Make It Happen

TILIS: Tell It Like It Is

hru? lol, the uv 2mi; gtg.

Does reading this text feel like reading another language? You may recognize this gobbledegook as text or instant messaging shorthand, used almost as an artform by those "younger" than you.

If you've figured it out, great, but don't count on your parent's (or grandparent's) generation to decipher it. (As an aside, you probably don't understand some of the nuances that this older generation uses either.) If you haven't figured it out, the message translates to "How are you? Laughing Out Loud at the Unpleasant Visual - too much information; got to go."

Whenever we communicate with other people, their understanding of our message will be influenced by their generation. So if you really wish to be understood, use generation-relevant expressions and style. When we don't do this, we either alienate or patronize the very people we wish to influence. This is true in a meeting with your manager, your subordinates, a sales prospect or a job interviewer.

A cautionary note: using generation-relevant expressions and style is only one part of the communications mix. In formal business correspondence - or a job interview - using informal language is often a quick route to disqualification.

This Week's Action Item: The next time you are in a meeting with someone much older or younger than you, pay attention to your words and style. But don't try to sound cool by using their lingo if it isn't your own: you'll sound inauthentic. Instead, be yourself and watch them closely for signs of comprehension and certainty: if you don't see it, adjust your message and try again. KWIM? (Know what I mean?)

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Formal presentations are critical to your career success: they are used during the job interview process, as a sales tool, and for key internal meetings.

When we were taught how to make a speech back in grade school, we were given the rudiments: write your notes on cue-cards, don't read your speech, and focus on the point that you wish to make. Has anything changed? Or have we simply forgotten these basics?

Probably the greatest boon to business communication is the PowerPoint program. Unfortunately, it is also the reason that so many presentations flop - or at least, why they rarely achieve their objectives. Think about it: how often have you sat through a dull, seemingly pointless presentation. Typically, the presenters hope to perk us up with snazzy transitions, animations, colorful fonts, and a strange typeface. Or they use a font that is either too big, or so small as to be illegible.

Instead of turning off your audience, before you even think about the first slide, go back to basics by answering two key questions:

1) What are the needs of the audience?

2) What are you hoping to accomplish by the end of your presentation?

The best way to engage a group is to have them focused on your ideas - and on you. Capture this focus by first crafting your presentation without PowerPoint or any visual cues. Once you've done that, consider which (if any) concepts are best presented visually, and create graphics for this purpose. Only then should you start working with PowerPoint.

Once your presentation is complete, rehearse it to check for timing, fluency, and impact. The rehearsal can be quick by yourself, or it can be with an audience. Ask your audience (or reconfirm yourself) whether your key questions are answered. If your presentation is worth delivering, then it is worth rehearsing.

This Week's Action Item: This precise technique (asking, crafting, rehearsing) works for every interaction that you have: with your colleagues, customers, suppliers and recruiters. Before your next meeting or presentation, try it - don't be PowerPointless.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Closing Statements: The last thing you say is the first thing they remember

Have you ever been in a sales pitch, job interview, or other important meeting, and the person you are meeting asks you if there is anything else you would like to say, or ask? How should you approach this situation?

Essentially, you have three choices: say nothing, say something new, or summarize the key meeting points.

* Say nothing: If you are at or beyond the meeting end time, you might choose to respect the schedule, and not say a thing.

* Say something new: During your interview, you may have been asked a question that you didn't have a ready answer for. This might be the opportunity to supplement an earlier answer, or to ask a question that is important to you. Especially when you ask a good question, it helps confirm that you are a thinking person. Or, if there is an idea that you wish to germinate, consider planting the seed at this time.

* Summarize: Alternatively, you can use this time to summarize the next steps or reinforce your key points. Doing this reinforces the clarity of your thinking, and closes the interview or meeting on a high note..

No matter which approach you take, the last thing you say (or don't say) will be the first thing they remember. Make sure that what comes out of your mouth speaks to your value.

This Week's Action Item: Before you next meet someone, pre-write your closing statement. This could be your three key points, your hoped-for action items, or perhaps the seed of an idea that you wish to plant. Then at the end of the meeting, when you are asked if there is anything else, update your closing statement and use it.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Improvisation

Recently I had attended the Montreal Jazz Festival. Over the course of several days, dozens of bands of all styles - blues, big band, dixie, fusion, to name a few - played to thousands of spectators.

For those not familiar with the genre, most jazz follows a similar story line: a melody is played, then individual musicians improvise on that melody, then the melody is reprised.

When asked what makes a great improvisation, many musicians will give different answers:

- It is suggestive of the melody.
- It is completely different from the melody.
- It uses the same rhythms.
- It uses differing rhythms.

Despite the seeming contradictions, there is one thing in common to all improvisations. The musicians are out there by themselves (although with the support of the band behind them), creating something that didn't exist before, and connecting with their audience in an emotionally expressive, impactful way.

Ironically, we don't think of this metaphor when we do a business presentation, or when we are in a job interview, or in a tough negotiation with a supplier. But in each of these situations, we need to stand on our feet, think on our feet, and deliver our message - while at the same time "fit" within the framework of our environment.

This week's Action Item: Musicians don't magically know all of their scales, nor are they always comfortable with public performance. They build up to it with practice, with warm-ups, and with feedback from their audience. This week, identify a time when you will be called to perform. But instead of doing "improv", rehearse, gain feedback, and then do your thing.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news

Secret Sauce

There is no shortage of books, experts, web sites, and computer programs that purport to tell you how to succeed in your job, and often, in life. They exist because of the public's insatiable appetite for self-improvement. When you examine them closely, the vast majority have two things in common:

- Success will be yours if only you follow "the system" to the letter.

- They know nothing about you and your unique circumstance.

Unfortunately, for both of these reasons, many of these resources are of questionable value. If you are unique, how can a generic "system" help you sell yourself? (It can't.)

No one knows you better than yourself, and no amount of generic secret sauce is going to make you successful. Instead, consider these questions about your unique selling proposition:

1) What skill do you have that is better than anyone else's, with the greatest market value?

2) What are you doing to improve that value further?

3) What are you doing to demonstrate that value to your employer, to your family, and within your community?

This week's action item: By all means continue reading, listening, and surfing - after all, you would not have found this Tipsheet article if you weren't doing so! But if you want to get yourself to the next level, it will take more than just reading, listening, and surfing - it will take action. Start by answering these three key questions.

Note: The Make It Happen Tipsheet is also available by email. Go to www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news to register.

Randall Craig
www.RandallCraig.com
www.PersonalBalanceSheet.com/news