Is your typical communication channel to your direct reports not working? Are people dropping the ball, doing the wrong thing, or not understanding your stated vision for the company? Your EQ might need a little polishing.
First - Run out and buy Daniel Goleman’s Working With Emotional Intelligence. And I mean RUN.
Why? Leaders (like you) are not defined by their IQs or even their job skills, but by their “emotional intelligence”: a set of competencies that distinguish how people manage their feelings, interactions and communications. This book explains what emotional intelligence is and why it counts more than IQ or expertise to excel on the job.
My Take: I’ve always found corporate leaders who have used those IQ skills that got them where they are today will find their IQ skills will not keep them in the position that they have attained. That’s why many C-Level executives have a typical job duration of 2-3 years (or shorter) at a company.
Why? When you are moving up the ladder, you tend to use more IQ (Intelligence) than EQ (Emotion). You need to get work done. You need to meet deadlines. You need to show results. The closer you get to the top, the less IQ you use and the more EQ you leverage to manage people, communicate strategies, etc. Unfortunately, when you are at the top, your position is ALL EQ and almost no IQ – and that is where most C-Level executives fail.
Working With Emotional Intelligence will help you address this.
There are so many bad ways to use PowerPoint (or Keynote if you own a Mac) when you deliver a presentation. Again, let’s cut to the chase — here are my 5 Must Do’s when it comes to delivering a presentation:
- Know Your Material
Feel free to glance up and see what slide you are on, but don’t read the slide verbatim (the only caveat to this rule are quotations). The act of glancing at the slide allows your audience to follow your gaze to the slide, get the gist of the image/message, and then re-focus on you. These actions develop a great synergy between the presenter and the audience.
- No Lecterns or Pedestals
You need to reach out and touch your audience. Placing lecterns, tables, and stages between you and the audience separates you from them. You need to step out into the audience, get to their level, and move around. That will make your presentation much more powerful.
- Act Naturally
Animate yourself. Too many presenters try to act too cool. Move your hands, smile, raise your voice – presenting is ACTING. And the audience wants a performance. Make a powerful point.
- Greet Attendees Prior To The Presentation
Arrive really early – 1-2 hours and setup your entire presentation, LCD projector, laptop and make sure they work flawlessly. Then when the attendees arrive, mingle with them. Introduce yourself, learn their name, and learn a little about them. This is a trick I use to then incorporate their experiences into my presentation: “Take Tom from Tacoma, he’s a used car salesman with a speech impediment . . .”
- Pay Attention To Your Audience
Regularly temperature check for attentiveness. If you begin seeing yawns, pick it up a bit – start calling names for examples. Get the room moving – constantly ask for questions – I ask “How am I doing so far? Have I lost anyone yet?” Your delivery should moderate to the audience – pick it up or slow it down.
As I said in my last post, my comments might sound harsh – but I am a highly discriminating audience. There are too many bad presenters (90% awful to 10% great) – so take these tips to heart and you will be one of the 10%. Good luck!
P.S. Again, feel free to agree or disagree with me (that’s what the comments section is for) – I look forward to the discussion!
Authors write books and facilitators facilitate workshops and creative consultants consult on the RIGHT way to use PowerPoint (or Keynote if you own a Mac). Let’s cut to the chase — here are my 5 Must Do’s when it comes to a presentation:
- Solid, Plain Background
Keep it simple and open (I like plain white). Also, everyone loves to have their logo on every page – I don’t ascribe to this tenet. If you are afraid of someone absconding with critical information, have copyright info at the beginning and end. If you’re worried, add it to the printed form. But for screen projection – Less is More.
- No Bullets
If you are using bullets on a slide, you are saying TOO much. Your slide is a thought, an impact, or an idea that people will remember. What you add verbally is the filler, the bullets, the knowledge. The minute I see bullets I want to walk out – because I know that the presenter has no idea what they’re doing.
- 15 Words or Less
I prefer 10 or less, but 15 is fine. Again, less is more. People don’t want War & Peace, they want ideas, they want knowledge, they want to be entertained. If you fill the page with words, they are reading and not listening to you.
- Images
Use images to add flourish and vibrancy to what you are saying. If they are boring business photos or bad art (which comes with PowerPoint – and they’re awful) – stop before you kill again. Don’t put an image on every slide – let the typography of the information reinforce your verbal statement.
- Colors & Fonts
Keep it to 2-3 consistent colors. Since my branding has green, I use it with a graphite gray and a subdued autumn orange. That’s it. Keep to 1 font only – if you begin to mix, I will walk out.
My comments might sound harsh – but I am a highly discriminating audience. My time is money (and yours should be too). I encounter too many morons (and I use the term lightly) who abuse our senses with bad presentations and awful delivery (I will cover How To Deliver in my next post). I hope they find illumination from this post and change their treasonous ways.
P.S. Feel free to agree or disagree with me (that’s what the comments section is for) – I look forward to the discussion!
