April 24, 2006
Stop Talking and Start Communicating
You‘d think that the better you know a topic, the better you‘d be able to present it. Ironically, the opposite tends to be true – we often communicate poorly about the topics most familiar to us because we don‘t organize or structure our thoughts. "We know so much about the topic, we just dump all our information out there," says Merrill Ronning, executive director of Ronning Leadership Seminars, which trains business professionals to speak and communicate with clarity and impact. "We tend to talk a lot, which fulfills our need to provide prospects with information, but we don‘t communicate, which is about giving prospects what they need to know so they can apply it in their lives." To stop dumping information and begin communicating effectively during your presentations, you first need to structure your information. Ronning recommends using one of these four methods:
1. 5W‘s plus H. Remember back in your school days when you had to write papers that addressed the Who, What, Where, Why, When and How of a topic? Back then, it probably seemed like just another irrelevant academic exercise, but that kind of structure can work well during a presentation, says Ronning. When Ronning uses this method to present his "Think on Your Feet" seminar, he goes through each of the six elements as they relate to his audience. For instance, he might ask – and answer – these questions: What is "Think on Your Feet? Why is this class so important in today‘s world? Where can you use the information you learn in this class?" And so on.
2. The 7-Question technique. Write down at least seven questions you‘re confident your audience will ask and organize your presentation around those questions. Before presenting to the physician liaison at a major medical center, Ronning asked himself what questions the woman would likely ask him. He came up with questions such as, "Why would I want to put my team through your training program? How much will it cost? How long will it take? How many people can come to the class?" When Ronning began his presentation, he told her that based on his experience and his research on her organization; he thought she might have the following questions. When he put them before her and began addressing them, Ronning said the physician liaison was completely wowed. "Those were my exact questions!" she responded – and gave Ronning the job.
3. Mind mapping. This structure helps you get past the minutiae and focus on the big picture, says Ronning. Start by posting a big piece of paper on a wall. In the center, write down the name of the company to which you will be presenting. From there, draw lines outward, like the legs of a spider, and write down all the key ideas you can think of relative to that company and their challenges. There‘s no limit to the number of legs you can use – if you think of it, write it down. Once you‘re finished writing – and it may take several days or weeks – step back and look at everything you‘ve written. You‘ll see some key concepts and some big-picture issues that stand out. Organize your presentation around these key issues.
4. Advantages and benefits. Organize your presentation in terms of the benefits of your product or service and the results those benefits can give your prospect. You need to tailor your answers to each prospect. For instance, Ronning recently did a presentation to a large financial organization that focused on the three main benefits of "Think on Your Feet:" communicating with clarity, brevity and impact. He started by saying; "Let‘s talk about what clarity means to you at ABC Financial in terms of selling your product. Clarity is critical in a world with many financial organizations. Unless your sales people are clear about your company and your products and why you are different, you won‘t win." After discussing all three, he concluded his presentation succinctly and went home with a contract.
For more ideas on how you can become a better communicator, visit
www.ronningleadership.com.
