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Nationally-recognized
experts in professional presentation messaging, design
and high stakes delivery skills
coaching
Mark of Distinction Quarterly
Newsletter - November
2009 |
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Watch
for Distinction's 2009 Annual
Presentation Impact Survey on December 8 and you
could win a Dell Mini Notebook!
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 Distinction
takes you behind closed
doors...
I'm guessing you're not one of those top executives
enticed by the subject line of this newsletter. But you
are probably reading this because we all have
a certain curiosity about America's top
executives, what they're like and some
insight into how they prepare for their high
profile speaking opportunities.
Distinction has been fortunate to play a role
in coaching some of them and would like to
offer you some great tips you can glean from
their experiences. In this quarter's
newsletter, we'll share three important
principles they've paid good money to learn and you
can get for free! |
Case study #1
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We've always been surprised at how open even very
senior executives are to personal presentation skills
coaching. We all assume their egos would not allow them
to be that vulnerable, but that's not been our
experience. We've come to understand that even though
their rise to the top has been the culmination of
decades of industry experience, their ability
to confidently articulate and deliver
a compelling and memorable message is often
one of the weaker tools in their leadership toolkit
- and they know it.
A few years back we were asked to work with a
group president of a premier global
technology leader. In our initial session
with any executive, we take nothing for
granted. Fred, one of our coaches, did an
initial baseline taping and then began to work on
some fundamental delivery skills in a large stage
setting. It proved extremely helpful
and we saw a lot of personal growth from our
executive that day.
In our second engagement, however,
something was getting in the way of his
progress. After a couple of run-throughs, Fred
put his finger on the issue. The executive's desire
to never miss a bullet or sub-bullet of content was
forcing him into a cautious and calculated delivery
style. This was also exacerbated by an
over-reliance on his PowerPoint and a compelling desire
to "get it right". What liberated him and his delivery
style was Behind Closed Doors principle
#1...
Principle 1 People only know
what you give them.
Great
communicators are more focused on the how and
why and less on the
what
Key Take-away: This doesn't
mean our words are unimportant, but your
audience is hearing them for the very first time.
They don't know the presentation you planned to give,
they only know the one you did give. If your
presentation is cut short, don't make excuses. Adapt and
deliver it with every ounce of confidence you can muster
- no matter what's going on in your gut.
When we can free ourselves from the rigidity
of perfection, great things can happen. Our
focus in preparation can then be better
channeled to how the message is being
communicated - not simply the message itself.
That's a huge distinction. :) This one
concept alone was liberating for our case study
executive. He found he could be much more
comfortable and conversational in his execution
when he was not as consumed with delivering the perfect
presentation. |
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Case study
#2 ________________________________________________________________
A few years back I got the chance to work
with a new president of
a large international pharmaceutical company.
Her predecessor was a very high-powered,
results-driven personality. In
contrast, my current client was more of a
thinking strategist and master of metrics. And
their communication styles? As different as
night and day; one executive, a high
energy, driver-type communicator and the other
more subdued & measured in her communication
style. How would the sales organization perceive the
difference? Would one style foster more confidence
and respect than the other?
Before I started any delivery skills coaching,
I took the new president through a DiSC™ profiling
exercise (a social/personality style assessment
tool). Why? Because of Behind Closed
Doors principle #2...
Principle 2 How we're wired on the
inside impacts how we communicate
outside
Good
leaders must be adaptive
communicators
Key Take-away: None of us
can simply camp on our native
communication style and expect the world to adjust
to us. Our ability to influence and impact often
means stretching ourselves. Executives
often find themselves seeking out professional
development to better interpret P&Ls or we have
to learn a new job skill to be promotable. But
too seldom do we seek assistance in enhancing
the one skill that influences them all, our
ability to communicate effectively and how to
adapt our default communication style when needed.
What might this mean for our case
study executive? She needed
to intentionally up her energy/passion level
when she faced a sea of sales people looking
for clues of confident leadership. Even
when her natural inclination might be to
just stick to business - get it done, get
out, she needed to rise above her analytical style
for the moment. Impressions can be indelibly
made in a single presentation. Distance can be
created between the executive and an important customer
or employees can perceive their leader to be aloof
and impersonal. Being an adaptive communicator is not
just a nice skill - it's a critical one for all of
us today. |
Case study #3
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Earlier in the year I was a speaker at a big
international conference in the Bay Area. Like many
of these conferences, they draw some pretty high
profile speakers and this event was no exception.
Opening up the conference was a senior executive from
one of the largest electronics retailers in the country.
(You'd recognize their logo). His industry insight
was great and at one point in his keynote address, he
talked about very important resources their
executive team seeks out. "Several times a year we
receive professional presentation skills coaching",
he went on to say.
Normally I would have
appreciated this kind of high-profile endorsement for
executive coaching, but not this time. During his
40-minute presentation, he paced like a caged tiger and
even though his message was interesting, his manic
communication style made me nervous and I
was 30 rows back! His darting eye
contact meant instead of speaking with calm confidence,
he seemed on the edge of being out-of-control. I'm
pretty sure that was not a part of his coaching, so what
happened? This brings us to our last Behind Closed
Doors principle #3...
Principle 3 Those who
practice improve, those who don't -
won't.
You can't
dabble at being a good communicator - either you're
working it or you're not.
Key Take-away: I get the fact that
presentation skills are not the only thing on senior
executives' minds these days. But in high profile
communication opportunities, impressions are formed
quickly and last a very long time. (The same is true for
you and me) He may have received coaching, but it
appeared very few of those skills actually took.
Why? He got caught up in the moment and went on
autopilot. (Sound familiar?) When personal skills are
not driven deep (like a good golf swing), we default to
old habits under pressure. His content was good, but he
could have been so much better that morning.
Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect
practice makes perfect. Vince Lombardi
When your skills become second nature, they won't
fail under pressure. I suppose there are a few natural
born communicators - but most of us have to work at
it. Being a leader is tough these days because
there's so much more to aligning, motivating and
inspiring others than dryly communicating quarterly
metrics. And whether you're in sales, the C-suite or
other roles, our ability to consistently execute a
well-delivered presentation will always be
career-impacting.
Looking for a resource that can take you to the
next level? Distinction can
help... |
Been putting off
a conversation with some of your executive
team?
They may not be basket-case presenters but for
many, the lack of some important personal
communication skills is impacting their ability to
be heard and followed. Whether your senior
managers aspired to their positions or just grew
into the role, leadership caliber skills are simply
expected today. It's not that we are looking for
perfect communicators, but we do want them to stand
straight, look us in the eye and deliver a confident,
passionate and coherent message. How are
your high-profile presenters doing today?
The
Art of the High Stakes Presentation for
Executives
Enhancing Leadership
Impact Through Communication
Excellence
Develop a critical set of foundational
presentation skills
Discover your
default communication style & how to adapt it for
greater influence & impact
Gain assistance in
preparing for important high profile opportunities
(One-on-one or executive group sessions
available)
If you'd like more information on how
Distinction can help your executive team become
much more effective in their leadership communication,
contact us for a confidential assessment.
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