Speaker's Digest July 2003
In this issue:
What, is Dear Abby working for EMS now?
No, but we thought we’d share a story from someone who attended a recent seminar. After spending two days with us working on presentation skills and content, he went to dinner with his girlfriend. Their relationship had reached an uncomfortable place, he told us. “We’d been having a disconnect and I wasn’t sure why.” He shared that he decided to try out what he learned in our seminar about connecting with people through eye contact.
Looking his girlfriend in the eye during dinner provided a spark that helped them reconnect with one another and rekindle their relationship, and he's happy to report that the relationship is still going strong. Quoting a line from Ivan Reitman's not-so-classic movie Meatballs: "Spaz, you’re on your way!"
Just wanted to let you know that the fundamentals of public speaking have many applications in the world of business AND real life. And, by the way, we send a big thank you to our client for sharing that story—and allowing us to do the same.
Questions, Questions: Who Has Questions?
Speaking to a group is an exercise in sharing thoughts with an important audience of individuals. If your presentation is going well, your listeners will be thinking about what you’re saying and processing the information. You can expect them to have questions, comments, or requests for you to talk more about a specific point.
We encourage speakers to welcome the “question and answer” portion of a presentation. Questions demonstrate that you’ve made an impact. They allow you to interact directly with your audience and get immediate feedback that can be helpful and even exhilarating. Questions also give you an opportunity to talk more informally about topics that you know well, something people typically do well.
Speakers can prepare in advance for Q&A, and can use techniques to help manage the interaction in ways that makes a positive impact on the audience. Here are some techniques that we discuss in our workshops:
Preparing. Take time in advance of your presentation to brainstorm questions that might come up during your presentation. Make two lists: questions you welcome, and questions you hope no one asks. Instead of wasting energy worrying about Q&A, prepare answers to the questions you fear. Practice sharing difficult information frankly and to the point, as in “No, we can’t offer a lower price,” or “Our research didn’t support that conclusion.”
Getting Interrupted. Sometimes questions will come from the audience in the middle of your talk. Though most speakers prefer to finish their prepared presentation before entertaining questions, audiences often want on-the-spot clarification. Some thoughts on how to politely handle those mid-presentation interruptions:
- Start your talk by acknowledging that there will be time for questions at the end. Let the audience know whether you’ll welcome interruptions or if you’re planning for a formal Q&A at the end.
- Respond to interruptions politely: “I promise to address your question before I finish.”
- If the answer is an easy one, give a concise response and get right back to your presentation.
Encourage the first question. Sometimes it's difficult to get Q&A started. If you sense that your audience has questions but is reluctant to begin, here are a few ways to get things going:
- Ask the question yourself, introducing it as someone else’s. For example: “Someone I met at a workshop this morning had an interesting question . . .” or “Lots of people ask me . . .”
- Summarize the main points of your talk to remind your audience of the areas you covered. It gives them time to think about what you said and ponder questions they have.
- Have fun with it. “Come on, I know someone has a question they’re itching to ask” or “Let’s not always see the same hands.”
Repeat/Rephrase. When someone in your audience asks a question, be sure to repeat it or rephrase it. By doing this before answering, you are accomplishing many tasks at once:
- In most cases, the questioner is not wearing a microphone, which means you are sharing the question with the whole audience.
- Rephrasing the question gives you a chance to make the question friendlier, particularly if it was difficult or even antagonistic. Example: Q: Why is your price so high? A. The question was about how we determine our pricing. Here’s how we . . .
- You give yourself a little extra time, as a speaker, to prepare your response without resorting to non-communicators like umm, well, or even I think.
Don’t rate the questions. Avoid the inclination to say “That’s a great question.” It subtly tells others that their questions are somehow less profound. If someone just asked a great question, what do you say if someone asks a better one?
Don’t limit your eye contact. Instead of giving the questioner all your attention when you answer, present your answers to the entire audience. The information you give is relevant to everyone, not just the questioner. You can begin by looking at the questioner directly, but then shift your eyes to a different section of the room. By sharing your attention, you’re also welcoming more questions from your audience. Advanced technique: if you have a sense of who will ask the next question, finish your answer by making eye contact with THAT person.
Wrap up with confidence. Give your audience advance notice of when you need to finish, such as “I have time for three more questions.” After you finish your final answer, return to your presentation and re-summarize your main points. Wrap up on a positive note and with confidence. Thank your audience again, and smile. Take in the audience’s response, and congratulate yourself on a job well done.
Closed circuit to those who read their speeches: We’ve seen speakers who sound stuffy when reading from prepared texts, yet become much more effective when speaking “off-the-cuff” during Q&A. There’s a lesson in that. Answering questions is more like talking to a friend or colleague, and therefore more comfortable. To those who handle Q & A better than the speech itself: prepare your presentation as if the whole format was Q&A.
Anyone looking to succeed in business wants to be perceived as a confident communicator. Unfortunately, we don’t always FEEL as confident as we want to appear. While audiences can sometimes sense nervousness, they don’t really know what’s going on inside the speaker.
Are you nervous about your speech? The best news is that worried presenters who are well prepared tend to gain confidence as they speak. Here are techniques we teach that will help to improve your self-confidence and make a better impression:
Look your listeners in the eye. A shifty-eyed communicator comes across as nervous or insincere. Maintain eye contact for a complete thought before you redirect your gaze, and finish your points while looking at a person, rather than at your notes, screen or laptop.
Stand your ground. Movement is good, but only if it’s intentional. Avoid excess movement such as swaying, rocking, or doing a little do-see-do in front of your audience. Plant your feet – toe AND heel -- flat on the floor. It will help you channel nervous energy into gestures and vocal variety.
It’s in your hands. Don’t twist your fingers, rub your palms together, or leave your hands in your pockets. Avoid playing with your wedding ring, and ignore that hangnail that’s just BEGGING to be played with. Use your hands to gesture instead.
Be yourself. Don’t try putting on a fake “presenter’s voice” (also known as pulling a Ted Baxter, a reference to the insincere and inane anchor from "The Mary Tyler Moore Show"). Go for a conversational approach instead of trying to over-impress.
Eliminate qualifiers. Unless absolutely necessary, avoid using wishy-washy language. Words such as “if”, “think”, “hope”, etc. give the impression that you’re not so sure of yourself.
Energy inspires confidence. Whether you’re selling an idea with excitement and smiles, or delivering tough information with conviction and strength, your energy will show that you really believe what you’re saying. Even if you’re nervous.
Ralph Urrutia
District Manager / Retail
Verizon Wireless