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Archive for April, 2010
More and more organizations are willing to pay hourly coaching fees to help leaders develop missing skills. I can say this, not because I’ve read the research, but because my coaching business is booming.
So what do people need to learn to stay on the fast track? They ask for stuff like grammar and sentence structure but what they really need to know is how to connect with another human being. Here are a few tips:
Say what you mean. Clearly. Leave out the history and your opinion. When you’re done writing, go back through and eliminate 20% of the words.
Be approachable. Stop talking about what you think, want or do. It’s all about the recipient. Always.
Be specific. Be certain your reader knows exactly what s/he or you will do next.
Use correct grammar. Think of how helpful a stop sign is at an intersection. It helps traffic flow. Correct grammar does the same. And if you’re sooooo busy that you don’t have time for grammar*, get someone else to write for you.
Be clear in your purpose. Before you start writing, know what your message should accomplish for you and for your reader.
Identify your “pet” phrases. We all have them. Phrases that are meaningless to the other person but we like using them. Eliminate those phrases.
Remember your reader. More than that, become your reader. Visualize them reading your message. Are you really talking with them or writing like you’re floating above them, don’t know them, aren’t one of them? It’s not about what you want to say; it’s about what you want them to identify with, grasp, do.
*No one is that busy.
What other ideas do you have to increase persuasion and productivity?
Have you noticed that emails can be technically well-written (grammatical, no typos, good structure) but still be a major turn off? It’s like you can’t put your finger on, you just know you don’t really like the person who sent it.
Here is my take:
1. People who write too much about themselves, even when they think they have the right too, are less likeable.
Look over your last few emails.
If you could simply write: Please send a message, do you prefer, I would suggest sending a message…?
If you could just write: This is a great idea (or even better: You have a great idea!), do you prefer, I do certainly think this is a good idea…?
If you could write: Can you/Will you/Would you, do you prefer, I’m writing to ask if you…?
2. People who use cliches are less likeable, less approachable and sometimes downright patronizing.
Instead of writing: Please keep this in mind, just say what you mean.
Instead of writing: With that said, just move on.
Instead of writing: To my knowledge, just tell them what you know.
Instead of writing: At the end of this day, what this means is…, write what your interpretation is.
Instead of writing: At this point in time, you might say, at this point or now or whatever it is you really mean.
Do you know anyone who feels like they’re talking down to you? Check their emails for I-I-I disease and for meaningless phrases. Consider they may not mean it and just don’t realize how self-centered they’re being. And if it’s you, stop now.
What are your pet peeves when it comes to unapproachable writing?
At almost every sales writing or email etiquette workshop I present someone asks me which is the best font to use. I wish I could tell you. The research is inconclusive and often contradicting so here are my thoughts and an overview of recent findings:
• Instructions written in a plain Arial font are more likely to be completed than those written in a script-like font. (University of Michigan)
• Using Century Gothic instead of Arial can save money on printer ink; about 30% less ink will be used. The University of Wisconsin-Green Bay has switched its default font on its e-mail system to save money and be more eco-friendly.
To confuse you further:
Reported in Advertising Age… Using “crealytics” (creative analytics), a group called Organic, researched customers’ responses to various fonts. They found, hold your keystroke here, that the use of serifs like in Georgia are more warm and fuzzy (really) and enjoyed by readers most, except in certain parts of the country (New Yorkers seem to likeHelvetica better).
And more: Turns out that sans-serif font may not be more legible than serifs even in design… Here is an interesting blog post about how designers enjoy keeping things “clean and bold” yet it seems clean (like Helvetica) may have lost its impact.
And whatever you do,
• don’t shout by bolding,
• don’t underline because readers confuse the underscore with a hyperlink (only hot links should be underlined)
• avoid red (even if that is your corporate color),
• stay away from blue (again because of confusion with a hot link),
• don’t use all CAPS (except when you have really good news and want to begin with CONGRATULATIONS! or YOU ROCK! or something you know will bring a smile to the recipient) and
• be thoughtful about the font you select to represent yourself.
My choice? Century Gothic. 12p font. Yours?
What a lucky break! Tim Sanders and I were, as they say, “sharing the platform”. I kicked off NYMix with the keynote and Tim was the luncheon speaker. “Hello SpeakerSue” he said when he saw me, and he had me!
He looked entirely different than when we last met. His hair was short and corporate, and his suit and tie conservative. When I commented on barely recognizing him, he explained the new look was strategic. When he and his speaking coach video-ed the audiences at his speeches (something they do often to catch audience reactions – quite clever!), they noticed that men, specifically those over 35, had a hard time settling down for the presentation. His new look seems to have a calming effect on them because their video shows they now settle in much more quickly. Amazing, yes, I agree, though in some ways we all do this intuitively, right? I don’t wear cleavage bearing black leather tops because not only wouldn’t my audiences settle down; they’d walk out. And they’d be laughing! Paying attention to what helps another person feel comfortable is an easy way to make a good first impression and makes it easier to accept what we’re saying. (See NLP for more advice about this.)
Tim also explained he is working on moving less on the stage. He has learned, he said, that to make a point it’s better to grow bigger (north to south) than to go back and forth (east to west). He demonstrated examples of Martin Luther King, becoming taller when he gave his “I have a Dream” speech and also, examples from Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton. It made sense and I’ve been working on rising up, and becoming larger (in theory, of course) ever since.
But I wonder if it’s possible to be coached too much. I remember the time an “esteemed” colleague told me I’d never make it in this business with my New York accent. So for weeks I tried speaking without the accent. I hated me. Audiences hated me even more.
I remember a famous-in-her-own-mind speaker who did everything dramatically. Overly. She’d point (kind of like a Pointer) perfectly in sync with her words, “the point is”, and pause dramatically (count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5) to make her “point”. She’d rave about her speaking coach and how important acting lessons can be to the effectiveness of the presentation. Being dramatic can be memorable, yes, but acting, I think, is just wrong. When everything is so scripted we forget to bring our own selves to the platform, it’s a disservice to all.
I’m hopeful I always remember never to turn into someone who isn’t me. And that the presentation is about them, for them. As Sanders says, Love is the Killer App. Loving the audience, caring most about them rather than the tehnical perfection of the presentation, may be the best coaching lesson of all. After all, as Johnny Carson said, “Once they love you, you can get away with murder.” Maybe even black leather.
Spoiler alert: You may read things you never thought I’d divulge…
like, the time I presented with my blouse button (yes, that one) open, the time my body decided to noisily revolt to the lactose I was enjoying in my coffee, the time I packed (and had to wear) one navy blue high heel and one black high heel – both right feet – in front of 5,000 people, the time I tripped – and fell – going up the steps to the stage after a grand introduction, and the time I spit on my decision maker….
The SpeakerSue corrollary to Murphy’s law is: If personal disaster can happen, it will happen when you present. Yes. It’s true.
A blinding flash of the obvious: You gotta laugh. If you can’t laugh and make light of it – if you have to take yourself so seriously that the above mortifying situations actually mortify you – you probably don’t want to be a presenter. Especially one who gets paid to present.
Self-deprecating humor – when everyone clearly sees what is happening – is the best possible recourse. (Note: When only you know [a bad hair day, too little sleep the night before, etc], do not bring attention to it. Let it be!) I’ve been blessed to be able to be spontaneously funny. Usually. With my blue/black shoes thing, I couldn’t think of anything funny to say and I couldn’t take my mind off the fact that the people in the front row had to be thinking, I wonder if she knows… I spoke my truth and just showed them. I said something like, I bet you’re wondering if I know I have one navy..two right footed-shoes…. I know. So, is it okay with you if I just take ‘em off? I think we’ll both feel better. And at least, I did.
If your strong points are elsewhere other than funny, prepare what you’ll say if… Try your “line” on friends and family. Do they laugh? Then, it’s a keeper and be prepared to use it.
What else? Don’t be drinking milk before/while you speak! Not only does it cause saliva to form in your mouth (think: spit) but it causes your body to want to “air” itself out. Drink plenty of room temperature water instead. Oh, and if you do make noise inappropriately, just keep talking! No one knows who dealt it! (For more advice on this, you’ll need to email me privately…<Sue@SpeakerSue.com>!!)
What’s your most embarrassing presentation thing and how did you recover?
A friend/prospect and I talked about his national sales meeting that was held last week. I was following up with him because his company had “gone in another direction” (euphemism for we want a speaker but not you) and he told me how disappointed he was with the presentations his team did at the meeting. He thought that maybe, starting with the new CEO and on down, we might work together to train them to be prepared, passionate and purposeful.
His company had worked out a really interesting case study to replicate real life drama. The sales teams, broken down by region, were each to consider themselves the current vendor in the case study, and they needed to presen a 5 min pitch to a (real) customer to keep the business. Could they? My friend was pretty much not happy. He said one team got the business but two gave it away (and what a rotten way to lose business, don’t you think? Not having what the client wants is one thing; not being able to present it successfully is another). They lost the business because they couldn’t present a cohesive, clear, compassionate message in a compelling manner.
Can you? If you had 3 or 5 minutes, what would you say to re-earn the business?
Most people either start blabbering about how much they want to keep the business, how hard they’ll work, how much it means to them to partner with the company (ding, you’re out), or they start spewing facts, figures and hard data to support the logical reasons to maintain the existing relationship (ding, you’re out, too).
Set yourself apart and get your point across in 3 minutes by having a story to tell. Think SuperBowl commercials or any of the other great ads (the puppy who protects his bone) that tell a complete story, with a punchline (the product or service) in less than 60 seconds. What’s the most compelling story you can tell your customer? Forget selling and go for telling. Tell your story to connect on an emotional level and you’ll make those 3 minutes persuasive, powerful and profitable.
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