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Happy Holidays!
As 2011 draws to an end, we hope your holiday season will be enjoyable – full of peace, good health and love.
2012 promises to be an interesting year. The economy has not rebounded as people had hoped this year and with an election coming up, government gridlock doesn't promise any breakthroughs. Build on your strengths and strive for excellence in what you do, and prepare for the future. By doing so, we believe you will maximize the opportunities for success in the year to come. My team and I, at Presentation Excellence and our affiliates, will be here to help you grow professionally and personally by continuing to offer our strategic leadership training, coaching and consulting, and serve as your "trusted advisor".
Happy New Year
Jerry Cahn, Ph.D., J.D, President -
jerrycahn@presentationexcellence.com – 800-493-1334
Ace the Q&A, by Controlling the Process
Are you insecure about the Q&A process? If so you have lots of company. Q&A is the last part of a presentation, we've saved our discussion of it for the last month of the year.
Fears:
Many people fear that during Q&A they will be asked questions for which they don't know answers. Presenters want to appear as experts; not answering a question makes you some people feel incompetent – even though we "logically" know that no-one can know all the answers. Recognizing this fact, most coaches focus on helping people competently address situations where they are asked questions for which they don't immediately have the answers. Suggestions include:
- In your head, recognize when you don't know the answer
- Break the question down into its components and answer the parts for which you do have an answer
- Restate the part of the question for which you have an answer and give your answer
- Keep your word.
Controlling the Process:
A good presenter can control which questions are being asked. By doing so, you can "shine" for knowing all the answers. That's the best way to defeat the fears of appearing less-than-fully competent.
Most presenters break presentations into three sections: the introductions, the presentation itself, and the Q& A session. Wrong. A better perspective is to view all three as parts of the presentation itself. Just as you control how information to give in the initial introduction, and how much to weave into other sections, you control how much information you save for the Q&A session!
That's right: Controlling the process means deciding what information the audience should learn and at what point of your total presentation. You set-up the audience through the main body of the presentations so some questions naturally flow, and then you demonstrate your competence by answering them perfectly.
For example, a Hedge Fund wants to impress potential buyers. The presenter notes that its focused strategy means it is invested in 27 portfolio companies, which, while varying in their return rates, produced an overall 21% annual rate of return over 10 years. Anyone who is serious, will wonder: what was the range, and will ask – allowing you to show off your consistency in picking winners (i.e., +10-33%). (If your results were -25 to +6%, with one company having a 1678% increase!, you would never have mentioned the concept of range!)
One way to do this effectively is to design the entire presentation with all the information you ideally would present, and then cut-out key parts that you know the audience will want to know about – setting them up to ask you about those in the Q&A session. You will look "brilliant" knowing al the answers to the questions you wanted them to ask you! (E.g. This was the strategy a graduate student used in his dissertation defense, and he was one of the few people in his class to be awarded his Ph.D. with only one, short set of edits!)
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Webinar Excellence
Don't miss these Wednesday Webinars at www.webinarexcellence.com
in November and December
The 9 topics are:
- Urgency Based Selling (Oct)
- Fuel Company Growth (Nov)
- Sell Your Business (Nov)
- Raising Capital (Nov)
- Commanding Strategy (Nov)
- Board Presentations (Nov)
- The Power of Tax Planning (Dec)
- Question-based Selling (Dec)
- 5 Attributes of Effective Leaders (Dec)
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Hosted by Jerry Cahn, Ph.D., J.D.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
Are your presentations really working for you? Is your PowerPoint making it easier for you to get the message to the audience, or are you working hard to overcome its flaws? Will you "get through this presentation" and then try to forget it – or will it be a stepping stone in making your career?
Present like a Pro is a workshop that enables you to use each presentation to enhance your career. It focuses on the 5 S's:
- Select just the right
Substance to present to accomplish your goal and eliminate distractive
details.
- Use a Structure which
organizes the material to lead the audience to take the desired action.
- Use a Style of powerful words
& graphics to engage audiences and not bore them!
- Harness critical Speaking
skills to overcome fears, exude confidence and demonstrate your competence.
- Be aware of the Set-Up: the
audience's needs, your ability to present effectively, and where the meeting
will take place.
 During
this program you'll practice by delivering your own presentation, and get
feedback from video & group. To promote your company, service or product -
and your career, don't miss this workshop. To register for the Early Bird Special,
click here.
Yes, we also offer in-house corporate group training and one-on-one coaching.
Share with us your needs and we'll find the right solution for you. Click here. |
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From Our Associates
- www.VistageNewYork.com - Are you a New York-based CEO or Trusted Advisor who wants to be a better leader? Join the CEO Game Changers and the Trusted Advisors as they accelerate leader growth.
- www.LeaderSolutions.TV - Want to be a star?
C-level executives who have confronted and resolved key challenges, discuss them on this interview show. Register now for program alerts.
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