Enhance Your Presentation Skills & Increase Your Influence

Presented By: Michelle Coussens, Plan B Consulting

Enhance Your Presentation Skills &

Increase Your Influence

Disclaimer: Note that this webinar is intended to provide useful information but should not be construed as individual legal or financial fact, advice, or opinion.

Session Focus

• How to strategize your communication approach

• Tips to plan and create effective meetings

• Presentation pointers

• Considerations to connect and deliver with poise

• Ways to communicate and present withconfidence

• How to persuade others to follow your lead

Presented by Progressive Women's Leadership 2

Strategizing communication•What is communication? The sharing and exchange of information

• Know what you want to communicate to be effective

•What’s your objective?•Refer to the graphic provided in your handout for a communication decisiontree.

• Circulate Model of Interpersonal Communication

• Benefits to communicating well:

• Less stress/conflict

• Fewer rumors

• Better motivation

• More profits

• Receiver feels valued and appreciated

• Increased productivity

• Fewer mistakes

• Better teamwork

• More cost savings

• Happier work force

• Fewer misunderstandings/arguments

• Improved relationships

3Presented by Progressive Women's Leadership

• Meeting Stages

• Advance planning

• Meeting Set up

• Meeting Run

• Meeting Follow up

• A presentation is a type of meeting delivery or is included as a part of a meeting.

Plan & create effective presentations and meetings


Meeting Stage 1: Advance Planning

⚫ What is the purpose of the meeting?

– What do you seek to accomplish?

⚫ What are the expected results?

⚫ Who should attend? Why?

– Do they know why they are being invited?

– Who is instrumental versus nice to have?

⚫ What, if anything, do invitees need to do in advance? Bring? Read? Consider? Find?

⚫ What is the agenda (meeting components)?


Meeting Stage 2: Meeting Set Up

⚫ Determine meeting logistics

– Selection of meeting vehicle/platform and associated supplements

– Calendar invitations along with email overview

⚫ Address Stage 1 questions

– What, where, when, and why

⚫ How to access and use meeting platform and associated tools

– How attendees will participate and interact

⚫ Agenda

⚫ Sequence presentation materials in advance in line with the agenda

– Parse agenda items into time intervals

⚫ Test any technology ahead of time.


Meeting Stage 3: Meeting Run

⚫ Introduce everyone attending

⚫ Highlight meeting expectations

– Block your other computer applications. (email, social media, etc.)

⚫ If possible, allow time at the beginning of the meeting for information socialization/catch up.

– Icebreaker

⚫ Make use of collaborative notetaking and other engagement tools

⚫ Take meeting minutes

– If possible, also record the meeting for those who may have missed it and for future reference.

⚫ Close with a recap of key conclusions, and decisions

– Clearly identify and agree on ownership of next steps


Meeting Stage 4: Meeting Follow up

⚫ Distribute meeting minutes

– To attendees and other key stakeholders

– Post meeting minutes, along with other key reference materials into a common portal with consistent accessibility

– Highlight next meeting date (if applicable)

⚫ Consider lessons learned

– Request individual feedback on both meeting topic and how meeting was run

– Address any logistical issues that arose in anticipation and preparation for other meetings


• Start and end on time• Log in early

• Practice timing and sequence transitions

• If online,

• Speak a little slower than you would if in-person.

• Account for software delays.

• Assign roles (in advance) from attendees, such as facilitator, timekeeper and scribe

• During the meeting agree on a signal participants can use when they think discussion is rambling or a given speaker should wrap up.• Keep a “Parking Lot” for issues to discuss at a later time or individually.

• Schedule meetings in 25- or 55-minute increments, not 30 or 60.

• Keep individual speaking/presenting before pausing to not more than 5-minute intervals.

• Engage your audience with Q&A, polls, or other interactive opportunities.

How to pace your meeting or presentation


How to present to a group you do not know

• Learn about the attendees in advance• Google them and check LinkedIn (and/or send invites with a warm message)

• Understand their titles, functions, and reporting relationships• What do they think is important?

• How will they feel about your ideas?

• What level is of the audience?

• What is their knowledge on the subject?

• What are the demographics and logistics?

• Reach out to them in advance with what to expect and to introduce yourself.

• Use people’s names in order to grab (and keep) their attention.

• Consider potential unevenness in• Attention span

• Decision making authority

• Reason for attending

• Whether they know each other


Material Preparation Tips

• Borrow text and information from other reports already prepared

• K.I.S.S.—Keep It Simple, Sam!

• Use bullets, graphs, tables, charts, and illustrations

• Modify text (but not intent) to cater to your reader

• Distribute copies of/access to the document with caution

• Avoid repeating material

• Tell a story through visuals and testimonials

• Leverage others’ proven successes

Presented by Progressive Women's Leadership 11Presented by Progressive Women's Leadership

• Visuals to collect or share thoughts and deepen understanding and connections

• Examples:

Pictorial Tools

HIGH

IMPACT

LOW

IMPACT

HIGH

EFFORT

LOW

EFFORT


More Pictorial Tools

STRENGTHS OPPORTUNITIES

WEAKNESSES THREATS


How many meetings do you have in a typical week?

•1-5

•6-10

•11-15

•16 or more?


Poll Question:

Conducting meetings online

• 14% of remote workers have 10+ meetings per week*

• Keeps them connected, visible, and updated

• Determine meeting logistics

• Virtual meetings can be done via audio or video.

• Prioritize video but offer a dial-in option.

• Format: synchronous or asynchronous

• Calendar invitations along with email overview

• How to access and use meeting platformand associated tools

• Agenda & timeframe

• Instructions on how to access the meeting/software requirements

*State of Remote Work 2019 Report

15

Meeting types:• Standard check-ins• Project-based• Brainstorming• Ad hoc, informal

Presented by Progressive Women's Leadership

• What degree of and type of functionality do I need for this meeting to be successful?• Screensharing? Recording capability? Mobile device access? Chat or

vocal features? Polling access? Raise hand feature? Shared flip charts, chats, shared screens, or shared online whiteboard? Need to work collaboratively on a document at the same time? Break-out group capability?

• Can the tool handle the number of meeting participants?

• Consider whether you need a meeting producer or facilitator.• Handle tech issues separate from meeting content issues

• ADA accommodation• Transcription

Selecting online tools


Tips for online materials

• The old rules about font size, content amount, and number of slides don’t always work online.• View your slideshow on a laptop, tablet and/or phone to ensure it is easy

to understand.• More not less if you expect people to refer to it later.

• Cater to your audience-- both live participants and those who may obtain the information later

• Realize that online material is much more difficult to keep confidential

• Transfer paper handouts to pdf files that you can “share” while you talk

• Provide specific information that validates your conclusions

• Signs that you may be losing them:

• What am I supposed to see on my screen? (Instructions weren’t clear)

• We can’t open/find the document. (Get them where they need to be)


Establish a personal connection even when physically distanced

• Show your personality • They are really buying YOU– not just what you are talking about.

• Add emotional elements to practical statistics• Tell stories

• Make the information relatable to THEM

• “Read the room” even in a virtual environment• Understand the emotions and thoughts of the attendees

• Observe visual and verbal cues

• Communicate effectively

• Body language matters!

• Apply active listening skills


• Balance “tell” and “show” against “ask” and “listen”

• Remember that virtual attention spans are shorter than those in-person.

• Have a mirror behind your computer to remind you to smile when talking.

• Work from a quiet, carpeted room to muffle echoes and other noise.

• Ensure your webcam is at eye-level; look at the camera instead of the screen.

• Be cognizant of lighting and background details.

• Don’t read from a script.

• Turn off all notifications and make sure your cell phone is on silent

• Don’t interrupt others or speak over them

• Appropriately manage your emotions

• Practice! Record yourself and then review it.

Convey a professional presence


Enhance and leverage your delivery skills

Know the subject matter

Be firm and persuasive

Use words listener can relate to

Have good questioning and summarizing skills

Make others feel comfortable

Encourage free flow of ideas

Avoid “up-speak”

Review a recording of your delivery to continueto improve

Know your strengths and weaknesses

Communicate enthusiasm

Tailor message delivery to audience

Have good listening skills

Feel and show empathy

Have an open mind

Avoid overuse of the verbal distractors in delivery (such as “uhm” and “like”)

Avoid derailers


• Plan and include questions at various checkpoints, as well as allowance for questions at the end and even as meeting follow on

• Link the message to the bigger picture regarding the organization’s priorities• Provide a sense of shared

purpose, identity and community

• Convey an appropriate sense of urgency

• Use understood and relatable language, jargon, and acronyms

• Make use of collaboration tools noted earlier

• Invoke a sense of commonality and humor• Gifs, videos, funny pics

Engage audiences large or small

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Consider the purpose of the communication.

• Time-sensitive issues and decision making: less analysis and discussion; results-focused and aligning responsibilities and next steps• Less informality and less

social

• Longer-term initiatives and/or problem-solving: provision and collection of information, debate, Q&A, brainstorming, etc. Slower-paced and much more collaborative


Walk the talk and dress the part

• Be self-aware:• Personality traits, emotions, values, attitudes, perceptions• How your nature affects other people• Know (and exemplify) who you are and what you stand for• Challenge your beliefs, biases, and assumptions• Don’t bully, but don’t automatically avoid conflict.

• Understand the dress code boundaries of your industry and organization• Attire for online meetings, those with clients, or internal day in your office• Select clothing, accessories, hair and makeup to project confidence and

credibility• Also, consider seasonal effects, what city you’re working in, whether you walk to

work or not, and whether you are sitting or standing most of the time• But, keep and show your unique flair and identity, supporting your

personal brand

• Convey poise through visual cues and self-assured body language


Body language matters!

• 7% of a message is verbally communicated.

• 93% is non-verbally communicated.• 38% through attitudes and tones; 55%

through facial expressions

• How are you sitting? Are you looking directly into the camera or off-”stage”?

• Are participants looking elsewhere, potentially at email?

• What signals are their faces sending?

Check out a great video series to enhance your skills, affecting both online and in person communication:

Part I: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLbfM-jq1dM&t=102sPart II: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_AS0WIDM-k&t=35sPart III: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CCxuqI5dFQ&t=11sPart IV: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okWWvmGTURQ&t=62sPart V: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p9LL1yzVVQ


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLbfM-jq1dM&t=102s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_AS0WIDM-k&t=35s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CCxuqI5dFQ&t=11s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okWWvmGTURQ&t=62s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5p9LL1yzVVQ

• Anticipate questions and responses in advance• Resist interrupting

• Realize that there may be some surprises

• Visual behaviors to display if visible online:• Make eye contact

• Pause for acknowledgement

• Paraphrase what you hear

• Avoid problem-solving and just process what you hear

• Lean in, figuratively and literally

• Nod your head, but with caution

• Check out: The Lost Art of Listening: How Learning to Listen Can Improve Relationships, by Michael P. Nichols, PhD, 2009, The Guilford Press.

Apply active listening skills


Build and maintain trust, rapport and authenticity

• Create and communicate a relatable vision

• Convey an appropriate sense of urgency

• Build in engagement

• Link the message to the bigger picture regarding the organization’s priorities

• Use understood and relatable language, jargon, and acronyms

• Remember that their perception is your reality


• Brainstorming mechanisms

• Check out: https://blog.lucidmeetings.com/blog/25-tools-for-online-brainstorming-and-decision-making-in-meetings

• Polling mechanisms

• Break-out groups

• Roundtables/virtual roundtables

• Conference “booths” (in person or online)

• Sticky dot voting

• Games

• Quizzes

Looking for some new tools to try? Consider various tools forcollaboration, project management, file sharing, and document co-creation:

https://www.thecouchmanager.com/the-ultimate-list-of-virtual-team-technology-tools/

But... balance appropriate tool selection and use with others’ technological comfort.

Methods to connect and collaborate with others


https://blog.lucidmeetings.com/blog/25-tools-for-online-brainstorming-and-decision-making-in-meetings

https://www.thecouchmanager.com/the-ultimate-list-of-virtual-team-technology-tools/

Responding to the unexpected and recovering

• Don’t assume an apology is necessary

• But if appropriate, express regret or even just empathy or sympathy

• Use steady eye contact

• Don’t take a shrill tone

• Don’t get defensive or argumentative

• Don’t be afraid to ask questions, pause, or reschedule continuation

• Speak with a moderate pace and mid-range tone and pitch.

• Don’t cave in figuratively (or literally in your body posture)

• Don’t over justify

• Give yourself a mental pep talk

• Things are rarely as bad or personal as we perceive


• Prepare for your performance!

• Do a test run with another internal team member

• Practice your delivery– what, how, and when to say it and show it

• Include power words in the margins of your notes or on stickies

• Start and end on time

• If online, log in early

• Practice timing and sequence transitions

• Speak a little slower than you would if in-person.

• Account for software delays.

• Be clear and assertive, but not aggressive

• Some symptoms of nervousness: difficulty pacing breathing, talking too fast, blanking

• Potential remedies

• Prep notes and time intervals

• Practice run

• Insert breathing pauses

• Communicate sufficient detail but be succinct

• Water, cough drops, Kleenex, power cords, pen and paper

Ways to avoid discomfort

Visual behaviors to display in live-video presentations:

• Make eye contact

• Pause for acknowledgement

• Paraphrase what you hear

• Lean in, figuratively and literally

• Nod your head, but with caution


• Remember that virtual attention spans are shorter than those in-person.

• Have a mirror behind your computer to remind you to smile when talking.

• Be cognizant of lighting and background details.

• Don’t read from a script

• Post key bullets on the wall behind your computer.

• Adjust the lighting so that you are visible and not in the dark or too bright.

• Practice!

• Record yourself and then review it.

Presenting to an audience when you can’t see or hear them


• Don’t stare at your notes while presenting.

• Don’t check email or texts on your phone or other devices while other people are speaking.

• Don’t interrupt others or speak over them

• Don’t work on other tasks (like checking email) during meetings

• Turn off all notifications and make sure your cell phone is on silent

• Make sure all team members are in a quiet area free from unnecessary distractions

• Strategize in advance how to engage introverted participants

• Designate time for them to speak (and make sure the rest of the team is listening).

• Provide a communal means to share thoughts during and after the meeting

• Request that participants log in early (say 15 minutes beforehand)

• Appropriately manage your emotions

Do’s and don’ts for presenters (and participants)


How to navigate curve balls• Problems logging in

• Include your own phone number in the invite along with the official log in number so they can call you at the appointed time if their internet is down or your conference service isn’t working.

• Late arrivals• Have an online “waiting room”• Include a text and/or email reminder that goes out 30 minutes before and again 15 minutes

before

• No-show reasons• They don’t care enough about what you are selling.• A work issue came up and they had a scheduling conflict.• They forgot.

• Tech issues• Have their direct phone number as a back up.

• Distractions• Diluted attention spans• Technological phobias• Logistical issues and breakdowns• Cultural barriers• Time and time zone constraints• Family, pet and other distractions• Discomfort with distance


Persuade others to accept and advocate for your point of view

• Persuade=Change another person’s beliefs, attitudes, understanding or perspective • Find their pain points and/or wish lists.

• Determine and leverage your power sources• Types of power: Legitimate, Reward, Coercive, Soft, Expert, Referent

• Responses to power: compliance, resistance or commitment

• Understand what you truly need (versus want) and what you have to offer

• Apply social capital and reciprocity

• Spoken communication can be persuasive when:• accompanied by nonverbal communication

• has high quality immediate feedback

• has high social presence

• E-communication can be persuasive when:• Content is concise, available, authentic, and relatable

• Customized to extent possible


Flex your influence style

• Logic – use facts and rational data to make your case

• Emotive Appeal – use personal power and emotional pleas

• Relationship Building – create/nurture individual connections

• Networking – build contacts and champions

• Negotiate – use give and take; compromise

• Forceful Direction – incur compliance through clout

• Involvement & Engagement – foster consensus

• Begging & Bribing – last recourse; usually doesn’t work

Polling Question – The style I use most frequently is…

Presented by Progressive Women's Leadership 33

What is influence?*

• The power to change or affect someone or something

• The power to cause changes without directly forcing them to happen

• A person or thing that affects someone or something in an important way

*Merriam-Webster


Considerations and strategies

Considerations

• What is the importance of the project, the person, re my personal goals & objectives?

• What is the urgency?

• Is this a battle or a war?

• Will my professional reputation be enhanced or hurt?

• Will the outcome create excessive stress/pressure?

• Do I have any flexibility? Is there time to use seek a more collaborative approach?

• What can/should I concede?

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Strategies• Justify needs in terms of business

impact.

• Follow up in writing/email.

• Be clear in your request (SMART).

• Solicit advocates and champions.

• Balance facts/data with emotional appeal.

• Take advantage of the trigger of reciprocity.

• Present your credentials or previous experience with the suggestion.

• Consider that there may be more than one right answer.


Some closing recommendations…

• Invite constructive criticism

• Plan conversations in advance

• Acknowledge others’ points

• Lead them with breadcrumbs

• Have someone you trust observe you in conversations or meetings

• Give and get feedback on a frequent, informal basis.


Please submit your questions in the chat box.

Questions?


LET’S STAY IN TOUCH!

Michelle CoussensPlan B Consultingpractical business planning with you, for you

[email protected]

www.businessplanningforyou.com

Check out my speaking site!http://businessplanningforyou.weebly.com/

Follow me on Twitter.com @mcoussenswww.linkedin.com/in/michellecoussens/(312) 685-0055

Contact me for a complimentary copy of my latest monthly newsletter!


mailto:[email protected]

http://www.businessplanningforyou.com/

http://businessplanningforyou.weebly.com/

http://www.linkedin.com/in/michellecoussens/

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Enhance Your Presentation Skills & Increase Your Influence