Different Audience Temperaments Require Different Presentation Styles

Have you experienced the following?

• You’re at a non-interactive presentation where the audience is bored stiff
• You’re at a non-interactive presentation where the audience is mesmerized
• You’re at an interactive presentation where nobody wants to talk or knows what to say
• You’re at an interactive presentation where everybody talks and amazing ideas pop up everywhere

Certainly, these various outcomes are largely dependent on the presenter. That’s why scads of books and blogs are dedicated to creating and delivering highly effective presentations.

But these outcomes also depend on the temperament of the audience. Some people are interacters - they like conversation, a back and forth exchange of ideas…

Why - The Most Valuable Word in Business

Why?

Children are famous for asking why. Why is grass green? Why is the TV on when we eat dinner? Sometimes these simple questions stop us dead in our tracks.

A colleague of mine had a rare attribute - he loved training new employees from the ground up. Why? Because they asked a lot of questions. Why do you do it this way? Why do you do it that way? The “why” questions forced him to articulate the reasons behind his operating procedures. Every once in a while, he would discover he had no reason for a particular operating procedure.

The word…

Waiting for Goodbye

This (non qualifying) post for my Cell Phone Users and Abusers contest has to do with conversation etiquette.

The issue - when is a conversation over? Have you ever had a conversation with someone who is impossible to get off the phone? Someone who will continue to find something to say long after the topic has been exhausted? Someone who responds to every “good bye” with an “oh just one more thing …”? Someone who never picks up the hint that the conversation is OVER?
______________________

WAITING FOR GOODBYE

An existential cell phone drama in one act, by Brad Shorr

ESTRAGON: It’s been fabulous catching up with you on…

Do You Have a Pet Phrase?

Image via WikipediaEver notice how some people have a “signature line”, a phrase they repeat often and are associated with? Maybe the most well known signature line belonged to Rodney Dangerfield - “I don’t get no respect.”

Several people I know have their own pet phrase - here’s a sampling.

“Those two are a pair to draw to!”
“Where’s your partner in crime?”
“If I were any happier I’d be twins.”
“I’ve been running around like a goof.”
“If you’re going to be a bear, be a grizzly.”

What makes these so memorable? Quirky phrasing? Revealing of a basic underlying truth? I think sometimes it’s just…

Beat the Clock - Please!

In October, Robert Hruzek asks, what have we learned from stress? Usually, Robert’s group project theme leaves me scratching my head for hours trying to come up with a meaningful response. This month, however, there’s no problem.

What I learned from stress is that for me, stress equals time. I don’t like tight deadlines, cramming for a test, rushing to the airport to catch a flight, or running late for an appointment. For some people, public speaking or being trapped in an elevator causes enormous stress. For me, it’s showing up fifteen minutes late for a sales call.

Having dealt with this…

Trust Me

Image via WikipediaThe day before I wrote this the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 777 points, an all-time negative scoring record. The plunge occurred because contrary to expectations, Congress failed to pass the bailout plan Wall Street was counting on to restore calm to the markets.

Even with elections only a month away, I am certain that Ronald Reagan or the first-term Bill Clinton would have gotten this legislation through. Why? Because both of those men had a critical mass of trust. President Bush does not.

Leaders must have trust. Whether leaders are running a country, a Fortune 500 firm, or…

Zero Strategy Causes Financial Crisis

You can’t win playing catch up ball. That’s exactly what our financial institutions, regulatory agencies, Federal government, and investors have been doing since our banking system began to unravel almost a year ago.

Lenders make ill conceived loans snapped up by borrowers who aren’t thinking ahead. Regulators worry about inflation one day and stimulating the economy the next. And then start the surprises. Bear Stearns implodes. Government rushes in and brokers a rescue. Then a series of crises followed by scrambling and patchwork solutions. Fear grips the markets. Since the macro outlook yo-yo’s from decent to dire on a daily basis,…

Super Valuable Communication Efficiency Tip

You start a conversation you can’t even finish it.
You’re talkin’ a lot, but you’re not sayin’ anything.
When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed.
Say something once, why say it again?
(Psycho Killer, by Talking Heads)

Yes, finishing a conversation is problematic. Whether it’s a text message, email, voice mail exchange, or Twitter tweet, when is it time for the last word? And more important — who gets it?

Client and personal productivity maven Jan Wencel gave me a simple, wonderful tip the other day. Here it is.

End your email, text message, etc., with NRN. NRN stands for No Response Needed.

Viola!…