Digital Coach - For High Stakes Presentations » Digital Coach Podcasts

The Sticky Factor – Four Principles for Maximizing Presentation Impact

Jim Endicott — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:47:24 +0000

(A podcast interview with Jim Endicott & Tom Parker – Notes Page)

Think back for a moment to a presentation you sat through last week or the week before… what do you remember? How did it make you feel? What action did you feel compelled to take following the presentation?

If you’re like most of us, you probably remember little or nothing. You felt nothing extraordinary and you went on with your week as if nothing happened – except just another boring presentation. We can do better.

In this interview with Tom Parker with Parker & Associates’ NOTES PAGE , Jim Endicott introduces you to some powerful principles of influence for being remembered, engaging audiences more effectively and being the presenter that they remember long after the presentation is over. No rote presentation tips here. Gain some insight into this career-impacting process from a seasoned industry insider!

Great Starts – Even Greater Finishes! Planning the Perfect Presentation

Jim Endicott — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:14:20 +0000

(A podcast interview with Jim Endicott & Tom Parker – Notes Page)

Have you ever had that experience where you have a real important presentation coming up and you find yourself staring at a blank slide in PowerPoint… wondering just how to start? Well, you’re not alone. Most presenters have no real game plan for forging those compelling message.

In this interview with Tom Parker with Parker & Associates’ NOTES PAGE , Jim Endicott provides some insights on how you can shape messages that truly resonate with the hearts & minds of very busy people. Tom also explores Jim’s ideas on presentation flow, timing and great ways to wrap it all up so you will be the presenter they remember. Don’t miss this interesting podcast!

When Presentations Explode! – Flexing When Disaster Strikes

Jim Endicott — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 00:03:13 +0000

(A podcast interview with Jim Endicott & Tom Parker – Notes Page)

If you’ve been presenting for any length of time, something most likely has gone wrong. Sometimes horribly so and you’ve found yourself scrambling to try to recover your senses and some measure of personal dignity!

In this interview with Tom Parker with Parker & Associates’ NOTES PAGE , Jim Endicott provides some insights on those moments when something goes horrible wrong during a big presentation. When is it most likely to happen? And what can you do to recover gracefully. This brief interview may give you what you need to turn disaster into success.

Presentation Storytelling

Jim Endicott — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 22:58:51 +0000

What’s it take to be remembered these day? We certainly know what doesn’t work. Material directed at the intellect (bullets, charts, graphs), most frequently goes only into short-term memory and is rarely memorable. But case study after case study reveals that a presenter’s personal stories can be a powerful conduit for communicating value, important lessons or relevant themes. This session provides some crisp insight into how presenters can leverage their most valuable communication asset – the personal story.

Mastering the Elevator Pitch

Jim Endicott — Thu, 28 May 2009 22:57:16 +0000

Ok… these important opportunities for communicating value may not always occur in an elevator, but they do happen frequently. In the airport – in the line at the store – or at a conference, the time will come sooner or later when someone (who could be important to you and your company) asks THE question…. “so, what do you do?” You have just a moment to distill down the value you or your company bring to the table into just a few opportune moments. You need one succinct set of thoughts that stick in their mind. Would you get stuck? This simple 3-step model will help you refine a succinct 30-second message that helps your prospect “get” your important message.

Alumni Refresher – Eye Communication

Jim Endicott — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:58:20 +0000

Here’s a valuable refresher session for our Distinction training alumni!

Think about the last time you went through Customs at the airport. That experience probably gave you everything you needed to know about how audiences gauge trustworthiness and believability. Unfortunately, most communicators struggle with this most basic and essential of skills associated with persuading and influencing others. This reminder session will give you a much needed reintroduction to the topic and the need for more meaningful and sustained eye contact. Ready to walk into an important presentation tomorrow morning? Better cue this one up tonight!

Alumni Refresher – Purposeful Movement

Jim Endicott — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:56:58 +0000

Here’s a valuable refresher session for our Distinction training alumni!

It seems like most presenters suffer from one of two maladies. Either they’re painfully anchored in one place or they display manic movement driven by a bit too much adrenaline. During your Distinction training you learned a powerful model for orchestrating more purpose and confident movement every time you’re up in front of a group. Walking into a high presentation and need a little reminder? This session is for you!

Alumni Refresher – Meaningful Gestures

Jim Endicott — Wed, 27 May 2009 22:49:42 +0000

Here’s a valuable refresher session for our Distinction training alumni!

Have you ever struggled with what to do with those things at the end of your arms? Many presenters do. Most gestures tend to be more motivated by anxiety rather than using them to actually help create purposeful emphasis. During your training session with Distinction, we practiced the art of using gestures to help accelerate information and ideas and to make you more interesting. This training reminder will help refresh the topic for you so you can appear more confident and credible!

Alumni Refresher – Vocal Variety

Jim Endicott — Mon, 25 May 2009 23:04:29 +0000

Here’s a valuable refresher session for our Distinction training alumni!

This session offers a timely reminder of the need to give our audience’s ears a little variety. The often monotone delivery of many presenters today only ensures that audiences well drift off to La La Land in just a few minutes. In this training refresher session you’ll learn some valuable tips for seasoning your vocal delivery so your presentations can be more interesting and energetic. We could all use that!

Influence, Choice and Messaging Shaping

Jim Endicott — Mon, 25 May 2009 22:51:14 +0000

We’ve been taught that choice is always a good thing. And the more things we get to choose from, the better – right?! Now put yourself into the audience’s seat. A presenter in a sales presentation or an internal department meeting has a number of different product or implementation solutions for you to consider. The presenter – she feels like she is providing a valuable benefit to you. But is she actually fostering the end result she had hoped for?

Well the research is in… more choices often actually slow or stop the decision-making process altogether. Check out this podcast to gain some valuable insight into offering options in a presentation while still moving audiences to important action.

The Presentation Visual – 1

Jim Endicott — Mon, 25 May 2009 22:49:46 +0000

Let’s be honest. Most presenter’s PowerPoint presentations are a mind numbing collection of bullets, sub-bullets, charts, bad illustrations, jaggy images or playful clipart. The art of “giving” a presentation has never been raised to such a meaningless artform. What about people actually “getting” our presentations? This session will introduce 3 simple pointers for bringing some needed sanity back to the presentation visual!

Authentic Communication

Jim Endicott — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:14:49 +0000

Audiences are pretty savvy. Whether it’s a presidential debate, a sales call or a formal presentation, they can always tell when something is not what is appears to be. Even the word “presentation” today usually evokes visions of stiff formality and an overly canned delivery.

But there’s good news. Our audiences are not looking for perfect presenters. As a matter of fact, they are most influenced by people just like them. People who have the same flaws and fears yet have overcome them that day to communicate an important idea. This session is a call to action for honest and authentic communicators everywhere to step forward!

Leadership Communication 1

Jim Endicott — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:09:24 +0000

People simply expect more from their leaders today. This is no more true then when they are communicating important messages to us. We expect them to convey honest, compelling and inspiring messages. Unfortunately, most don’t and at the heart of the problem is a glaring lack of self-awareness. Until leaders can see themselves through others eyes, change in this critical area is pretty hard. This session is directed at organization leaders at all levels. Ready to be challenged? Listen in…

7-Step Persuasive Message Model

Jim Endicott — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:03:54 +0000

Too often presenter’s fail to establish any measure of real relevance with their audiences. Whether they’re offering up solutions (in search of a problem to solve) or just “giving” the presentation they always give, the impact is the same – their messages are often self-serving and their audiences know it. This session will introduce you to a powerful 7-step persuasive message flow model to help presenters shape more relevant messages – ones that resonate with both the hearts and minds of their audiences!

A Presentation Reality Check

Jim Endicott — Mon, 25 May 2009 19:02:14 +0000

What if there was a single simple perspective that would help presenters everywhere create and deliver better presentations? Well there is. This rarely considered ‘prime directive’ for presenters focuses on the very reason for presenting and takes on all the well-entrenched paradigms about the presentation process. With this simple principle in mind (and taken to heart) you will deliver presentations with all new focus.

The “One Thing” Concept

Jim Endicott — Mon, 25 May 2009 18:55:45 +0000

Most presenters are looking for some kind of presentation edge – something that would set them apart from everyone else at a conference or seminar. And if it’s at all possible, it would be great if it could be picked up at Best Buy for under $100!

The reality is – sellers of presentation software, accessories and add-in utilities have made a good living over the years for the want of a “one thing”. Dive into this fun podcast that will help you explore your own “one thing” concept that could make you an amazing presenter!

Worst Presentation Disaster!

Jim Endicott — Fri, 22 May 2009 15:51:42 +0000

When I was still working at InFocus a dozen years ago, I was asked to team up with Tom Mucciolo, a NY delivery skills coach, at a trade show. InFocus had a huge booth and Tom and I were to put on “shows” every 30-minutes around our client services group and our presentation design business. True to form for laptops back in 1997 , you were guaranteed at least one lock-up.

Sure enough with 30 people standing there, and during a demo of some embedded video in PowerPoint, the laptop froze. It took a good 3-4 minutes to reboot while Tom vamped some crazy dialog around our wonderful services. 10 minutes later with the same group – disaster struck once again. The moral to that story… if something can go wrong – it usually will with the greatest amount of people in attendence. Today, I test everything!

The 4 Fatal Mistakes of RFP/RFQ Presentations

Jim Endicott — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:30:10 +0000

When it comes to responding to RFPs and RFQs, one thing is for sure, no one pops the cork if you come in second place. Not even the best companies win them all, but an organization should NEVER lose a major project opportunity because your live presentation team failed to articulate the proposal details, deliver them in a believable and cohesive manner and respond to Q&A with absolute confidence.

Consider this podcast a wake-up call for those who compete for these time consuming, paper generating, resource depleting, big pay-off high stakes presentation opportunities!

Presentation Tips for Engineers

Jim Endicott — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 22:58:33 +0000

See if this sounds a little familiar…

You’ve been an engineer in a larger organization for a while now. And over the years, your insight into the engineering process has created a steady vertical climb in your career path. But now, there are a few rumblings regarding your communication style. It’s obviously served you well for many years but it seems like the bar has been raised. You’re finding it more and more difficult to interact effectively with senior managers. And as you’ve added more direct reports, you’re hearing your communication style isn’t working with them. What’s happening?

The reality is that the higher an engineer moves in an organization, the higher the level of other’s expectations for communication clarity. What you know is not enough anymore compared to how you communicate what you know and how you lead others. If this is sounding a little familiar, it’s because many have gone before you with the same challenge.

This podcast will give you some insight into three common communication scenarios for engineers and how you can excel at them all!

Making Your Messages Stick! – Part 2

Jim Endicott — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 01:29:24 +0000

It’s estimated the average business professional sits through 2-3 presentations of some sort every work day. This little data point creates a challenge for all of us. How can I make my presentations stand out from the crowd? Especially if you find yourself competing for a sales opportunity, budget dollars or maybe just mindshare for an important idea.

This This Digital Coach session picks up where part #1 leaves off. With limited time for presentation preparation, where can you best invest your time so you can more effectively compete for the hearts and minds of busy people like yourself. In just 7 minutes, you gain some important insight that can serve you for a lifetime!

Making Your Message Stick!

Jim Endicott — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 19:56:45 +0000

The painful reality is most presenters (and their messages) are doomed to be forgotten by the time it takes our audiences to get back to their cars. Sure, a few things may stick, but for the most part, presenters are far too forgettable.

Part of the challenge is that we’ve been taught some pretty goofy things about memorability and influence. We bought into the principle that if we can just make a compelling factual case for our idea supported by some cool PowerPoint … we couldn’t lose! Nothing could be further from the truth.

This session gives you some practical tips, inspired by psychologist Dr. Scott Lee, into how you and your ideas can be recalled long after other’s messages have bit the dust. The 5 steps covered in this 9-minute podcast might just change how you present forever!

Adaptive Communication Skills

Jim Endicott — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 19:12:14 +0000

One size may fit all in baseball caps and hockey sticks, but rarely is that the case with our personal communication styles. We live in a world of people who often process information and ideas very differently from our own natural style. Unfortunately, most presenters today simply “give” information in a way that’s most natural for them without regard to what it takes for others to actually “get” their important messages. (You may be a high “analytical” type but the “driver” decision-maker across the table will cut your meeting short in a New York minute when you bury them in your charts, graphs and heavy bullet slides.)

This session will give you a handle on identifying the 4 major communication styles, provide tips to adapt your native style, and finally, offer up insight into how each style filters your important messages, is best influenced and ultimately takes action.