NEVER Assume When It Comes to Your Presentation

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Posted on 25th February 2012 by Kristin Arnold in Group Interaction |Interview |Questions |Set The Tone |U R #1 Visual

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Last night, I attended the Phoenix Business Journal Women in Business Awards Program.  450 men and women gathered to celebrate the success of 25 women who are leading the way in the Phoenix area.  Held at the historic Biltmore Hotel, I was thrilled to meet so many influential women.

Why?  After 20 years of facilitating high level meetings, I still don’t see a huge influx of women in the boardroom.  I won’t go into why (I’ll share that for another post!), but I will share that I was proud to see our community embracing these women.  As the publisher announced the name and read a short bio, the award recipient reached into a bowl and drew out a question to be answered – and then answered it!  Most of the comments were genuine, heartfelt and superb advice for anyone (man or woman) who aspires to be a leader.  One woman actually said, “World Peace” in a nod to the Miss America Pageant!  All in all, it was a truly enjoyable evening and I will plan on attending next year.

Although…..I hate to admit it.  I was disappointed at the same time.  Each of these lovely women were in the front row and were not called up onto the main stage to answer the question.  I understand why, as one woman quipped, “Glad I didn’t have to wear a bathing suit for this!”.  However, the award recipients were standing in the dark, with a small halo of light shining from behind them from the main stage – where they should have been.

Even the keynoter, Renie Cavallari, had to artfully dance from the right to the left of the mainstage during her presentation.  Why?  Because the multimedia projector (which was on a center table) was ON the entire time!  If Renie spent any time center stage, she was illuminated with the bright red scrolling, the name of the event, and the event sponsor logos.  When I chatted with Renie later (she is also a member of NSA), she had “assumed” the audio/visual (A/V) people would have blanked the screen.

It really was no big deal.  Renie is a pro and she didn’t let this little snafu bug her one bit. Lesson learned for me is to NEVER assume.  Think through not only the content and delivery of your speech, but the little things that impact the ability of your audience to see you and hear your speech.

One of the ways I try to remember these kinds of things is to have a pre-event packing checklist.  Fellow blogger and author of Confessions of a Public Speaker, Scott Berkun has an even better one here.  Use these checklists as a guide; better yet, develop your own!

What kind of things do you have on your checklist? 

The Power of the Mastermind

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Posted on 16th December 2011 by Kristin Arnold in Engaging Mindset |Facilitation |Group Interaction |Word Choice

In his seminal book, Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill coined the concept of the mastermind alliance.  He believed that a group of like-minded, achievement oriented individuals could dramatically leverage each other’s success.  This Mastermind concept has proven itself over time as a valuable resource for people of every profession – including yours.

I was recently reminded of the power of the Mastermind with Randy Gage’s Prosperity TV posting.  He spent a few days at the Ritz Carlton in Key Biscayne, FL with a handful of peers to work “on” vs. “in” the business.  He talks about a “kitchen cabinet” – a circle of influence of those people you know and trust to bounce ideas off and give each other feedback.  In his video blog posting, he states three conditions for success for a more formal mastermind:

1)  Sacred.  People agree to the times you meet.

2) Confidentiality. Whatever is said in the group, stays in the group.

3) Size.  4-5 or 8 or max of 11, depending on how much “flavor” you want to have in the group!

I am not only a member of a Mastermind group (actually, we call ourselves the “MagicMind” because our group is where magic happens!), but I also facilitate executive mastermind sessions.   There are a few key ingredients you need to have to make sure the magic comes together:

1) Have the right chemistry.  The success of any mastermind group depends on the combined character of the group.  They can be from the same profession – although having people from various professions or industries gives the group more “outside” than “insider” thinking.  If from various professions, the people may be similarly structured,  facing similar business issues, share spheres of influence, have a common clientele and/or have similar ambitions.  Carefully select whom you invite.  They don’t even have to know each other initially, however the dynamics will need to shift into a trusting relationship.  BTW, They should NOT be competitors – it makes the dynamic go wonky!

2)  Agree on the objective.  A mastermind group inherently shares information, best practices and serves as business advisors and sounding boards in a non-competitive environment.  That’s pretty standard.  Then there are mastermind groups that hold each other accountable.  Entirely new objective – and I’ve seen some masterminds who embrace the notion of accountability and others who reject it.  It’s simply a choice.

3)  Make it intimate.  No, I am not talking about romantic.  Intimate.  So you can focus on the people, tailor the topics, and go deep into the solutions.  Randy’s group went to the Ritz-Carlton; you can have a mastermind in your living room.  It’s a conversation, not a presentation, so you want to limit the number of people you invite.  I agree with Randy on this.  Depending on your group, you may have only 4 or 5 – or as many as 12 or 13.  Anytime you go over a baker’s dozen, you’ll break into smaller groups to have more meaningful discussions – and the more time-consuming each session will be!

4)  Appoint a Facilitator.  Whether you identify one person from the group or you bring in an outside facilitator, somebody needs to set the agenda and keep them focused and on track.  Otherwise, it just turns into a bitch session – and we don’t want that!

How do you tap in to the potential synergy of a group?   Each member commits to maximizing each other’s success…through the power of the Mastermind!

Make the Meeting Room More Engaging

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Posted on 8th December 2011 by Kristin Arnold in Engaging Mindset |Group Interaction |presentation skills |Uncategorized

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You walk into the meeting room at least a half hour before your presentation, maybe more if you are using technology. You take a good look around the room. Yep. There are tables, chairs, a projector, and a screen. Sigh. Don’t all these meeting rooms look just about the same? Boring. Don’t be afraid to change it up to send the signal that this talk is not going to be your typical, ho-hum presentation. Part of caring is paying attention to room conditions.

Regardless of who has control over the room temperature, sound quality, or other environmental issues, you are ultimately responsible for the audience’s experience. No one else. Find out the room logistics prior to your presentation and set the room so the participants will be able to easily connect with you and with each other.

Room Size. If you have any say in the matter, try to get a room large enough to hold the expected number of attendees—and nothing bigger. If you have to choose between a room that is slightly too small and one that is slightly too large, choose the smaller room with standing room only.

Seating Arrangements. To allow participants to comfortably accomplish the activities you have in mind, set the chairs so they can be close to you and to each other.

Tables. The table configuration you use can support interaction as well: For example, with small audiences (fewer than twenty-five people), try a U-shaped arrangement where the audience fans out around the speaker on three sides. This enables the presenter to walk into the audience easily and encourages participation not only with the speaker but also with each other.

Screen to Their Left. Since we read from left to right, make it easier for the audience to “read” what you are saying by placing the screen to the left of the stage (downstage right in theater terms). Place the screen at the same depth as you will be standing and close enough to your center position that the audience’s eyes won’t have to travel a great distance from you to the screen. Furthermore, should you have to point to something on the screen, you can use your right hand without turning your back to the participants.

Lectern. For the same reasons as outlined for your screen placement, set the lectern, if you must have one, to their left (downstage right) so that you can have the center stage free to move about.

Clutter. Get rid of the clutter that tends to build up in a meeting room, especially at the front where you will be doing most of your speaking. What kind of clutter? Empty water glasses, piles of materials left over from a previous session, furniture that serves no purpose.

Want more tips?  Click here to sign up for my newsletter and receive my free speaker tools!

Creatively Show a Statistic During Your Presentation

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Posted on 22nd November 2011 by Kristin Arnold in Engaging Mindset |Group Interaction |presentation skills |Props |Uncategorized |Visuals/Props

I just came back from the National Speakers Association Strategic Planning Retreat and Board Meeting.  How fun to be on the other side of the table as the Immediate Past President rather than the professional facilitator!

As we were reviewing the data from our recent survey, Director of Marketing Janet Traylor effectively demonstrated the multigenerational mix of our membership:

For every survey response, she placed one of four different dried beans in a container – depending on the age of the respondent:

A Green Pea Bean for Millennials/Generation Y (born approx. 1977-1994)

A Red Kidney Bean for Generation X (born approx. 1965-1977

A White Navy Bean for Baby Boomers (born approx. 1944-1964) and

A Garbanzo Bean for the Traditionalists (born approx 1922-1943).

Janet then held up the container to show the demographic “mix” of our membership.  MUCH more effective than projecting a bar chart.

What do you do to bring a statistic come alive during your presentations?

 

 

Understanding Your Audience as a Speaker

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Posted on 17th November 2011 by Kristin Arnold in Engaging Mindset |Group Interaction |presentation skills |Set The Tone |Uncategorized |Word Choice

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To be an effective, engaging presenter, you have to let go of your own internal conversations and focus on your audience. This means you have to care sincerely about and want to connect with each person in the audience. They need to know that you are putting their needs first. That means you need to know enough about them so they feel they can trust you and will want to listen to you.

Research. We all despise the speaker who delivers his presentation on autopilot, never changing a word. It is the same presentation for one audience as it is for a completely different audience. To engage an audience, a presenter needs to find out their hopes, fears, and interests. Take the time to understand the people, their backgrounds, and the collective culture—often called the “personality” of the group—so you can connect your comments with what they care about.

Content. The actual message you share should address the issues that your audience cares about, not the ones you think they should care about. This is a subtle distinction with dramatic implications. If you do not address something that helps them make their lives better or improves the life of someone they care about, you are dead on arrival.

Make It Personal. Few things can help you bond and establish a connection with a group better than knowing and using people’s names.

• Obtain a participant list ahead of time and read through the list out loud several times. If possible, learn the correct pronunciation of the difficult names.

• As you  meet a new participant, say her name quietly to yourself a few times and make any associations that will help you recall the name later.

More “We” than “Me.” If you are truly focused on the audience, you will use more inclusive language. Rather than saying “I did this” and “Look at me,” you will inherently talk more about them, using either the words “you” or “we.”

Listen. As you are speaking, shift your focus from how you are doing to how the audience is doing. When you “listen” to the audience, you are much more aware of their verbal and nonverbal reactions during your speech. Are they smiling and nodding their heads? Yes; you are in the zone.

Adjust. As you listen to your audience, you can either continue as planned or adapt your speech. Because you aren’t going to hit the mark all the time, always prepare a plan B to pull out of your back pocket. Audiences are quite forgiving as long as they know you care about them. They want you to succeed. So if one technique doesn’t work, try another until you do connect.

 

Insights as NSA President

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Posted on 27th October 2011 by Kristin Arnold in Engaging Mindset |Group Interaction |Humor |Opening Activities |PowerPoint |presentation skills |Questions |Set The Tone |Speaking Trends |Stories |Uncategorized

It’s been a few months since I handed over the gavel of the National Speakers Association.  Oddly enough, most people expected me to go through PPD – post-presidential depression – a second cousin to post-partum depression.  I keep waiting for the funk to set in, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.  I’m just so excited about reconnecting with clients and re-engaging into the business!

Upon reflection, I thought I would share a few of my “insights” while serving as NSA President for the past year.

  1. Never check email after dinner or 7pm, whichever comes first.  Even the slightest nuance, idea, or member concern will rattle around in your head throughout the night.
  2. It’s the People.  I am often asked, “What’s the best part of being president? Hands down, it’s the people I have met.  Learning from and leaning on people who have been there before you, who are going through the same trials and tribulations, and helping those who are traveling the road you just traveled.
  3. Experience Matters.  I was chatting with a speaker who said his area of expertise was on leadership.  I innocently asked, “So what have you led?” and he told me it was none of my business.  I then discovered he had never managed nor led any organization!  Nothing beats experience when talking about your area of expertise.  Some call it practice what you preach.  I call it “eat your own dog food.”  If you talk about it, you should not only practice those same principles on and off the platform, but it should be so ingrained in your MO, your DNA, or tattooed on your rear end like one of my clients who manages assets.  You think I’m kidding, she actually got a tattoo on her ass…ets!  And I went and got myself a heap of experience at NSA when it comes to strategic planning, facilitating our board meetings and building a team!
  4. We are living in the Era of Engagement.  People want to contribute – to provide input, to comment on what’s happening in their world.  As professional speakers, the more we can ask for the audience’s contributions and comments up front, the better we can create an event that really connects with our audiences – and that they will want to keep the conversation flowing long after the presentation through blogs, listservs and discussion groups. Social networking is all about starting and keeping communities connected and the conversation flowing.  We haven’t even begun to tap into the possibilities to connect with our clients, prospects, and with the entire world.
  5. Keep It Small, Focused and F2F.  So here’s the curious thing.  When 9/11 hit in 2001 and then when the global economy crashed and burned in 2008, the prognosis for the meetings industry was well, not so great.   Theoretically, all of the meetings were going to shift to the virtual world.  But that has NOT the case.  What has happened is a global trend toward fewer meetings, smaller meetings and with the content more tightly focused.  The value on these face-to-face meetings has become much higher as people are investing their time specifically in order to meet face to face.  Meetings are also becoming smaller in number of attendees physically present, with an extended reach beyond the four walls of the meeting.  These hybrid meetings include streaming video and content discussions running at the same time as the actual event so people outside the room can participate in real time.
  6. The world is indeed flat.  We are living in a global economy.  NSA-US is  the world’s largest and oldest association dedicated to the art and business of professional speaking.  It was a pleasure to travel around the nation and the world representing the NSA-US – and seeing just how much we have in common..
  7. Leadership is not about immediate gratification.  Especially with a volunteer association steeped in tradition, suffice it to say that you won’t see immediate results.  It is the long term progress to our strategic plan that keeps us focused and motivated, providing even greater value to our members.

I am thrilled with the progress NSA continues to make on behalf of our members, and I will hold dear the memories, experiences, and relationships with my speaker buddies.  And, I am equally excited to get back to “work”!

 

I thank you for the tremendous opportunity to serve you and represent you throughout the United States as and world.  See you in Anaheim soon!

 

 

 

The Alphabet Soup of a Certified Professional Facilitator and Professional Speaker

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Posted on 24th October 2011 by Kristin Arnold in Facilitation |Group Interaction |Uncategorized

You may be wondering, “What’s with all the letters behind your name, Kristin?”  Looks like an alphabet soup, doesn’t it?

Yes, I am certifiably certified – as a professional facilitator (CPF), professional speaker (CSP) and management consultant (CMC).  I got my MBA along the way, so we might as well throw that in there too!

Most professions have a way to assure prospective clients that they are hiring a competent professional and that they will receive quality services.  When you are ill, you look for a doctor who is certified in that speciality. Or, if you are designing a building, you want a competent architect to draw up your plans.  How do you know these professionals are competent?  They are known for their great work and have numerous testimonials to back it up.  They have excellent marketing materials and they are certified or licensed by their professional association.

At QPC Inc. – The Extraordinary Team, we just finished an upgrade of our main website, marketing materials and testimonial database.  And, we continue to be proud of the great work we do facilitating high stakes meetings, speaking at conferences and other events (I call this a “MainStage Conversation”) and training people on team, facilitation, and presentation skills.

It’s all focused on help you achieve astonishing results through teamwork and collaboration.  Give us a call to discuss how we can help your teams become extraordinary!

 

The Alphabet Soup of a Certified Professional Facilitator and Professional Speaker

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Posted on 24th October 2011 by Kristin Arnold in Facilitation |Group Interaction |Uncategorized

You may be wondering, “What’s with all the letters behind your name, Kristin?”  Looks like an alphabet soup, doesn’t it?

Yes, I am certifiably certified – as a professional facilitator (CPF), professional speaker (CSP) and management consultant (CMC).  I got my MBA along the way, so we might as well throw that in there too!

Most professions have a way to assure prospective clients that they are hiring a competent professional and that they will receive quality services.  When you are ill, you look for a doctor who is certified in that speciality. Or, if you are designing a building, you want a competent architect to draw up your plans.  How do you know these professionals are competent?  They are known for their great work and have numerous testimonials to back it up.  They have excellent marketing materials and they are certified or licensed by their professional association.

At QPC Inc. – The Extraordinary Team, we just finished an upgrade of our main website, marketing materials and testimonial database.  And, we continue to be proud of the great work we do facilitating high stakes meetings, speaking at conferences and other events (I call this a “MainStage Conversation”) and training people on team, facilitation, and presentation skills.

It’s all focused on help you achieve astonishing results through teamwork and collaboration.  Give us a call to discuss how we can help your teams become extraordinary!

 

An Attitude of Gratitude Beyond Thanksgiving

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Posted on 10th October 2011 by Kristin Arnold in Engaging Mindset |Group Interaction |Humor |presentation skills |Set The Tone |Uncategorized

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It’s Thanksgiving day here in Canada and we’re having a turkey feast with our family.  The sun is shining through an Indian Summer day and all is right with the world.  Doesn’t get much better than this.

A simple entry

As we went around the dinner table sharing our thanks for the year, it reminded me just how important it is to be thankful each and every day – not just on Thanksgiving.  Of course, I’ll be able to celebrate the US version of Thanksgiving in another month (pass the gravy, please!); however, I’ve started to make it a practice to start each day writing three things to be grateful for in my Gratitude Journal.

This past summer, Steve Foran gave a short presentation at the CAPS Halifax chapter meeting where he talked about the importance of giving thanks.  Yes, it is a message we have heard before: Have an Attitude of Gratitude.  Yet Steve did something different.  He handed each of us a small 3″x5″ leather, hardcover journal.  He challenged each of us to write three things we are grateful for.

I have been doing this since August, and I notice the day starts much more positive and energized.

What can you do to bring an attitude of gratitude to your team?

Show Where You’re Going with a Team Map

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Posted on 6th October 2011 by Kristin Arnold in Engaging Mindset |Facilitation |Group Interaction |presentation skills |Set The Tone |Uncategorized |Visuals/Props |Word Choice

One and done?  Or, is your team meeting one in a series of meetings to accomplish a specific result?

If it is the latter, I have always found it helpful to put together a “team map” – a graphic or visual representation of the team’s journey.  The team map shows the high-level components of a series of meetings – all leading to the end result.

Use the team map much like you would use a roadmap to drive to a specific destination.  Talk about it at the beginning to get agreement and alignment to the overall process.  Post it on the wall to remind team members where they are in the process. And celebrate when you move from one phase to another!

Here is a simple example of the Shewart Plan-Do-Check-Act Cycle:

When improving a process, you can use this simple visual:

Or, you can use a more detailed version.  (I call this the left brained version as it is just a table with no graphics or colors!):

You can throw in a bit of color:

Or add in graphical elements:

Just as you use a roadmap when driving to your destination, try creating a team map to show the critical milestones along the way to success.

 

 

 

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