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3D Speaking

Sep 05
0

Now, Then & What Happened!

By | 3D Speaking, Business, Life Lesssons, Public Speaking, Speech Coaching | No Comments

Would you like to connect better and deeper with your audience? Would you like to hook them with every word you say? And would you like to have a lasting impact on the audience after you leave the stage? Then, you better start applying the powerful – “Now, Then & What Happened” Technique – for developing a faster and a stronger connection with your audience.

In 1998, Bill Phillips, an American entrepreneur, produced an extraordinary documentary film entitled “Body-of-Work” documenting the transformation of 10 individuals who participated in a 12-Week Physique Transformation Challenge. The film was a huge success and made Bill millions of Dollars. It was entirely based on this technique – “Now, Then & What Happened.” Bill was cleaver in having 10 different individuals from different walks of life in the film to maximize the target audience so that each person who watches the film would identify himself or herself with one of the heroes in the film and then start their own transformation process using Bill’s dietary supplements line.

So how do you apply this in speaking? Let me give you a real example. I have a keynote called the 4 C’s of Professional Success. And depending on the audience’s sophistication level, I immediately like to come across as a credible speaker who knows the subject of professional success very well and not only that but also could demonstrate that I am a professional success too. So here is what I usually do. I jump right into a story and if you remember from the previous articles, stories are powerful to establish a connection with the audience and keep them engaged. I begin with this story:

In 2015, I spoke in three different continents – North America, Europe and Asia and not only that I was interviewed by CBS News in Washington DC. Can you believe that! This is my reality now. Traveling to different countries to speak and meet interesting people like you all the time. In 1996, I had another reality. I worked in an investment bank at the UGB Tower in the Diplomatic Area in Bahrain. I worked as a cleaner. Yes, as a cleaner to pay my university fees and expenses. I was responsible for various tasks including polishing the windows and making sure that they are shiny just like my head. So, today, I will share with you my story on how I went from sweeping to speaking using the 4 C’s of Professional Success.

My “Now” is being a speaker or my current reality. My “Then” was being a cleaner or my past reality. And the “What Happened” or “How” my application of the 4 C’s of Professional Success. I am sure you came across the “Before and After” pictures of people who lost weight. This technique is similar to this concept. You tell the audience about your “After,” then the “Before” and then tell them about how did you achieve the end results in terms of steps or solutions.

Recently, I was approached by a global consulting firm that specializes in customer experience consulting assignments to review its slides. I was very happy for it because its consultants apply this technique in their PowerPoint Slides to showcase their past clients projects successes and stories. Each slide had a three boxes: The before, the after and how the consulting firm helped its clients through its services.

The following diagram shows how you could present your idea on slide for your future talks:
Screen Shot 2016-09-05 at 1.19.54 pm

Finally, be creative when you use the “Now, Then & What Happened” technique. For example, you could manipulate the equation above to suit your speaking occasion. You could start by sharing your vision of the future or the “After” and how would you like to achieve it by using certain steps or processes to move from your current reality. Use this powerful technique and you will be delighted by the results!

Mohamed Isa is an Executive Speech Coach and Writer who guides his clients in designing and delivering dynamic speeches so that they get laughs, applause, and their message across. He is the Co-Author of Amazon’s Best Seller: World Class Speaking in Action.

Sep 05
0

Ships, Anchors and Your Points!

By | 3D Speaking, Business, Life Lesssons, Public Speaking, Speech Coaching | No Comments

When I was 14 I had my only overnight fishing trip with my father and his cousins Mohamed and Hassan; and few imaginary great white sharks. It was windy, cold and it rained most of the time. I did not want to go with them but my father insisted and issued a decree in line with his Constitutional Powers. I had no option but to obey. The trip was frustrating to me because I never caught a single fish. However, I am proud to say I was responsible for anchoring the boat by throwing three anchors on to the seabed to make sure we are not cast away! Likewise, in speaking, if you do not anchor your points, they will fade away! So here are four techniques for anchoring your speech points.

Anecdotes. Anecdotes are simply stories that you share with the audience to attach your points to them. So if the audience remembers the story, they will remember the point. If you recall from a previous article, there are few crucial elements for a story to be effective like the Circumstance, Characters, Conflict, Conversation and the Carry out Message. In the above paragraph, I used few of these elements. Your story does not have to be profound but rather help you in achieving your purpose which is to anchor your points in the minds of the audience. Build your story file now and thank me later!

Activity. When you engage the audience in an activity, they are immersed in it and chances are that they will append your points to the activity. In 2002, I moved to Jeddah to join the Lipton Team. In my first management meeting we needed to decide the fate of a project. The Brand Manager, distributed Yellow Post-it notes to everyone and asked us to write either a “Yes” or a “No” to indicate whether we thought the project will succeed. The majority said: Yes. The Manager was smart to involve us in the activity so that we do not wander away with other preoccupations and to check on the sentiments of the team members. I am not surprised that I still remember this meeting until now. It was a simple but yet a great anchor. What activities could you use to anchor your points?

Analogy. Analogies are great in illustrating your points and making them unforgettable. For example, one time we had a management meeting and I used a boat to illustrate my viewpoint on a critical decision. The company received many plaques and trophies for sponsoring various events and one of them was a miniature boat. I placed the boat on the table and asked: If this boat were sinking, what should you do? Accept more load or off-load goods to survive? They all said: Of course, off-load. Here, I retorted: Exactly. But what the company is doing now is the opposite. So, ask yourself, what analogies you could use to anchor your points? I am fascinated by the pearl diving journey and I use it to illustrate my points across a spectrum of management topics.

Acronyms. Acronyms are great tools for anchoring your points. Be creative. Come up with your own sets of acronyms. Few years ago, I created an acronym that can help you become more energized to achieve more in your life. I dubbed it: CLAP. Celebrate Little Achievements Promptly. Most people do not celebrate frequently. Are you one of them? When you celebrate more, you achieve more because you build momentum. Join the movement, whenever you make an achievement, celebrate it promptly. Your passion will be fired up.

Look at your main points, identify the keywords, and try to come up with a thread or a theme to create you next acronym. The audience will appreciate it and you will get a bonus. Your acronym will help you in managing the transitions between your points. This will make you appear as a proficient speaker who moves smoothly through his points. Sounds great, right? You bet. That is what I am looking for. To make you a more effective speaker in fact and appearance.

Experiment with these four techniques to anchor your points permanently in the minds of the audience. You could use one or all four of them in one speech to make your messages stick. And remember if you do not have anchors, your messages will fade away in the ocean, never to be found again!

Mohamed Isa is an Executive Speech Coach who guides his clients in designing and delivering dynamic speeches so that they get laughs, applause, and their message across. He is the Co-Author of Amazon’s Best Seller: World Class Speaking in Action.

Sep 05
0

Love at First Sight!

By | 3D Speaking, Business | No Comments

Do you want to make your audience fall in love with you at first sight? They will certainly fall in love with you when you share your 4 F’s: Failures, Flaws, Frustrations and Firsts. When you open your heart to the audience, they will open their hearts and minds for you. Your stories will connect deeply with them and you will be able to drive home your message effectively and effortlessly.

Failures. Failures are big learning opportunities. What are your biggest failures? And what did you learn from them? Share them with your audience. Your audience members had their own share of failures in life. When you talk about your failures, they will see you as someone who is just like them. Do not build yourself up to be a superman who is a success all along his life, you will lose the audience’s connection. Even Bill Gates had his own shares of failures before building his empire. So that puts me, you and Bill Gates in the same league – The Failures League! Is in it nice to know that other people failed and raised again to succeed? Learn from the past, use the present to build a better future. Let us join the Legends’ League!

Flaws. Flaws can slow you down from achieving your dreams and desires. What are your flaws? And what are you doing to overcome them? Again, the audience members, just like you, are likely suffering from this flaw and will be on the edge of their seats to learn how to deal with their flaws to move forward in their lives. I suffered from being a very picky person and that cost me a lot. For example, when I was searching for a Doctorate Program, I just kept searching and searching. I wasted four years. Guess what, it takes on average four years to finish a Doctorate Program! I could have finished by now and I could have added a lot of credibility to my professional image. Do not be picky, this can get tricky. Select something reasonable and move on.

Frustrations. Try this at work. Talk about one of your frustrations and see how your colleagues will be engaged in the conversation. People love to vent their frustrations to others because this helps them in relieving themselves and, at the same time, feeling better even though their situations may have never actually changed. Look at stand-up comedians. They thrive on frustrations because each of their audience members are sitting and saying: This man is speaking to me. He feels my pain. And that is how they establish a strong connection with the audience to make them laugh. In your case, the frustrations will help you connect and convey your message more effectively and if you get laughs in the process, bravo. The audience will feel much better and are more likely to accept your message. So now, let us talk about one of my biggest frustrations: Maintaining and remembering countless passwords. Are you suffering from this? Welcome to the club!

Firsts. All the above F’s help you in providing hope, inspiration and solutions to your audience members’ common life issues. However, this one is my favorite. It is a great way to provide hope and to tell the audience not worry about where they are right now because the tools you will share with them will take them places. Talk about your Firsts. For example, often times, I share this story with my audience when I start my speech workshops and it goes like this. When I was 13, I delivered on of the worst speech of my life to more than 100 people. I was rambling and mumbling. I felt miserable and horrible. After this disturbing experience, out of fear, I avoided public speaking for many years, until I learned that public speaking is a skill that I could learn. Tonight, I will share with you some practical insights on becoming a better speaker.

Three final notes. First, sharing your 4 F’s is an intimidating advice, to say the least. Not many people are comfortable sharing their own stories with others. Take it from me, you will come across as a more authentic speaker when you apply this advice. Secondly, make sure you establish a link between your message and your “F.” That’s is you litmus test, if there is no link, it is pointless to share an “F.” Thirdly, start compiling a file containing your 4 F’s, it will be handy for your next speech. Go on, be fabulous!

Mohamed Isa is an Executive Speech Coach who guides his clients in designing and delivering dynamic speeches so that they get laughs, applause, and their message across. He is the Co-Author of Amazon’s Best Seller: World Class Speaking in Action.

Apr 10
0

Diligence leads to Excellence: The Case of Doug Lipp

By | 3D Speaking, Disney, Doug Lipp, Event Management, Leaders, Middle East, Public Speaking, Speech Coaching | No Comments

 

In November 2013, I had the honor and privilege to meet Doug Lipp at Disney University event in Bahrain.  Being the Master of Ceremonies, I interacted a lot with Doug Lipp to make sure the event becomes a grand success for the delegates, the organizers and ,of course, to the speaker!  Today, as I reflect back, I am so pleased that I met “Diligent Doug” who proved beyond doubt that “Diligence leads to Excellence!”  Diligent Doug is a great role model to emulate when it comes to speech preparation.

Doug Lipp

Doug Lipp

Who is the audience?

The moment I met Diligent Doug, he asked me an important question that I recommend you consider before speaking to any audience: Who is the audience?  Doug asked me several questions about the audience: Tell me more about them, what do they like and dislike about speakers, what was the experience of other international speakers with them.  As I addressed his questions, Doug took detailed notes on the audience to make sure he builds a strong connection with them to convey his key ideas and messages.  Our discussion on audience took place before dinner, during it and after it!

I was particularly amazed when  Doug asked me to teach him basic Arabic greetings like Salam Alikum (Peace Be Upon You), Sabah Al-Khair (Good morning) and Shukran (Thank You).  He practiced saying them again and again.  Before moving on to another discussion, Doug asked me to repeat the greetings while he recorded them in his iPhone so that he practice them again before sleeping to make sure that he implant them in his memory.  Effective speakers always know saying few words in the local language delights the audience and takes the speaker-audience connection to a higher level; consider the Assassinated President of USA John F. Kennedy when he spoke German and President Barrack Obama when he spoke Persian.

On connecting with the audience, Diligent Doug wanted to get the maximum possible connection.  That is why he interacted a lot with the audience during coffee and book signing breaks.  Because of this, the majority of the delegates commented positively about his likeability factor and approachability compared to other international speakers who spoke in live events in Bahrain during the past few years.  Do you talk to your audience members?  If not, you are missing out!  Through such little talks you get more insights on who the audience members are, get more stories for your speech and perhaps, more business opportunities!

Dynamic Speech Contents

Moving on to Doug’s speech contents.  He never left any speech segment or activity to chance.  He shared with me what he was planning to say and do with the audience; in essence, I became his sounding board to see how best to approach his materials.  This included his fake bad speech opening to illustrate a significant point early on in the event.  As a Master of Ceremonies, this helped me a lot in inserting relevant remarks between the sessions of the event.  I challenge to ask any delegate on whether they liked it when Doug imitated the sound of the cartoon character Donald Duck and you are surely going to hear a resounding “Yes.”

[youtube]http://youtu.be/Z7D9Y9koJ9A[/youtube]

To become an effective speaker, you must become a great listener first.  Diligent Doug was a great listener.  When we were having dinner with the organizers’ team members, I asked Doug: “Do you know what’s the purpose of this dinner?” He answered: “No, tell me about it, I’m all ears.”  And he was truly: All ears!  I told him Ghalib Al-Oraibi, Founder and Managing Director of Leaders Events, always tries to engage and motivate his employees to enhance their job performance.  Since you are speaking about good customer service and employee engagement, perhaps, you could use this in your speech.  To my absolute delight, Doug used the dinner example to support and illustrate one of his points during his talk.

Astonishing Attention to Details

I could go on and on speaking on the diligence of Doug Lipp.  However, I do not wish to make this post a scholarly article!  Accordingly,  I will highlight three more things that Doug did as part of his speech preparation.  First, he asked whether he should speak at his normal speech rate or to slow down a bit for the benefit of the audience and the live translators.  Secondly, he asked for back up lapel microphone just in case we face a technical failure and he tested the microphones all over the event’s hall and luckily we found a no-go zone where the microphone would not work properly.   Last but not least, and this is something that amused me a lot.  Doug had two versions of his slides; each one with a different contrast ratio to be ready for any type of data projection equipments.

To make a lasting positive impression on audience, please keep in your mind this:

 Diligence leads to Excellence!

Mar 20
0

The Star of IFTDO

By | 3D Speaking, Business, Dubai, IFTDO, Middle East, Public Speaking, Speech Coaching, UAE | No Comments

For every conference there is a STAR!  And the undisputed STAR among all the international speakers at the recently concluded 43rd edition of  the International Federation of Training & Development Organizations (IFTDO) conference held in Dubai was Dr. Ebrahim Al-Dossary.

He was calm, confident and charismatic.  So what made Dr. Ebrahim the STAR of the IFTDO conference?  What made him stand out from the crowd?  In this article, I will shed light on four factors that made Dr. Ebrahim the shining STAR of IFTDO.

S for Selection of Topic.  His  presentation was titled “An Extraordinary Leader” and it was congruent with the theme of the conference:  Leadership Impact on Human Resources Development.  This wasn’t it!  Dr. Ebrahim chose an extraordinary leader who is admired and adored locally due to manifold reasons.  The hero of Dr. Ebrahim’s talk was ‏‎His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; the Prime Minister of and Vice President of UAE and the Ruler of Dubai. The audience fell in love with the presentation because they are already in love with the hero of the talk; especially if you consider the fact that 50% of the audience are Emiratis and reside in Dubai.

T for Timing and Pacing.  Dr. Ebrahim was mindful of his presentation timing.  One of the organizers waved his hand to tell him that he has only five minutes left.  Dr. Ebrahim flashed the OK sign to him to tell the organizer not to worry; everything is under control.  And what I can I say about his pace of  delivery; it wasn’t fast or slow; it was just about right ,giving the live translators ample time to do their job well. Furthermore, Dr. Al Dossary was also generous with the local audience, his speech was interrupted with the many rounds of applause; but he never stepped on the applause, in order  to allow  the audience express their approval of what he was saying about their beloved leader.

A for Amazing Simplicity.  The entire speech was simple across many aspects.  The PowerPoint slides used were very simple.  The theme of the slides was consistent.  Each slide had a picture, a video clip or a statement.  And for each of these slides,  he narrated the story behind  the picture, the video or the statement to the audience.  Being aware of the fact that majority of the audience were locals who speak Arabic; he occasionally, spiced up his talk with several traditional proverbs to make his ideas clearer.  In addition to his simple presentation structure; his language was very  simple.  He refrained from using jargons and complicated words.  He made it simple to everyone; the audience, the translators and of course for himself!

R for Research.  The  supporting materials for his presentation were remarkable.  This was clear evidence that he researched his topic extremely well.  I wish you were with us in the conference to fully appreciate what I am talking about.  This gentleman researched the quotes, statements, books, pictures and video clips relating to Sheikh Mohammed to support his premise that the Sheikh is truly an extraordinary leader who is worthy of emulation.  As a speaker; your research time will always pay off when it comes to your stage time!

There you have it, four factors that made Dr. Ebrahim Al-Dossary the STAR of 2014 IFTDO conference.  However, there is one important tip that I want you to keep in your mind.  You should not go out speaking with the pursuit of becoming an event’s star; instead go out with the pursuit of having an impact on the audience.  That, my friend, will make all the difference!

 

Feb 22
0

Speaking the “John Gray” Way

By | 3D Speaking, Public Speaking, Speech Coaching | No Comments

I had the honor and privilege to be part of the team that hosted Dr. John Gray (author of Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus) in Bahrain.  This involvement provided me with a rare opportunity to interact with this thought leader and great speaker.   In this article, I will share with you some of the world-class speaking skills John used throughout his insightful and entertaining talks.

Localization.  John realizes it is important for speakers to use local supporting materials that include examples, statistics and stories to connect better with the audience.  When we had lunch together, he asked us many questions and he was probing for deeper answers.  When we talked, he gave us his undivided attention.  This was clear when he used one of my stories I shared with him during lunch in his evening talk.  In addition, he asked me if I could find him some data about divorce trends in Bahrain and its causes.  Moreover, he asked if I could find him some Narrations and Verses on relationships from the Islamic literature.  These resonated very well with the audience.

Dr. John Gray talking to us in search of local insights about Mars & Venus.

Connecting with the crowd.  John used every opportunity to connect better with the audience.  He went around the halls shaking hands and chatting with the attendees to establish a deeper bond with them.  He also used the book signing breaks to interact with the audience by validating his points with them and looking for more insights about the local culture.  I especially liked the fact that he moved around during meal times to connect and interact with the maximum number of delegates.

Dr. John Gray welcoming the audience to his first talk.

Dealing with the unexpected.  John is world-class speaker who is always prepared for the unexpected.  As per Murphy, if anything can go wrong, it will!  John delivered three talks to three different audiences.  In two of his talks, the mike did not work properly.  He used these two opportunities effectively by making a funny remark about the sound system that made the audience laugh and immediately went on to illustrate an important point on communication failure between husbands and wives:  Just like the mike, sometimes our communication with our partner does not work!

Body language at its best.  John is an animated speaker.  His hands gestures and his facial expressions complement his messages effectively.  In addition, I am sure his body movements and gestures keep him energized throughout his talks.  From the audience perspective, he comes across as a speaker who is dynamic and energetic.  Think about it, would you prefer listening to a speaker who standing still as if he was pinned to the stage or a speaker who moves on the stage with purpose?

Vocal variety.  Just like using effective body language, speaking with different tones and pitches help you in conveying the emotions of your stories’ characters.  John used vocal variety effectively throughout his talks to bring his characters alive and make his stories more interesting to the audience.  He conveyed many emotions like anger, dismay, happiness, sadness, joy and much more by just using his vocal variety.  For example, instead of saying “they were angry”, he showed us how angry they were through his voice.

Superb Staging.  John is a master when it comes to staging.  He used the stage effectively to illustrate his points and stories.  He moved with a purpose in all directions.  The audience had a big laugh when he demonstrated how & why wives hide from their husbands and how & why husbands hide from their wives.  He also used the stage to demonstrate the difference behavior between men and women when it comes shopping!  My ultimate magical staging moment was when he placed an imaginary giant brain on the stage to illustrate the thinking patterns of men and women.  I loved it and I will never forget it!

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-QbRN6ybHM[/youtube]

Humor all the way.  If you have heard me speak on humor, chances are you have heard me saying:  When it comes to humor, weave it, don’t force it!  John did just that throughout his three talks.  He brilliantly weaved humor in his stories and his vocal variety and facial expressions helped a lot.  The audience was enjoying his talks thoroughly.  This was evident at the end of his three talks.  The audience remained in the halls until the very end of his talks to be inspired and to be entertained.

Powerful props.  John has used different props masterfully during his talks.  His two main props were a stool and roses placed in a crystal and transparent vase.  But that wasn’t it.  He used a bottle of water and a glass to demonstrate an important point relating to the thinking patterns of men and women when it comes to efficiency and romance as well as the nature of men and women when it comes to tenderness and toughness.  His illustrations made the points clearer and more vivid in the minds of the audience.

Dr. John Gray borrowed props to illustrate the difference between Mars and Venus using the size of their purses.

No slides.   Yes, no slides period.  John talks do not require slides as visual aids.  He uses the stage and props effectively to illustrate his points through stories and anecdotes.  By doing this not only he establishes more credibility with the audience about his expertise about his subject matter but also relieves himself from potential technology failures and frustrations.

Building excitement.  As an experienced speaker, John knows how to build the energy of the audience through his personal stories, superb staging and audience involvement.  He involved the audience in his talks by borrowing props from them, having them respond to his questions and completing different sentences.  He carefully built the energy and excitement of the audience in a gradual manner until he reached his ultimate excitement building activity.  You can watch this in the video clip below.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTgAXhUqnj0[/youtube]

I could go on and on writing about John Gray’s world-class speaking skills.  However, I truly believe that “seeing is believing.” Accordingly, I encourage you to visit John’s website to see him in action and learn from him; take notes and apply what you learn.

I am sure you can speak the “John Gray” way!

Oct 08
0

Remarkable Ron

By | 3D Speaking, Business, Event Management, Life Lesssons, Public Speaking, Speech Coaching | No Comments

At last, I met the Remarkable Ron Kaufman who writes, trains, speaks and consults on his area of expertise – customer service.  I heard a lot about him from my friends in Unilever but I never had the chance to be in one of his sessions during my time with the company.  Since 2002, I have always wanted to see him in action.  I wanted to experience his infusion of magic.  My dream became a reality yesterday at the Service Leadership Workshop.

Before I talk about his speaking skills which are remarkable, I would like to share with you this little story.  Before the event started, I approached Ron and told him: Ron, I have been waiting for years to meet with you.  I am so excited to be here.  Ron surprised me by saying:  “Come here, let me give you a hug!” Then he added: “Why don’t we take a picture together.” And sure we did.  And here is one of the pictures we took after the event ended.

Now, I’m not telling you this little story for the sake of showing you the picture but rather I wanted to show you how Ron hit many birds with one hug!  First, he established a connection with me when he knew about my desire to meet with him for a long time.  Second, I am sure the delegates who saw the hug were surprised too.  They must have thought: “This speaker is hugging people; we have never seen anyone do this before.  What else would he do today?”  Thirdly, he demonstrated to us he is a speaker who can add value by simply having a small encounter with you.  We took the pictures using my friend’s iPhone.  The moment, we finished taking the pictures, he shared with us two quick tricks.   We thought: This is great, what could we learn from him during the day!

Then, I was disappointed.  Ron began his workshop by saying: “Good morning.”  I thought this cannot be happening.  How can you start with good morning!  You should start with a big bang.    You should capture our attention.  In his language, that was criminal.  In a few seconds, I was relieved because he added: “This is not the official opening.  I would like to introduce my introducer because the introducer often goes without any recognition or appreciation for their hard work.”  Like everyone else, I was taken by surprise.  This was the first time I witness the speaker introducing his or her introducer.  This was different and created a high level of energy among the hundreds of delegates attending the workshop.

When Ron took center stage officially, he shared with us his passion of creating a world where everyone is educated and inspired to excel in service.  His passion about the subject was clear during the entire workshop.  This has validated my belief of speaking about subjects that I am passionate about.  If you speak, speak with passion or else you will not add value to your audience because it will be clear through your voice tone, body language and your level of energy.  If it is boring for you, it will bore them too!

An expert speaker like Ron knows how the different seating arrangements impact the audience. Since he was planning to sprinkle the hall with high energy and excitement; he managed to move the audience to the empty seats in a clever manner unlike other speakers who would order or beg the audience to move to the front.  Here is what he did.  He asked the audience few questions about traveling by airplanes and then he asked them:  If you are traveling on economy class and you are offered an upgrade to business class, would you accept the offer?  The audience shouted: Yes.  This is when he retorted: Great.  Come forward we have empty business class seats.  The audience laughed and moved forward to occupy the empty seats.

Ron had the audience move forward not only managing the energy levels but also to accomplish something else.  He wanted to fill the seats because he was planning to have the audience discuss and reflect on his questions and case studies in groups of two or three at most.  These brief discussions kept us engaged and excited during the entire workshop.  He provided us with ample opportunities to exchange ideas and to make notes for our future use and reference.

I could go on indefinitely writing about Remarkable Ron; perhaps about his fascinating stories, fabulous impersonations of his stories’ characters, his crazy gestures, body language or voice tone.  However, I will write about the one thing most speakers forget when they speak: Connecting with the audience.  During the workshop, one delegate went on the stage and presented Ron with a Bahrain flag pin and asked him if he could wear it.  Ron pinned it to his suit without any hesitation and commented: “Now, I feel I am more connected to you.”  The audience clapped profusely.  Ron you will forever be remembered by the delegates because you were unbelievably Remarkable.

Oct 07
0

Poor Peter

By | 3D Speaking, Business, Event Management, Life Lesssons, Public Speaking, Speech Coaching | No Comments

Last time, I introduced you to Dynamic Dave.  This time, I want you to meet Poor Peter.  When I wrote about Dave, I wanted to share with you some tips about becoming a good speaker.  This time, I am sharing with you some bad speaking habits to avoid especially when you use slides for your talks.  But before doing so, please allow me to thank Poor Peter for inspiring me to write this article.  Thank you so very much Peter, you made my day!

Peter started his presentation poorly.  When he was introduced to us, he immediately went to his laptop to project the slides but the projector would not work.  He struggled with it trying to make it work.  He was tracing the cables and the power switches to make sure all were in order.  The audience started chatting with each other.  He lost an opportunity to capture the audience attention. Peter could have avoided this awkward situation by checking the equipments in advance.

Once the slides were up and running, Peter struggled with the slide clicker.  He was going back and forth with his slides.  Again, he should have tried using the clicker in advance.  Personally, whenever I speak, I always take my own clickers.  Yes, clickers.  I always carry two clickers with me just in case one of them fails to function properly and as a precautionary measure, I always take spare batteries with me.

He then committed the speakers’ biggest unforgivable sin when it comes to using slides.  Peter was reading from his slides.  He forgot an important fact about using slides; they are visual aids not notes to read from.  By doing this, he missed an opportunity to connect with the audience through his eye contact.  In addition, he sent a wrong signal to the audience, in a way, he told us: “I’m not fully prepared that’s why I’m reading.”  Finally, why didn’t you send us your slides to read in our homes or offices at our own convenience instead of boring us to death!

Let’s talk about Peter’s slides.  His slides were cluttered with text and pictures.  For example, in one slide he had four pictures on the left side while having one full paragraph and five bullet points on the right side.  What a way to confuse the audience!  Think about this analogy for a moment.  What happens when you present too many toys to a child? He or she gets confused on which toy to pick.  However, if you present one toy to a child, chances are he or she will focus on that toy only.  As a speaker; you should make your slides simple to help the audience in focus on your ideas and thoughts.

Now, allow me to share with you few more mistakes Peter committed in his slides.  Firstly, his text font size was inconsistent.  In some slides, the font size was big while in others it was small.  This is not a good practice.  Secondly, the pictures colors were poorly chosen and the lighting level in the hall complicated this matter further.  All the pictures seemed to be in black and white; they did not add vitality to his slides.  He should have asked the event organizers on the lighting levels of the hall and whether they are adjustable to support the visibility of the slides.

Finally, at many times Peter stood between the audience and the projection screen.  If you are projecting your slides, why you are not allowing us to see them!  As a speaker, you should always think about how to use the stage effectively.  If your slides are in English, it is better to keep the projection screen on your left side while are you facing the audience because this will make it easy for them to watch you when you speak and then shift their attention to the slides when required.  If your slides are in Arabic, stand on the right side.

Whenever you plan to use slides, think about your speaking situation.  Answer this basic question: Do you really need slides to support the ideas you are trying to communicate to the audience?  If not, leave them out and save yourself all the hassles associated with slides.  However, if you think that you should use slides because they will support you in speaking to the minds, hearts and the funny bones of the audience, plan their use carefully and never be like Poor Peter!

Sep 23
0

Dynamic Dave

By | 3D Speaking, Business, Public Speaking, Speech Coaching | No Comments

Dynamic Dave

The audience laughed loudly after he uttered his first eight words.  The audience loved him after he presented his expensive pen to the event organizer as token of appreciation.  The audience connected with him after he stepped down from the stage to be closer to them.  This all happened in the first few minutes of a great seminar by a great speaker.  Meet Professor Dave Ulrich who was our speaker in a recent conference in Bahrain.  I like to call him Dynamic Dave because of his high level of energy.  His energy level was felt across the commodious hotel hall.

During his seminar, I had a dilemma on whether I whether I should be taking notes about his insightful materials or about his speaking skills.  I made up my mind very early on, I decided to take notes on his presentation materials and simultaneously take mental notes about his speaking skills.  So, here are few notes about Dynamic Dave’s speaking abilities:

Firstly, I liked the way Dave introduced his family members early on in his speech and relating his family stories to the subject matter of the seminar – Leadership and Human Resources (HR).  That was brilliant; it made us connect more with him through remembering our own families’ stories.

Secondly, I liked the way Dave weaved in countless punch-lines during the seminar using two main humor techniques – surprise and setup-punch structure.    I loved him for that because this is what I coach my clients, never add humor to your speeches; just weave it in.  By having humor in his speech, the speaker made us alert and engaged.

Thirdly, I liked the fact that Dave was spontaneous most of the time.  He was reacting to the comments and the questions of the audience by sharing stories from his research and consulting projects.  This showed us his depth of knowledge and increased his credibility tremendously.  We all thought, here is a man who knows what is he talking about.

Fourthly, I liked the way Dave was managing the time of his different seminar sessions by taking quick looks at his watch to make sure he is progressing according to the event’s schedule.  In addition, when he heard the call to prayers from a nearby mosque/masjid, he informed the audience of his intention to break in 20 minutes for those who wish to pray.

Fifthly, I liked the fact that Dave did his homework by studying our regional culture by respecting our norms and traditions.  That was evident on few occasions.  For example, before congratulating a woman on her wedding anniversary, he asked her:  “Is it ok if I shake hand with you? I know, not all women shake hand in this region.”  He avoided an awkward situation for him and for the woman.

Sixthly, I liked the way Dave made me think and reflect about my past experiences in the business world by sharing different business stories.  For example, he reminded me about my bank customer service representative who was frustrated about her working conditions and the businessman who was inspired to establish a car dealership after having a car accident!

Seventhly, I liked the way Dave took absolute interest in the questions of the audience.  I cannot remember how many times he sat at different tables addressing their questions in a conversational and a friendly manner.  He was very methodological and made sure he answered the questions to the best of his ability and knowledge.

Eighthly, I liked Dave’s innovative activities for getting the audience to vote on different concepts.  His activities were easy and effective.  For example, to gauge the audience views on certain business matters, he asked them to stand up and then sit down when they agreed with his statements.  Then, he would relate the audience views to his research and consulting work findings.

And finally, I liked the way Dave concluded his speech.  It was both effective and emotional.  He informed us why he likes the subject of HR and why he flies around the world to spread HR Best Practices.  He is doing this because he wants his grandchildren and great grandchildren to join companies around the world that truly appreciate the importance of HR and the development of people.  During his entire seminar, I never expected to hear such a closing.  I thought he would recommend the first step to start upgrading our HR activities in our respective companies.  I expected a call to action but I got a better closing.

Thank you Dynamic Dave for coming to Bahrain to share with us some of your insights and interesting research and consulting work findings.  We thoroughly enjoyed your session.  You spoke to our minds, you touched our hearts and you tickled our funny bones.  And thanks for your fatherly hug; I do not think the audience will forget it.

God bless you Dynamic Dave.

Mar 08
0

The Storyteller

By | 3D Speaking, Business, Life Lesssons, Public Speaking, Speech Coaching | No Comments

What do you remember from the last conference you attended? Think about it for a moment before you continue reading. So what did you remember? Chances are you do not remember any lessons from the talks you heard. If you are like me, perhaps you may remember some of the buffets selections that we’re on offer. For example, I have attended many courses and conferences in the lavish and the luxurious Jeddah Hilton Hotel. What do I remember from the courses and conferences there? Simply, nothing. But I can tell you, they served the best food ever.

Most speakers commit a big mistake when they deliver their talks. They rarely use stories to make their points more understanable and memorable. I recently attended a three-day conference on a vital business topic. During the conference, I listened to around 18 sessions and to 18 different speakers. They all were medicore except for a marvellous speaker who kept telling us real-life business stories. I raise my hat to him.

Here is one of his stories: Back in the 80’s British Rail suffered a significant dip in their revenues; their travelling passengers figures were dropping daily. To deal with this unfavorable situation, they talked to a strategic marketing consulting firm to help them figure out what was the problem and more importantly what are some possible solutions to tackle it.

The consulting company asked British Rail to provide it with an opportunity to gather some data before they officially meet. Few weeks from their initial call, the consulting company invited British Rail executive to its premisis.

Two senior executives from British Rail arrived and immediately approached the receptionist who was talking over the phone. They told her: “Good morning, we are here to meet the managing director.” She just kept talking without giving them any attention. They told her: again with an irritated tone “We are here to meet the managing director” and she just continued talking. They waited a little bit for her to finish the phone call but they got more irritated because she was talking about the last shopping trip she had and her plans for the New Year eve. They told her for the third time: “We are here to meet the managing director.” To which she replied with a gesture: “Go to that meeting room over there and wait” and continued talking over the phone!

So, off they went to the meeting room. The room was messy; they were notepads, pieces of papers, pens, pencils and food leftovers on the meeting table. One commented: “I don’t think we should seek the advice of this company because they must get their house in order before they help others.”. The other executive retorted: “Absolutely.” This is when someone entered the meeting, collected few documents, and off he went. He even didn’t acknowledge the existence of the two irritated executives.

They kept waiting and waiting until the managing director arrived and greeted them. They vented all their irritation on him; the complained about the receptionist, the untidy meeting room, no one offering coffee and the delay in starting the meeting. To which the managing director replied: “This is how your customers perceive you. Your customer service levels are poor and that’s why you’re losing out to you competitors.”. The two executives from British Rail were speechless. What a valuable and insightful lesson on the importance of serving your customers right!

Our marvelous speaker used storytelling effectively to make his point clear and memorable. He used most of the elements of successful storytelling including the plot in terms of time and location, making the characters alive by having us listening to their dialogue and feeling their emotions through thier tone as well as sharing the moral of the story.

If you want to be better than most speakers, you should become a master storyteller.

(This post was written from 41,000 feet above the ground while I was on my way to London on 7 March 2012)