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Book
Summary/Review: Talking To The Top
This
article is based on the following book:
Talking To The Top
Executive's Guide To Career-Making Presentations
by Ray Anthony
Printed
with permission from: 
While written in 1995, this remains the best book on how
to give an executive presentation that I have ever read.
The knowledge contained in this book will help in your effort
to be a leader in the business community. A voice for sound
judgment and caring practices. Many suggestions mirror those
contained in the report I wrote "Powerful Presentation
Techniques." It is worth risking redundancy, especially
because the points made are so valuable.
While
I will summarize some of my favorite insights I strongly
suggest you buy a copy for yourself and refer to it often.
Introduction
"Creative
communication is at the heart of persuasion, and persuasion
is the essence of effective leadership." - Warren Bennis
"True
knowledge of the audience and its beliefs, attitudes, desires
and experiences, coupled with honesty and well-prepared,
concise and insightful messages will lead to successful
executive presentations. Executives who offer their followers
an important message and do so with an impressive style
will emerge as effective leaders in the twenty-first century."
- Ray Anthony
"New
ideas are not only the enemies of old ones: they also appear
often in an extremely unacceptable form." - Carl Jung
Chapter One: The Keys To A Successful Top Talk
"Top
talks are different because higher stakes are involved,
you have a limited time and it can be career lifting or
diving." The points made in this chapter are as follows:
"
Give a sincere and natural performance.
" Be yourself and be your best.
" Give an Academy Award quality presentation.
" You know your talk has been successful if you set
challenging objectives and then you use preparation, execution
and impression to reach all of your objectives as quickly
and easily as planned.
" The impression that we want to leave with an audience
is:
o I am a trustworthy professional
o My ideas are valuable and can help you
o I know my material
o I am a strong leader
o I am an excellent communicator
o I can handle any challenges
o I am an effective problem solver
" Preparation includes planning, an audience analysis,
preparation of a great "script," visual aids and
resources, practice, practice, practice.
" Execution includes presenting skills, creativity,
image and style, leadership.
The 10 characteristics of the ideal "top talk"
are:
o
Concise and to The Point
o Simple and Clear
o Interesting
o Relevant
o Friendly and Relaxed
o Interactive
o Effective and Efficient
o Strategically Focused
o Persuasive
o Motivating, Energizing, Entertaining
One
of the challenges I face, along with most other content
presenters, is being concise and to the point. We are so
enamored with our content that we end up owning 100% of
the content instead of 100% of audience. Focus on the 80/20
of your content. What 20% of things you to say have 80%
of the impact? Focus on those things and allow you audience
to interact with them. Remember, "No sinner is ever
saved after the first 20 minutes of a sermon." Mark
Twain or, "The secret of being a bore is to tell everything."
- Voltaire.
Note
- according to Anthony the ideal length of time for an executive-level
presentation is 30 minutes or less. When giving multi hour
workshops try to chunk them down to 30-minute segments where
possible.
The
biggest problem with handouts is they are distracting, too
lengthy or too detailed.
Executives
like visual aids, they most prefer overhead transparencies
and least prefer films and flip charts. Multi-media is rapidly
replacing the overhead approach.
Executives
prefer speakers who are informal, relaxed and conversational
in their presentation style.
The
two worst deadly sins of a presenter are displaying a lack
of integrity and time wasting.
Chapter Two: Knowing Your Audience
"
Know your audience and don't waste their time!
" When analyzing an audience find out their: knowledge
and experience with the topic, attitudes and opinions towards
it, expectations regarding your talk, pain points they are
dealing with and challenges they may impose.
" Before giving a talk, prepare for tough questions,
potential sabotage, facts and opinions they may dispute,
who your supporters are, and preconceived belief systems
about your profession (i.e. don't like lawyers, salespeople,
etc.)
" Interview prospective audience members before hand.
Also talk to people who have given presentations to the
group.
" Ask the audience questions such as "how many
have you …"
" Find out the audience's culture. It's always beneficial
to weave in things such as their mission statement, ethics
statements, values statements, industry awards, etc. For
example, prior to giving a presentation to Compaq, I followed
the history of their stock since I first bought a Compaq
computer in 1983. I was able to share with the audience
that had I instead put the $5,000 I spent into the computer
into Compaq stock that I would have over a million dollars
in assets today. I pointed out to them the long-term value
of investing in something you believe in (i.e. their job).
Chapter Three: Learning What Makes Executives Tick
"Really
great men have a curious feeling that the greatness is not
in them but brought through them." - John Ruskin
Today's
most successful executives are motivated by the social and
business impact they make and are driven by their sense
of accomplishment and contribution. What do they fear? Losing
power and embarrassment.
Learn
how to push executives buttons. I like asking, "What
commitments do you expect from your employees? How do they
know that? How committed have they been? Why aren't they
as committed as you hoped they would be?"
Understand
distinctions between speaking to senior management and middle
management. Senior management is more involved with asset
management, profit and strategic planning. They're in charge
of company vision and mission, management techniques and
balancing short and long-term goals. They are strategic,
financial, long-term and wide focus. In contrast, middle
management focuses on improving efficiency and productivity,
employee morale and satisfaction, better customer service,
quality improvement, systems policies and procedures, worker
training, goal setting and incentive plans. They are tactical,
operational, short-term and narrow focused.
"Strong
relationships handle change and uncertainty. Weak ones do
not." - Don Phin
Remember
executives that you speak to want to feel that they have
made a "real difference" and will be appreciated
and remembered for it. Ask executives what they want their
legacy to be. Is it financial growth and profitability,
vision and values transcending "mere wealth,"
continuity of management, enhancement of the company's market
position, or the improvement of employee's skills, morale
and loyalty?
In
1989, Korn/Ferry International did a comprehensive study
of the executive profile. While it is now more than 10 years
later, there's little reason to believe that the responses
have changed much. When asked what were the keys to their
success, executives stated hard work 19.5%, effective execution
15.2%, interpersonal skills 9.9%, perseverance/family 9.6%
and integrity 6.9%. Interestingly, the six top factors in
a career turning point were given as: different functional
responsibility 42.7%; luck 40.7%, improving performance
of a division 34.5%, switching companies 33.5%, taking on
high-risk projects 33.4% and aligning with the right people
only 19.1%. What both sets of these statistics tell us is
executives are focused on what they can do, rather than
"who they are." Interestingly their definition
of success was the ability to effect change 59.3%, enjoying
their work 56.9%, contribution to corporate profits 30.7%,
position 28.1% and power 24.2%. Control and money came in
sixth and seventh place respectively. Lastly, when asked
what would cause executives to move on to another company,
responsibility 27.9%, increased challenge 22.5% and better
compensation 17.6% were the top reasons sited.
Chapter Four: Designing A Flawless Plan
The
bottom line of this chapter is to plan, plan, plan, practice
and rehearse and then plan some more.
During
a presentation gauge their reaction, ask for questions,
and then ask for their commitment.
Start
off strong, and conclude reinforcing the initial points.
Repeat the theme throughout your talk and speak in terms
of threes. For example, the mantra of Fast Company is change,
learning and leadership. I like to speak in terms of relationship,
relationship, relationship. That is, the relationship we
have with ourselves, the relationship we have with our workforce
and the relationship we have with our customers. If you
have more than three subjects, break them down into threes.
Let
them tell you why employee relations, legal compliance,
employee retention or any other matter you are talking about
is important. Don't you tell them, let them tell you.
When
de-organizing your presentation, consider the following:
" Analogies
" Humor
" Cartoons
" Quotations
" Definitions
" Descriptions
" Short stories
" Research studies
" Test reports
" Facts
" Assumptions
" Metaphors
" Contrasts
" Statistics
" Exercises
" Explanations
" References (to news articles, etc.)
" Anecdotes
" Illustrations
" Comparisons
" Examples
" Themes
" Testimonials
" Demonstrations
" Rhetorical questions
Chapter Five: Overcoming Boardroom Speaking Fear
All
of us have heard that many people fear speaking over death.
A lump in the throat, dry mouth, and a fast heartbeat are
symptoms experienced by even the most seasoned speakers.
Anthony
goes over how to deal with the four major phobias of speaking:
stage fright, ridicule, failure, and fear of those in power.
In my personal experience, fear first begins to fade when
you have mastered your content. Sooner or later you will
be able to make a presentation without looking at your notes.
Once you can do that, you can then do a better job of interacting
with the audience. Instead of telling them what something
is, you can draw it out of them. Instead of telling them
something, you can help them experience something. I have
now gotten to the point where I would rather own 100% of
the audience than 100% of my content.
Chapter Six: How Your Top Talk Can Make A Winning Impression
"You
are the message. Everything you do in relation to other
people causes them to make judgments about what you stand
for and what your message is." - Roger Ailes
When
asked what are the five most important traits that a speaker
should exhibit during his or her presentation to you, executives
stated: knowledgeable 79%, organized 71%, logical 55%, confident
43%, thorough 31%. The highest paid speaker in the business,
Anthony Robbins, has done an incredible job of taking a
wide range of complex subjects, distilling them down to
their essentials, and then communicating them in a powerful
and experiential manner. He has mastered both his material
and his audience.
Anthony
and I agree that being personable goes a long way towards
establishing audience rapport. Before any workshop I attempt
to meet and shake hands with as many of the audience members
as possible. Make sure to make eye contact as well. Communicate
with your audience, not at them.
Anthony
also talks about his secrets for capturing the audience.
He wants them to like you, respect you and trust you.
Anthony
also reminds us not to make mistakes, use poor judgment,
annoying statements, and so forth. One of the biggest mistakes
is to tell someone that they are wrong or to use "you"
phrases. Better to speak in "I" terms when debating
a point.
Anthony
concludes the chapter by talking about dressing for success.
When in doubt I will ask the host to tell me if formal or
informal dress is preferred.
Chapter Seven: Developing Your Leadership Aura
Anthony
begins by telling us to take command at the podium. He says
the following traits, characteristics and behaviors create
an aura of leadership:
"
Decisiveness
" Energy
" Integrity
" Confidence
" Knowledge
" Personal touch
" Big picture
" Visionary
" Passion
"Visionary
companies stand out partly by setting ambitious goals, communicating
them to employees, and following a core ideology - a purpose
behind making money." - James C. Colins and Jerry I.
Porris. According to the authors these companies perform
eight times better than their competitors and five times
better than the general market.
Anthony
gives some ideas to help craft your vision. Among his many
suggestions are to make sure you know the emotions and feelings
you want the audience to experience as a result of your
vision. What themes, metaphors, slogans or speech devices
can strengthen the message? How can you create a vision
that will grab the very souls of people and provide a sense
of purposefulness and ownership into the future?
Anthony
reminds us to be careful with our humor. He mentions the
following quote: "The kind of humor I like is the thing
that makes me laugh for five seconds and think for ten minutes."
- William Davis. Experts tell us that the value of humor
can not be over estimated in the business environment. However,
we are not talking about a jokester here. Your humor has
to be relevant, tasteful, and well timed.
Chapter Eight: Creating Stunning Visuals
There
are a myriad of different ways we can give a presentation
today. The irony is we don't even have to be present to
give a presentation!
One
of the conclusions presented by Anthony is that executives
are most impressed with over-heads. This however, was before
multimedia could be surveyed.
Now
matter what your visual aid, avoid too much detail, too
many visual aids, distracting from the message, or misusing
the visual (i.e. leaving it on after it is needed, etc.).
Don't
get caught in the trap of reading visuals word for word.
Anthony
gives many good pointers about visual presentation. Some
of them include:
"
Use large, clear, bold letters.
" Limit a visual to between 35 and 45 words.
" Lower case letters are 13% faster to read. Use as
few words as possible to complete an idea.
" Use no more than three basic colors per visual. Yellow/White
on a background is the most visible from a distance. Visuals
with light backgrounds have an abundance of reflective light
and are distracting.
" When it comes to handouts, he advises us to keep
them brief and simple. The biggest complaint are that handouts
are either distracting, too lengthy or detailed or grab
too much of the speakers focus.
Chapter Nine: Using New Multi-Media Technology
I
won't spend time summarizing the points made in this area.
In part because the material is already dated and in part
because I think it is in your best interest to go to a multi-media
professional and have them set you up. There's simply too
much learning curve involved for it to be worth your while
to learn it all. Unless designing multi-media is your highest
and best use - have someone else do it for you.
Chapter Ten: Creative Communication Leadership
Anthony
goes through an excellent summary about creativity. He gives
seven excellent examples of creativity in action. As Anthony
says, you need to mentally toy with highly imaginative approaches
that tickle, massage or hug the audience's beliefs, desires,
principles, values and motivations. People pay close attention
to that which is out of the ordinary.
How
can you make your presentation more of the following?
"
Surprising
" Shocking
" Curious
" Stimulating
" Stunning
" Hilarious
" Dramatic
" Inspiring
" Spiritual
He
asks us to ask idea-spurring questions. He tells us to turn
our talks inside out and upside down. What can we combine,
what can we reverse, what can be added or taken away, what
can be rearranged, substituted, and what new uses can you
find for unrelated things?
Consider how you will use any of the following:
"
Illustrations, pictures and other graphics
" Music and sound effects
" Flip charts, transparencies or 35 mm slides
" Humor
" Grab the audiences attention from the first start
" Relevant and cleaver props
" Costumes, hats, etc.
" Novelties, magic tricks, bells and whistles
" Posters, banners and art work
" Blow up pictures, cartoons, etc.
" A short skit
" Games, exercises and demonstrations
" Examples and stories
" What kind of out of the ordinary presentation conclusion
can you burn into their brain
Conclusion
As
stated from the outset, this book is a "must"
read if you are doing presentations. The book concludes
with an excellent appendix of reference sources.
"Never
doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens
can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that
ever has." - Margaret Mead
(c)
Copyright Donald A. Phin
http://www.donphin.com
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