Great Presentations

Today, there will be millions of presentations being delivered to audiences that may or may not have a vested stake in the outcome. The audiences will range from being interested and supportive to being antagonistic and uninterested. How can we increase the probability of a successful outcome?

We can begin by understanding that all presentations are about selling. Yes that is right Sales! Whether you are selling a product or a concept or providing an update, you are trying to persuade others that your story is meaningful. The content and the performance will determine the outcome of the response from your audience.

There are three distinct ways a presenter can present:

• Make it up as you go… some call it impromptu, others call it 'slingin' bull
• Create a script and follow it… could be stiff, dry, and lose the audience
• Rehearse the presentation to increase your confidence, and know your audience to increase your communication effectiveness

We have seen all three approaches used with varying levels of success. We recommend rehearsing and knowing your audience, as that will deliver a better sustainable result.

Have you ever been in the audience and wondered what the point of this presentation is? Somehow the message is being lost and you are unsure what is expected. All presentations should have a desired outcome or expectation. Here are a few possible outcomes:

• Provide an information update or to educate
• Seek support or approval of an activity or new endeavor
• Create a forum to debate or brain storm programs or concepts

Take the time to know what your desired outcome should be, let your audience know upfront, and then work towards achieving it. Remember you can’t please everyone all the time, so don’t try. However you can increase your effectiveness and success. To increase your effectiveness, consider the following:

• Practice, practice, practice – rehearse to increase your confidence, it makes a difference
• WHAM factor – What Here Applies to Me - know your audience and deliver to the target
• Never, never, never read your slides – hit the key points
• Attend courses and read books to learn different styles and approaches
• Seek feedback – collect it real time and don’t be defensive
• As one client stated “Be brief, be clear, and be gone!” – don’t oversell or overstay your welcome
• Pulse the audience periodically – are they still with you?
• Stay away from telling jokes – humor is an acquired taste
• Use stories - to bring the audience into the experience
• Close with a crisp summary – all good things must come to an end

In closing, these tips will help you increase your personal success. However, let’s face it; even great presenters need good content. If you are struggling with presenting your thoughts and need a boost to deliver your message, give the professionals at ASIL a call. We can help develop your story to increase your presentation success.

Contributed by Peter Pazmany

Industry Trends

Tight Budget Motivation

In these days of watching costs, executives are being challenged as to how to motivate their employees. There are a number of monetary and non-monetary methods used by executives with some being more effective than others.  A recent McKinsey Quarterly survey has uncovered an interesting relationship between the frequency of use and the effectiveness of various motivational methods. While each of the methods is intended to show the employee their perceived value and growth potential within the company, they impact the bottom line differently.

Monetary motivation comes in various forms with the most frequent being:

• Increase in Base Pay: This is typically tied to an annual event (like a performance review).  The study shows that this method is used by about 70% of executives but is only slightly better than 50% effective.
• Performance Bonuses: This is usually tied to a specific project, program, or event and is used about 68% of the time and is 60% effective.
• Stock or Stock Options: Executives use this about 25% of the time and is only 35% effective.

The top non-monetary motivation methods include:

• Praise and Communication regarding a job well done is used 63% of the time and is 67% effective.
• Attention from Leaders (like meeting the employee for a one-on-one) is used 41% of the time and is 61% effective
• Opportunities to Lead a future project is used 54% of the time and is 62% effective

So what does all of this mean?  Employee motivation can be obtained without relying on the traditional monetary based practices. The graph below shows that there can be greater effectiveness in non-monetary motivational practices that are less used by executives and therefore can reduce costs.

Monetary versus Non-Monetary motivation

ASIL has the background and expertise in all aspects of Performance Management to enable you to get the most out of your organization. Give us a call at 1-408-980-9904 to help you along your journey of success and profits.

Contributed by Michael Singleton

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Our Software Products

Click on the links below to view ASIL, Inc.'s MAX Partnering® self paced software demonstrations:

Strategies and Execution - This demo depicts the tools that organizations can utilize to embrace change effectively and implement it successfully.

Partner Selection and Management - This brief demo displays the tools available to define, select, and implement outsourcing and partner selection.

Scorecards and Corrective Action - This vignette provides visibility to measure and manage the performance of your organization, partners and company.

Self Assessment Sample Questionnaire - This demo will enable you to respond to a small sample of self assessment questions focused on change management and create a Heat Map of your responses to see areas that may need attention. The Driving Complex Change® methodology addresses the six areas of Direction, Ability, Incentive, Resources, Structure, and Action that can impact your effectiveness of change management.

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