developing successful technical presentations · 10/10/2007 7 developing successful technical...
TRANSCRIPT
10/10/2007
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Howard Goldstein
HGAI
Developing Successful
Technical Presentations
Developing Successful Technical Presentations
© Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
SNIA – HGAI Legal Notice
The material contained in this tutorial is copyrighted by HGAI.
Member companies and individuals may use this material in presentations and literature under the following conditions:
Any slide or slides used must be reproduced without modification
HGAI must be acknowledged as source of any material used in the body of any document containing material from these presentations.
This presentation is a project of the SNIA Education Committee & HGAI.
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10/10/2007
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Developing Successful Technical Presentations
© Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Abstract
Developing Successful Technical PresentationsSoft Skills Development for the Technical Professional is often overlooked
and underestimated in terms of the critical skills needed by technical
professionals for success.
Like a computer system requiring both hardware and software to provide
system benefits, technical professionals need hard skills and soft skills in
their Professional Development.
This seminar provides an entertaining and informative set of practical tips
and tricks that technical presenters can incorporate. It addresses traps that
they can fall prey to. This as a practical approach to integrating commonly
used tools and improving both the presentation creation and delivery of
technical topics that will appeal to a large segment of SNW attendees. The
ability to build clear technical messages and to communicate those
messages is as important as the message itself.
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Developing Successful Technical Presentations
© Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Why?
Developing & Delivering Successful Technical
Presentations?
This venue?
Hardware & Software
10/10/2007
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Developing Successful Technical Presentations
© Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Why?
Skills
Developing Successful Technical Presentations
© Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Why?
Hard Skills & Soft Skills
Address all skills needs of technical people
Hard Skills - Technical
10/10/2007
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Developing Successful Technical Presentations
© Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Hard Skills & Soft Skills
Address all skills needs of technical people
Soft Skills – Technical
Why?
Developing Successful Technical Presentations
© Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Session Pledge
I will look for 3 practical tips to
take away from today’s session
I pledge to share one tip with a
colleague
I promise to use at least one tip
from today’s session in my next
presentation!
10/10/2007
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Developing Successful Technical Presentations
© Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Session Agenda
Practical Presentation Tips
Presentation Remotes
Presentation F/X
Ctrl F, Ctrl Z, Ctrl M, Ctrl W, Ctrl B, Ctrl X,
Drawing Tablet – Electronic Whiteboard
PowerPoint Tips
Presentation keyboard entry
– W or Comma, B or period, Number + enter, Esc
Hyperlinks for presentation structure
Developing & Delivering Successful Technical
Presentations
“Creating Presentations”
Developing Successful Technical Presentations
© Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Outline
Teaching, Learning and Presenting
Presenting and the Brain
Creating Presentations
Delivering Presentations
Tips
Tricks
Traps
Questions
Answers
Power Statements
10/10/2007
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Developing Successful Technical Presentations
© Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Outline
Developing Successful Technical Presentations
© Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Howard Goldstein1044 Monarch Way
Superior, Colorado 80027Phone/Fax (303)-554-0755Website: WWW.HGAI.COM
Email: [email protected]
Visit Our Website
10/10/2007
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Developing Successful
Technical Presentations
Thanks for coming!
Use at least one thing you learned
here in your next presentation.
It is very satisfying!
For your audience!
For You!
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Presentation Remotes
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Presentation Remotes
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Presentation Remotes - Gyro
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Multi-Function Remotes
InFocus 369402 Remote Control
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Presentation Remotes
• My favorite
Section End
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Teaching, Learning &
Presenting
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Teaching, Learning & Presenting
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Teaching
“He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches.”
George Bernard Shaw
“I love to learn, I hate being taught.”
Winston Churchill
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Excellence vs. Mediocrity
• They are expecting greatness,
but they are conditioned for mediocrity
Presentation S.O.S. by Mark Wiskup
– The audience loves when their expectations are met.
– They are delighted when it happens.
– The interesting thing to me is just how achievable that
greatness is up against the conditioning!
– All it takes is a dash of creativity and a pound of effort.
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A Special Relationship
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Traditional Teaching vs. Presenting
• Teaching • Presenting
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Traditional Teaching vs. Presenting
Presenting
Information transfer
Presenter focused
Objectives:
Inform
Enlighten
Persuade
Limited active
participation
Teaching
Skills transfer
Learner focused
Objectives:
What learners can
do after training is over
Active participation
Section End
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Presenting & the Brain
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Presenting & the Brain
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Instructor Introduction
• Location• Academic and Professional Background• Teaching Methodologies
– Frequent Breaks– Answers vs. Questions
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Frequent Breaks
• Why take frequent breaks?
• By understanding how the brain works we are better able to teach it!
• Brain cells reach out and connect via dendrites
• Learning is split second chemical reactions of sodium and potassium
• Breaks provide time to create these neural pathways– For adults: Break every 45-50 minutes
for 10 minutes
• Einstein’s brain size was average but he had more connections and glial cells (thinking lubricants)
Unstimulated BrainStimulated Brain
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Teaching Methodologies
• Questions vs. Answers
– Which is more important?
• Confucius was a master teacher and understood the importance of questions.
• “There is no learning if there is no thinking.”
• Questions enable thinking!
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Timing
• Learning time is optimized at 20-50 minutes
• Breaks – Rid muscular & mental tension that builds during
concentration
– Glial cell potassium and sodium release & chemical reaction
– Enable neural pathway creation
• There are no logical breaking points, only physical– If logical breaking points work out, fine
– If not, break anyway, and pick things up from where you left off
• Break when you should!– Use it as an opportunity to review
– Do not try to cram the last few slides in before you break
• Squeezing in additional content actually squeezes out earlier content!
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Comparative Address Ranges
• 1 Address = 1 Gram
• SATA Point-to-Point
– 20 = 1
• SATA II “Port Multiplier”
– 24 = 16
• SAS “Expanders”
– 214 = 128 x 128 = 16,384
• All Fibre Channel
– 224 = 16,777,216
• All IPv4
– 232 = 4,294,967,296
• All IPv6
– 2128 = 340,282,366,920,938,463,463,374,607,431,768,211,456
X 56
Billion
Section End
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Creating a Presentation
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Creating a Presentation
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Tips for Creating Technical Presentations
• Over Delivering
• This is rarely an opportunity to make you feel good in describing unnecessary detail
• We know you are excited but stop “showing home movies”!
• Learn to “net”
Stop
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Technical People Do It Backwards
• Develop a presentation on a technical topic
• Technical people are squirrels
• They don’t think about it
• They go into gather mode
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Technical People Do It Backwards
• Develop a presentation on a technical topic
• Technical people are squirrels
• They don’t think about it
• They go into gather mode
• They gather acorns
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Technical People Do It Backwards
• They become drunk with information
overload
• Their presentations become bloated
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Technical People Do It Backwards
• They try and start whittling
• They are already lost
• They are going in circles!
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Phrase to live by!
More is less,
Less is more
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Technical people - Extremely passionate
• Technical people are extremely passionate
about technology
• They are compelled to learn and share all
• Their passion inhibits the ability to let go
• They don’t believe in the phrase to live by
• Let’s look at ways to help!
More is less,
Less is more
Less is less,
More is more
They
think
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Multitasking does not Work
• 2001 University of Michigan Study
shows:
– Inefficient and counter-productive
– Short-term memory loss, hypertension
– Slower reflexes, insomnia, mental fatigue
– Impaired judgment
• Multitasking is the art of looking
busy while accomplishing squat
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Presentations require Real Work
• Research
• Organization
• Inspiration
• Concentration
• Creativity
• Imagination
• Etc….
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Brody Communications, Ltd
Informative Planning Worksheet
Informative Planning Worksheet
Consider: Purpose, Audience, and Logistics
Main Point:
Supporting Data:
Main Point:
Supporting Data:
Main Point:
Supporting Data:
Introduction 10-15%
Grabber: Source Credibility:
Wiift: Preview:
Conclusion 5-10%
Review:
Memorable Statement
Transition Transition
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Have a Purpose in Mind
• What are you trying to do?
• What do you want your
audience to know, feel or do?
• Without this clarity Nothing
Happens!
• With a specific objective in
mind, presentation
development is easier.
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Know Your Audience
• Who are they?
• Audience Size? Age?
Men? Women? Mixed?
Rank? Education Level?
• How knowledgeable
about the topic?
• Why are they there?
• WIIFT – What’s in it for
them?
• How will they react to
your presentation?
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Understand the Logistics
• Are you in a panel or team of presenters?
• What are they discussing?
• What type of audience?
• How much time do you have?
• What time of day?
• What equipment will you be using?
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Organizing Content
• Organize to an audience, not a topic
• Prepare presentation backwards
– Big picture to small details
– Conclusion to Opening
• What do you need to accomplish -
Outcome?
– Awareness, Attitude, Action
• With an objective in mind you can:
– Be more selective with content
– Save time
– Produce a more powerful presentation
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Wilbur Howell - Central Theme
• Will someone who attends your presentation
be able to describe it in one sentence to
someone who missed it?
– Central Theme
– Discussion
– Conclusion
• Create one sentence that states your overall
objective.
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Speaking in 3’s
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Speaking in 3’s
• Healthy, Wealthy and Wise
• Morning, Noon and Night
• Drill’em, Fill’em and Bill’em
• Dewey, Cheathem and Howe
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Key Points
• Write your
summary/conclusion first
• 3 key points (at most 5)
• Build your presentation
around them
• Build a story
1
2
34
5Presentation
Conclusion1
2 3
Presentation
Conclusion
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Introduction
• Goal of Introduction
– Capture interest & attention
– Let them know where you’re going with presentation
– Use a “Grabber”
• Survey
• Unexpected statistic
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Organizing Content
• Never just ad-lib to present your content
• Never memorize a script
• Use notes, the trick is:
– Craft notes as thoughts and concepts
– Write down your main points as a sequence of
thoughts
– Remain faithful to your sequence
– Thought to thought, not word for word
– Use notes sparingly
• Practice with an audience
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Attention Deficit
• Charles Graves:
– It’s not just Information, it’s Interpretation
– It’s Content and Context
• The trick to maximizing multimedia is timing
• Think of slides as spices in a recipe
Don’t overdo it
• MS PowerPoint is only one of your tools
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Use Other Tools
• Use MS PowerPoint slides that
encourage audience
participation
– Interpret a Drawing, Questions
• Electronic Whiteboard, Drawing
Tablet
• Presentation F/X Software– http://www.infocus.com/service/mindpath/i
ndex.asp?site_lang=1&site_region=1&
• Remote with Laser Pointer
• Capture the audience’s
thoughts
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It’s a Safari: Remember to Guide!
• Provide an overview of
where you will be taking us
• Point out highlights as you
discuss them
• Let people know what’s
coming up and the
progress we have made on
the journey
• Point out upcoming danger
(difficult areas)
• Content and context
• At the end of the day,
provide summary of their
accomplishments
Section End
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Presentation Delivery:
Tips, Tricks & Traps
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Tips, Tricks & Traps
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Keys to Improving Presentation Skills
• Observe presenters
– Others
– Yourself
• Be aware of your own presentations skills
• Be open to change
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Smile
• Frowning says bad news is
coming or “Get Lost”
• Biting your lip says you are
unsure
• Smiling builds trust
• Smile at
– Start
– Important points
– Close
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Stand & Wait
• Stand and wait for
everyone’s attention
– Start
– Important points
– Closing
• It may take a few
seconds!
• Be patient!
• It’s powerful
• Your information will
feel more valuable
Page 54 © Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Move away from the lectern
• Let them see you are more
than a talking head
• You will be more powerful
and connected to your
audience
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Page 55 © Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Move away from the lectern
• If you must see your notes
stand beside the lectern
• Don’t lean on it!
• Walk away from it at times
• Stand strong and be seen
• BE BIG!
Page 56 © Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Stance & Movement
• Stand up straight
• Forward Lean
• Should a presenter move around?
• Avoid
– Aimless Wandering
– Rocking
– Ping Pong
• Go someplace & visit
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Your Audience is a Mirror
• The audience will mirror you
• If you frown, they frown
• If you want them to smile, you
must smile
• There are no ugly audiences,
only ugly speakers
Section End
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Questions
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Questions
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Questions
1. How many have ever given a presentation?
2. How many will be giving a presentation in the next 6 months?
3. How many will be giving a presentation in the next 4 days!?
4. How many have a good question they plan to ask?
5. How many have a good non-recall question they plan to ask?
6. How many have rehearsed an answer to a question you expect to get?
7. How many have a question they hate getting?Not counting this one!
Answer these questions
with a show of hands
Page 62 © Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Confucius
“Learning without thought is labor lost; thought without learning is perilous.”
Confucius was a master teacher and understood the importance of questions.
There is no learning if there is no thinking!
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Questions
• Those interested in solutions prefer answers;
Those interested in learning prefer questions
• Questions :
– Excite imagination
– Set our thoughts in motion
– Determine our focus
• I’d rather know
some of the questions,
than all of the answers
James Thurber, Humorist
Page 65 © Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Are Questions Better than Answers?
• The better the quality of
question, the more the brain is
challenged to think
• Studies show
– Learner performance scores
improved when the questions asked
improved in depth
• Try “thought-provoking”
questions rather than recall
questions
– Ask Questions, Ask for Questions
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Questions
• Your Opening Question
– It is so important!
– Explore it
– Massage it
– Reshape it
– Ask why?
• Ask “What If” Questions
Page 67 © Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Questions
Question TypesFacts: Right Answer
Interpretation: Meaning - Author Viewpoint
Evaluation: Meaning - Student Viewpoint
Questions Types:Recall Processing Applications
Identifying Comparing Applying
Completing Sequencing Generalizing
Matching Inferring Speculating
Listing Classifying Modifying
Observing Contrasting Forecasting
Reciting AnalyzingDistorting
Describing Organizing Deleting
Defining Inventing
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Your Worst Question
• Always be prepared to answer
your worst question
• You know what it is, the one
you dread
• When it is posed, you can
smile and give the answer you
rehearsed
Page 69 © Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
I Don’t Know
• It’s OK to say “I don’t know”
– Just not too often
• Try conjecture instead – it’s
much more effective
– Let them watch you think
– Take your time
– Come up with a plausible answer
– Let them know you are
conjecturing and you will check on
it later and report back
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Asking Questions
• Questions are one of your most powerful tools for furthering training outcomes
• Always be clear on your outcomes when asking questions
• Be cautious if using: – Socratic method (leading with loaded questions)
– Creeping poison
– Heart failure
Page 71 © Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Eliciting Questions
• Use presuppositions intentionally when
asking questions
• Use spatial marking to indicate when you
want questions and when you don’t
• Frame your question sessions to set any
limits you want
– Frames can be open
– Frames can be very tight
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Section End
Answers
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Answers
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Why are Answers Important?
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Select the one different from all the others!
a. c.b.
d. e.
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The Right Answer
• B The only one with just straight lines
a. c.b.
d. e.
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The Right Answer
• C The only one that is asymmetrical
a. c.b.
d. e.
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The Right Answer
• A The only one with no points
a. c.b.
d. e.
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The Right Answer
• D The only one with both straight lines and
curved lines
a. c.b.
d. e.
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The Right Answer
• E The only one that looks like a projection
of a non-Euclidean triangle into Euclidean
space
a. c.b.
d.e.
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The Right Answer
• They are all right answers!
a. c.b.
d. e.
Page 83 © Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Listening
• Two Ears, One Mouth
• Listening is a learned skill
• Use a listening voice
• Make sure they can hear you
• Make sure you can hear them
• Allow time for Q&A
– Before, During, After
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Respect their response
• When you ask a question –
show that you respect their
response
• Pause, look around the
audience, nod your head with
approval, smile
• Think about their response,
follow up with clarifying
questions
• Show them you really wanted
an answer
Page 85 © Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Answer Ownership
• For fun, try answer ownership
• Students own answers for the duration of the
class
– “It Depends”
– 3 simple questions of routing
– Identifier vs. address
• Facilitates a clean review and summary
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Section End
Power Statements
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Power Statements
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Power Statements
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Power Statements
• That’s Unacceptable!
• You!
• Thank You!
I Love
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Power Statements - Communications Channels
• Visual, Voice quality, Touch, Words
• When these aspects reinforce each other then you have congruency
• If the words do not match body and voice, no one remembers your words
UCLA Professor Albert Mehrabian
55%
38%
7%
BodyLanguage
VoiceTonality
Word
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Page 92 © Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
An Elephant and Your Audience?
• What’s the difference
between an elephant and
your audience?
• An elephant never forgets!
• An audience occasionally
remembers!
Page 93 © Copyright 2007 Howard Goldstein Associates, Inc.
Make your close effective
• Make your close effective and memorable
• Always leave time for a complete close
• End with– Quote, Your Opening, Summary of key
points, Story
– If you remember one thing remember that . . .
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Make your close effective
• Close with a “Call to Action”
• Go for applause
• Avoid ending with thank you –they can thank you after the applause
Section End