In the world of comedy, when a joke flops, they say the comedian “died” on stage. In business, when a presentation flops, the presenter can be said to have “died” as well, if not on stage, at least in the meeting. The best way to avoid such an embarrassing (and costly death) is to master the ability to stay constantly engaged with your listener, in-person, on the phone, or online. Then you can be as responsive as possible to his needs at every point in your argument. That ability to stay “in sync” with your audience is both a skill and an art. There are at least ten ways to engage with listeners. Here are three of them.
- Set engagement expectations upfront for a discussion, not a performance. After you state your agenda, add in words to the effect, “Since I want to make the best use of your time, we can discuss the elements of the recommendation as we go through each of them.”
- Follow through on that expectation after each block of information
presented. Invite their thoughts, reactions, input, and perceived application of what you are describing to their situation.
- Let them choose. In many of your presentations, you often offer or explain a list of options, e.g. investment opportunities, advertising formats, special events, data scenarios, etc. Instead of you selecting the order in which you talk about these, ask your listener to scan the list quickly and choose the one he/she would like to hear about first. Then, you know you are talking about what he/she is really interested in. If you are smart, you will also open a discussion as to why he chose that item and likely learn lots more that can further align you to your buyer’s goals.
Comedians Don’t Intend to Die. Neither Do Presenters.
These three engagement techniques are not difficult. Yet, I see too few people using them effectively. Why is that? I think engagement reluctance is due to at three misguided beliefs:
- Presenters feel it is safer not to engage. “I know my stuff. I have practiced it. If I just get through it, I won’t risk getting thrown off my storyline.
- Presenters believe they know best what their listeners really need to know. “I have seen this situation so many times before and I know that what we do is the perfect solution.”
- Presenters have not been trained how to engage naturally with prospects and clients.
The solution to all three is training and practice. The results become self-evident almost immediately.
Performances Are Tough. Conversations Are Easy.
What is more boring than watching grass grow or paint dry? Watching someone do a 15 or 30 minute presentation monologue. If that is you or your team, it is time to get off automatic pilot, examine why this is happening, and correct it asap.
Anne Miller
Words Matter – Make What You Say Pay!
This post originally appeared May 2014.
Turn your presentation monologues into dazzling winning dialogues Call today for a free coaching, training, or speaking consultation. 212 876 1875. “I still use what you taught me thirteen years ago!” CEO, 1stDibs.com
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