Dialogue Strategies Inc'

1

• Dialogue Strategies Inc.

2
Introduction Communicating in a business
environment can be extremely challenging.
Delivering a relevant and tailored message, in an
appropriate tone, with enough credibility and
persuasiveness to elicit a specific desired
outcome, is not an easy task. The goal of this
guide is to help you be a more effective business
communicator. Business communication takes on
many forms--from formal stand-up presentations in
front of large audiences, to quick hallway
exchanges between yourself and a co-worker.
Throughout this book, we refer to this range of
situations, as presentations. Many of the
points made in this book are relevant to sales
meetings or sales call situations as well. All
of these situations represent a message or idea
being conveyed to others with the objective of
achieving a specific type of action or response.
This dictionary addresses many facets of
presenting and selling in a point-form, succinct
manner. The goal of every page is to help you
become more confident, credible and persuasive.
In these pages, there are no willowy anecdotes or
discussions on esoteric theories of adult
learning. You will find, however, quick tips and
practical references, written in a style suitable
for busy business people who want the bottom-line
on how to communicate effectively. This book is
for people who instinctively know that the one
key factor that could differentiate them from
their competitors, is the manner in which they
communicate. We hope you will be able to use
this guide to assist you in creating positive
impressions with others in your business (and
personal) world--impressions that your own
natural talents will enable you to achieve.
Dialogue Strategies Inc. Toronto (416)
545-0083 Neil Grammer, Partner (416)
809-1429 Karen Jones, Partner [phone] v.
2003
3
THE ABCS OFEFFECTIVE BUSINESS COMMUNICATION

• Table of Contents
• Page Number
• A a agenda 3
• awareness 4
• B b body language 5
• C c conclusions 6
• conversational tone 7
• D d dedication 8
• E e eye contact 9
• F f filler words 10
• G g gestures 11
• H h hot buttons 12
• humour 13
• I i impromptu 14
• introductions 15
• J j jargon 16
• K k key messages 17
• L l listeners 18

All material produced in this document cannot be
reproduced in any form without the express
permission of Dialogue Strategies Inc., Toronto,
Canada
4
A a agenda

• Always have an agenda.
• Whether youre kicking off a meeting or a
  presentation, you should always let your
  listeners know what you will be covering
• An agenda adds structure and credibility to your
  presentation. It is like a road map--its much
  easier to reach your goal if you know where you
  are going from the outset. This applies whether
  you are doing the speaking or the listening.
• An agenda forces you to break down your message
  into manageable, logical sections. Smaller
  sections, as opposed to one lengthy, unorganized
  chunk of information, will be easier for your
  listeners to digest, and for you to present.
• Finally, there are many people, especially busy
  executives, who need to know, at the outset of
  your presentation or meeting, the direction in
  which they are being taken. If they arent
  informed of this early on, they may, out of
  frustration, tune-out or start interjecting.
• Keep it simple.
• How many times have you witnessed an entire
  audience groaning after the presenter proudly
  displays a 20-item agenda for a supposed 15
  minute presentation? Keep your agenda to 4 or 5
  items, maximum. Even if your true agenda
  consists of more sections, bundle these sections
  into a few agenda items so that you dont
  intimidate and lose your listeners from the
  outset.

5
A a awareness

• Be aware of your listeners.
• Are you focussing on yourself and your next
  sentence, or on the people to whom you are
  speaking? Are they listening? Are they
  interested? Can they see your visual aids?
  Effective speakers and salespeople are more aware
  of their listeners than anything else.
• Stop and ask.
• Never treat a presentation or sales pitch as a
  one-way communication. If your listeners are
  looking puzzled or annoyed, ask them, right then
  and there, if there is something you can clarify
  or discuss. If they are looking bored or sleepy,
  attempt to pump-up your energy level, tell an
  interesting anecdote to revive their attention,
  or shorten your presentation. Your listeners
  will appreciate your awareness.
• Check your blind spots.
• In group discussions, most speakers will focus
  their attention down the centre of the group.
  Remember to be aware of those in your periphery.
  When sitting at a boardroom table, it is usually
  those who are closest to us (beside us) that are
  the most difficult or uncomfortable to look at.

6
B b body language

• Make a positive initial impression.
• In the first 30 to 60 seconds of your
  presentation or sales pitch, it is likely that
  your listeners will be paying more attention to
  your body language than to your words.
• Pay attention to your feet, hands, and eyes.
• Whether sitting or standing, be aware of your
  posture. Slouching will give the appearance that
  you are lacking in confidence, energy, and
  conviction.
• While presenting, you should strategically change
  your position within the room to catch attention,
  add interest, or change the tone of the
  atmosphere. (See Mm for movement)
• When you move, you should do it with energy and
  purpose.
• If youre sitting or standing in one spot, your
  feet should be still.
• You should gesture naturally with your hands as
  you speak.
• If you gesture constantly, or use repetitive
  gestures over and over, your audience will be
  distracted by your hands.
• When your hands arent gesturing, avoid fidgeting
  or awkwardly looking for a spot to put them.
  Find comfortable rest positions ahead of time.
  (See Gg for gestures)
• Be sure to make eye contact and to connect with
  your listeners.
• (See Ee for eye contact)
• Guide your listeners through your visual aids in
  a professional manner. (See Vv for visual
  aids)

7
C c conclusions

• State your main point.
• In your conclusion, you should state the main
  point of your entire presentation. Ask
  yourself-- At the end of my presentation, what
  exactly do I want my listeners to think, and why
  should it be important to them personally? Your
  answer to this question is exactly what you
  should say to your listeners in your closing.
• Always define a next step.
• Many effective salespeople believe that even if
  you dont finalize a sale during your sales call,
  as long as you have come to an agreement on a
  next step, your meeting was not a waste of time.
  A next step can be a date that is set for you to
  get in touch again, or an agreement that you will
  send materials to follow-up your meeting, or a
  name of another person in the company to see.
  Many salespeople lose a sale because they simply
  didnt ask for the business at the end of their
  presentation or meeting, or because they only
  said Thank you for your time, and walked away
  without setting a definite next step.
• Dont forget the magic words.
• It may sound like common sense to say thank
  you to your listeners when you are finished your
  presentation or meeting, but many people forget.
  Thanking them is important to remember--they just
  gave you something very valuable--their time.
  The odd thing is, your listeners probably wont
  notice much if you do thank them, but they are
  likely to notice if you dont.

8
C c conversational tone

• Be yourself.
• Listeners will relate and respond best to people
  who are human -- those who are natural, and
  imperfect, like themselves. Think about the
  conversational tone you use when you are talking
  to someone in a non-business environment. This
  is usually the tone to which people respond best
  in a business environment as well.
• Make your listeners comfortable.
• Listeners respond to those who make them relax
  and feel at ease. In addition to using a
  conversational tone, it may be appropriate to
  smile or to use humour if it suits you (see Hh
  for humour). A very effective way of making
  your listeners feel more comfortable is to
  interact with them and involve them by asking
  them questions and eliciting their opinions.
• Dont go into presentation mode.
• Many try to sound perfectly polished when they
  speak in a business environment, especially
  during stand-up presentations. These people
  often flip into presentation mode.
  Presentation mode is very robotic, formal, cold
  and impersonal. This is also the way a scripted
  and memorized speech sounds which takes away the
  warmth and sincerity of a message. If you feel
  you have a tendency to flip into presentation
  mode, worry less about the exact words youre
  using and concentrate more on softening your
  tone.

9
D d dedication

• Believe!
• Your listeners will believe in what you are
  saying, if you believe in what you are saying.
  This is because when you are passionate about
  something, your conviction is expressed through
  every physical move you make.
• If youre not feeling conviction, crank up your
  energy a notch.
• If there is no real conviction, and you dont
  consciously push for extra energy, your listeners
  will quickly pick-up physical and emotional clues
  revealing a lack of dedication. Even if you are
  committed to your topic, but having a bad day,
  your listeners may interpret your lack of energy
  as a lack of conviction or commitment, or a lack
  of interest in just being there to talk to them.
  Your credibility can be severely affected if you
  dont make a conscious effort to crank-up your
  enthusiasm. You can do this by using
• your voice
• your facial expressions
• your eye contact
• your gestures
• Remember--just a notch.
• When you are making a conscious effort to
  pump-up your energy level, try not to overdo it.
  There is a fine line between looking like you are
  very eager for the business, and looking like a
  gushy, insincere actor playing out an
  over-rehearsed, over-acted script.

10
E e eye contact

• Use an appropriate amount of eye contact.
• In the North American culture, too much eye
  contact can cause discomfort, or look
  antagonistic, blaming, or condescending. Too
  little eye contact may imply insincerity, lack of
  conviction, lack of confidence, or lack of
  knowledge and awareness. Most people in business
  meetings and presentations, use too little eye
  contact.
• Have mini-conversations.
• In groups, use eye contact as if you were
  speaking to one individual at a time--dont
  scan the audience. Have mini-conversations
  with each person in the group and focus your eyes
  on each individual as you speak to them. Your
  eye contact should last approximately 3 to 4
  seconds per individual (which feels a lot longer
  when youre actually doing it). If your
  listeners feel you are speaking to them directly,
  it is more likely they will listen, and find you
  to be more persuasive.
• In very large groups, speak to segments.
• In very large groups where mini-conversations
  are not possible, break the group down into
  segments, and make eye contact with each segment.
  Each listener in each segment will be under the
  impression that you are making eye contact with
  them individually.
• Everyone is different.
• In one-on-one situations, you must determine the
  right amount of eye contact that your listener is
  most comfortable with. Obviously, if your
  listener keeps breaking eye contact and looking
  uncomfortable, you should ease-off a bit.
  Regardless of how much is appropriate for your
  specific listener, it is important to make eye
  contact when you state important phrases for
  example, when you are making promises or
  guarantees, when you are summarizing your key
  points, or at any other time when you want to be
  as persuasive as possible. It is also important
  to make good eye contact when answering tough, or
  credibility-testing questions.
• Finish your thoughts.
• While speaking, people often, at the end of a
  phrase or a thought, let their eyes drift to the
  next visual aid, the next page of a document, or
  even to the floor or the wall. When verbalizing
  a thought, it is typically at the end of the
  thought when you state an important key point or
  summary. There is no worse time to lose eye
  contact if you are trying to be convincing. Keep
  your eyes connected with your listeners while
  you finish your phrase, pause as you prepare for
  your next sentence (change the visual aid or turn
  the page), look up to resume eye contact, and
  begin speaking again.

11
F f filler words

• Know your personal filler words.
• Why is it that most humans will do almost
  anything to avoid that ominous pause in their
  conversations? This fear has spawned the
  incessant use of filler words--words that dont
  add to the message, but just fill the space
  where a pause should be inserted. Typical filler
  words are
• ummmm
• ahhhh, uhhhh
• you know
• sort of
• like
• kind of
• basically
• totally
• The first problem with filler words is that we
  usually dont hear ourselves saying them. It is
  typical to play back a tape recording of someone,
  point out the abundance of filler words, and hear
  them reply in astonishment, I had no idea that I
  used those words!. Tape yourself, leave a
  message for yourself, or get a friend to be
  brutally honest with you.
• Pause, and then pause, and then pause again.
• When practicing to rid your language of filler
  words, slow down your speech, and insert long
  pauses whenever you feel the urge to ummmm or
  ahhhh. Get used to hearing the silence. The
  pauses from your listeners point of view will
  probably not be that noticeable even though each
  one may seem like an eternity to you. Once you
  become used to it, you will be much more
  comfortable pausing and will completely rid your
  language of those distracting, credibility-killing
  filler words.

12
G g gestures

• Be as natural as possible.
• Gesturing is natural. People even gesture while
  on the phone when their listeners cant see them.
  To look like a comfortable, natural speaker, you
  should allow yourself to gesture. If you dont
  gesture at all, and leave your hands hanging by
  your sides, you may create the impression that
  you are uncomfortable, or that you have no
  conviction about what you are saying.
• Dont be distracting.
• Although you should gesture, constant gesturing
  and/or repetitive gestures will focus your
  listeners attention on your hands.
• Rest in between.
• Since it is not normal to gesture constantly,
  you should find a few rest positions for your
  hands that look and feel comfortable. Try
  clasping your hands in front of you. Try one
  hand in a pocket. Practice in front of a mirror
  and find those rest positions that suit you best.
• Incorporate relevant gestures.
• To emphasize key points, use gestures that match
  your words. How large was that fish you caught
  on your last fishing trip? How small was the
  amount by which you missed your revenue target?

13
H h hot buttons

• Determine what motivates your listeners.
• Think about what will catch your listeners
  attention. What will cause them concern? What
  are their goals and priorities? Make a list of
  all the issues that you think will be important
  to them and be sure to address these issues in
  your presentation or sales call.
• Focus more on emotional issues.
• Most people speak about rational issues, but it
  is usually the emotional issues that effect the
  way decisions are made. Did you win that last
  business pitch because your product was superior,
  or because your client liked you better and
  trusted you more? In addition to determining the
  rational issues, be sure to define the emotional
  issues that will effect your listeners
  decision-making process. Plan out how you will
  appeal to these issues in a discreet manner for
  example, if you were trying to convince a Senior
  Manager to implement a new e-mail platform, you
  may not want to come out and say I know youre
  worried about being fired if the system crashes
  however, you could appeal to the fear issue by
  saying Were proud of the fact that none of our
  clients have experienced a system crash once
  this platform was fully implemented.
• Dont underestimate Fear and Ego.
• Never underestimate the number of business
  decisions made based on two strong motivating
  factors fear and ego. Many projects do not go
  ahead because of fear of failure or blame. Many
  incorrect decisions are made for the sake of the
  decision-makers image or pride. Do fear and ego
  play a role in your listeners decision making
  process?

14
H h humour

• If youre funny, go for it!
• Everyone loves laughing. Most funny presenters
  or salespeople can immediately win over their
  listeners. If a listener has been won over, it
  is much easier to sell an idea or product. If
  you are one of the fortunate few who can
  naturally evoke hearty chuckles from your
  listeners, and if the environment is appropriate,
  you should definitely communicate with humour.
• Keep it relevant.
• The presenter who tells a funny joke at the
  beginning of a presentation, and then suddenly
  launches into a topic that is completely
  unrelated, often gets mixed reactions from the
  audience. Some may feel that the presenter was
  trying to trick them into paying attention, and
  others may be distracted throughout the
  presentation wondering what the joke had to do
  with the current topic and how it would all be
  tied together. For humour to flow well, it
  should be relevant to your topic, and appropriate
  transitioning comments should be planned to link
  your humourous comments to your more serious
  material.
• If youre not a naturally humourous person, you
  can still incorporate fun.
• Have you ever seen someone who is not funny,
  trying very hard to be funny? Didnt you wish,
  for their sake and yours, that they hadnt tried
  at all? If youre not funny, you probably wont
  succeed in winning over your listeners with
  humour however, thats not to say that you cant
  have fun with them. Be creative. Throw
  questions to your listeners that will evoke funny
  anecdotes from them. Ask them to do something
  that may make them laugh. Use relevant materials
  such as quotes, comics, video clips--but remember
  to transition appropriately, always relating to
  your topic.

15
I i impromptu

• Gain credibility with impromptu presentations.
• Thinking on your feet is one of the most
  challenging business communication skills to
  master. The ability to remain poised and
  comfortable in moments of surprise is one of the
  most effective means of building credibility.
  The next time you are in a meeting and someone
  asks So tell me, how is our progress with Client
  X coming along?, remember these tips
• Create a mental agenda
• Quickly think of the two or three key things
  that you need to convey about Client X. Even if
  there are nine or ten ideas jumbled in your mind,
  quickly determine the two or three that are the
  most important. Let your listeners know what you
  will be covering before launching into it. By
  creating this agenda, you and your listeners will
  be able to stay focused.
• Be succinct
• Dont let yourself ramble. Give your listeners
  a few important points from each of the
  categories in your agenda. State them in brief,
  succinct sentences. This brevity will foster a
  perception that you are on top of the issue. It
  may also encourage dialogue because succinct
  sentences will allow spots for interactive
  questioning.
• Pay attention to your tone, language, and eyes.
• Sound confident by avoiding a monotone voice,
  and, above all, avoid filler words such as
  um, ah, you know, and basically by using
  pauses instead. Filler words, especially at the
  start of your presentation, will immediately
  create the perception that you are unsure of your
  message. Finally, make sure you are maintaining
  good eye contact with your listeners. Darting
  eyes will dramatically minimize the credibility
  of your answer.

16
I i introductions

• Clarify the administrative details.
• There are some things your listeners want to
  know before you get rolling. For example, how
  long will your presentation or meeting take?
  Will you be providing hand-outs? When will you
  be distributing the hand-outs? Will there be
  breaks? How are you going to handle questions?
  Clarifying these details will make you look
  considerate and prepared. Clarifying simple
  administrative details is also an easy way to
  launch into your discussion and minimize the
  initial nervousness that most presenters feel.
• Dont be modest.
• Many presenters state only their name during
  their introduction as they feel that a detailed
  description of themselves and their experience
  will make them look arrogant. In fact, your
  listeners do want to know who you are (and
  whether youre worth listening to!). As long as
  your introduction is relevant to what you will be
  discussing, and not too lengthy, it will add a
  great deal of credibility to you and your
  presentation. Your listeners will find you more
  persuasive if they realize that you are qualified
  to talk about your subject matter. Ideally, if
  you could arrange for someone else to introduce
  you, your introducer could embellish your
  background a little more comfortably. If you
  choose to take this route, be sure to write your
  own introduction for your introducer to read for
  the sake of accuracy, and to ensure that your
  best, and most relevant attributes are presented.

17
J j jargon

• Watch for jargon.
• Many people think that using jargon is a means
  to showcase their expertise and knowledge. Using
  jargon and acronyms that your listeners dont
  understand can make them feel stupid and make you
  look unaware, condescending or showy. The other
  problem with jargon is that you usually wont
  find out if your listeners understood it or not.
  It is very rare for a listener to interrupt and
  say Hold on a minute--I dont understand the
  terms and acronyms youre using. Most will just
  nod their heads in agreement trying to look like
  they understand.
• Dont assume youre jargon-free.
• There is much more jargon in your language than
  you realize. Rehearse in front of someone
  outside of your industry to catch it all. Dont
  assume that just because someone is from the same
  industry or company as you, that they will
  understand your jargon. They could be new to the
  field, or in a department that doesnt use the
  same terms.
• If you use it, explain it.
• If you wish to use an acronym, state the
  acronym, say the words in full, and continue with
  your presentation. This shows your own knowledge
  level, and at the same time, gives a subtle
  explanation to those who arent familiar with the
  acronym. Its wise to do this the first two or
  three times your use the acronym for the benefit
  of those who may not have been fully attentive
  the first time.

18
K k key messages

• Determine the key messages necessary to reach
  your ultimate goal.
• What is your ultimate goal with respect to your
  listeners? What do you need them to think when
  you are finished your presentation? For example,
  if your ultimate goal is to win a specific
  business contract, you may need your listeners to
  think that your company i) is trustworthy, and
  ii) provides the best service. These two factors
  should become the key messages in your sales
  pitch. If you dont emphasize any key points,
  you probably wont stand out or be convincing.
• Specifically define your key messages.
• Before each presentation or sales call, write
  down the two or three key messages that are
  critical to persuading your listeners. Think
  about the cocktail party scenario. If someone
  asked one of your clients at a cocktail party the
  reasons as to why they decided to give you their
  business, they would probably respond with a few
  succinct key reasons stated in a very casual,
  straightforward manner. These are the key points
  you should emphasize in your presentation in the
  same succinct and straightforward style--
  especially during your summary and conclusion.

19
L l listeners

• Know your listeners.
• You should know as much about your listeners as
  possible before planning your presentation or
  sales call. This will enable you to tailor your
  information to their interests to ensure a more
  persuasive message. Consider these questions
• Who are the decision-makers?
• Are there any listeners who are not
  decision-makers, but key influencers?
• How much do your listeners know about your topic?
• What do you think they want to hear?
• What do they need?
• What turns them on, i.e. their hot buttons?
• What is the attitude of your listeners toward
  you, your subject, your company? Are there
  political implications?
• Are there factors affecting the timing of your
  presentation?
• If you can answer these questions, you will feel
  more confident about your presentation because
  you will be able to tailor your message to make
  it more relevant.
• Know the communication styles of your listeners.
• It is important to know how your listeners like
  to communicate so that you can build as much
  rapport with them as possible. How much time do
  they like to take in meetings? Is their style
  formal or casual? How assertive are they? (See
  Rr for rapport).

20
L l long-windedness

• Keep it brief. Keep it simple.
• In the history of presentations or meetings,
  there has probably never been anyone who has
  uttered the words, Great presentation, totally
  convincing and dynamically delivered. The only
  problemtoo short. If you do a great job in a
  short time, your listeners impression of you
  will only be elevated--they certainly wont
  complain. In fact, most people complain that
  presentations are too long, too intricate, and
  too boring. Make your points simple, make them
  clear, make them punchy.
• Just say it.
• If you asked a presenter, What was the key
  point you were trying to get across when you
  presented this slide?, it is likely that they
  would give a very clear, succinct answer as
  opposed to the mumbo-jumbo you heard during the
  presentation. The next obvious question to them
  should be Then why didnt you just say that?

21
M mmovement

• Avoid monospace.
• Have you ever seen a presenter stand rigidly in
  one spot for an entire presentation? We call
  this monospace. Did this person strike you as
  being a dynamic individual? Monospace can drain
  the energy from a presentation and can bore
  listeners.
• Move to create impact. Move to change tone.
• For example, walk quickly toward your visual aid
  with energy and conviction to point out a
  specific figure or word. Another strategy may be
  to sit down at the boardroom table to present
  your conclusion with more direct, persuasive eye
  contact.
• Avoid purposeless movement.
• Purposeless movement, such as pacing, looks like
  unharnessed nervous energy or a dance step gone
  wrong. It can be distracting and make you appear
  inexperienced and lacking in confidence.

22
N nnerves

• Dont be nervous about being nervous.
• The best speakers and salespeople feel nerves
  the difference is that they know how to manage
  and control them.
• Dont try to be perfect.
• Many suffer from nerves because they feel that
  they must be perfect during a presentation or
  sales pitch. Your listeners dont want you to be
  perfect. You will be more human and likeable if
  you are yourself. Your main goal should be to
  get your key points across as best you can.
• Plan nerve-reducing strategies.
• Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. If youve never
  rehearsed a presentation, it is no wonder that
  you suffer from nerves! If you try rehearsing,
  you will be amazed at how much confidence you
  will build with every run-through. Be careful,
  however, not to rehearse to the point where you
  lose your natural tone or spontaneous
  expressions.
• Treat your presentation as a conversation. Do
  this from the start by interacting with your
  listeners immediately--ask them questions and
  spark a discussion. Create appropriate spots
  where you can encourage interaction throughout
  your presentation.
• Know your first line and your last line cold.
  Once you get past your first line without a
  hitch, you will feel more confident. If you know
  your final remarks, your presentation will
  seamlessly flow into your conclusion which will
  make you feel stronger and sound more persuasive.

23
O oopening

• Catch your listeners attention.
• The opening of a presentation or sales pitch is
  when most of your listeners could be very
  distracted. They may be checking you out by
  looking at your clothes or how you are standing.
  They may still be thinking about whatever it was
  they were pondering before you started. They may
  still be in conversation with someone else in the
  audience. They may be distracted by your visual
  aids. A presenter or salesperson who starts with
  a creative opening has a much better chance of
  catching their listeners attention immediately.
• Be creative.
• Creative openings can incorporate humour. (If
  you are going to consider using humour, it is
  important that you read humour under H h).
  Interesting anecdotes can be used as creative
  openings. You could throw a thought-provoking
  question out to the audience, or use an
  impressive quote. You could use high-impact
  visual aids such as a video clip or a single word
  up on a screen. Once you experience the
  difference that a creative opening makes, you
  will never present or sell again without one.
• Make sure your opening is relevant and
  appropriate.
• Dont open your presentation or sales pitch in a
  way that catches attention, but has nothing to do
  with your topic. Your listeners wont like the
  fact that you are trying to trick them into
  paying attention. Credible, dynamic speakers can
  incorporate relevant creative openings, and find
  a perfect transitioning phrase to seamlessly link
  the opening into the remainder of their
  presentation. Always consider whether or not
  your creative opening is appropriate for your
  listeners, for the topic you are addressing, and
  for the environment in which you are presenting.
  

24
P ppause

• For a positive effect--pause.
• You may have noticed that dynamic presenters
  have the ability to pause effectively.
  Competent, credible speakers are not afraid of
  the silence brought on by a pause. Pausing
  creates many positive effects
• Pausing shows that you want to give your
  listeners time to think about what you just said.
  You know your material well, but this is the
  first time your listeners are hearing it. Show
  consideration, perceptiveness, and eagerness to
  aid their understanding by pausing.
• Pausing shows you have control over
  yourself--that you can look someone in the eye,
  say nothing, and maintain self-control.
• Pausing shows you can control your listeners--by
  holding their attention as they wait for your
  next words with anticipation.
• Pausing gives the impression that you just said
  something very important. If you pause, your
  listeners may review your last statement in their
  minds again, attaching extra weight to it.
• Pausing before answering a question gives the
  impression you are considering your answer
  carefully, as opposed to quickly launching into a
  rehearsed, scripted answer.
• Pausing and looking at someone after they have
  answered a question may prompt them to begin
  speaking again in order to avoid uncomfortable
  silence. It is usually during the second answer
  that you will receive more emotional and
  spontaneous opinions. These comments will help
  you get a much better understanding of the person
  and how to sell to them.

25
P ppersuasiveness

• Use persuasive language when you speak.
• Always take the time to plan how you will
  incorporate persuasive language into your
  presentations or sales calls. In order to be
  persuasive to a wide variety of listeners, your
  messages should contain the appropriate blend of
• Features Features are specific attributes that
  describe your product, service or idea (such as
  cost, size, location). Many presentations are
  feature-driven however, used alone, features are
  not very persuasive. Features alone will not
  distinguish you from your competition, nor will
  they convince decision-makers.
• Benefits Benefits indicate what features will
  actually do for the listener. For example,
  Because we have offices across the country
  (feature), your corporate branches in the east
  and west will be serviced with no additional
  travel costs (benefit). Most benefits boil down
  to saving or making money, saving time, making
  people look good, and making people feel
  good. Although benefits are more persuasive than
  features, there may still be a degree of doubt
  about actually deriving the benefits you have
  articulated.
• Evidence Evidence is what is required to help
  people believe theyll receive the benefits
  youve promised. Evidence can be statistics,
  examples, case studies, demonstrations,
  testimonials, and even analogies. The key is
  remembering that different decision-makers
  respond to different types of evidence.

26
P pplan and prepare

• To ensure success, plan and prepare.
• Planning is critical. The following checklist
  will help you create more relevant and persuasive
  messages.
• Analyze Your Listeners - Who are they and what
  do they care about? (See Ll for listeners, Rr
  for rapport and Hh for hot buttons).
• Establish Objectives - What do you want your
  listeners to think as a result of your meeting?
  What overall tone do you want your message to
  create? (See Kk for key messages)
• Gather Content What information is appropriate
  and relevant, relative to your listeners and your
  objectives?
• Add Evidence to Content - How can you add
  evidence to back-up your key claims? (See Pp for
  persuasiveness)
• Structure Content - Structure your content so it
  is succinct, logical and easy for everyone,
  including yourself, to follow. (See Ss for
  structure)
• Anticipate the So What?- Check each section of
  your presentation for relevance by asking the
  question so what? Try to take the audiences
  perspective--why should they care about what you
  just said? Did you articulate this relevance?
  (See Ss for so what?)
• Anticipate Questions - Which questions are you
  dreading? Prepare your answers. (See Qq for
  questions and answers)
• Create Visual Aids - Are your visual aids and/or
  handouts enhancing the audiences experience, or
  are they distracting them? (See Vv for visual
  aids)
• Rehearse - Say your entire presentation, along
  with the answers to your anticipated questions,
  out loud. Rehearse again incorporating voice
  modulation, gestures, movement, and visual aids.
  (See Rr for rehearse)
• Set-up - Be sure your equipment and other aids
  are ready-to-go and that you know how to use
  them. Test the lighting in the room. Remove
  obstructions which may block your listeners
  views or obstruct your movement.

27
P pprobing

• Probe, Probe, Probe, then Talk.
• The best communicators are generally the ones
  who let others do most of the talking. By
  probing effectively, others will tell you
  critical information about themselves, their
  situations, and their decision-making criteria.
  Consider the following
• Closed-ended questions - These questions
  typically elicit a one-word answer such as yes
  or no. They are useful for heading down a
  specific path of questioning, but will quickly
  halt an in-depth discussion from evolving if not
  followed-up with insightful open-ended questions.
• Open-ended questions To determine what drives
  your listener to make certain decisions, ask
  open-ended questions. These questions start with
  words such as Why, If, Describe, Tell me, and How
  (W.I.D.T.H.) A question such as Describe the
  attributes you are looking for in a financial
  advisor, will result in an answer that reveals a
  great deal about the other persons opinions and
  decision-making criteria.
• Listening with Subjectivity Most people speak
  with subjectivity for example, Your service is
  too expensive. When we hear subjective words
  spoken, such as expensive, we automatically
  attach our definitions to these words instead of
  probing for the other persons definitions. The
  word expensivemay mean different things to
  different people.
• Ask your listener to define expensive for you.
• Defining Subjective Terms - The use of subjective
  terms leads to worthwhile probing
  opportunities--What is your definition of
  expensive?, What aspects of a service, other
  than price, represent good value to you?. You
  will find that many situations could have been
  misinterpreted, if you hadnt probed.

28
Q q questions and answers

• Minimize reasons for listeners to ask questions.
• Handling questions may well be the most critical
  factor in establishing or destroying credibility.
  Tough questions usually arent planned--they
  generally arise as a result of something the
  presenter did (or did not do). Aid your
  listeners understanding by carefully planning
  your words and visual aids, backing-up your
  claims with evidence, and structuring your
  messages.
• Use these 5 guidelines consistently.
• If challenged with questions, never get
  defensive. The person who gets hot-headed and
  agitated will almost always lose credibility.
  Attempt to be objective, open-minded, and
  respectful. Your audience will admire your
  professionalism. The following guidelines will
  help
• Pay Attention Once a question is being asked,
  stop everything and give the questioner your
  undivided attention.
• Clarify Rephrase the question in your own
  words. The listener will realize you were
  listening, you will avoid basic
  misunderstandings, and it will buy you time to
  collect your thoughts and composure.
• Consider Try to uncover the source of the
  question. An example is as follows
  Clarification So you want to know about the
  type of market research we have done to this
  point.? Consider May I ask you why market
  research is an important issue to you? Your
  answers will be more satisfying to your listeners
  if you can address their specific underlying
  concerns. Regardless of how simple or flippant
  you believe some questions to be, treat each one
  with consideration and respect.
• Answer Once youve uncovered the key issues,
  pause to gather your thoughts, and answer
  succinctly. Long, drawn-out answers will make
  you appear uncertain--as if you are answering
  while still thinking about your exact position on
  the matter.
• Confirm Always ensure that the question has been
  answered to the questioners satisfaction. This
  will show respect and concern for their
  understanding.

29
R rrapport

• Relate to your listeners.
• Rapport is essential for building relationships
  with your listeners however, it does not
  necessarily require you to be friends with your
  listeners. Rapport is simply communicating with
  your listeners so that they relate well to you.
  The best way of building rapport is by
  communicating with people in a style that makes
  them feel comfortable--which is usually their own
  style. Some dominating communication styles in
  business are
• The Driver
• The Driver is succinct, confident, decisive and
  to-the-point.
• Be very direct, professional, bottom-line
  oriented, succinct and time-conscious.
• Dont chit-chat too much or give too much detail.
  
• The Analytical
• The Analytical is even-keeled, patient, logical
  and methodical
• Be conservative, professional and
  detail-oriented. Use lots of evidence such as
  statistics to back-up your claims.
• Dont be too emotional or talk about gut
  feelings or conceptual ideas.
• The Amiable
• The Amiable is friendly, chatty, and personal.
• Be casual, address the people issues, and take
  the time to allow trust to build.
• Dont be assertive or expect direct yes/no
  answers.
• The Expressive
• The Expressive is dynamic, confident,
  egotistical, optimistic, and likes to talk (as
  opposed to listening).
• Be upbeat, creative and big-picture oriented.

30
R rrehearse

• Prepare like a Professional.
• Professionals rehearse, amateurs dont. Many
  people feel that they are too busy to rehearse.
  Those who do find the time are the ones who look
  and sound credible, professional, and persuasive.
  
• At a minimum, consider timing, and rehearse your
  opening and closing.
• If you decide to take a risk and not rehearse
  your entire presentation, at the very least,
  consider the following
• Watch your timing
• One of the cardinal sins of presenting or
  meeting, is going over your allotted time.
  Unless you rehearse from beginning to end, there
  is no way of knowing whether you will adhere to
  the allotted timeframe. Regardless of how
  dynamic you are as a communicator, audiences
  typically dont want to spend more time with you
  than originally allotted. If you arent going to
  rehearse from beginning to end, keep in mind that
  the estimated length of your presentation is
  probably half of what it will actually be.
• Create Impressions
• Ideally, you should attempt to rehearse every
  presentation from beginning to end in a room with
  a similar set-up to the one in which the actual
  presentation is to take place. If this isnt
  going to happen, at least rehearse your opening
  and your closing. Why? These are the two times
  when you are most likely to have your listeners
  undivided attention. Ironically, these two spots
  also tend to be the most uncomfortable and
  nerve-wracking for most presenters. For the sake
  of your presentation and your own credibility,
  plan these parts well, and rehearse them until
  you know them, cold.

31
S s so what?

• Think of your listeners perspective.
• Most people tend to communicate a message from
  their own perspective rather than their
  listeners perspective. As a result, the key
  point of their message may not be completely
  clear to the listener. The listener could walk
  away asking themselves So What?! It is
  important to consider your listeners perspective
  and to address the points that they want to hear.
  
• Define the Story, Point, Benefit.
• There are ways of ensuring that you do answer
  the so what. For each slide or section of
  your presentation, ask yourself these questions,
  and present your answers to your listeners
• The Story In one or two sentences describe what
  the slide or section should convey to your
  listeners. For example, This slide is simply
  showing us the difference between sales in our
  four key regions over the last three years.
• The Point What is the key point that you are
  trying to make in your slide? For example, The
  key point is...there has been a steady decline in
  the region where we have not revised our
  merchandising mix.
• The Benefit This is the reason why your
  audience should care or the so what of the
  slide. For example, The reason you should care
  is...if we dont revamp our merchandising mix, we
  will have to subsidize the losses in region X
  with the profits from the other regions--this
  could mean that everyones bonus may be
  decreased.
• Be sure to use this Story, Point, Benefit
  approach at the end of your presentation or
  meeting to re-iterate the overall so what. For
  example, So in conclusion, by revamping the
  merchandising mix, our customer retention
  objectives will be met and our profitability will
  increase on a corporate and an individual level.

32
S s structure

• Always structure your messages.
• Key benefits to using a structure
• it will make you look professional, organized,
  logical and experienced--all of which will add to
  your overall credibility.
• it will help your listeners understand better
  because your message will be easier to follow.
• it will help you remember the flow of your
  presentation or pitch so that it can be delivered
  in a clear, seamless manner.
• it will ensure that you emphasize your key
  messages at the right times.
• Use a simple structure.
• This simple structure can be applied to any
  presentation or sales call regardless of how
  lengthy the session, how intricate the topic, or
  how much is available to prepare.
• INTRODUCTION
• AGENDA
• DETAILS FOR EACH AGENDA ITEM
• SUMMARY
• CONCLUSION
• Although this structure is straight forward, you
  may wish to read about each section in more
  detail--please see Ii for introduction, Aa for
  agendas, Pp for persuasiveness, Ss for
  summary, and Cc for conclusion.

33
S s summary

• Always have a summary.
• When are listeners most attentive after a
  presentation has started? Usually when you state
  those three key words so in summary.. .
  Regardless of how dynamic and interesting you
  are, people are bound to drift off at various
  times during your presentation. When you finally
  indicate that you are about to summarize, your
  listeners will assume they can catch all of the
  juicy tidbits of information they may have
  missed. They will anticipate you telling them
  the most important things which they should
  remember. Dont disappoint them--make sure that
  your summary is a clear and concise synopsis of
  your presentation.
• State key points only.
• Your summary is the time to restate your key
  points in a succinct, powerful way. State no
  more than the gist of your key points while
  making eye contact with your listeners. Your
  summary is not the time to add new information
  that you forgot to mention earlier in your
  presentation. Its better to skip what was
  forgotten for risk of confusing your listeners,
  and to focus on summarizing what you did discuss.
  
• Dont just restate your agenda topics.
• Many people think that a summary is merely a
  restatement of the agenda topics for example,
  So just to summarize, I spoke about our past
  performance, then I reviewed our current
  situation, and then we discussed our future
  prospects. This type of summary doesnt help
  your listeners. What were the few key points
  about the past, the few key points about the
  current situation, and the few key points about
  future prospects? This is what your audience
  needs you to emphasize.

34
T t team presentations

• Make them envious.
• Effective team presentations generally prompt
  listeners to think, Wow, I wish I was part of
  that team!, or Its obvious they work well as
  a team. Consider these key tips to make this
  happen
• Assign Roles.
• Dont show up at the clients office ten minutes
  before the presentation, introduce yourselves to
  each other and then randomly assign who is doing
  what. Every role in the presentation should be
  assigned and rehearsed well before the meeting.
• At a Minimum, Rehearse Transitions .
• Ensure that transitions between team members
• (switching from one presenter to the next),
  are seamless. It is during the transitions when
  the audience gets a real feeling of whether or
  not the team members work well together and like
  each other. Determine how each person will exit
  and enter the presentation area. As one
  presenter hands-off to another, there should be
  eye contact and a quick nod, smile, or thank
  you between the two. If appropriate, they
  should address each other by first name.
• Manage the Q A.
• A great presentation can be undermined by poor
  QA management. There should be a lead team
  member who directs questions to the appropriate
  person on the team. Team members who are not
  answering should avoid interrupting with phrases
  such as, What Bob really means is... If
  something should be clarified, try Bobs made a
  good point, and Id like to add to it by
  saying...

35
T t telephone sales

• Try to get a meeting.
• Your first priority when making sales calls, if
  possible, should be to get a meeting to sell
  face-to-face. When it comes to being persuasive,
  few tactics are as effective as using effective
  eye contact and facial expressions. Providing
  too many details over the phone may give your
  listener opportunities to shut you down and
  refuse a meeting. Say just enough to create
  intrigue, then ask for a short meeting.
• Know your pitch ahead of time
• Plan your pitch so that your sentences arent
  full of credibility-killing filler words such as
  ummm and ahhh. Knowing your pitch will make
  you sound confident, credible, and persuasive.
  Also plan to address specific benefits that are
  relevant to your prospect.
• Be respectful to the gatekeepers
• When someone answers the phone on behalf of the
  person you are trying to reach, you are dealing
  with a gatekeeper. Generally, people have no
  interest in speaking with gatekeepers and almost
  never ask for their opinion or treat them with
  respect. You could elicit the gatekeepers
  opinion as to the best way to approach your
  prospect. You could include the gatekeeper in
  the sales process for example, perhaps you
  could review my marketing materials and suggest
  which pieces would be of most interest to Mr.
  Smith. You may gain a valuable ally who not only
  passes along your message, but also persuades
  your prospect to meet with you.
• Be succinct with decision-makers.
• When speaking to decision-makers over the phone,
  be conscious of how much of their time you use.
  Sound confident, be succinct, and avoid filler
  words. Talk about benefits that will mean
  something to them personally. Say something
  interesting about their industry using
  appropriate industry language to indicate that
  you understand their business. Before
  hanging-up, set a next step whether it is a
  meeting, another phone call, or a promise to
  forward materials and follow-up at a later date.
• Be succinct with decision-makers.

36
T t transitions

• Create a seamless message.
• In any cohesive message, there needs to be
  effective phrases that link one main idea to the
  next. These linking phrases are called
  transitions. Good transitions enable a
  communicator to pull seemingly disparate ideas
  together into a logical presentation with one
  central theme.
• Think about strong bridges.
• Think of a presentation as being like the
  boroughs of New York City. Each section of your
  presentation is an island that could stand on its
  own. Transitions are the bridges that make those
  individual islands part of a greater whole.
  Bridges, in effect, link all of the boroughs
  like Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens into one
  great city that is New York.
• Put some creativity into your transitions.
• If your message was comprised of three main
  areas such as i) the current situation ii) the
  proposed solution and iii) the expected result, a
  good transition between sections i) and ii) might
  be So the current situation finds us poised for
  major growth. The best way we can maximize that
  growth is best illustrated in my proposed
  solution. A very common yet ineffective way of
  transitioning is to simply state only the title
  of the next section, and then continue on. By
  incorporating more creative, seamless
  transitions, you can make a very positive impact
  on your listeners (albeit usually at a
  subconscious level). Effective transitions will
  make your listeners feel that you are more
  intellectual, experienced and sure of your topic.
  

37
U uunderstanding

• Do as much as possible to be well understood.
• If your listener doesnt completely understand
  your message, you probably wont be convincing.
  Consider these points
• Jargon If you are using unfamiliar jargon or if
  your language is at a level that your listeners
  dont understand, your audience will probably
  tune-out and miss all of your key points.
• Examples - Using examples is one of the most
  effective ways to aid understanding. Examples
  must be relevant to the concepts you are
  discussing.
• Visual Aids - Busy, cluttered visual aids which
  are difficult to read, can frustrate listeners
  and discourage understanding. Even with simple,
  clear slides, if the presenter does not point out
  where he or she is at on the slide, listeners can
  get confused and lost.
• Structure - Poorly structured messages are
  difficult for you and your listeners to follow.
  If they cant follow, they wont understand.
• Probing - Ask your listeners if they have
  questions. Keep them involved.
• Eye Contact - Connecting with your listeners
  increases their level of involvement and
  understanding.

38
V vvisual aids

• Use visual aids.
• Visual aids can be the most effective way to
  enhance and clarify your message. If structured
  correctly, they will help you stay on track
  without the use of notes. Unfortunately, visual
  aids can be distracting and frustrating for your
  audience if you do not follow some key
  guidelines.
• Know how the equipment works.
• With any type of visual aid, things that are
  seemingly controllable could go wrong. Know how
  your equipment works and where it should be
  placed.
• Do more with less.
• Cover only one main concept per visual aid slide.
  
• Try not to have more than four bullet points on a
  slide and keep each bullet to approximately four
  to five words in length.
• Allocate no more than 50 of the area of any
  slide to blank or white space and space-out the
  text or graphics (as opposed to squishing
  everything into to top quarter of the slide, for
  example).
• Use a font size that can be seen from the back of
  the room.
• If using computer graphics, avoid distracting
  your audience with fancy features such as varying
  transitions, bullets flying in from all
  directions, and words that spin, explode, or
  flash.
• Before showing a complex slide, give a brief
  verbal explanation of what the slide is about.
• Turn your equipment off, or use a blank slide if
  you are going to talk for a period of time
  without using visual aids--you wont have to
  compete with your visual aid (or machine noise)
  for attention.
• Talk to the audience.
• Too many presenters talk to their visual aids
  and lose eye contact with their listeners. Draw
  your listeners attention to a particula