"It pays to be obvious, especially if you have a reputation for subtlety."
— Isaac Asimov
US science fiction novelist & scholar (1920 - 1992)
It's a war out there.
Every time you communicate--you're fighting for attention. And you know how intense that is!
In meetings. Presentations. And trainings. Even on the phone or by email--you have to be obvious to win attention.
Talking with a training manager last week, I heard just how tough it is to fight for attention. D. is a natural born storyteller and shared this true story from a telephone training session.
At one team conference call, one of the participants started
snoring! Only it wasn't the kind of soft, mellow sound. No. It was
full-blown, full-throttle honking.
It was hard for people to hear her deep voice over the noise.
As the facilitator on the call, she had to think fast. Her only solution: close out the call...take a short break…and have folks redial on another conference line.
Now I know (and hope) this is an extreme example. But it happens. And it's a good sample of why you must be unsubtle when it comes to communicating.
You are fighting the war for attention.
You have to grab hold of attention fast and strong. And keep your magnetic force turned on like a powerful magnet--no matter what.
Well, I bet you're wondering… how can you command attention? How can you be obvious and win against the enemies of boredom, distraction and urgent workloads?
Here are 5 Tips to use instantly to prepare against the many enemies of attention. And the best news is these tips work face-to-face, on the phone and in virtual meetings.
Tip 1. Ask Questions To Create Engagement
When you're being obvious, it pays to ask the obvious questions. What are they? You know.
The questions that are on everyone's mind.
In an email, answer the question, "How did you get my email?"
In a phone call, answer the question, "How long will this take?"
In a sales call, answer the question, "Why should I bother?"
And in a merger or downsizing, "Will I have a job?"
And in almost every case, the first and biggest question that everyone is asking is some variation of "What's in it for me?"
These are the questions that are top of mind. As you can see, they aren't super complex or very technical. They are common sense questions people think about.
If you ask them, you will meet your audience and they'll listen. If you ignore these questions, you risk that they will ignore you.
After all, how can they concentrate when you haven't asked
(and answered) these biggies.
Tip 2: Anticipate and Adapt
Anticipate the questions that are in the minds of your listeners, viewers or audience.
What's the fastest way to do this?
Think about what your own questions would be if you didn't have a clue about the content. Contemplate what your questions were when you first saw the strategy, plan or data.
To think like your audience, you often have to step away from the detail. Unlike you, your audience has not been steeped in this data for the last weeks, months or years. Your presentation is often the first time they are being exposed to your message.
And the amazing thing is, many messages get lost before they ever get given. What do I mean by this?
Simple stuff. Like dialing in for the call, finding the room or knowing what your topic is about. Your audience has to know how to get to your call, meeting or conference. Many messages are not received because they never even get delivered.
Here are three examples from real life.
- Soldiers trying to log on to a new program didn't question the beauty of the software. They wanted to know where to find the on-switch. True story.
- Participants on a sales call didn't receive the correct conference code. True story.
- Training attendees didn't receive an accurate course description and think they are attending a different course. True story.
Anticipate what could go wrong. From fundamental logistics to gaps in delivery to assumptions about expert knowledge. Then, adjust and adapt to resolve these potential pitfalls.
Tip 3: Focus On The Single Most Important Thing
Be obvious. Tell your audience what is "the single most important thing" to take away from this meeting. And just like the classic sales recipe (Tell them what you'll tell them…tell them…and then, tell them what you told them.) keep repeating.
- What's the single most important thing in this new initiative?
- What's the single most important thing in this section?
- What's the single most important thing in this call?
If you can't get instant feedback from your audience, because you're on a one-way teleseminar, then tell a story.
Give an example by way of storytelling. I like to offer my answer by sharing the single most important thing to me. This makes it easy to share your personal experience while opening the door for individuals to answer the question for themselves.
Now, we've covered the top three: ask questions, anticipate your audience and identify the single most important thing. What else can you do?
Tip 4: Do The Math
I just did this at the end of Tip 3, by reviewing the three tips. Review the math of whatever you are presenting. Point number one. Point number two. Point number three.
This is definitely a 'be obvious' strategy. And, at first you may feel you're really overdoing it in the obvious department. But you're not. You're helping your audience focus attention, anchor information and stay on track.
Your numbers may refer to stages, steps or key points. Every time you review the numbers you are restating the obvious. The numbers help viewers and listeners just like mile markers on a road. They know where they've been…and where they are going.
Count your way through your presentation, training and meeting and you'll help everyone remember your message.
Tip 5: Paint A Picture With Words
If you are face-to-face it's easy to paint a picture. Just grab a marker and draw a sketch or diagram to simplify a complex idea.
But what if you are on the phone or working at a distance?
Then, you have to paint a vivid picture with your words. Use colorful words. Use shapes to describe a model…a solid triangle, a decision-making diamond or an arrow for going forward.
Explore how you can make your vocabulary and expression rich and full of feeling, action, colors and sounds.
Paint a picture that is so substantial and solid for your listener…it's as if you are preparing a wonderful feast and setting the table. It's so rock solid that they can easily imagine pulling up a chair. Sitting down. Mmmm. It's so vivid they can actually see, smell and taste what you are serving.
That vivid!
Look over these tips. They are not complex, expensive or time consuming. Yet if you use them you will radically improve and simplify your message. Plus you'll cut your planning time in half for training, presenting or facilitating meetings.
Use these 5 tips and you'll find it's a lot easier to be obvious. Your audience will thank you! And even if you prefer to play in the subtleties, you'll win attention and drive action just by using these "obvious" techniques.
Once your audience 'gets' your point, they make faster decisions. It's easy to take action--such as committing to a plan, purchasing your product or signing a contract. And that's when you know this is not just one more 'good idea.' No, it actually pays off big time.
It pays to be obvious |
