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What Ifs! by David
W. Richardson, CSP It seems that now that I've gone down the road of "What Ifs", I've found a never-ending supply of article fodder there! You all know, of course, that anything can happen when you're standing in front of an audience, large or small. You want to make a good impression, you want to sell your product, you want to get through it without your knees knocking -- whatever the case may be, you'll be at your best if you're prepared for any contingency. I'll start off with one of my favorites because everyone does it at one time or another. WHAT IF I START TO RAMBLE? The Challenge One surefire way to lose your audience very quickly is to ramble, fumble, and stumble incessantly throughout your presentation. A pastor who is not only a client but also a very good friend of mine continually finds himself rambling about topics both related and unrelated to the message of his sermon. He is an excellent speaker who has chosen to script out in detail 90% of his message. When he gets rolling, his very active mind seems to kick into high gear and frequently he will wander off on a tangent. It's not that the congregation walks away with any less, in fact usually they leave with a lot more, but he forever finds himself in a race against time to thoroughly make each of his points. This is a concern for him, because it causes him to rush and he feels that his message to the congregation sometimes comes up short. Because he is such a good speaker they don't notice it, and, more importantly, they don't care . . . but he does. He sees rambling as an impediment to sharing his evangelical message. The Solution First of all, there is a significant
distinction between rambling and jumping off message in order to
handle an unanticipated situation during your presentation.
People ramble for a variety of reasons . . . some are not
comfortable with the information they've prepared, others use it as
a means of controlling nervousness, while others, like the pastor,
get brilliant ideas and just tend to jump off the message to share
them with their listeners.
I am in no way suggesting that you should never depart from your prepared message. It is imperative that you alter your approach if it appears that you are losing your audience, but do it with a specific purpose in mind. Choose your words and deliver them without rambling. WHAT IF SOMEONE ASKS A QUESTION I CAN'T
ANSWER? The Challenge The selling process for a major piece of
capital equipment to a hospital was in its 14th month. While the typical cycle was twelve to eighteen months to
close the sale, this particular client required a lot of hand
holding and continuous meetings to keep this project from being
delayed or postponed. Any
good sales professional would certainly find this part of the
process somewhat frustrating, but keeping it in perspective would
recognize it as just another necessary part of their job. During one of these meetings which included the
CEO, head administrator, chief of surgery, and the purchasing agent,
a tough but reasonable question was asked of the sales
representative. Not
knowing the answer, but impatient to bring this sale to conclusion,
he bluffed, made up an answer he felt would satisfy them.
It was a good answer . . . but as luck would have it, or
should I say, bad luck, the answer was not good enough. It was discovered by the clients a few days
later that in this one instance, answering this one
question, the salesman had not only misrepresented the product but
his company and himself as well.
His impatience in one brief moment cast a dark shadow of
doubt on everything that he had ever said.
All conversations on this project were immediately
terminated. The
proposal was placed back on the market for bid, and neither this
gentleman nor his company was invited to participate.
Ouch! The Solution As long as you are honest and up front with
people, they will work with you because it is also in their best
interests to develop a relationship in which each participant can be
counted upon without reservation. Tough questions . . . expect to get them and be
prepared to act, not react.
If you've established a good relationship, this type of response should be acceptable. Just make sure you get back to them by the specified time. Recognize that some day, some time you will be
asked a question to which you lack the appropriate information to
give an acceptable answer. As
a long time member of the Boy Scout of America, I have never
forgotten their motto . . . BE PREPARED!
That simple but profound motto has helped me numerous times
in my career as a professional speaker. WHAT IF MY NOTES GET MIXED UP? The Challenge The commencement speaker at my daughter's high
school graduation was a well-known local personality.
Approaching the microphone, this gentleman with a reputation
as a strong communicator reached into his pocket and pulled out a
stack of 3 x 5 cards that must have been at least an inch thick and
carefully placed them on the lectern.
These were his notes, and given the fact that he had a lot of
cards and obviously a lot of notes, we knew what we were in for . .
. a long message. It was a blustery day in late May, causing
several of the seniors' graduation caps to ever so subtly lift off
of their heads like kites, and they weren't the only ones feeling
the effects of the wind. The
speaker was struggling to keep his perfectly crafted note cards in
place on the lectern. It was inevitable . . . we could all see it coming.
A perfect gust of wind lifted his stack of cards into the air
causing those in the front row to feel like they were at a
tickertape parade in New York City. And guess what he had failed to do?
Number them. He was totally lost without his notes and I really felt sorry
for him as he stumbled through the remainder of his presentation in
a very disjointed manner. The Solution While it is highly unlikely that your notes would ever be blown off a lectern, or for that matter somehow become mixed up, plan for the best but prepare for the worst.
If you're using visual
aids perhaps it wouldn't be necessary to use notes at all.
Merely pick up your thoughts and ideas as you direct your
audience's attention to each supporting visual.
Remember that the presentation takes place in
the mind of the listeners, not in the voice and the notes of the
speaker. Unless you are
giving a scripted presentation to a group of listeners who will
quote your every word in the Wall Street Journal, a reminder of your
key points is all that is necessary. So, how about you?
What "what ifs" plague you as you step up to the
lectern or rise to speak before your peers?
Whatever it is, it holds you back from giving the best
presentation you possibly can. Give me a call at 800-338-5831 and ask me your "What Ifs". I'll be happy to share 20 minutes of my time to consult with you (For FREE!). You can also send your "What Ifs" in a fax to 480-451-9372 with a copy of your business card or e-mail them to me at daver@richspeaking.com. Until then, keep on practicing your presentation skills and keep on getting better! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ To
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