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If You Want to Get
An Audience’s Attention, Talk About Them! One sure way to
connect with your audience is to include them in your presentation. You
can do this whether you are presenting to a room full of familiar faces or
a room full of strangers. How? By arriving early and taking time to chat
informally with members of your audience. To those who don’t know you, go around and introduce yourself to a few people. Keep some index cards in your pocket. Explain that you are the presenter. Learn a bit about them. Ask them what he or she hopes to learn from the presentation. Take out an index card and jot down their name and their question, concern, expectation or interesting fact you learned. When it’s time to give your presentation you now have the ability to deliver an opening guaranteed to grab and hold the attention of your audience. Why? Because people like to know someone is listening to them. Simply begin your presentation by saying, “A few minutes ago I had the pleasure of meeting several of you. George Kelly had a question that I bet many of you here today have. He wondered if...” From there, restate George’s question and reassure George and the rest of the audience that you will answer that question, and many others in your presentation. Throughout your presentation you can drop in a few more of the audience comments, each time using their name. Recognize them for asking a great question or having keen insight on the issue or topic at hand. Oprah Winfrey once said the key to her success was simple: “People just want to be heard.” Show your audience that you are a great listener and you’ll be regarded as a great speaker! Carmie McCook is Business Development Manager and an Executive Coach with The Communication Center®. | ||||
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Don't You Just Love A
Good Movie? Communication Lessons For Leaders Have you ever
wondered how you could address some problems in your organization and
promote a more free-flowing discussion about them? Once issues are
discussed in the context of a movie, it can be a lot easier to turn a
theoretical discussion into an effective application for your workplace
situation. Movies for Leaders by Shaun O’L. Higgins and Colleen Streigel looks at four all-time classic movies—Hoosiers, The Wizard of Oz, The Bride on the River Kwai and Moby Dick—to illustrate lessons and challenges in being a leader. Each film is introduced by a contemporary business scenario that reflects the story and characters of the movie. At the end of each chapter is a series of questions for group discussion. To remind you, there’s also a list of the characters and the actors who played them as well as a synopsis of the film. Another useful feature is an opening page on each film which is called "Watch and Read If." Listed here are one sentence problems or doubts individuals may have about their leadership style or communication. Let’s look at The Wizard of Oz, which the authors say is one of the Top 10 leadership training films of all time. Watch this movie if you have these challenges:
It’s a lot more fun and memorable to talk about the value of different roles people play in a company - as well as the importance of effective communication - through the eyes of a familiar story. Nan Tolbert is
head of Client Management and an Executive Coach with The Communication Center®. | ||
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Next time you’re browsing through the newspaper be on the look-out
for quotes with negative emotionally- charged words, otherwise known as
buzzwords. Check out our latest findings. “We are
definitely not the nation of xenophobic, Islamophobic, Koran-burning,
morally corrupt heathens.” -- Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller on Denmark being unfairly portrayed as Islamophobic by the Arabic and International media after the crisis involving the prophet Muhammad cartoons. "Obviously, the
truth is we do not get together and manipulate prices; that would be
illegal." -- Rex W. Tillerson, chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corp., defending the company's record profits and high gas prices. "We’re not
mining or trolling through the personal lives of millions of innocent
Americans.” -- President Bush on the National Security Agency’s data collection program. "David Safavian
never lied. [He] was not in Jack Abramoff's pocket, but he was his
friend." -- Lawyer Barbara Van Gelder, defending her client, the former federal government top procurement official. | ||
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All Nonprofits and
Associations On Deck! Save 15% by booking and/or paying for any training session
between May 15 and September 15, 2006. Apply the 15% to a session this summer or book early and enjoy the savings later when you need it. Remember, it
isn’t necessary to use the session during this time period, just schedule
it by September 15th, and you have until year end to actually
complete the session. The 15% savings applies to any one of our
standard offerings such as media training, presentation coaching and
crisis communication. Or, you might take
this opportunity to consider something new like our interactive
presentation on Media Trends 2006, an Executive Communication Package
or have one of our experts speak at your next meeting or
retreat. | ||
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Behind &
Beyond The Headlines: Media Trends &
Techniques Explore new trends
and realities of the expanded media landscape with the latest research and
techniques to deal with it. Executive
Communication: Private Coaching Series Achieve communication
excellence with one-on-one coaching for executives who want to explore how
they reach and communicate their leadership potential, with an executive
trainer. Annual
Meetings, Retreats & Conferences Book a conference
speaker to deliver a dynamic customized session to address your audience’s
communication interests -- full of interactive exercises, useful handouts,
and lots of valuable content. For more information,
contact Erin Lawlor at elawlor@thecommunicationcenter.com | ||
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The Communication Center® now offers Presentation
Power, to help professionals of all levels become more comfortable
and confident with public speaking. These full-day
workshops are led by one of our senior-level professional communication
coaches and cover the fundamental elements of creating and delivering
engaging presentations. Now enrolling participants for sessions on: July 20, 2006 August 23, 2006 Presentation Power is limited to 10 participants per session and is offered for $975 per person. All sessions take place from 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. at our Communication Center in Washington, DC. Call now to sign up. 202-463-0505 | ||
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 Keri Osborne The Communication Center |
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