This 7 minute and 19 second video appears in my March, 2010 newsletter, The Catalyst. Please take a moment to join my mailing list if you would like to receive my newsletter each month. You can sign up right here on this page.

Successful meetings follow a process. In this video you will learn the three-step process for successful meetings:

1. Prepare for the Meeting – Determine the purpose for the meeting and prepare an action agenda and invite the proper participants to the meeting.
2. Run the meeting skillfully – Run the meeting in support of the action agenda and ensure full participation for each person invited to the meeting.
3. Follow-up – Assign roles and responsibilities during the meeting. Ensure acceptance of these assignment. You are already preparing for your next meeting – to follow-up on the decisions and information from this meeting.

If you would like to learn the techniques that I used to create the PowerPoint presentation I used in this video, I invite you to visit my online store to get details about my DVD, “The 50 Best Tips for PowerPoint 2007.”

Related Posts

• Why Are We Meeting?

Initially, I am planning to produce two podcasts per month. The subject area is” improving communications skills.”

Are you interested in subscribing? Or do you need more information? Do you presently subscribe to podcasts?

I would like to hear from you on this topic. Please take a moment to “vote” on this topic – I have added a poll  to the right sidebar of this page. (the poll is in the middle of the sidebar.)

Thanks in advance for voting on this topic!

Sincerely,

Danny

Here, is a video presentation of that article. Increasingly, I am inclined to contribute video blogs – in addition to traditional text blogging. Both forms of blogging are attractive and each attracts its own audience.

I am interested in hearing your thoughts on both: the topic of video vs. text blogging and on the content of this blog on persuasion.

Here are the Words per Minute Statistics for this article.

• @475 words.
• Length is 3:27 minutes
• WPM Count = 136 – This is slower than my “normal” WPM count of 160.

http://www.youtube.com/DannyRocksExcels

YouTube is a powerful resource with a very wide reach. Many viewers enjoy being able to access and share YouTube content with their friends and other members of their community. I want to give them the opportunity to view and share my Excel Training videos the way the they like to do so.

There video experience on my The Company Rocks Excels site and on my YouTube site are different. Let’s celebrate the difference!

Let me know what you think. Take a minute to add cour comments below.

Communications / Body Language

• “Don’t point your finger!”
• “Learn to control your finger pointing”
• “Learn to speak with your handshake”
• “What is your speaking rate?”

Customer Service

• “Empathy – serve it to your customers”

Music / The Arts

• “Why study Music?”

Thank you for visiting my site!

Before you jump to any conclusions … This is not a political blog. And the picture in the paper was chosen intentionally – to illustrate a specific point:

Sen. McCain is not a natural orator. His speaking technique is below average. He should avoid standing behind a lectern whenever he delivers a speech.

His “off-the-cuff” candor when speaking is a closed setting was enough to get him to this point in the campaign.

His stiff, under rehearsed, forced style of speaking in larger settings will not get him to where he wants to go – to be elected President.

In my opinion.

The NY Times article by Mark Leibovich is an excellent case study about the realities of speaking in public today – in the real world of “YouTube” moments. A world where every mistep and every malaprop is monitored, magnified, and memorialized.

What is a candidate to do? What should you do – to minimize the possibility of a “YouTube moment” sabotageing your career?

Practice, practice, practice!

“Every great shot you hit, you’ve already hit a bunch of times in practice.” – Martina Navratilova

Make you mistakes during your practice sessions. Speak your key phrases aloud. Over and over again. To the point that you, personally,  can no longer stand listening to your speech. That’s how much you have to practice if:

• you want to become a natural speaker
• you want your audience to respond favorably to your speech
• you want to avoid a “YouTube” moment like the one that Sen. McCain created for himself

To quote from Mark Leibovich’s NYT article:

“But when Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, came to the intended sound bite of his speech — the part about reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil — he hit a slick.

“I have set before the American people an energy plan, the Lex-eegton Project,” Mr. McCain said, drawing a quick breath and correcting himself. “The Lex-ing-ton Proj-ect,” he said slowly. “The Lexington Project,” he repeated. “Remember that name.”

In a town meeting in Cincinnati the next day, Mr. McCain would again slip up on the name of the Massachusetts town, where, he noted, “Americans asserted their independence once before.” He called it “the Lexiggdon Project” and twice tried to fix his error before flipping the name (“Project Lexington”) in subsequent references.

Mr. McCain’s battle of Lexington is part of a struggle he is engaged in every day. A politician who has thrived in the give-and-take settings of campaign buses, late-night TV couches and town meetings, he now is trying to meet the more formal speaking demands of a general election campaign.”

Unless Sen. McCain seriously commits himself to a program to improve his public speaking … Well, let’s just remind him of how President George W. Bush’s continued  mispronunciation of the word “nuclear” has solidified his image – and it is not a image that I would want for myself.

Practice is not fun. Nor is it fun to watch or listen to a recording littered with “awkward speaking moments.”

Especially, when you are the one who did the speaking!

Related Articles:

“Practice your responses” 

“Why do politicians fumble Q & A sessions?”

Introducing the new PowerPoints blog – http://www.thecompanyrocks.com/powerpoints

The focus for this blog is to offer tips that help you to improve your communications skills.

Yes, I will share tips and techniques to help you get the most our of MS PowerPoint. But, this is not a blog that is limited to MS PowerPoint.

MS PowerPoint is just one tool that you may use to help you craft and deliver a powerful message.

Remember these PowerPoints:

Your MS PowerPoint slides are not your message

MS PowerPoint does not deliver your message. You do!

Therefore, the tips and techniques that I share with you to get the most out of MS PowerPoint have a unified message:

“How will this tip help me to make a Powerful Point?”

Click here to visit the PowerPoints blog.

I have posted my first video lesson on the blog. Check back frequently for new articles and video demonstrations.

- John F. Kennedy

By now, you must realize that I love to collect quotations. I use them often in my writing and public speaking. I like the “rhythm” of certain quotes.  Expescially those that juxtapose a key word. For example, the quote from President Kennedy’s Inaugural address that open up this posting.

Here is another example from President Kennedy:

“Let us never negotiate out of fear but let us never fear to negotiate.” – John F. Kennedy

Now, I find out that speechwriters have coined a term to describe this type of literary device. They call it the “reversible raincoat.” I love it! It is so descriptive.

And when it is used judiciously, this device vividly describes a concept. For example:

“People never care how much you know until they know how much you care.” – John C. Maxwell

“An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.” – Winston Churchill

So how did I discover this rich term – the “reversible raincoat?” In the current issue of Business Week magazine, columnist Carmine Gallo uses some exceprts from Theodore Sorenson’s new book, Counselor as the basis for his article. Sorenson was President Kennedy speechwriter. Read Carmine’s article it is a good one!

I admit to reading a few excerpts from this book but had never discovered the “reversible raincoat” terminology. Now I must buy the book! I need to know more about this term and I want to gather some more “insider” information.

In doing some research on the Internet I came across this article. The formal term to describe this literary device is “Chiasmus.” Yes, that is a descriptive term. But it paints a different picture in my mind. One involving a visit to my physician.

I prefer the “reversible raincoat.”

And now I have another story to share with my audience. Thank you Messers. Sorensen and Gallo!

Recognize the behavior that you want to see more of – and you will get it! Behavior reinforced is behavior repeated!

Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it? It also seems like it should be easy to implement.

It is.

But most of us don’t do it – enough.

Why not? 

Words come easy. Effective use of our words requires thought and effort. And… a plan.

Words of recognition, appreciation and encouragement pay big dividends. People want to do their best work. However, many managers don’t help their team members to do the best that they are capable of delivering.

It is easy to criticize. It takes time, effort and a plan to offer effective, constructive feedback. Here are the three key elements of that plan:

1. To be effective, recognition must be timely. Offer your words of encouragement and appreciation as soon as your witness the action  or become aware of it.
2. To be effective, praise must be specific. Saying, “Good job, Joe!” is not enough. Those are empty words. What job did Joe do? What, specifically, made it a good job? What specific level of “good” did Joe deliver? Try this: “Joe, thank you for delivering your monthly report ahead of schedule. I appreciate the effort that you put into clarifying your department’s action plan for the month.” It took more thought to say it this way. It required you to put more effort into it. But… I guarantee you that “Joe” will put even more effort into his work. He will appreciate your effort to recognize his efforts!
3. It must be tied into your organization’s overal goals and objectives. Tell “Joe” why his good work matters. Connect the dots for “Joe” and the rest of your team.

Remember these words:

“Everyone wants to be appreciated.So if you appreciate someone, don’t keep it a secret.” – Mary Kay Ash

I, too, like to receive feedback on the articles that I post. Please take a few minutes to give me feedback. Tell me what you like – and why. What you don’t like – and why not? And help me to produce more of what you want to read about.

Follow the simple plan that I outlined here. It works! I guarantee it.

I am investing time today to complete all of my follow-up messages. Last week I was at the Summer NAMM Show in Nashville, TN. A major trade show. I returned with a envelope filled with business cards and scraps of paper with scribbled notes.

Today, I am committed to entering each new contact into my database. I will also write notes to follow up on each conversation or lead. Finally, I will review all of my notes and handouts and properly file them for future reference or action.

I have “marked myself out” of the office for today. It is really a good idea – extend your convention by one extra day. Devote that time to decompress and to debrief what just took place.

When you consider all of the time, money and resources that you put into planning for and attending a major business event, this make a lot of sense.

What good is the convention unless you actually follow up on the opportunities that you created during the show?

What are your thoughts on this topic? Please take a few minutes to share your comments below.

I’ll post some further thoughts on this tomorrow morning.