Lessons from the Oscars’ Quotable Quotes

Of course the morning after the Oscars is a fun time to reflect on the celebrities’ dresses. But as USA Today noted in their morning-after article, \”Oscar show mixes old and new…\, there were also several quotable quotes that serve as lessons for spokespersons and presenters.

1. Nail your delivery: Sandra Bullock’s remarks were clearly scripted and, in fact, they followed the same format as Jeff Bridge’s comments only a few moments earlier. Everything about her body language and vocal delivery nailed it and USA Today recognized Bullock as the “best greeter.”
2. Grab their attention with an unexpected opening: Not all awards capture our full attention during a more than three-hour broadcast. People might have missed the winner of best art direction (Robert Stromberg for Alice in Wonderland) had he not opened with the line, “Why didn’t I lose that 20 pounds?” I might have scripted a slightly different surprising opening line so that he’d be remembered for his craft and not his weight…but he absolutely caught our attention in a night mostly centered on the rush of beautiful celebrities. The audience is all yours during the first few seconds after you step to the microphone. Use those precious seconds well!
3. Say it don’t slay it: Last night’s Oscars show was all about targeting a younger audience. The hosts mentioned early on that they were chosen to be “cool and hip.” Then they said it again…and again and again in case we forgot. Don’t abuse your quotable quotes.
4. Beware of trying too hard to be funny: Justin Timberlake’s reference to Bansky (the street artist legend) and James Franco’s reference to a text message from Charlie Sheen both were scripted to be funny but fell flat. Timberlake’s reference felt like an inside joke and Franco’s comic timing was off (sadly for much of the night). Beware of humor…it’s hard to pull off.
5. Don’t ramble: It was painful to watch the too-many award recipients who rambled. If overcome with emotion, as I’m sure they were, they would have been much better served by standing tall and saying, “Thank you. I am humbled by this distinguished award.” At least they might have been remembered for being poised and coherent.
6. Finally…Stay in the moment: Melissa Leo reminded us early on in the evening about the hazards of stepping out of the moment. Her foul language reverberated in the theatre and was broadcast live to an audience of a billion people worldwide.  Her excuse on the morning talk shows today was that she was swept away by the moment. Sadly her inappropriate comment may be remembered long after people have forgotten who won the award for best supporting actress in 2011.  Stay in the moment and be very aware what that moment is all about.

Executive Spokesperson Tips: Spokesperson Media Training Take-Aways

I wrap up each spokesperson message and media training session that I lead by asking the spokespersons to share their biggest take-aways from the training. After four hours of mock interviews, facilitated discussion about their messaging and how to conversationally deliver those messages in interviews, it’s good to step back and focus on what the spokesperson has learned.  It’s also amazingly gratifying for me because 100% of the time the spokespersons get “it.”

Here are 10 executive spokesperson tips — in their own words — from just a few recent media training sessions.

1. “You absolutely can control how you respond to the questions asked by a reporter.”
2. “The reporter is just a conduit to my real audience. Always respond with my intended audience in mind.”
3. “Let my passion speak out; speak with absolute conviction.”
4. “Avoid tentative language (e.g. ‘I think…’) that detracts from my authority and credibility.”
5. “Headline my response, supported by anecdotes that build an emotional connection with my audience and compelling data.”
6. “Distinguish between my ‘internal voice’ (information relevant for company planning meetings) and ‘external voice’ (my audience-relevant messages).”
7. “Balance responding at the 30,000′ level with answers that include greater specificity.”
8. “Avoid corporate-ese and vague-isms.”
9. “Integrate my audience’s voice into my response, e.g. ‘Our customers tell us….'”
10. “Think about how I want to answer the questions I know I’ll be asked, want to be asked (“gift questions”) and dread being asked. In fact, the ‘gift’ questions are really the toughest to answer succinctly and clearly.”

Well said!

Sharpen Your Client Communication-Platinum Rule (part 3)

Sharpening your client communication is one of the most important ways to ensure that you are treating your clients the way that they want to be treated (Alessandra’s Platinum Rule).  Here are three suggestions to communicate really well:

1. Listen first…then speak.
2. Ask questions instead of telling.
3. Avoid vague-isms.

Listen first…then speak: Jack Welsh once said about a consultant that he worked with, “He is a really great advisor….he listens better than anybody else.”  Notice that Welsh didn’t say, “I love listening to my advisor.” He wants to be listened to!  There’s a gem of wisdom I share in Loeb Group communication, client service and management skills workshops, “…When a person has the experience that they’ve been listened to and understood, they let go of their preoccupation with their own thoughts and feelings. The door to their mind swings open and makes it much easier for them to hear you.” (Dr. Rick Brinkman, author of Dealing with Difficult People)  Try listening to what you client wants to say before you launch into your messages.

Ask your client questions instead of telling: People in client service businesses assume that because the client is paying them, the client wants to be told what to do. That’s not always the case. In fact, more often clients want you to help them discover the key to success vs. dictating it to them.  In fact, asking smart, thought-provoking questions is often far more impressive to a client than having all the answers. What questions have you asked your clients recently that challenged their perspective or truly got them to think? What questions could you ask to drive new insights and mutual understandings? What questions could ensure that they’re focused on the core vs. tangential issue. Think about what questions you can ask that will not only get you the information you need but bring the client to a higher level of understanding and clarity.

Avoid vague-isms: We invite misunderstanding and client frustration when we use language that isn’t crystal clear or don’t clarify when the client uses vague language.  A vague-ism about project scope might be to say or hear, “Just run with it.” Really? How far should we run with that idea? “Or you own it.”  What exactly is ‘it’ and what do you really mean by “own” it? Is that authority to approve deadlines and budgets? How about when the client says, “I’d like your proposal to be more creative” or “strategic.” The only way to make sure that any revisions you make will hit the nail on the head for the client is to ask a few questions to understand what’s currently missing and what they’re looking for. Another example is, “Do a little research on ABC topic.” Is “a little” a 15-minute Google search or a focus group in one vs. ten markets?   Or “Get back to me ASAP.” Who ever really means “as soon as possible?” Chances are the client wants your response by 3:00 not as soon as you can wrap up the other work you’re doing.

Sometimes we just need to listen, ask questions and clarify in order to know what the client really wants.

How to Respond to 3 Client Pulse Points – Platinum Rule (Part 2)

We begin cultivating our client relationships from the moment we begin pitching for their business. We set high expectations from those very first meetings. We need to keep our focus on the relationship (not just the tasks we execute) from those exciting first conversations throughout the successes and struggles of the months and (hopefully) years to follow.

Our antennae need to go into overdrive around key “pulse points” — moments in the relationship that require a different level of service, caring or attention. There are three categories of pulse points:

1. Business/Financial Pulse Points: The pressure clients feel during key budgeting cycles, at year-end, during planning periods, and during the  financial reporting process.
2. Personal Pulse Points: The distraction and anxiety before vacations (pressure to get everything in order), during (what’s happening that I’m too far away to address?), and after (when the overflowing e-mail inbox and voice mails are overwhelming). And don’t forget weddings, divorces, babies or deaths in the family.
3. Organizational Pulse Points: You need to look a little more closely to tune into organizational pulse points. What shifts are taking place in management or the organizational structure? Who’s moving offices and who’s getting promoted?  A client’s responses will be different than usual when they’re promoted or passed over for promotion.

This isn’t rocket science, but during all pulse points, it’s critical to think about the Platinum Rule. How is the client feeling and what’s the best way to support her now, in this period of extra stress? How can you help or how can you get out of their way? How can you adjust your frequency of communication and work style to meet the changed –and charged–perspective of the client during these pulse points?

What business/financial, personal or organizational pulse points are ahead for your client?

Focus on 3 Things You Love About Your Clients, Managers, Teams…

In honor of Valentine’s Day, focus on three things you love about your client. (She remembers to say thank you, she asks great questions, she is very demanding but holds herself to the same high standards…). Then three things you love about your manager. (He’s always accessible, he shares recognition for our team’s good work, he has my best interests at heart…). Then your team members. (They do whatever it takes to get the job done, they ask great questions, they collaborate well as a team). Then the individuals on your team. Then your peers. Keep that love coming!

And once you’ve thought about the three things, try communicating them. Go ahead…you can always say you got swept away by the spirit of Valentine’s Day.

3 Tips to Keep Your Clients Happy-The Platinum Rule (Part 1)

From early childhood on we’re taught the Golden rule, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” When you think about it, that’s really the height of egotism. Why should we assume that others want to be treated the way we do? Instead, Dr. Tony Alessandra (author and speaker) proposes the Platinum Rule, “Treat others the way they want to be treated.” Eureka.

That fundamental concept of looking beyond our own needs, wants and preferences to those of the other guy is the key to success for anyone in a client service business. Sounds good in theory, now how do you do it? Based on 30 years of client service experience, lots of listening to clients and supported by the insights of authors specializing in client service (David Maister, Charles Green and Robert Galford,  Jagdish Sheth and Andrew Sobel and Thomas K. Connellan and Ron Zemke)* there are three ways for those in PR, advertising and web marketing firms to live the Platinum Rule:

1. Minimize the risk; maximize the reward
2. Cultivate the relationship
3. Sharper your communication skills

We’ll save #2 and #3 for future blogs, but let’s start with a closer look at the blinding flash of the obvious suggestion to “minimize the risk; maximize the reward.

Imagine you are the person turning to your PR, advertising or web marketing agency for help. What are they thinking and feeling (deep in their gut) as they entrust their new product, new service or new program to you? “Will those marketing guys and gals get ‘it’?” “Could those marketing experts really be as committed to my product as I am after I’ve worked night and day on this product for the past twelve months?” “Will this agency help my program be as successful as my competitor’s’ agency has helped them?” “Will they be worth the money we’re investing?” “Will my boss think I made a good choice?” “Will they help me get the promotion I want after this program launch or will I be fired?”

Ultimately how well the agency does can make the marketing or communications manager look like a star or can doom the product and the manager to failure. The decision to work with the agency isn’t just a business decision it’s a personal decision. So your job is not only to do your job, but to reassure the person asking for your expertise. You need to minimize the inherent risk (unexpected costs, wrong direction, communication missteps, product failure) and maximize the reward (product success, nailed messaging and break-through market perceptions, new opportunities, business growth) they’ll get when you brilliantly complete your work.

To minimize the risk and maximize the reward, you need to be part detective, part shrink and part psychic. Detectives sleuth out the context and understand the big picture (the client’s internal business pressures, market landscape, trends and opportunities) while still observing the details (meting deadlines, no big mistakes, staying within budget). Shrinks listen. They ask questions (open-ended, hard, unexpected and probing) that help them — and the individual — understand reality in a new way. Psychics see what’s not visible (potential market scenarios, possible audience impact or potential new audiences, unanticipated challenges). All three focus on how they can help solve the client’s problem or hone insights unobtainable without their unique outside perspective. They clearly move their clients beyond where they could possibly be without their help.

Being a detective, shrink and psychic will help you minimize the risks and maximize the rewards, and will keep you focused on what the client wants and needs to be successful. You’re on your way to delivering client service according to the Platinum Rule!

A closer look at ways to cultivate the relationship (part 2) and sharpen your communication skills (part 3) in Wednesday and Friday’s blogs.

*Maister, Green and Galford wrote Trusted Advisor, Sheth and Sobel wrote Clients for Life and Connellan and Zemke wrote the Knock Your Socks Off Service series.

How to Be Known for Leading Great Meetings-Part 2

Knowing that you’ve clarified desired outcomes and your agenda (discussed in Wednesday’s blog), you’re ready to focus on actively facilitating your meeting.

Every meeting needs someone in charge. When you’re “it” there are three ways to lead a great meeting.

1. Engage and manage your meeting’s cast of characters
2. “Park” distracting tangents
3. Break through the clutter of endless meetings

1. Engage and manage your meeting’s cast of characters (really important!): If you’re looking for active discussion you need to anticipate ways to drive group participation. What open-ended , discussion-starting and thought-provoking questions can you ask? What exercises will encourage the individuals around the room to share their ideas or opinions? How can you make it safe for everyone in the room to speak?

• Begin meetings with a warm-up exercise that helps people break-away from the work they’ve left behind at their desks. Use the warm-up to jump-start thinking or create a level playing field for the discussion so titles and hierarchy become irrelevant.
• Respectfully listening to each person’s contribution will encourage people to speak. We respectfully listen by capturing ideas on a flip chart. Listen with your whole body and nod (genuinely) in receipt of the person’s idea. Repeat part of the idea and use that as a foundation for your next question. Dismissing an idea or allowing bullying behavior in the room will discourage people from contributing.
• You encourage the less-than-confident person to share by encouraging them to talk about their area of expertise. Watch for body language and notice when someone wants to say something but doesn’t know how to break into the conversation. Create an opening for them. Go even further and reinforce their contribution by acknowledging their participation after the meeting.
• Share the “stage.” During your meeting prep invite others to “own” a part of the discussion. Rotating speaks and getting everyone involved helps to raise the energy level of the room.  Whenever possible, whomever is facilitating should stand.
• Don’t tolerate meeting bullies or toxic meeting participants. Set ground rules up front. State clearly that all input is welcome as long as it benefits the group discussion because it is the collective thinking that will lead to the best plan. When a negative influence criticizes others’ suggestions, challenge him to reframe his criticism as a positive idea. Demonstrate what you’re looking for. For example, if he says, “Forget it. There’s no budget for that.” Suggest that he say something like, “On a limited budget, we’ll need to think about…”  Another tip for controlling a meeting bully is to allow them to briefly comment. Acknowledge their comment (“interesting perspective”) and then refocus your attention — your line of sight — so that you physically end the conversation with the negative individual and invite others to talk.

2. “Park” distracting tangents: As the facilitator you’re responsible for moving the meeting from the start to the desired outcomes. During your meeting set-up, establish a flip chart labeled “parking lot.” When a question is asked that takes the meeting off-track, respectfully “park” that point on the flip chart. “You’re raising a really great point that we can’t fully explore during the one hour we have for today’s meeting. Let’s capture it on our parking lot. At the end of our meeting we’ll discuss next steps for all parking lot items.”

3. Break through the clutter of endless meetings:

• Anticipate room set-up. The seating should be conducive to the meeting purpose and desired outcomes — both the chair/table-set up as well as who sits next to whom.
• Make the meeting visually distinctive. Imagine if you welcomed people into a meeting that felt completely different from the moment they entered the room. Wallpaper the walls with easel paper. Have colorful paper tossed (not in neat piles) on the conference room table, with colorful markers vs. 8-1/2 x 11″ lined pads with ball-point pens. Spread out a few, fun and touch-inviting toys on the table. We know that our brains become super-charged and creative when we return to our most playful selves so go for the unexpected.
• Vary the media integrating flip charts, slides, hand-outs and props.
• Choreograph the meeting experience and pace: Vary fast-paced discussion with calmer discovery exercises. If people are seated for a long period of time, build in an exercise that has them “race to the walls” to write down their ideas.
• Instead of the usual pizza or sandwiches for a lunch meeting, order fun or unexpected food such as Chinese food with chop sticks or ice cream sundaes. If most of your meetings are in the morning, schedule one for late afternoon and bring in wine and snacks.
• Absolutely begin and end on time. Demonstrate that you respect the time of the other meeting participants.
• Wrap up the meeting vs. just whimpering to a close because you’ve run out of time. Summarize what’s been accomplished. Establish next steps. Thank  meeting participants for their time and contributions.

Don’t lead one more ordinary, dull or pointless meeting. Start right now and think about how you’ll make Monday morning’s staff meeting feel different, more inspiring and engaging.

How to Be Known for Leading Great Meetings-Part 1

If you’re like the thousands of business professionals I’ve worked with over the past thirty years most of the meetings you attend are frustrating, lack focus, start late and run long. Sometimes you wonder why you’re in the room, too often you can’t figure out what the meeting is trying to achieve, and frequently you want to scream, “Who’s running this meeting?”  The brain ache is even worse when you’re the one who called the unproductive meeting.

You can immediately improve the way people think about meetings you lead by remembering two rules:

1. We move towards that which we think about so always know your desired outcomes and draft an agenda to make sure the meeting is successful.
2. Break through meeting clutter with active facilitation.

I’ll talk about active facilitation in part 2 of my focus on how to lead great meetings (this Friday). For now let’s focus on desired outcomes and agendas.

You wouldn’t get into your car and drive without knowing where you want to go. A meeting is a trip of sorts. And it focuses your meeting to start with your end in view (a variation on Stephen Covey’s “end in mind”). You must know where you want to go in your meeting — your desired outcomes — in order to ensure that you’ll get there at the end. And, like a drive, you have to think through which roads you’ll take and where you might want to stop — your agenda.

Your desired outcomes need to be crystal clear. For example, “at the end of this meeting we want to have three new ideas about XYZ,” or “group consensus about ABC,” or “clear understanding re: our individual responsibilities moving forward to execute this program.”

Your agenda shouldn’t be a laundry list of 20 items you want to discuss. We’ve all been in meetings with a page-long agenda and those same meetings rarely moved beyond the first few discussion items…typically not the most important issues which were for some reason saved for last. Instead, craft a three-part agenda. “We’re here to discuss three things,” is so much more memorable and motivational than, “Let’s get started because we have to talk about 20 problem spots…” or even said more positively, “15 areas of opportunity…” You can almost see the eyes glazing over.

A good meeting facilitator opens the meeting with a clear statement of the desired outcomes and a quick overview of the agenda. Your meeting will be even more successful if you distributed the desired outcomes and agenda in advance of the meeting to allow your meeting participants to think about the topics. The advance thought and focus will absolutely elevate the level of discussion during the meeting.

Tune back in on Friday for part 2 to learn about active meeting facilitation.

5 Ways to Keep Your Audience Interested

Several years ago Business Week reported that the typical U.S. executive has an on-the-job attention span of six minutes.  According to the Northwestern School of Speech, the average attention span of an audience is nine seconds or shorter! Notice how long it takes for someone (everyone) attending your next meeting to serepticiously check their BlackBerry for the e-mail, BBM or instant message that announces its arrival by vibrating, successfully interrupting your audience’s ability to listen to you. Technology has rewired our brains so that we require more constant stimulation.  That means as speakers we need to present in short “scenes.”  In each scene there needs to be one major point or takeaway (a nugget).  And the way you deliver that major point lets the audience know that what you’re saying is important.

Just to make it harder for you to keep your audience engaged, the average presenter talks at a rate of 120 words per minute, but the human brain can receive input at a rate of from 400 to 600 words per minute.  The mind wanders during the idle cycles.  The answer isn’t to speak more quickly (though many try).

Your audience comes ready to listen and is typically fully engaged during your brief opening which means you’ve got their attention for the first few minutes as long as those minutes are well spent!  Interest returns again when the speaker says, “In summary,” or “To wrap this up…” The challenge is to grab hold of your audience at several points during the body of your speech or presentation.  If you think of your presentation as a conversation, it gets easier.  Don’t let your audience have a passive experience.  Anticipate creating multiple “new peaks” — a change in the way you’re connecting with your audience.  Here are five peaks to try:

1. Build in open-ended questions to drive discussion.  For example, “Can anyone describe an example of…” or “How would we know if…”)
2. Take a poll.  “Raise your hand if you’ve ever experienced….”
3. Break the monotous pace of slide after slide with bullets (slide alternatives to bullets is the topic for another blog) by telling a story that is relevant and compelling for your audience. Make sure there’s drama, suspense, protagonists and antagonists. And remember to shift your body language as you change from delivering slides to storytelling. By changing your delivery you signal to the audience that they’re about to experience something different and special.
4. Introduce visual aids or props to make your point and whenever possible invite your audience to engage with the prop.
5. Move! Step away from your laptop or the screen or the podium.  Move as if you want to get closer to your audience.

These are just five of the many ways you can actively hold onto your audience’s attention.  What others can you think of?  It’s not your audience’s responsibility to stay tuned in.  It’s yours.

The 3 Biggest Mistakes You See in Executive Spokesperson Quotes

A company makes an announcement — ideally about an exciting product or service launch — and typically in about the third paragraph of their news release there’s an executive spokesperson quote. From the company’s perspective this is an opportunity to convey a message in the first person voice that the company hopes will get picked up in media coverage.  From the reader’s perspective, the executive quote is a peek inside the company, a chance to learn a little bit about the company’s personality and values.  But the quote is too often a missed opportunity and a disappointment.

Here are the three biggest mistakes you see in executive spokesperson quotes.

1. The quote is boring and generic. You learn nothing. Blah, blah, blah. Instead the quote should capture our interest and be specific to that company, that spokesperson and that moment in time.
2. The quote states the obvious. For example, a CEO saying, “I’m very pleased that our company is growing.”  Really? What a surprising statement.
3. The quote is written in corporate-speak, overly stilted and formal language. Spokesperson quotes should be in conversational English.  For example, how would that executive share the company’s exciting news if he was speaking one-to-one with someone he likes and respects?

The best executive spokesperson quotes on paper — and when delivered live in an interview — are those that sound trustworthy, reveal the executive’s passion for what he’s announcing, and make a clear point.