How to Handle Tough Questions
How to Handle Tough Questions When you face a tough question The toughest question is one that attempts to stress a negative. The questioner might be trying to embarrass, discredit or simply challenge you. You might feel trapped because you want to tell the truth while not emphasising your flaws. The most common use of this type of question is in a job interview, “Tell me about your weaknesses?” It’s a silly and lazy question. It demonstrates a lack of thought by the interviewer. If you are asked this question, respond with, “If you’re asking me what skill I would like to improve at this time it is public speaking.” Turn a negative into a positive. Admit that you are a work in progress. When asked about a project failure, quality control issue or missed deadline, break the question into two parts. Say, “I hear two questions there.” Your listeners might be intrigued by this response because they are wondering, “What are the two questions?” Then you state the two questions that you want to answer. The first question is, “Was our original plan flawed? Yes, it was because we failed to account for a global pandemic.” Do not deny, stammer excuses or blame. The second question is, “What did we learn and how will we apply that to next steps?” Convey a positive message about improvement and progress. Then you might add a third question, “How can you best support our recovery?” Adding this third question demonstrates how you are moving the conversation forward and moving from blame and complain to shared responsibility and common goals. You could reduce the stigma of error by relating the experience of Edison. “Apparently, Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times when he was creating the light bulb. Imagine if he quit at number 10, 100, or 1,000? We might be conducting this meeting by candlelight. We’re not quitting We’re perusing that light bulb.” Put the mistake in perspective. Find humor and inspiration. Here’s your formula for addressing tough questions: Break tough questions into parts. Rephrase the questions into ones that you want to answer. Provide a positive outlook. Invite their contribution. Admit to mistakes, flaws and imperfections. Then continue the narrative with the learning, building and positive direction. End on a positive note and an invitation to contribute to success. Want to receive valuable presentation tips every week? Visit www.TorokTips.com Ready to transform the presentation results of your team? Arrange presentation skills training well before their next presentations. Call George Torok at 905-335-1997 Imagine the results when your team delivers superior presentations! Access More Presentation Skills Resources Looking For A Speech Coach? Learn More Here
What is the unasked question you must answer?
Are You addressing the Unasked Question? Are you addressing the unasked questions? What’s that? Those are the questions within the mind of your listener, (assuming they are listening). You might say, “If they have a question, they should ask me, and I’ll answer it.” That’s not good enough. You must address the unasked questions if you want them to listen, believe and act accordingly. The questions vary depending on the relationship with your listener and the purpose of your presentation. Here is one of the most common questions. This question usually arises when you’ve delivered information. That includes data, numbers, and other facts. The question is, “So what?”. Consider this question an automatic response. More than facts. our brain is searching for meaning and relevance. So, what is your point? So, what does that mean? So what? You might believe that your audience only wants to hear the facts. They only want to hear facts that are relevant and they want to know the relevance. If you don’t explain the relevance of the facts, they might ignore the facts or create their own meaning, which might not match your intended meaning. Sometimes, the meaning is obvious, or you want them to reach their own meaning. If you announce, it’s started raining, they might be thinking, “Did I close my car windows?” “Where is my umbrella?” “Maybe the rain will stop by the end of this meeting.” In this case you don’t need to explain the relevance. If the meaning is critical to the purpose of your presentation, don’t assume that they will reach your desired meaning. Here are phrases you might use to connect the meaning to the fact: What that means to you is… The reason I tell you that is… The significance of that is… Or you might voice a rhetorical question before you provide meaning: Why is that important to you? How can you use that? How might this work for you? Examine your messages and test them with the question, “So what?” Then answer that question for your audience. Want to receive valuable presentation tips every week? Visit www.TorokTips.com Ready to transform the presentation skills of your team? Call George Torok at 905-335-1997 Access More Presentation Skills Resources Looking For A Speech Coach? Learn More Here
How to Avoid Information Overload
How to Avoid Information Overload Stop Giving Too Much Information How do you feel when the speaker dumps too much information? Overwhelmed, bored and annoyed? Blah, blah, blah. That’s how I feel and that’s how your audience can feel when you simply dump data on them. This is an easy mistake to make because you want to be helpful. You want to give them everything you have. Guess what? They don’t want everything you have. They want enough information to make an informed decision. Or perhaps you’re concerned that if you don’t tell them everything, they’ll believe that you don’t know everything. And you want to impress them with your research and how much you know. The audience doesn’t want to know everything about your research and what you know. They simply want to know that you know. And they only want what is most relevant to them now. They want key information – not all the information. What can you do to present the key information in a way that it is welcomed, understood and appreciated? First, do your research to understand what is most important to them now. What decisions are they grappling with? What are their mindsets? What key questions might they have? Those questions might include Why? What? How? When? How much? Organize your information to address those questions. Then prioritize the data in terms of what is most relevant to them now. How do you present that information? Use this key phrase. The top three… The top three challenges are… The top three benefits are… The top three advantages are… Notice the power of that phrase. When you state that phrase you demonstrate that you have organized and prioritized the information for the benefit of your audience. Their first response is one of relief, (only three). They can easily listen to three and remember three. They are more likely to perk up and listen to three key points. Imagine how they would feel if you said, “There are 28 steps in our process and I’ll walk you through all of them.”? Yuck. When you say “The top three…” that also conveys that there are more, and you know them. You indicate that you won’t bother them with more unless they ask. Must it be three? Not necessarily. What if you want to highlight the top four or five? You can do that if appropriate Three simply works better most of the time. Of course, one key issue also works. The number one issue is for the speaker to say less while prioritizing the information for the ease of the audience understanding. When presenting information. It’s always vital to present the relevance. Here are some phrases What’s more relevant is The key indicators are What’s most urgent is The reason I tell you that is When presenting formation, present the most important data along with the relevance. The reason I tell you that is because your audience is impatient. Want to receive valuable presentation tips every week? Visit www.TorokTips.com Ready to transform the presentation skills of your team? Call George Torok at 905-335-1997 Access More Presentation Skills Resources Looking For A Speech Coach? Learn More Here
How to Feel More Confident When Speaking
How to Feel More Confident When Speaking Remember to Breathe When was the last time that you paid attention to your breathing? Did you know that correct breathing is fundamental to physical and mental performance? That includes exercise, playing sports, singing, playing a brass or wood wind instrument, acting on stage, yoga, martial arts, relaxation, meditation and speaking. The success of your performance of any of these diverse activities start with proper breathing. You might be thinking, “I’ve been breathing all my life”. I don’t need advice on how to breathe. Think again. You’re right, breathing when done naturally is best. As a baby, you learned how to breathe properly. You took deep breaths, filling the diaphragm. Watch a baby breathing while lying on his or her back, and you’ll notice that the tummy expands while inhaling. The baby fills the diaphragm with air. That’s why they can scream so loud. As we grow up, many of us develop poor or lazy breathing habits, short breaths and not filling the diaphragm. Test yourself now. Stand or sit up straight and place your hands on your waist. Breathe in fully. If you’re doing it right you should be expanding your midriff – making yourself fat as you can. Hold that for a few seconds then slowly breathe out. Now you’re skinny again. The best cycle is breathe in for 3 to 4 seconds, hold it in for 3 to 4 seconds, then exhale for 3 to 4 seconds. Slow deep breaths. What are the three key benefits of deep breathing? You can project your voice. Some people claim, “I’m a small person, I can’t speak louder.” Really – remember how that tiny baby can scream. Breathe. You can pause when you want you instead running out of breath and gasping for air. You will avoid those moments of dizzy panic. That happens because of a shortest of oxygen to the brain. The other reason to practise deep breathing is to avoid the fear response. When we’re frightened or nervous, we tend to hold our breath. We freeze up, hold our breath and search for danger or an escape route. Want to feel more confident for public speaking. Breathe slowly and deeply. By the way, this breathing method works well for meditation and stress relief. Want to receive valuable presentation tips every week? Visit www.TorokTips.com Ready to transform the presentation skills of your team? Call George Torok at 905-335-1997 Access More Presentation Skills Resources Looking For A Speech Coach? Learn More Here
How to Stay on Time When You Speak
How to Stay on Time When You Speak How to be on time when you speak During your presentation, time moves at different speeds for you and your audience. Start on time. Don’t say, we will wait a few more minutes for more people to arrive. This rewards the late arrivals and punishes those who showed up on time. If it’s your meeting, set an odd start time. 9:04. That looks like you are serious. People are more likely to show up between 9:00 and 9:04. Start at the promised time. Reward those who show up early. Tell a story. Provide a link to extra material – only for the early arrivals. Start some chatter. Don’t waste time by asking where everyone is from. Less is Better At the theme park, the sign promises a three-minute experience and you want the full expression. You want your three minutes. You would feel cheated if you only got two minutes and 45 seconds. The smart theme park would promise a two and ½ minute experience, then deliver three minutes of experience. You would feel like you got your money’s worth and more. Guess what? When you deliver a presentation, the logic is flipped. If you promise a 30-minute presentation and you speak for 35 minutes, they will feel abused. They’re thinking, Why did you lie to us? Why did you waste five minutes of my life? If you finish five minutes early, they will feel elated – not cheated. Prepare your timing Rehearse your presentation and make notes of the duration of each portion. Where should you be at the half-way point? How will you know if you are behind schedule? How long is that key story? Can you deliver a short version if needed? How long do you need to deliver your planned close? If you don’t want to shorten it, be ready to leave some other part out. If you were told to prepare a 30-minute presentation and when you arrived, they cut your time to 20 minutes, are you ready to adapt? If you can’t adapt, what does that say about you? Stay on time Place a timer or clock in front of you. This is easy if you are speaking virtually. When you are speaking in a board room, place a digital travel clock on the table. When on stage, place a large clock at the front of the stage. At a conference, the AV people might set up a timer on the floor in front of the stage. Some meeting rooms might have a clock on the back wall. The worst place for the clock is on the wall behind you. Don’t keep checking your watch because this emphasises the time to the audience. Never call out to the audience with, “How am I doing for time?” That silly question broadcasts the message that you are not in control of your time. Always be ready to leave something out to finish on time. For that reason, never leave an important point to the end. Respect the time of your audience and they will feel better about you. Want to receive valuable presentation tips every week? Visit www.TorokTips.com Ready to transform the presentation skills of your team? Call George Torok at 905-335-1997 Access More Presentation Skills Resources Looking For A Speech Coach? Learn More Here
How to Encourage Your Audience to Laugh
How to Get a Laugh from Your Audience Three techniques to encourage laugher We feel better when we laugh. When you stimulate your audience to laugh, they will feel comfortable listening to you. They will be more inclined to like and trust you. They will listen to you more intently because they don’t want to miss the next funny or poignant thought. Laughter releases tension and relaxes people How can you get people to laugh? Personal Story The easiest and safest form of humor is to relate a personal story of something funny or embarrassing that you experienced. If it was funny or seems funny now in hindsight you don’t need to analyse the humor. Simply tell it like it happened. You are safe when you are the butt of the joke. My new boss invited me to lunch. I wanted to make a good impression. So, when he ordered steak, I asked for the same to build rapport. When the meal arrived, I experienced my introduction to Steak Tartare. It was not what I expected. I didn’t enjoy the meal and I wonder what my boss was thinking as he witnessed me picking at the meal. My surprise and embarrassment make the story funny. And I use that story to emphasize the danger of assuming and being afraid to ask questions. The 1,2, 3 punch Pleasant surprise is a form of comedy. That’s where you lead your audience in one direction then hit them with the switcheroo. If stranded on a desert island the three books I would want: The Holy Bible, The Complete Works of William Shakespeare and The Idiot’s Guide to Sand Sculpture. Funny Quote You could use a funny quote. When the lion lays down with the lamb, the lamb will not get much sleep. Woody Allen It’s even better when you twist a familiar phrase. You can guess my success in the stock market. I followed that maxim, “Buy high. Sell low.” Not everyone will laugh. All you want is for the audience to relax, trust you and listen. When shopping for a suit, I told the salesperson what I wanted then said little while he pulled out a few jackets for me to try on. He could tell that I didn’t want idle chat. I wanted a suit. Period. Once we found what I liked, I declared that I would take it. He responded with “How many would you like?” His question caught me by surprise. I laughed and bought two suits. Imagine if your audience felt good enough to laugh with you. Want to see weekly presentation tips? Visit www.TorokTips.com Read to boost the presentation skills of your team? Call George Torok at 905-335-1997 Access More Presentation Skills Resources Looking For A Speech Coach? Learn More Here
When You Want People to Notice & Remember – Repeat!
How to Emphasize Key Message Repeat Your Key Message If you want your audience to remember your message, they need to hear it more than once. Perhaps at least three times. That repetition needs to be spaced out throughout the presentation. Why do you need to repeat the key message? Because they might have missed it, or not recognized the importance. Some of your words are more important than others and you want to emphasize those words so the audience can easily remember your key points. Your key message can likely be summed up in about six to 10 words. The average rate of speaking is between 110 and 150 words per minute. That means in a five-minute presentation about 500 to 700 words were spoken. Without emphasis your 10 words have less than 2% chance of being remembered. Imagine the challenge when you speak for 30 minutes and deluge the audience with 3,000 to 4,500 words. If you want them to remember, they need to hear it again… and again. There are techniques to emphasise key points and repetition is one effective technique. Don’t over do it. And don’t apologize for repeating. Don’t preface your words with “As I said before” or “as was previously mentioned”. Those phrases feel like apologies and they dimmish the power of repetition. When you want to remember a name, an address or line, you repeat it. How many times? Enough to remember. Marketers understand this principle. That’s why they repeat the phrase during the ad and repeat the ad. Do you remember the key line that Martin Luthor King stated during his famous speech? “I have a dream!” Did you know that he stated that line 8 times during his speech? Not once did he say, “As I said before”. I don’t suggest that you repeat the key line 8 times in your presentation. Instead, recognize the power of repetition and get comfortable with it. When you want people to remember your message, say it again… and again like an echo. Want more regular presentation tips? Visit www.TorokTips.com Access More Presentation Skills Resources Looking For A Speech Coach? Learn More Here
How to Prepare for Your Presentation
How to Prepare Your Presentation What’s a common mistake of presenters? Being unprepared for the presentation. There are various excuses: I didn’t have time to prepare I’m better when I just wing it I know my stuff, so I don’t need to prepare Guess what? You will always perform better when you are well prepared. This applies to many activities especially presentations. What can you do be well prepared? Review what you know and don’t know about the audience. What might they be looking for? Why are they even going to listen to you? What might be their mindset about you and your message? Be clear on your purpose and message. Sum up your key message in six to ten words. This will take both time and thought. And it’s worth the investment because this is the foundation of preparation. When you have a clear purpose and message you will create a more effective presentation. It will be easier to review and edit your presentation. You will recognise what to emphasise and what parts are expendable. That last point is important when you find that your time has been cut and you need to leave something out. How to Rehearse the Presentation You might rehearse the full presentation a few times to get used to the flow and timing. Identify the key parts of your presentation and rehearse these segments until you have them strong. The key parts should include your opening, your close, your call to action and your stories. You want to own these parts of the presentation. Don’t read the key parts. Know them as well as you know your own name. It’s okay if the less important parts are a bit weaker, (a bit weaker, not lousy). Prepare for the Questions Rehearse how you will answer anticipated questions because your answers are a critical part of the presentation. Rehearse how you will respond to unanticipated questions. What’s important here is how you respond. How will you manage surprise, attack or uncertainty? They’ll be judging you on your reaction. Prepare for the Logistics Finally, be aware of the logistics, technology and setup of the presentation environment. If you don’t control these details, ask about the details and talk with the people handling the details. Tell them how you plan to deliver and what you want from them. Then be prepared to deal with the shortcomings and for when things go wrong. In a live presentation this means getting into the room ahead of time (not always possible), to check the setup and test equipment. Talk with the AV technicians and develop a positive working relationship. Remember the scout motto, Be Prepared. That’s more than a mindset. It’s about the details and effort that happens before you start speaking. Want more regular presentation tips? Visit www.TorokTips.com Access More Presentation Skills Resources Looking For A Speech Coach? Learn More Here
How to Improve the Sound of Your Voice
How to Improve Your Speaking Voice How to Tune-up Your Speaking Voice Learn to love your voice. Some speakers complain that they hate their voice. When they hear a recording of their voice, they claim, “That’s not my voice.” That is the voice that people hear. Your voice sounds different to you because you are hearing it inside of your head. That’s one good reason to record your presentations, so you can listen to them outside of your head. Hear what others heard. Five tips to enhance the quality of your voice. Not change it, simply enhance it. Your voice is your speaking instrument. Care for it and polish it so you perform your best every time. Breathe to fill the diaphram Breathe deeply and fill the bottom of the diaphram. This ensures that you have a reliable supply of air to speak and project. To check that you are breathing correctly, place your hands on your waist. When you breathe in over a few seconds, your waist should expand, making you appear fatter. When you slowly exhale, you get skinny again. Strong Posture to project Remember your parents or teachers telling you to sit up or stand up straight? Replay that voice and follow the advice because correct posture makes it easier to breath deeply and opens the airways for clear flow. Yawn to relax Before you speak, yawn a couple times. Slow and relaxing yawn. This helps to relax your vocal cavity and allow a more relaxed and confident voice. Hum to warm up your voice Before you speak, hum. And move the source of the hum around the vocal cavity. Move the source from the bottom to the roof of the mouth. Have a little fun and change the tone. This exercise sets up the resonance of your voice and makes you more aware of the location of your voice. Exercise Lips Before you speak, flutter your lips. This exercise helps you relax the lips and make them more controllable. Bonus point: It helps to sip room-temperature water before you speak and keep a glass handy during the presentation. Avoid ice water because that is harsh on the throat. Lemon water or lemon tea is best for a sore throat. Avoid dairy products because they cause phlegm. Now let’s hear your voice and love it. Want more regular presentation tips? Visit www.TorokTips.com Access More Presentation Skills Resources Looking For A Speech Coach? Learn More Here
How to Hold Attention of the Audience?
How to Hold the Attention of the Audience? How can you hold the attention of the audience? Guess what? You can’t hold the attention of your audience, at least not for long. How long? It depends on the situation, your message, your delivery and distractions. You can grab attention and hold it for short periods of time. Those moments might be minutes or even seconds. At some point the mind of your listener wanders elsewhere especially when they have their phone handy or are looking at their computer. Even without those devices you have strong competition from the distracting thoughts in their minds. They can think much faster than you can speak. That doesn’t mean you should speak faster because that would simply annoy them. It means that you need to grab their attention again and again during your presentation. Think of it as sprinkling spice throughout the presentation. A little here, a little bit there to keep them engaged with your message. How can you grab their attention? One effective way is to learn from the movies, TV shows and sporting events. Notice how a program keeps your attention when they insert changes in sound, visual and emotional experience. Sprinkle the spice of changes throughout your presentation. Changes you can use: Vary your voice. Speak in a higher pitch to express excitement and deeper tone to express importance. Change the pace. Speak faster to make transitions and slower with critical information. Add a musical cadence to a key phrase that you want them to remember and repeat. Listen to radio commercials for ideas. Change your body position by shifting your stance or taking a couple steps. Gesture with your hands to reinforce a key point. Change your facial expression, especially from that Zoom zombie look. A smile, a raised eyebrow, a curious look, even a frown can change up the look. Shift focus with a change in visual – a photo, chart or prop. Pose a rhetorical question. Ask a direct question. Display a short video to change the scene. Alter their emotional state with a sad or funny story. Pause and allow them to think. Say something profound before the pause. Surprise them with a bold and surprising statement that is counterintuitive. An audience that is not engaged is not listening. If you want them to listen engage them by sprinkling the spice of changes throughout your presentation. Engage the Audience with Spice Grab the list of 20+ techniques to engage the audience at www.TorokTips.com Access More Presentation Skills Resources Looking For A Speech Coach? Learn More Here