The Standup Trainer Newsletter
December 2005
Brought
to you by Ellen Dowling, PhD ("The Standup Trainer") and the fine
folks of Dowling & Associates, Inc.
edowling@standuptrainer.com
www.standuptrainer.com
This newsletter
is guaranteed certifiably useful as well as amusing. (If you are
not completely satisfied, there are unsubscribe instructions at the end. But
we're betting you'll change your mind by the time you get there.)
Welcome
to all new and continuing subscribers! And a very Merry Christmas and Happy
New Year to all!
In this issue:
1. Presentation Horror
Story of the Month
Can this
marriage be saved? It’s always a question of compatibility.
2. Presentation Hall
of Shame
A sad case
of a speaker who should know better.
3. Presentation Skills
Book Review
What do
you say when something goes wrong?
4. Useful Online
Resource of the Month
Can a lecture
be interactive? Absolutely!
1. Presentation Horror Story of the Month
[Editor's
Note: Have you a good story to tell about the time SOMETHING WENT WRONG at a
presentation you were giving (or attending)? We are soliciting submissions for
this segment of our newsletter. If your story is chosen, you will receive a
FREE copy of either of Ellen's two books, The Standup Trainer or Presenting
with Style (your choice). Simply send your story (just a couple of paragraphs
will be fine) to edowling@standuptrainer.com.]
The winner of this
month's contest is a training specialist for the procurement division of a large
research laboratory.
I was selected
to provide a presentation to my company leadership. I called my VP’s secretary
to see what was required. She told me to bring only my PowerPoint presentation;
handouts were not needed. (I did not have access to the room prior to my presentation,
so could not rehearse beforehand.)
When I arrived
for my presentation, I handed the person doing the AV my pen drive. She asked
me what format my slides were in and I told her PowerPoint. She said she had
a Mac and could not use that format. (It turned out that senior management used
Macs while the rest of the company used Windows.)
I had brought
my notes copy of the presentation, so she used a projector to project my black
and white copy, without the notes, on the screen—very poor quality and I myself
could not use my notes. Needless to say, the presentation did not go well.
[Editor's
Note: Anyone want to respond to this predicament and share suggestions for what
this presenter could have done to salvage the situation? I’ll print responses
in the January issue.]
2. Presentation Hall of Shame
A colleague of mine reported that she once attended an ASTD
conference, at which she planned to sit in on a session
conducted by “a big name in management consulting,” who (lucky for him) shall
remain nameless. The Big Name arrived 40 minutes late for the session (can you
imagine?) There were problems with his lavaliere mic, but he insisted on wasting
more session time fiddling with it, rather than just accepting the hand-held
mic and going on with the show.
If all that
wasn’t bad enough, Big Name violated ASTD’s speaker’s policy about direct selling
from the podium—every 15 seconds he mentioned one of his books.
style='font-size:
12.0pt'>“The Law of Two Feet” kicked in and people where scrambling
to leave the presentation before it was finished.
I’m not sure there is a “cure” for this kind of behavior.
I suspect Big Name was oblivious to his audience, wrapped up complete in his
own ego. Session attendee beware!
3. Presentation Skills Book Review
This month’s
book is
What to Say When: A Complete Resource for Speakers, Trainers,
& Executives by Lilly Walters (McGraw-Hill, 1995).
Lilly Walters is the author of two other well-known books about public speaking, Secrets of Successful Speakers and Speak and Grow Rich. In What to Say
When, Walters compiles 358 pages of things to say (or do) when things go
wrong, from what to do if you trip on the way to the lectern, to what to do
if terrorists or gang members crash your presentation. (She attributes these
tips from a variety of sources, from professional speakers to standup comics.)
Here are some of my favorites:
If you lose
your train of thought or freeze up in the middle of the presentation, say this:
“Oh, my! How strange. I was just caught in a time warp, and although I’m sure
you noticed nothing, the last time I spoke to you was 4 days ago. Let me check
my notes . . .” (John Nisbet).
If you arrive
late for your presentation, say this: “Don’t pay the ransom! I’ve escaped!”
(Ed McManus).
If someone
asks you a question you don’t want to answer (or feel threatened by), say this:
“I think the reason you are asking that is much more important than any answer
I could give. Would you share your reasons for asking that question with us?”
(Lilly herself).
If you can’t
answer the question, say this: “Between my dad and me, we knew everything. Unfortunately,
that’s one of the things he knew” (Bob Walters), or “That’s a good question.
[Pause.] Are there any other good questions?” (Ron Dentinger).
If they
don’t ask any questions, say this: “Is there anyone in the room who would like
to ask the first question? [Silence] OK. Is there anyone in the room who would
like to ask the second question?” (Allen Klein).
If someone
arrives late to your presentation, say this: “Gee, everyone in the room just
sang a song. Now it’s your turn” (Jimmy Calano).
If someone
in the audience answers a question directed at you, say this (with a mock game-show-host
voice): “That’s absolutely right! Johnny, let’s tell him exactly what he won!
Well, Jeff, he won 2 full pounds of Chef Anton’s Southern-fried grits, toasted
to perfection, cubed, reheated, and returned to water. Now back to you, Jeff!”
(Jeff Slutsky).
If you get
horrible feedback from your microphone, say this: “That concludes the musical
portion of the program” (Michael Iapoce).
If your
overhead projector doesn’t work, say this: “This must be one of those old wood-burning
models” (Roger Langley).
If someone’s cell phone rings, say this: “If that’s for me, tell them I’m not
here” (Tom Antion).
Walters
also includes lots of advice for preventing such situations from happening in
the first place, as well as a useful glossary of speaker terms.
Oh, and what DO you say if you 1) trip on the way to the lectern or if 2)
terrorists invade your room?
1. “Ta da!”
and raise your arms over your head.
2. “What do you want?” (And then give it to them.)
4. Useful Online Resource of the Month
If you are an interactive presenter (and you should be!), you MUST visit www.thiagi.com , where you’ll find a plethora of games, simulations,
and other interactive activities to liven up any presentation and keep your
audiences awake and attentive.
That's it
for this month! If you enjoyed this newsletter please do pass it on to your
friends. (Or send them to www.standuptrainer.com
to get their own subscription. Why should YOU have to do everything for them?)
If you have
a suggestion for something we could do to make this newsletter even MORE useful
as well as amusing, please contact us:
Dowling
& Associates, Inc.
Ellen Dowling,
President
edowling@standuptrainer.com
(505) 883-9070
