Presentation Skills: Persuading a “Follower”

From Wilder’s Presentations

According to a survey of 1,700 executives by Robert B. Miller and Gary A. Williams, followers account for more than one-third of all executives. They stick to what's been done before and don't want to be the first to try something new.

They are very empathic, so when you talk to a follower, you may "feel" that she or he is agreeing with you, but that doesn't mean she or he is going to say yes to your idea.

Followers can seem to be skeptics or thinkers by the questions they ask. But when you hear phrases like, "This sounds similar to what XYZ company has been doing…" or "Where has this been proven successful?" you'll know you're dealing with a follower.

Presentation format: Followers want to know if, when, and where your idea has actually worked, and you need to give examples in your presentation. Executive summary: On this one-slide summary, include primary sources of information and a list of places your proposal has been successful.

Interaction: Followers ask many questions. You may think the person is interrogating you, but she or he is only attempting to discover how your strategy has played itself out before. The interrogation, or just the ongoing questions about facts, figures, and past experience, is the follower's way of finding out what happened when someone else implemented this strategy.

How to fail. You'll fail to persuade a follower if you don't:

• Present information without saying how it has been successful before.
• Put together a solid idea with all the facts and figures. Don't present a partially thought-out idea.

Slides designed for followers:

• Follow a logical, systematic thought process in your slides.
• Show where the successes have occurred and what results were obtained.
• Avoid busy, "avant garde" backgrounds. They will not give the impression of solidity to a follower who wants to keep on the path of what's been done.

Key Facts About Proposal
You may need several slides for this information. Be sure you don't present only concepts - you must have facts. List the costs and, if possible, show the costs for several options.

Past History
Unless you can list how your idea, process, or strategy was successful elsewhere, you might as well not present. This slide will be crucial in alleviating the fears of the follower.

Presentation Skills: Persuading a “Skeptic”

From Wilder’s Presentations

Skeptics are distrustful of information that does not fit their worldview. To a skeptic, everyone is suspect. When you start presenting, they will question you right away, and you have to be credible in their eyes before they will listen. While thinkers take in the data to make a decision; skeptics look through the data to find what supports their vision. Don't get defensive, and don't rush a skeptic. Because they're unafraid of being wrong, they make bold, risky decisions. In a survey of 1,700 executives by Robert B. Miller and Gary A. Williams, 2o% were skeptics.

Now a skeptic’s first question about all this is, “But how do you know this description of me is true?" If you mention presentation fonts, a skeptic says “How did you decide on this font size? I like mine better."

Presentation format: Skeptics are interested in where you got your information, ideas, and recommendations, so your format has to include documentation. Present your suggestions, but make footnotes or otherwise include the sources of your data.

Executive summary: On this one-slide summary include primary sources of information, people who agree with the idea, and data.

Interaction: Be prepared to be questioned and interrogated. For those of you who have been to court or had to give a deposition, remember the grueling questions you were asked that were designed to lead you down a path where you didn't want to go? Or the questions in which you almost lost your emotional balance? Watch yourself. Although the skeptic is really not attacking you personally, you will probably feel this way.

How to fail. You'll fail to persuade a skeptic if you:

• Present information without backing up its validity.
• Don't present why, logically and factually, your ideas make sense.
• Lose your emotional balance and begin to get defensive.
• Try to put the skeptics in the corner and show them how they are wrong.
• Take credit for all the ideas discussed and don't give the skeptic any credit.
• Start to believe the skeptic is questioning your identity as a competent professional

Try to get through your presentation without answering in detail the questions you are asked along the way. Leave the in-depth answers for the Q&A at the end.

Slides designed for skeptics:

• Show more than one option, with the reasons for or against after each option.
• Follow a logical, systematic thought process in your slides.
• List information sources on each slide. Look at the slide and be sure you can answer, "What makes this information credible?"

Presentation Skills: Persuading a “Thinker”

From Wilder’s Presentations

“Thinkers” are open to new ideas, but are careful and methodical. They are guarded and cautious; convinced by hard facts and research information as they explore every advantage and disadvantage.

Thinkers are open to new ideas when you have the facts to back them up, and they rely on rationality and numbers to make their decisions. This is why they might not have the best social skills when they are quizzing you about the information. While they are proactive and do want to win, thinkers use logic and exhaustive analysis to make decisions. In a survey of 1,700 executives by Robert B. Miller and Gary A. Williams, 11% were thinkers.

Format: Thinkers like outlines. For example, a strategy recommendation outline can help you logically present several strategies and, based on research, chose the most successful one. Thinkers would not be happy if you presented just one strategy.

Executive Summary: Provide a brief executive summary of your talk and then say, "Now let me take you through our analysis including some customer research, past production figures, and future predictions."

Interaction: Set up your slides to encourage interaction. When showing charts, be sure they are clear and focused. Put the summary point of the data on the slide, but be prepared for thinkers to want to discuss the numbers in the charts. Make sure the numbers are big enough for them to read. You can ask during your talk, "What other information do you know or want to know that will fill in any gaps you see?"

How to Fail: You’ll fail to persuade thinkers if you:

• Show them slides with unclear information.
• Don’t explain the logic of your transitions from one slide to the next.
• Don’t send them any materials ahead of time and then surprise them with a presentation, pushing for an answer right away. Thinkers like time to make a decision so they can consider all the issues involved.
• Put wrong numbers on your slides or say something incorrect, then fail to correct it. Thinkers won’t make a decision on the spot but will spend time analyzing and processing the information you provided, so an incorrect data point or misstatement of fact can be fatal.
• Don’t really do your homework, instead laboring under the false idea or hope that your enthusiasm will convince them.

Slides designed for thinkers: Prepare clear slides with informative headings and organized content so the information really stands out. Don’t use a fancy background. Limit yourself to an interesting title graphic at the top. Instead of impressing, fancy slides only annoy thinkers because they find the information harder to decipher.

Begin your presentation with a slide that states the present situation and the desired outcome. List the key analysis pieces you will show. Show a timeline if appropriate to help the thinker understand the events in order. It may be best not to state your recommended solution at the beginning: a thinker wants to hear your logic and reasoning process, then your recommendation.

Thinkers do not want to see a slide with start dates. Instead, they want time to digest the information, consider what else is important, find holes in your process, and then decide on next steps.

Presentation Skills: Persuading a “Charismatic” Decision Maker

From Wilder’s Presentations.

“Charismatic” decision makers are open to new ideas and enthusiastic when you present a new opportunity. Although they do not ask you for every detail, they will have someone go through your recommendations to make sure all the data are logically organized and make sense. They need to feel comfortable that your ideas are built on solid information, so don't be overly enthusiastic at the expense of your due-diligence work. In a survey of 1,700 executives by Robert B. Miller and Gary A. Williams, 25% were charismatics.

Presentation Format: Charismatics want to know the end result first, so make your presentation short and to the point. Plan for time to interact. You do need an organized structure when talking, but only present the highest level of your information. You will present the more detailed levels and back-up charts to the managers who will follow up with you and meticulously check all your facts and recommendations.

Executive summary: Provide a brief executive summary of your talk and then say, "How does this idea strike you?"

Interaction: Don't use too many slides. Let them talk. But be sure, when you are interacting, that you make your key points. Have those key points on your slides, in your mind, or on a piece of paper. No matter how enthusiastic the audience is, make all your points.

How to fail: You'll fail to persuade charismatics if you:

• Try to tell the story from start to finish with lots of numbers and industry jargon. They want to hear the bottom line first.
• Present a pre-planned talk that you have obviously given many times before.
• Talk without giving them an opportunity to interact with you.
• Fail to make your points even as they are discussing side issues and other opportunities that come into their mind.
• Assume that when your presentation is over, you don't have any more work to do but wait to hear a decision.

Slides designed for charismatics:

• Don't use too many slides; decide on fewer slides and then cut that number in half.
• Set up your slides to illustrate a vision. Offer opportunities to imagine a better future and visually show results.
• Don't present any slides of numbers in small type.
• Don't just present "hype" about an idea, also explain the risks or obstacles that might arise and suggestions for handling them.

Next time: Thinkers

Presentation Skills: Your Persuasion Path

From Wilder’s Presentations.

There is a book called The 5 Paths to Persuasion by Robert B. Miller and Gary A. Williams that describes five decision-making styles based on the authors’ surveys of 1,700 executives:

• Charismatics
• Thinkers
• Skeptics
• Followers
• Controllers

You’ve set your objective, planed your three or four key messages, and organized your content logically and systematically. Now you have to decide how your information should be presented to persuade these five kinds of decision maker, and Miller and Williams provide some insights.

Charismatics: They seem excited, attracted to new, out-of-the-box ideas. They don't want the whole PowerPoint talk—they just want to hear the bottom-line results. You must engage charismatics immediately, before they lose interest. But don't be lulled into thinking that you don't really have to follow up or present detailed information. You do need to present the risks and how to minimize them. From the way charismatics talk, you think the decision is imminent, but they will give all the details to others to examine. Then they'll decide. Although charismatics might not seem interested in the analysis, others will. In Miller and Williams' survey, 25% were charismatics.

Thinkers: Thinkers are open to new ideas when you have the facts backing up the idea. Guarded and cautious, they explore every advantage and disadvantage. They are very rational and use numbers to make their decisions, quizzing you about the information. This is why they might not have the best social skills. While they are proactive and do want to win, thinkers use logic and exhaustive analysis to make decisions. In the survey, 10% were thinkers.

Skeptics: They are distrustful of information that does not fit their worldview. To a skeptic, everyone is suspect, and they will question you right away. You have to be credible in their eyes before they listen to you. Skeptics say what they think without regard to your reaction. While thinkers take in the data to make a decision; skeptics look through the data to find what supports their vision. Don't get defensive, and don't rush a skeptic. Because they're unafraid of being wrong, they make bold, risky decisions. Almost 20% of the survey respondents were skeptics.

Followers: Followers come across as open and enthused, but unless you talk about how your process was successfully implemented elsewhere, they lose interest. They want proof. A follower keeps asking, "Where has this been done before?" That's why they buy well-known brands. Not innovators, followers want to protect what the company already has. They are excellent with people, always aware of how their behavior affects others. One last thing: followers like bargains and enjoy a bit of haggling over prices. Although 36% in the survey were followers, only 6% of sales presentations are targeted to them.

Controllers: Highly independent, they like to be in control of the total decision-making process. Controllers don't like to be pushed - you have to get them to believe they made the decisions. Because controllers see information through their perspective, it can be difficult to get them to truly take in a piece of data that runs contrary to their view. They are also perfectionists who are not very interested in getting along with people and making them feel comfortable. Controllers run to their own tune, so be careful not to present contrary information. They have a tendency to shoot the messenger. In the survey, almost 10% of the respondents were controllers.

Why is this information useful when you are presenting to a group of people? In reality you are "selling" your idea to your audience. You will certainly do a more effective talk if you have an understanding of how people make decisions.

Next: How to persuade each kind of decision maker.

Resources: Reverse Dictionary

What is the name for those friendly volunteer museum guides? Or that little plastic tube that is fixed on each end of a shoelace?

What is the word for a female donkey? I know a male donkey is a jack. Is a female a jackette?

My niece is afraid of men with beards. I know there's a word for fear of beards but I can't think of it right now.

Well, a Reverse Dictionary like the one at OneLook can give you all these answers.

OneLook's reverse dictionary lets you describe a concept and get back a list of words and phrases related to that concept. Your description can be a few words, a sentence, a question, or even just a single word. In most cases you'll get back a list of related terms with the best matches shown first.

OneLook indexes hundreds of online dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference sites. They do this using an assortment of statistical language processing hacks.

Yikes, though. Sometimes many of your search results are complete nonsense. For some types of searches, only the first result or the first few results are likely to be useful. OneLook urges you to click on a word to check its definition before using it in your Booker Prize acceptance speech or honors thesis.

If you get back nothing but junk, try restating your query so that it's just two or three simple words. Some queries are very difficult for the system. That's because not every dictionary indexed by OneLook is used by the reverse dictionary, and their search algorithm still needs some work.

Nevertheless, it is a very handy website. Now what is the word that means next to last?

Writing for Grammar: What's the Big Deal About Spelling? Part 2

Last time we mentioned that proper spelling is primarily for credibility, not meaning.

What is the best way to check your spelling? With a dictionary and thesaurus. Or go to online sources like dictionary.com or thesarus.com. For goodness sakes, don't rely on the spell checker in your word processing program.

You'll see why if you read the following poem aloud:

I halve a spelling checker, it came with my pea see.
It plainly marks four my revue mistakes I dew knot sea.
Eye strike a key and type a word and weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write, it shows me strait aweigh.

As soon as a mist ache is maid, it nose been fore two long,
And eye can put the era rite-its rarely ever wrong.
I've scent this massage threw it,
And I'm shore your pleased too no
Its letter prefect in every weigh-my checker tolled me sew.

This poem would be passed as perfect by the spell checkers in most word processing programs. That's because all the words in the poem are real words-but not the words you want to use.

Spell checkers are only good at picking out nonsense words, they can't judge context. If your misspelling makes a real word, you are snookered. And judged a moron by the reader.

So, use your spell checker as your first line of defense against the heartbreak of misspellings, but don't stop there. Nothing beats careful line by line proofreading.For a list of the most commonly misspelled words in North American, and some notable misspellings, you can see my companion Writing Tip on Spelling.

Writing for Grammar: What's the Big Deal About Spelling?

Why is everyone so uptight about proper spelling? It isn't really required for understanding.

Consider this paragraph:

Aoccdrnig to a rseearch at an Elingsh uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is that the frist and lsat ltteer is at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae we do not raed ervey lteter by itslef but the wrod as a wlohe.

Most people seem to be able to get most of the meaning all right without proper spelling. It's only in specific cases that spelling changes meaning. So why spell properly?

It's for credibility. If your writing is full of misspelled words, people will think you are an idiot, and they certainly won't pay much attention to your writing.

Next time we will look at some ways to make sure our writing is spelled correctly.

Writing for Style - Focused Freewriting

Freewriting is writing without rules. Start by jotting down the first thoughts that come to mind, no matter how trivial or disconnected they may appear.

You may eventually delete it or toss it away. But if you first read it over carefully, you might find a key word or phrase or maybe even a sentence or two that can be developed into a longer piece of writing. Freewriting may not always give you specific material for a future essay, but it will help you get into the right frame of mind for writing.

Focused Freewriting follows the same process but begins with a topic:

1. Put a topic of your choice, or even the topic of your next paper, at the top of a blank page. Set a time limit and begin Freewriting.
2. This time, write down things that seem to be related to the topic. Do not worry about order of ideas or grammatical correctness.
3. Don't worry if the ideas seem to be digressions.
4. When time is up, look over what you have written. Pull out ideas and phrases you can use later.
5. Practice putting the Freewriting into outline form. If you were to use the writing to begin a paper, which points would you make first? Second?

Most people need to practice freewriting several times before they are able to make it work for them effectively. So be patient.

Try freewriting as a regular exercise, perhaps three or four times a week, until you find that you can write without rules comfortably and productively.

Writing for Style - Freewriting

Staring at a blank computer screen or piece of paper has to be one of the most awkward times for a writer.

Suddenly your desk needs tidying, then the books in the bookcase demand sorting into alphabetical order, then it’s time to check your email—anything is more attractive than writing.

Making something out of nothing, creating something that has never existed before, is akin to Dumbledore waving his wand to produce a feast for dozens of hungry students. It’s magic. If the prospect of having to make magic makes you uneasy, you are not alone.

It’s not that writers have nothing upstairs, its just that most of us have no special talent for organizing thoughts and putting them down on paper. So instead of writing, I just scribble. Then I go back and try to make sense of it all.

This scribbling is called freewriting—writing without rules. If you find yourself searching for a writing topic, start by jotting down the first thoughts that come to mind, no matter how trivial or disconnected they may appear. Freewriting resembles the warm up you might do before exercising. There is no "correct" way to do this, so try your own variation of these steps:

• Begin with a blank computer screen or a pad and a watch (or the clock on the computer). Freewriting involves generating words, not correcting them or getting just the right word. Set a time for yourself.
• Try one, five, or ten minutes. Longer times may not be that productive since freewriting is a "warm up" for more focused writing.
• Begin to type or write about anything that comes into your head. Don't stop until the time is up.
• Then review what you have written. Are there words you like? Ideas that might work for your writing project?

For five minutes, write non-stop: don't lift your fingers from the keyboard or your pen from the page. Just keep writing. Don't stop to ponder or make corrections or look up a word's meaning in the dictionary. Just keep writing.

Next time: Focused Freewriting

Writing for Grammar: The Secrets of Nyms 2

More heteronyms, then capitonyms.

A heteronym (HET-uhr-uh-nim) is a word that has the same spelling as another word but with a different pronunciation and meaning. In a pure heteronymic pair, the two words must be etymologically unrelated, as in bass, buffet, deserts, dove, entrance, lead, moped, unionized, wind, and wound.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13) They were too close to the door to close it.
14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18) After a number of Novocain injections, my jaw got number.
19) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?
22) I spent last evening evening out a pile of dirt.

A capitonym (KAP-i-toh-NIM) is a word that changes pronunciation and meaning when it is capitalized.

Job's Job
In August, an august patriarch
Was reading an ad in Reading, Mass.
Long-suffering Job secured a job
To polish piles of Polish brass.

Herb's Herbs
An herb store owner, name of Herb,
Moved to a rainier Mount Rainier.
It would have been so nice in Nice,
And even tangier in Tangier.

Next time: contronyms

Writing for Grammar: The Secrets of Nyms

Most people are familiar with some of the nyms:

• synonyms - words that have similar meanings like sniff and inhale (but why isn’t there a synonym for the word synonym?)
• antonyms with opposite meanings like profit and loss
• homonyms - words that have the same sound and often the same spelling but differ in meaning, such as bank (embankment) and bank (place where money is kept).

But there are also heteronyms, capitonyms, and contranyms.

A heteronym (HET-uhr-uh-nim) is a word that has the same spelling as another word but with a different pronunciation and meaning. In the following poem, each end-word is heteronymic:

Listen, readers, toward me bow.
Be friendly; do not draw the bow.
Please don't try to start a row.
Sit peacefully, all in a row.
Don't act like a big, fat sow.
Do not the seeds of discord sow.

In a pure heteronymic pair, the two words must be etymologically unrelated, as in bass, buffet, deserts, dove, entrance, lead, moped, unionized, wind, and wound.

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.
2) The farm was used to produce produce.
3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4) We must polish the Polish furniture.
5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8) At the Army base, a bass was painted on the head of a bass drum.
9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10) I did not object to the object.

more nyms next time...

Presentation Skills: Start With Something Interesting

Adapted from Wilder’s Presentations.

How do you begin your presentations? With your needs or the needs of your audience?

There is one guaranteed way to turn off an audience right from the start - by reading your agenda.

Here are five possible better ways to start:

1. Discuss three benefits the audience will receive by listening to you. "When you leave today you will have three things. First, you will go from frustration to ease of use with this program. Second, you will go from spending hours attempting to set up a meeting to just minutes. Third, you'll have more time to do your real work."
2. Start with the three key messages you want your audience to remember and tell others. "Many of you here are not convinced that preventive healthcare should be taken seriously. I'm here to tell you that preventive health saves lives, reduces cost of care, and most importantly, enables people to live healthier, happier, and more productive lives."
3. Provide a high-level summary of your talk. "Today we are looking at Project Talk. Right now the beta test shows some bugs in the system, and our desired outcome is to start advertising in six months. We looked at several strategies to reach that outcome, and concluded that we have to put more resources into moving Project Talk forward faster. Let me show you the rationale for this decision."
4. A startling quotation or statistic: "In the 30 minutes it will take me to deliver this presentation, six children will die from hunger.”
5. A story that summarizes the main point of your talk. “Twenty years ago, my friend Bob was homeless. He ate out of dumpsters and was always on the lookout for things he could steal and pawn…”

Make the start interesting and you will have the audience's attention for at least the first few minutes. After that, it's up to you to keep it.

Writing for Style: Professional Emails

Adapted from Richard Nordquist at About Grammar.

E-mail is the most common form of written business communication - and the most commonly abused. Faced with an empty message screen, even a perfectly well-adjusted adult can turn abruptly into Dilbert's pointy-haired boss: "Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say."

When 100 emails a day fill our mailbox, being concise counts.

Take a look at this e-mail message recently sent to all staff members on a large university campus:

It is time to renew your faculty/staff parking decals. New decals are required by Nov. 1, 2007. Parking Rules and Regulations require that all vehicles driven on campus must display the current decal.

Slapping a "Hi!" in front of this message doesn't solve the problem. It only adds an air of giddiness.

Instead, We can make this email nicer and shorter and probably more effective if we simply added a "please" and addressed the reader directly:

Please renew your faculty/staff parking decals by November 1.

Next, add how and where to renew. That's a professional email.

Quick Tips on Writing Professional E-mails

• Always fill in the subject line with a topic that means something to your reader. Not "Decals" or "Important!" but "Deadline for New Parking Decals."
• Put your main point in the opening sentence. An e-mail shouldn't sound like Dickens.
• Never start a message with a vague "This." ("This needs to be done by 5:00.") Because most of us have to read dozens of e-mails a day, specify which "this" you're talking about.
• Don't use ALL CAPITALS (no shouting!). or all lower-case letters either (unless you're e. e. cummings).
• Remember to say "please" and "thank you." And mean it. "Thank you for understanding why afternoon breaks have been eliminated" is prissy and petty and mean. It's not polite.
• Edit and proofread before hitting "send." If your messages look like excerpts from a ten-year-old's chat room, don't be surprised if they're forwarded with a chortle to people you've never met.
• Finally, reply promptly to serious messages. If you need more than 24 hours to collect information or make a decision, send a brief response explaining the delay.