Making presentations that produce flow and stickiness?

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/mihaly_csikszentmihalyi_on_flow.html

” Success in speaking is about connecting with others, providing a meaningful message that can make a difference in people’s lives and presenting with passion and inspiration with an optimistic and open style.”  Mark W. Hardwick, Ph.D.

Many speakers want to influence their listeners be they talking to one person or thousand. The critical question is how to do this?  Obviously, it is important to have a clear, concise, and compelling message. In addition, you need to deliver the message in a passionate and confident manner.  Let’s look at the notion of Executive Presence and the key delivery characteristics required for making  a message STICKY:

• Be relaxed, confident and  natural–take a few deep breaths before you start. 
• Be enthusiastic and energetic-try to make “unique connections” with individual audience members by being a story-teller
• Be authentic by eliminating the use of ”Making Shit Up” (MSU’s). Present evidence based facts for your argument and be in the “moment”.
• Be fully alive in your presentation and deeply immersed in presenting your “point of view” by celebrating your discoveries and ideas.
• Use the Magic Number Seven– Have three to four key points and repeat often. Don’t try to overwhelm people with your brilliance. Your audience can only remember  “seven chunks of ” information at one time. 
• Present aha’s  –or meaningful take aways for audience 
• Leave them wanting more.
• Challenge the audience–make a strong and enthusiastic call for action.

Learn how to deliver Sticky Presentations–Try the R.A.T.E.R. technique

                        

Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face…You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

 1. Battle your fear of speaking by being thoroughly prepared. Know your material and trust your ability to communicate it to the audience. In addition, take the time to practice and get feedback on the presentation. As Aristotle once said “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act but a habit”. You have a captive audience so take advantage and deliver a powerful and meaningful speech. 

 2. Act Natural and be authentic. Leave audience wanting more and with a positive impression of your flexibility, openness and responsiveness to their concerns and needs. Remember the audience is on your side they want you to succeed.  

 3. Present things aligned with who you are what you do well; don’t try to fake it or “make stuff up” MSU’s are out. 

4. Don’t gesture for the sake of gesturing.  There must be a reason for your gestures and they need to connect to what you are saying.

 5. Show the private person who is relaxed and confident in conversations. Bring that same confident style to the public stage. Start with high energy and get to the point and close with enthusiasm. 

6. Bring relevance, assurance, tangibility, empathy and responsiveness to the presentation. (RATER)

The Art of Caring Confrontation-Solutions for Fort Hood and Columbine shootings?

“When everyone in an organization accepts responsibility, shows respect and holds each other accountable to do the right thing through caring confrontation, everyone wins.” Gus Blanchard

One of the most overwhelming negative feelings a person can have is that of being put-down and shunned. The outsider feels alienated and lonely, not being accepted, loved, or respected by others. Such mental maps and feelings can have a major effect on the way a person views the worth of their lives and how they interact with their culture and fellow citizens. Let’s look at two recent mass shootings– Walter Reed-Fort Hood and Columbine.

Caring and Responsibility Check: Case of Maj. Nidal Malik– Leadership Failure at Walter Reed Army Hospital

” In caring I commit myself to the other; I hold myself out as someone who can be depended on. If there is an acute break in this relation because of my indifference, irresponsibility or neglect of my duties, I feel guilty, as if the other were to say,”Where were you when I needed you,why did you let me down?”  Milton Mayeroff, author of book entitled On Caring, 1971.

The disaster at Fort Hood again shows the inability for some people to see a problem, confront it and take responsibility for constructive action. Envision for a moment you and your colleagues sitting around the conference table at Walter Reed Army hospital discussing and reviewing an employee who has been demonstrating bizarre behavioral problems. Someone brings up the point that the Dr. X, who is in training to be psychiatrist, is unable to communicate and connect effectively with patients who are suffering from anxiety and PTSD. Another colleague brings up the fact that Dr. X is a practicing Muslim who has been sharing his anti-war and extreme Islamic views during a recent Grand Rounds presentation. Somebody else speculates on his mental stability and his ability to be in touch with reality (psychosis). It is a tragic observation and apparent that nobody in the room wants to deal with these inconvertible truths of instability, acting out and irrational thinking of Dr. X. The question becomes what are we going to do with him? 

Health Care Reform “People before Profits”–President Obama’s Time is NOW!

” It is to late in the day for the House of Reps to buckle-in on the Public Option or the Senate to kick the can down the road for the States to decide on Health Care Reform.  The “Blue Dog” Democrats and the party of “NO” Republicans are winning by stalling and not caring. I don’t understand their lack of moral conscientious. How can you not care about 144 people/day dying or 44,000/year dying who don’t have health care insurance. Watering down the Public Option is putting the Health Care Reform at risk because if it doesn’t work the President will be scapegoat as the one who failed. These devious plans to defeat Health Care Reform need to be challenged by the Obama team. The Obama team seem to want any bill so they can say they did something. What do I want to see? 

The Power of Empathy–People before Profits

Power of Empathy

“The job of leadership today is not just to make money. It’s to make meaning.” John Hagel, Management Consultant

Judgment implies evaluation and a lack of trust. Trusting yourself and others is the foundation of empathy. ” Carl Rogers

Empathy defined–It is the unconditional understanding of others feelings, experience and ideas without judgment. Empathy does not mean agreement with the other persons point of view or feeling. To show empathy you must be able to put yourself in the other persons shoes and understand their experience  without judgment.

Reality Check #1: Do Doctors Listen to Patients?

“The average doctor listens for 18 seconds before interrupting the patient.”

How disrespectful and arrongant is this kind of behavior? What are the implications for doctor-patient interactions? How can we help doctors improve their communication skills?

Attention Doctors: Sticky Presentations more Important than just Talking

 “The ability to express an idea is well nigh as important as the idea itself.” Bernard Baruch

  A sticky message is one that’s understood by the audience or receiver, remembered, and that changes something (opinions, behaviors, values). Presentations can be either formal (keynote) or informal (Grand Rounds).  As a  doctor, when presenting or teaching, you’re on the front lines of conveying information and knowledge.  Every single time you deliver a roundtable, lunch and learn, and a dinner meeting, you’ve got to get up in front of colleagues and make ideas stick. The question you need to ask yourself–Is what do you want them to take or learn from the speech? And let’s face it, this is no easy mission. Few doctors look forward to another dinner meeting unless the wine is good and the food is first rate, they anticipate and are ready for the latest info on a new wonder drug for solving or abating the impact of a disease on their patients.

 1. Make the message tangible and relevant. Stories and examples are the critical foundation for sticky presentations. Stories provide a realistic context and hook for the audience

If you use only one tip, this is the one. The #1 mistake we’ve observed in presentations—and there is no close second—is that the message is too abstract. The presenter offers concepts and conclusions but not evidence. He talks at a high level about the big picture, but gives no concrete details that might make the big picture understandable and plausible. He may sprinkle in a few stories or examples, but they are treated like garnish. Most people communicate with, say, 3 parts exposition to 1 part example. That’s exactly backwards. In a compelling presentation, examples aren’t garnish, they’re the entrée.

A presentation is a sequence of concrete examples and stories that snap together to form a compelling argument. For instance, think of the examples that Al Gore used in his movie An Inconvenient Truth: The before and after photos of Mt. Kilimanjaro, showing the vanishing snow caps. The simulated satellite images of Manhattan flooded by rising sea levels. In Michael Moore’s Sicko, he doesn’t make conceptual points about the health care system—he makes his case through the stories of individuals, like the carpenter who accidentally cut off 2 fingers, and then had to choose which finger to reattach since he couldn’t afford to do both!

 2. Execute the 3 C’s–Make the presentation Clear, Concise and Compelling

We know many of you have to present data in your pre­sentations. But because data is pretty abstract, you should resist your temptation to lead with the data or to let the data stand alone. Which is more compelling? Saying that there are “900,000 poor adults with declining eyesight in Mumbai, and we need your help to start solving the prob­lem.” Or telling the story above about the 35-year-old weaver, and then saying, “Our research suggests that there are 900,000 stories like this, in Mumbai alone, and we need your help to start solving the problem.” Data are just summaries of thousands of stories—tell a few of those stories to help make the data meaningful.

 3. Get to the Point: Grab and Keep the Audience Attention

 The first mission of a presentation is to grab attention. And the second requirement is to keep that attention. That’s why it’s upsetting to see a speaker violate the Primacy Rule which is remembering that you have about 60 seconds to make a strong first impression. Don’t miss the opportunity by stum­bling out of the blocks with a laborious overview of what’s going to be covered and who you are. This problem is understandable. After all, we’ve all been coached to “Tell ‘em what you’re gonna tell ‘em, then tell ‘em, then tell ‘em what you told ‘em.”

 Within the 60 seconds of opening focus the audience’s attention on the challenge, opportunity or issue to be discussed. Eliminate irrelvant jokes and a slow start. Presenters like actors in the theater must be ready the moment you take the stage.

 4. Let your main points shine in the spotlight–focus on the critical 2-3 things you want them to take away.

 If you say 9-10 things, you say nothing. You probably lose you audience around # five. Remember the Magic #7 Rule concerning memory. People can only retain 5-9 chunks of information at one session. Stop flooding them with information and numbers. Stick to your MAIN POINT.. Are you giving the spotlight to your most important points? Here are two quick tests: What percentage of your speaking time is going to those points? And what percentage of your slides are dedicated to them? If you’re not spending at least half of your time and your visuals on the core of your message, you’re probably trying to accomplish too much.  

 5. Open and Authentic Communication 

One of the main reasons why people do not take the time to provide feedback is that they do not believe any action will result from the communication. Let audience members know that you have listened and that you will respond. Don’t just give lip service to support and continuous improvement. 

6. Listen, Ask and Problem Solve. Don’t Tell and Sell

  Hook them before trying to land them in the boat. Curosity and interest must come before data and content. Before your audience will value the information you’re giving, they’ve got to want it. Demand has to come before supply.  Most presenters take the audience’s desire to listen and care for granted, but that’s a big mistake. Great presentations are mysteries, not encyclopedia entries. Sticky message must be surprising,, raise curiousity and Cool.

Example of Sticky Presentations:  JFK Man on Moon, FDR Only thing to “Fear is Fear itself,” Death Panels etc. How about this one for the Dems: Why Health Care Reform–People first–Profits second 450% increase in insurance companies profits last 10 years. Enough said (Show visual chart of insurance profits and average company profits accross industries.) Tellstories of people dying ( 22/day 140 /week  460/month and 44,000/year. Highlight a few with real people telling their stories about their pain and non-responsiveness of insurance companies. Telling powerful stories is the best way to convey a sticky message that the audience understand it, we remember it, and we can retell it later. If people believe a message is credible and true, it might change attitudes or behavior permanently.

Reflections #15 Visual Pollution

Reflecting on the National Parks program, by Ken Burns –I thought this is something we need to pay attention too.

 

 

Visual Pollution by Ralph Caplan, 1978– Notes on Attention

“… so that people are free to attend to what they care about, ironically , though,the freest societies invariably create environments working against attention. Visual pollution is harmful not just because it is ugly but because it is destructive. Like other pollution, it destroys the BALANCE of nature– in this case human nature.”

How to Stop Irrational Ideas and Attitude: Develop Bullshit Support Team

 ”It all starts in your head…(Success) begins by trying to make each day count…If you sincerely try to make each day a masterpiece, angles can do no better.”  John Wooden, Hall of Fame Basketball Coach, UCLA 

 Irrational Ideas that Block Your Growth and Development  

1. Need to be loved or approved by everyone–Give credit away and recognition will come  
2. Differences make people bad, evil or stupid–Not stupid just different. Differences wwiden your perspective and help update your mental maps.
3. Life is awful when things are not like we want them to be. Not awful just inconvenient.

Dynamic Leadership: Passion+Self-Renewal+Constructive Action

” Self-Renewal is possible if we don’t lose our capacity to learn and grow. But renewal…depends in some measure on motivation, commitment, conviction, the values men live by, the things that give meaning to their lives”. John W. Gardner, author Self-Renewal

Positive change results when we become aware of, observe and accept a new way to think and behave. We feel a new way is better when we experience more balance, peacefulness, or joy, than by continuing with our old habits and rountines. Breakout of old routines and habits and do something different. Be willing to experiment and test your boundaries.

Purpose Centered Performance Leadership: Exercise #4 Feedback and Personal Growth

“The genuine leader knows it is impossible to grow and develop, without being open to feedback   and committed to honest self-reflection.” Robert Bolten, People Skills  

Many leadership experts talk about the need for leaders to be able to coach others. At the heart of coaching is the ability to provide feedback.  And yet the overwhelming view is that many leaders do not have the skills to provide appropriate feedback. It does no good to hang mission and vision statements in the elevator or lunch room and behave differently in interacting and providing feedback.  Leaders must be congruent in what they say and do to build trust.  Feedback is the heart and head of an individuals ability to see their blind spots and learn to grow in positive ways.  So the question for a would be leader: How do you provide approriate and meaning ful feedback?

Assertive Leadership–Message to President Obama on Health Care Reform

“All men are born free and equal, and have certain natural, essential and unalienable rights.” Constitution of Massachusetts, 1778.

The question for all of us is whether Health Care is a right guaranteed by being a citizen of the United States or a privilege bestowed on the fortune few?

Reflection # 13–Question for President Obama: Are You Tough Enough?

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Dr. Martn Luther King, Jr.

Dr. Mark’s Rule # 5 for Sticky Presentations — Avoid the Risk of being a Know It All

We are in deep denial about the difficulty of getting a thought out of our own head and into the mind of others. It’s just not true that, “If you think it, it will stick.”  Chip and Dan Heath               

And that brings me to the core difficulty of the “Know It All”.  Lots of research in social psychology and interpersonal communications shows that when we know something, it becomes hard for us to imagine not knowing it. As a result, we become arrogant and ineffective communicators.