This is the dilemma PowerPoint presenters face: When you stand during a group PPT presentation, all eyes and ears are directed at you and, up to a point, that is fine. However, monologues, even good ones, can’t tell you How much do listeners really understand? How do they really feel about what you are …
When you are angry, do you want people to tell you immediately to calm down? When you are sad, do you want them to advise you right away to cheer up? When you are upset, do you want them to tell you to just forget about it? No, No, and No. It is more likely …
The story goes that Picasso was at a cocktail party when he was approached by an admirer who asked if would please sketch her portrait on a napkin, for which, of course, she would pay him. Politely obliging, he quickly drew her profile. When she asked how much she owed him, he said, “$500.” “$500!” …
How do you distinguish yourself from competition in the minds of prospects? Get some ideas from this week’s Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People issue. Not unlike your business challenge, the editors needed to create catchy phrases and metaphors to capture the essence of each person on their list. What crisp, memorable description can you …
What is it about presentations that makes otherwise talented people go into robot mode when they open their mouths? You know what I mean, when-the-words-come-out-in-an-unnatural-monotone-staccato fashion. Or, if not that, then the phrasing sounds like a car bumping along, starting, stopping, starting, stopping as in “One of the things — we want– to talk about …
I started to use an online meditation app and was struck by the point in today’s session: Get rid of the Mental Trash in the closet that is your head. It made me think of the “mental trash” I see in some people’s heads when they have to present that keeps them from performing at …
Ask any three colleagues from work what color they prefer for a car and why and you will likely get three different answers. Even if they choose the same color, they will likely have a different reason for their color choice. Ask a group of your friends what two traits they consider most important in …
Two unrelated events come together this week for this blog. One is happening as I write this. President George H.W. Bush is being eulogized in Washington by his biographer Jon Meacham. The other event is being asked by Top Sales World to be one of the judges voting for the best sales book of 2018. What is …
Can you unscramble these letters to make a real word? KIPYN That’s your challenge in a popular word game called “JumbIe,” which often appears in newspapers. It is a great word game and I admit I am a “Jumble” addict. More importantly, I would suggest that“Jumble” type thinking can save a sale for you …
How do you feel when professionals don’t model what they are selling? For example, the image consultant who looks like she just tumbled out of bed, or the wedding planner who shows up late for your meeting, or the dentist who starts to fill the wrong tooth in your mouth? A bit outraged? Incredulous? This …
Fast Company magazine posed this question to Pulitzer Prize winning biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin: “What’s the most important lesson that business leaders can take from [Presidents Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, and LBJ]?” You needn’t be a senior executive to heed her response, which applies to anyone whose success depends on the ability to sell, persuade, or influence …