minutes.A few weeks in advance of the event, I hosted a web meeting for finalists and then provided onsite coaching the evening before the event. I focused all of my coaching on what the finalists would say and do during the first two minutes of their presentations. Why?

Success or failure happens in the first 2 minutes.“

“


The first two minutes are your moment of truth — when your audience must clearly understand what you’re presenting, see the value in your idea for the organization and for themselves, and begin to trust in your credibility as the presenter.

That’s a tough enough task by itself, made more challenging by the fact that speakers tend to be the most nervous, and audiences the most critical, during the first two minutes of any presentation.

First, the problem must resonate.If you want to sell your idea, you have to first sell your audience on the problem it solves. To do that, how you describe the problem has to strongly resonate with what your audience cares about most. And, you have to avoid the trap of prematurely going into too much detail. This should be more of a 3,000-meter view of the problem.

Then, the solution must differentiate.You need to differentiate your idea by describing how it uniquely solves the problem you just presented. The solution, like the problem, has to hit on what your audience values most. Again, resist what can be a powerful urge to prematurely go into deep detail. Save it until later in the presentation.

It takes planning and practice.Finally, to give your carefully planned content the delivery it deserves — the delivery that makes it easy for your audience to engage and trust — you must practice effectively. With the finalist presenters, I discussed how best to do this and had them practice with me.

Though I wasn’t able to be there for the innovation presentations, I heard afterwards that they were a big success. The General Manager of the business unit commented on the marked improvement from the previous year and congratulated everyone on a job well done.

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You’re presenting a recommendation that could be good for your company and for your career. You’ve spent countless hours working on a slide deck that you’re very proud of, but the executives in the room seem disinterested and impatient.

And then the senior decision maker says, “Why don’t you turn off your slides and just tell us what it is you want us to do.”

This actually happened to me. But, what felt like a disaster at the time turned into an invaluable communication lesson.

Slide creation is NOT message creation.I’d fallen into the same deadly trap that derails so many other high stakes business presentations: I’d used the slide creation process as my message creation process.

This resulted in too many slides, too much content on each slide, and far too little explicit value for decision makers. Here’s how to avoid this credibility damaging slide trap.

How Many Slides Should My PowerPoint Be?OCTOBER 09, 2014 | BRAD HOLST

Imagine you’re the most junior person in a conference room full of executives.


Create your message first.First create a compelling, relevant message for your recommendation, which includes analyzing your audience of decision makers and what it is that they care most about. The Mandel Blueprint® is ideally suited for this mission-critical task.

Then, map your slides to your message.Keep the actual number of slides to the absolute minimum needed to help your decision-making audience understand and see the value in your recommendation. The Mandel 5+1 Slide StrategyTM can help you do that efficiently and effectively.

Want a quick tutorial?For a quick overview on how to do this, watch this short video about the Mandel 5+1 Slide StrategyTM, produced in partnership with our friends at Harvard Business Publishing.

To really learn how to make the 5 +1 Slide StrategyTM work for you, download our complimentary whitepaper on the topic: How to Use Slides to Help Your Message.

Turn off your slides and just tell us what you want us to do.“ “

http://mandel.com/why-mandel/tools-methodology/mandel-blueprint/

http://mandel.com/resources/videos/

http://mandel.com/resources/videos/

http://mandel.com/landing-pages/51-slide-strategy/

http://mandel.com/landing-pages/51-slide-strategy/


To help you build trust as you handle difficult interactions...


Everyone has had to deal with questions that are difficult, asked in an angry voice, or just plain hostile. And, when you’re caught off guard by such questions, it’s easy to be thrown into a panicky state and not answer well, jeopardizing your credibility.

Tough Questions: Keep Your Cool Under PressureJUNE 05, 2014 | STEVE MANDEL

It’s important to prepare for tough questions and practice answering them. You can’t anticipate every question, but writing down the ones you expect may be asked and then planning out your answers is just plain smart.

Here are some tips to help you better handle tough questions.

Before your presentation or meeting...Anticipate tough questions that might be asked. Think about who is in the audience and what their attitude is toward the topic and toward you.

Write down tough questions you might get. Think about the subject, the person who might ask it, and how you would approach answering it.

You can’t anticipate every question, but planning out your answers is just plain smart.

“ “


When you actually get the question...If it’s at all reasonable to do, and the question isn’t extremely short or to the point, repeat the question back to the person who’s asked it to make sure you have it right. In the couple of seconds it takes you to do this, your brain will be working on an answer!

Acknowledge the facts and/or emotions present. For example, “Bill, you’re correct, we did go 27% over budget last quarter and I know you and others are very angry about it.”

If you do the acknowledgement well, and avoid using platitudes like, “I feel your pain” or “I hear you,” you can move on to the next step: providing information.

Finish your response with a sentence summing up your position or stance on the issue. For example, “With the new measures we’ve put in place, sticking to the budget will be much easier for all of us.”


To help you project engaging executive presence...


Whether you’re presenting standing up or sitting down (in a live meeting or presenting virtually), good posture is important. We all remember our mother’s admonitions, “Sit up straight!” or “Don’t slouch.” It turns out that mom was right, especially when we communicate with others!

Posture is one of the first things people notice about you.Posture says a lot about you. It conveys self-confidence and pride — or, if you’re slumping, a lack of any self-confidence at all. Your posture, especially when sitting down, can affect your voice. Poor posture compresses the diaphragm and limits the amount of air and vocal energy you can project.

Mom Was Right: Why Good Posture MattersAUGUST 28, 2014 | STEVE MANDEL

Use posture to present a better image to others and communicate more effectively in different situations.

When sitting down, presenting virtually or in person...

Try sitting down and then bending over as if tying your shoes. Now, try breathing while doing it. It doesn’t work very well. When sitting down, sit up straight but comfortably. Don’t let yourself slouch.


Slide yourself all the way back into the chair, so you can feel the lumbar support against the small of your back in the lower part of the chair. This will help keep your spine straight.

Finally, slide the chair as close into the table or desk as possible. Ideally, you should be able to rest your arms on the table or desk.

When delivering stand-up presentations...

When standing up for a presentation, good posture involves both, the upper and lower body. In terms of your upper body, keep your arms relaxed, gesture freely, and don’t hunch over with your arms or hands clasped.

For the lower body, keep your weight evenly distributed on your feet. Avoid standing with your feet or ankles crossed.

Doing these things will improve your posture, allowing you to feel more comfortable and better project vocal energy and confidence during your presentations.

Posture says a lot about you. It conveys self-confidence and pride...or, if you’re slumping, a lack of any self-confidence at all.

“ “


I was at the salad bar in one of my client’s corporate cafeterias recently, when the woman next to me smiled and said, “Are you with Mandel?”

After I nodded, she shared that she’d participated in a presentation skills workshop that I’d led over three years ago. She went on to say that what she learned in that workshop helped her to win two promotions. She invited me to sit at her table and there I asked her, “What from the workshop helped you the most?”

You Can Pause Your Way Through AnythingMAY 01, 2014 | BRAD HOLST

She said that while she loved the SCIPAB® framework and used it every day, the most valuable thing had been, “Learning I could pause my way through anything.”

I couldn’t help but smile and asked her to tell me more about how that helped. She shared that before the workshop, she would always feel like she was in a mad rush to communicate, especially when she felt pressured.

This would happen at meetings with decision makers, during one-on-ones with people higher on the corporate ladder, and almost always when presenting.

http://www.mandel.com/why-mandel/tools-methodology/scipab/


She described feeling like she was strapped into a roller coaster, where she had no control over the pace of her communication. More often than not she would leave these situations filled with regret, wishing she had communicated differently.

In the workshop she experienced and practiced how pausing gave her moments to think, breathe, and be more aware of the dynamics in the room. She said it made her feel more present and in control. The regrets were gone.

Feeling more in control filled her with a confidence she’d never experienced before: “I think it changed how I was perceived by others and it factored into their promotion decisions.”

This is just one example of how small changes in how you communicate can effect big results. Something as simple as mastering how to pause can influence how you’re perceived by others and what you’re able to achieve.

She described feeling like she was strapped into a roller coaster, where she had no control over the pace of her communication.

“ “


Have you ever had a conversation with someone who averted eye contact with you? It may have felt awkward and off-putting. At the least, it probably made it difficult for you to feel connected to what that person was saying.

A presentation is a conversation with your audience. The degree to which you use eye contact effectively will help you and your audience feel more comfortable and engaged.

3 Ways to Use Eye Contact to Your AdvantageFEBRUARY 20, 2014 | STEVE MANDEL

When you get nervous you tend to look at the audience, but not see individuals. It’s a good idea to reverse that tendency. Seek to be aware of individuals in the audience by making good eye contact with them.

The degree to which you can normalize the presentation experience and make it more like a conversation (albeit one-way), ultimately determines the engagement level of your audience and your comfort level as the presenter.

Don’t rapidly scan the audience. Seek individuals.“

“


Here are three tips for using eye contact to your advantage.

1. Seek 3-5 seconds of eye contact with individuals in the audience. During that brief time make sure you’re aware of seeing the person.

2. Only look at one person at a time. Don’t rapidly scan the audience. Seek individuals. If someone looks away, simply find another person.

3. Only talk to people. Don’t talk to the screen, the floor, or even the wall!

Keep in mind that the length of eye contact varies by culture. Some cultures use eye contact more than others. If you’re giving a presentation in a culture other than your own, make sure you investigate the cultural norms and behavior of the people in your audience.

For example, generally speaking, people in some parts of Asia use less eye contact than is used in the rest of the world. Anytime you’re presenting, it’s important to know your audience — that includes being aware of cultural norms and taboos.


Movement does a couple of things that benefit, both you and your audience.Lower body movement helps to release any nervous tension you might feel and allows you to better communicate a sense of energy and passion for your ideas. Most speakers experience some degree of nervous tension and using lower body movement is a good way to positively recycle this energy.

For your audience, it presents a dynamic, rather than a static, image and is much more engaging to watch. Audiences like speakers who can move in this way, while avoiding pacing and repetitive nervous movement.

Here’s an easy formula for how to move during your presentation.

Don’t Be a Stick in the Mud...Move!JULY 24, 2014 | STEVE MANDEL

Follow this simple formula: Look. Move. Plant.

Look at an individual in the audience, move (keeping eye contact with that individual), and plant your feet before moving again. Failure to plant your feet results in pacing, which can annoy your audience and make you look nervous.

When delivering a stand-up presentation, start moving with a step or two towards the audience right at the beginning of your talk. For optimal benefit, you should move approximately 50% of the time. However, this may vary based on whom your audience is, your physical environment, and what you feel is appropriate for the moment.

Follow this simple formula: Look.Move.Plant.

“ “


Now, some tips on where to move during your presentation.Own the space. Use as much of the stage, or the front of the room, as is practical for the situation and audience you have. Often, speakers stay confined to one small area when they could use much more space and keep the audience more engaged.

Move away from the lectern. The audience will really enjoy it if you stay out from behind the lectern. Move towards your audience, but not closer than about six feet away from people in the front row.

Some parting tips...Avoid standing in front of, or moving through, the LCD projector beam if possible.

Be careful about moving into an audience too much — it can get annoying for those whose backs are to you.

It’s okay to move into a U-shaped room as long as you follow the Look-Move-Plant formula above.


Use the Power of GesturesJULY 10, 2014 | STEVE MANDEL

Do you ever feel awkward about what to do with your hands when you give a presentation?

You’re not alone.

Isn’t it strange, though, that people almost never feel this awkwardness during everyday conversation? Gesturing comes so easily outside of a presentation environment. I’ll bet you even gesture when talking on the phone to someone who can’t see your hands moving.

The simple truth is gesturing is in our wiring.It’s part of the way human beings communicate with one another. Scientists have found that gesturing stimulates both long- and short-term memory centers in the brain. People gesture naturally, and also differently, depending on personality, culture, and circumstance.

Anxiety when giving a presentation interferes with gesturing naturally and comfortably.During a presentation, you may feel awkward and position your hands in places you might not otherwise were you feeling relaxed and comfortable.

Here are a couple of things to try, so you can look and feel more comfortable the next time you present.

Let your gestures flow, just as if you were talking to a room full of friends.

“ “


Before the presentation...• Observe what people do with their hands while in conversation when

they are not in front of an audience.

• Observe people when they are looking confident and relaxed. What do their gestures look like?

• Observe a really good presenter. What do they do with their hands?

During the presentation...• Let your gestures “flow,” just as if you were talking to a room

full of friends.

• Video record yourself giving the presentation and watch it later to see what you do with your hands. Be aware of what you do with your hands when you’re not gesturing.

• When you’re not gesturing, use the “neutral position” to relax your arms. Simply rest both arms down to your sides between gestures, only for a moment. This looks better than wringing your hands in front of you, putting them in your pockets, or holding them behind your back.

• There are two basic types of gestures. One type shows us objects and motion, like drinking out of a cup. The other, and the one used more frequently, is the gesture of emphasis, accent, or expression. Make sure you’re using the former when appropriate and the latter frequently.


To help you meet the challenge of virtual presentations...


How to Bring Your Virtual Presentation to LifeJANUARY 16, 2014 | STEVE MANDEL

It can be difficult to make virtual presentations interesting and engaging. If you’ve ever attended one where a low energy voice coming over the phone was accompanied by drab slides, you know the problem first-hand.

I often hear audiences complain that virtual presentations are boring. Those same audience members report “multitasking” during virtual presentations, whether catching up on email or shopping online!

But, there are things you can do to grab your virtual audience’s attention — and keep it.

1. Start with your slides.• Keep slides colorful and use graphics/photos as much as possible.

• Don’t stay on one slide for too long. Move along, so that your audience has new material to wake up their brains.

• Use more slides than you might normally use during a live presentation. During a live presentation, your body language and physical movement help to keep your audience engaged. But, during a virtual presentation, audience members see only your slides.


2. Focus on your audience.• Make your presentation as interactive as possible. Call on your audience

to use the tools that are built in to your virtual meeting or presentation software, e.g., raising hands, voting in polling questions, and asking or answering questions via the chat or Q&A functions.

• Ask your audience questions. Let them know at the start that you’ll be randomly calling on them with questions throughout the session.

• Plan an interaction every two minutes or so.

3. Be dynamic.• If you have access to a webcam and your virtual meeting or presentation

software allows it, put yourself on screen, so that your audience can see you.

• Communicate passion and energy for your ideas. Present standing up and moving around while using a wireless headset. (If you do this, don’t use a web cam! You’ll make your audience dizzy.) Do whatever works best for you to get that energy out there.

• Practice making your telephone voice dynamic and engaging. It may feel uncomfortable at first, but it’s important to project more vocal energy than you would during a live presentation. Keep your audience awake and focused on your message!

Keep your audience awake and focused on your message!

“ “


Steve MandelFounder

Steve founded Mandel Communications in 1983. A renowned presentations trainer and coach, Steve is also the author of the highly successful book Effective Presentation Skills. In addition to serving as a key member of Mandel’s leadership team, Steve thrives on working directly with clients in one-on-one coaching and group workshop settings. He has a deep appreciation for the communication challenges faced by professionals in high-stakes settings and works exceptionally well with mission-critical communication needs. Steve’s business success and his avocation as an accomplished amateur astronomer have earned him special recognition in Forbes magazine.

About the Authors

Brad HolstPrincipal & Executive Director, Communication Strategy and Innovation

Brad has designed and implemented winning communication, training, and coaching solutions for a diverse cross-section of Mandel’s global clients, from start-ups to top names in the Fortune 50. He is the prime creator of the proprietary models and processes now found in Mandel’s powerful suite of communication content-planning tools, including the Mandel Blueprint®. Brad is a results-getting consultant, an insightful coach, and a dynamic speaker who possess a rare level of business acumen based on his prior leadership roles with three market-leading companies: The Walt Disney Company, The Clorox Company, and Armor All Products.


Mandel Communications is a global consulting and training services firm that has helped 100,000-plus professionals from more than 500 companies in 55 countries develop Moment of Truth Communication SkillsTM.

Master the art and science of interacting with and influencing others — especially under pressure — and turn your organization’s ability to communicate into a competitive advantage.

Mandel’s global cadre of 45+ expert trainers and consultants frequently contribute blog articles, publish industry articles, and participate as keynote speakers at client and industry events. To follow our team of published subject matter experts, we invite you to subscribe to the Mandel Blog, follow our corporate LinkedIn profile, and watch for new published content on the Mandel website.

Make Every Communication Count™

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become a more credible presenter - mandel...2014/01/02 · a more credible presenter. inside, find...

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