Every time you walk into a winery tasting room, you are attending a presentation. The person pouring your wine may not know they are giving a presentation but that's what is going on. They are putting on a show.

The entertainers deliver a monologue. They share their knowledge and follow a script. Their goal is to impart wisdom. They don't bother to find out about their audience. It is all about them.  They make you want to go back to school.

The connectors engage the audience members in the presentation. They make you part of the act - they ask questions and build a comfortable dialogue.  They tailor their presentation based on your level of knowledge and neither talk down to you or over your head. They make you the star and as a result you will buy whatever they are selling.

Think about how it feels when you have excellent service. That's the feeling you want to create when you give a presentation. Don't be an entertainer - be a connector. If you will always focus on what the audience needs and put yourself in their shoes, you will succeed.

I'm still trying to figure out where these guys  keep their PowerPoint slides when they're pouring. Maybe they're behind the bar.
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Every time I sit down to create something, I have to silence the voices in my head.

They sound strangely like those scary Nuns with rulers that were supposed to be teaching in every Catholic school in the land. While I did attend Catholic school for a very brief time, all of my Nuns sounded like angels and carried words of encouragement and support. There were no rulers anywhere in sight. So I'm not sure why they sound that way.

But I hear those fictional Nuns. Their voices are full of doubt, laughing at my ridiculous ideas, daring me to abandon my silly dreams of creating as I see fit, promising me a road to success that is paved with safe, secure, more conformist approaches. They try to make me feel guilty about taking pleasure in whacky ideas, in finding unconventional ways to make conventional points.

But they fail. Often.

They sang an especially mournful tune the day I decided to create a board game to teach CPAs how to provide consulting services. They roared in opposition wihen I thought about teaching accounting to winery people using a lemonade stand. They fired up the organ and brought in the harps the day I passed out fake money and made people swap dollars to understand budgeting.  They prayed hard on their glittering rosaries (saying at least 10 Hail Mary's and 40 Our Fathers) the day I started creating a coloring book to communicate customer service concepts. They gathered in increasing numbers to convince me that I should change my mind about adding humor to whitepaper after whitepaper. You should have heard them talk about Jimmy's Whimmy business and the one about Goldilocks. 

Tthere's a flickering flame that resides deep in my heart and it keeps me going. It's passion, it's joy, it's the thrill of connecting. I have felt the rare sense of excitement when I teach a group of people and a concept takes hold. I have heard people respond to my writings on sales tax, on payroll, on various technology subjects. I know people benefit from my whacky approach to boring subjects, and so I trudge on. I have heard people laughing and it is the best feeling in the world.

It has taken years. But now, I listen only to that inner voice - the one with the southern accent and the grits obsession. The one who is inspired by the humor in everything.  

The point, and there is one, is that you need not listen to those voices that try to hold you back. Don't let them win.  Eternal misery only results from a lifetime of listening to other people and ignoring your own tiny voice.

The world needs to hear your voice.

And be nice to Nuns.





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When I started this little ole website, I was too stupid to know better. I didn't know I needed a fancy portfolio, or evidence of my talent, or a long list of successful clients. I didn't know that I needed a voice, or a tone, or even a position. I hadn't been employed by a fancy agency or taken an expensive course on Internet Marketing or Social Media or even how to build a list.

All I knew was that I had something to say and I wanted to say it. I didn't worry about whether anyone would listen or what I would talk about or even grammar (or grammer as we call our mother's mother in the south) most of the time. I just started writing. I said what I thought, wrote what I felt, and just did it. I didn't even know what I wanted to talk about exactly, so I created a bunch of different websites so I could talk about different things. I blogged on www.creativlycents.com about my nerdy numbers obsession and personal stuff. I blogged on www.redneckincalifornia.com about being southern and living in California. I blogged on www.bizhealth.net about my passion for business improvement. And then I wrote about presentations here.

The site that keeps drawing me back, that one that connects with everything I do day in and day out is this one. That's how I figured it out. I was just taking a shot and trying. I am passsionate about presenting. It's not work when I write about this and it's not work when I watch presentations. It's juice.

I still write sporadically on the other sites, they are fun diversions when I need them. But I did my own focus group. I focused on my interests. And now I know. It's the nerd thing.

But there was no research, no questioning, no wondering, no panel of experts, no mastermind groups or surveys. I just wrote for me. Iif anyone else agrees or is interested, then that is even better. But it's the writing that gives me life and keeps me going.

Thank goodness all of the really smart, really talented people are still sitting there thinking about what they have to do BEFORE they can start blogging instead of actually blogging.

That leaves more space for an ignoramous like me. (See I can't even spell it right.)
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In case you don't have time to read an entire book* or take a training class, please help your audience avoid a painful experience. Don't bore them to death with details that don't matter or subject them to your unenthusiastic reading of 97 slides, bullet by bullet. 

Please, I beg you, before you open your mouth, just do these 5 things, and item 1 twice for good measure.

1.  Know your audience.
2. Do not show technology. Show solutions. Problems solved. Efficiencies. Not bells and whistles.
3. Share stories, perspective, your own view on items. Not features.
4. Don't fill empty air space with extra words. ("You know", "if you will", etc.)
5. Please practice, learn, read, watch others. If we were all born with natural speaking abilities, there would be no need for caffeinated beverages.

'Nuff said?

Arrrgggggggggggh.

*Start with any book on speaking by Joey Asher but "Even a Geek Can Speak" has all of the answers and changed my life. Really. Unfortunately, no one is paying me to say this. But Joey, we can talk.
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Procrastination 10/13/2010
 
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"My name is Geni and I'm a procrastinator." 

That would be my introduction at our first support group meeting.

It would have to be in a huge meeting hall because there would be a bunch of us in the room. There wouldn't be enough food or chairs for us all, because many of us would have never gotten around to RSVPing. We'd have large handbags or briefcases filled with coupons we never use and articles we plan to read.
 
We could never hold a meeting on October 15th, because we'll all be working on our taxes until 11:59.

Why does procrastination work? Why does my brain function bettter right before a deadline than it does in the six months leading to the due date for the term paper? And is it a blessing or a curse? Do some people work in little bits all along while only the defective ones like me require massive amounts of adrenaline to get fully engaged? Is the problem somehow related to excess Diet Coke consumption? 

I have one friend who has invented a series of tiny deadlines which trick her into getting the work done faster. I have another who claims it is a methodology - she knows she will spend too much time tinkering if she starts too early, so she purposely waits until the last minute.

Why does the mundane stuff (not related to the task at hand) suddenly become 100 times more interesting right before a deadline? Why does the urge to clean only come forth at midnight on the day of final exams?

If you were looking for answers in this post, you'll have to wait until another day. I haven't gotten around to finding them yet.
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If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times. It isn't about the software, the hardware, or the danged operating system, it's not about Twitter versus FaceBook or the iPad versus the BlackPad*. When you buy something or get interested in a product or service, it's about everything else but the technology.

*rumored to be the next new product from the people who make the BlackBerry.
 
It used to be that we talked about benefits, not features, when we were marketing software. But it's deeper than that. Simon Sinek says it's about the Why.  Behavior is motivated by shared beliefs. I think he's right. The experience has something to do with what we buy, as does our identification with other users of the product or service.

All of that is great, but first you have to make a connection. 

When it comes to making connections, it doesn't matter if you use smoke signals, face to face meetings, Twitter, or a fax machine, if you push a bunch of one-sided "buy now" drivel at me, I am going to ignore you. Period.

But, if you say something of interest, or make me laugh, or relate to me in a way that piques my interest, I am all ears. It might be the tone of voice or the images that you use. It could be what someone else says about you that makes me take note. But it requires a willing engagement on my part. That is the hard part as a marketer. You have to earn my attention. My time is valuable and I am distracted. Why should I spend time with you?

The medium isn't the point. It's just technology. Learn how to care about other people first. Then figure out how to share the love. The tools don't matter.
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Taking risks. 08/30/2010
 
Humor is scary. Anytime you use humor, you run the risk that no one will find the humor in your words. Haven't we all had the experience of launching a joke to a room full of dead air? It's humiliating. It's horrifying. But it happens. Rarely does it lead to instant death.
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I watched the Emmys last night. I thought Jimmy Fallon did a great job and I enjoyed the humor. But other people didn't like it and didn't think some of the bits were funny. Especially the accountant intros, which I particularly enjoyed. That's the way humor is - it either hits your funny bone or it doesn't.

You can feel yourself at the edge of a precipice every time you prepare to add humor to a presentation or even a conversation. You stop for a second and consider chickening out (and I'm not talking about a rubber chicken). Once you decide to proceed, if the humor works, it is an unbelievable payoff when someone laughs. It's an adrenaline rush. Comics are just laugh addicts.

That laugh is what makes it worth taking a risk. It's like a gambler rolling the dice-- you keep suffering the pains of loss just trying to hit pay dirt once in a while.

It is worth it to an audience when you take the time to add spice to your presentation. So go ahead, take a risk.
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You've been invited to be part of a presentation. Whether it will be a duo, trio, or quartet, it's frightening - on a whole new level of frightening.

It's scary enough to be on stage for all the world to see, knowing your lousy presentation could forever end your hopes of going on the Larry King Show.
 
But now, if you blow your part, you can be the ruin of someone else's career (or at least their day.) No one wants their actions to reflect badly on others. 

So how do you prepare for a shared presentation? 

1. Know your co-presenter. Make sure you have had a chance to hear your co-presenter speak. If you can't see an actual presentation, read something they have written - you can hear their voice in their writing. Does it mesh with yours?  If they are deep technical types and you are a light conceptual speaker, there may be a great way to play off the differences. If they share your sarcastic view of the world, you can work from a shared perspective.  But you need to know how you fit together.

2. Presentations are like a tennis game. Strong partners make the game better for both players. Don't let a stronger presenter intimidate you - truly great presenters know how to make others look good. Which leads me to my third point.

3. Focus on making them look good. Rather than worrying about what to say that will make you look smarter, funnier, or better on stage, spend your time thinking about how to make them look good. When you speak, refer back to their comments, connect to their message and show that you are actively listening while they speak. Use their name to connect your comments to theirs and engage them in your dialogue. Even if you disagree with their point of view, you can play off of their content to make your own point. (Read The Improv Handbook for more tips on playing nicely with others. )

I had the privilege of sharing the stage with two rock stars last week - James Marshall Berry and Rebecca Ryan. Both bring incredible smarts, insight, and even "hipness" to their presentation. How wonderful to be able to play the nerdy southern CPA against their cool, high energy, socially conscious smarts. Find the angle that works for you and make every shared presentation a blast.

Larry King's agent must just be sitting in your audience. You never know.
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Today's lesson comes from the actual product, not the infomercial. If you happen to be one of the millions of people who, like me, purchased one of these marvellous miracles of absorption, then you know that they are actually quite good, right up until the moment when they become saturated. Once they are soaked through, they can't absorb any more liquid.

Now apply this idea to your next presentation. You have laid out your outline, covered all of the topics that you want to cover and created all of your slides. You've got your handouts and materials and you're ready to go. Your audience starts to show up and you get an adrenaline rush. You love teaching this stuff. It's wonderful to see people interacting and learning. You get through all of your material and then think of some new point or technique that you want to add in - right at the end. You have to cover it quickly because you are running short on time.

So what's the problem? Your audience is saturated.

They're ShamWows, full to the brim with all of those other concepts, they don't have room for one more thought. And it's the end of your allotted time. They're anticipating the wind-down.

Don't be tempted to become that informercial host who says "but wait, there's more."
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Or maybe I should say this “Countess” has no subjects.  

My job title is officially the “Countess of Communication”. That is the role I play in three different companies and working with all kinds of  clients - from wineries to CPA firms to an air filter company. I am supposed to get this whole communication thing.

But here’s the problem. 

Communication is hard. Darn hard. Really hard. Harder than it should be, even for a countess. 

It’s not hard in the sense of heavy lifting boulders in the hot sun, or figuring out the gene that causes breast cancer, or discovering why Basset Hounds have long ears.  Not that kind of hard, but hard in a – “dang, why did THAT just come out of my mouth” kind of way. 

Here is a sample of the communication related issues that made up my week:

1.Two meetings related to training for two generations who work together in business – communication is one of the issues in each case.

2.Communications consultation for a small business owner looking to get the right words for a marketing presentation.

3.Three PowerPoint slideshow reviews for people trying to get their message straight for upcoming presentations. 

  4. Two or three blog reviews/edits to add clarity to messages

5. Explaining the importance of DISC training in business – we see communication as the foundation to any successful business strategy. You must start there. 

But here’s the rub. 

Right smack in the middle of this communication-filled week, I had to sit down with a professional to address my own poor communication skills in dealing with my 20 something child. A child I adore. We sat next to each other on a couch and talked through the third party about things we couldn’t discuss directly. We live in the same house and hardly speak to each other. 

I'm a cobbler, why couldn’t I just make us each a pair of soft, silky slippers to make it all better?  

Thank goodness for professionals.

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