Genuine Curiosity

Author Dwayne Melancon is always on the lookout for new things to learn. An ecclectic collection of postings on personal productivity, travel, good books, gadgets, leadership & management, and many other things.

 

Interesting Finds: June 24, 2006 AM edition

In the course of my work, I sit through a lot of presentations. There are some great ones (Guy Kawasaki, Steve Jobs, Brad Ames, and more). And then there are the ones where I wish I could teleport myself out of the room.

I've written about some good presentation skills/aids in the past (see Related Links, below). On the other side of the coin, here is my "don't do it" list so far.

  1. Don't put too many words on the slide. If you want me to read an article, send it to me in email. I came to hear you - and hear your stories from your heart.
  2. No animations, videos, etc. unless they are a crucial part of your story. If you are showing a video clip that helps tell your story, I can dig it. If it's a race car sound effect with a word skidding onto the screen, I don't need that. PowerPoint gimmicks are like the "Reply All" button in your email client - just because it's there doesn't mean you have to use it.
  3. No jokes about getting the time slot after lunch, and how everyone is going to nod off. That's just not funny because everyone says it. Just tell me a story about something, or a good clean joke.
  4. No reading the slides verbatim. Again, I'm here to hear you and your stories. You can use the main points to jog your memory, but tell me something I don't see on the slide (this is even worse when you combine it with #1 and you read a bunch of words to me).
  5. Face me, not the screen. When you face me, I feel a connection and your voice projects toward me. When you face away, I lose the connection. More so if I can't hear you.
  6. Don't use a font that's too small to read from the back of the room. I get the cheap seats sometimes but I still want to see your slides from way back there.
  7. Don't use a text and background color combination with low contrast. Dark blue on black (yes, I saw that recently) doesn't cut it from anywhere in the room.
  8. Avoid busy / heavy background graphics. Text gets lost on a busy background.
  9. Don't talk too fast, and don't mumble. I think this one speaksforitselforatleastitshould.
  10. Don't "wing it." Know your topic, know your slides, and know your key points. It's important enough for me to be here, so don't treat it like improv. Rehearse before you show up.

Not comfortable presenting?

Some ways to improve include:

Related links:

Read More

What a coincidence...

As you may have noted from a couple of my posts this past week, I've been thinking a lot about laser beams and focus (following my LASIK procedure).

I laughed out loud at the coincidence when I received an email from Amazon yesterday that my advance copy of Lisa Haneberg's latest book, "Focus Like a Laser Beam: 10 Ways to Do What Matters Most" just shipped yesterday. I'm confident I'll be as pleased with Lisa's book as I have been with my LASIK.

I've been a big fan of Lisa's work for quite a while, starting with her book, "High Impact Middle Management" which was one of my favorites from last year. I then participated in the pilot of her "2 Weeks 2 A Breakthrough" pilot program last summer, and was even more impressed with how she works and thinks.

From some early clues from her about this latest book, I'm glad it'll arrive just in time for a flight to Houston this week. Check out Lisa's new book - and check out her blog Management Craft if you haven't already done so.

Congratulations, Lisa!

Read More

Rosas Reinvention Round-up

If you're looking to reinvent yourself, Rosa's got a great round-up that is sure to help. Check out Reinventions at Work and in Business: the Ho'ohana Community Forum for this month.

As you may know, Rosa is a tremendous connector (of lots of things including people, ideas, bloggers, and businesses). She has a knack for bringing up things just when you need them, and this month is no exception -- at least for me.

If Rosa's place isn't one of your regular blogstops, it should be.

Read More

Reinventions at Work and in Business: a Ho‘ohana Community Forum

From time to time, each of us experiences overwhelming, daunting, or frightening tasks. You know the kind - you don't even know where to begin. Last year, I read a book (The War of Art) that talked about a "force" that it called "The Resistance" which describes this phenomenon perfectly.

Sometimes, it's tough to get started because you have no clue what to do, or how to do it.So how do you overcome The Resistance? The first step is always the hardest - because that is where you must overcome the momentum of the easiest choice - doing nothing. As tempting as it is to procrastinate, most of the time these daunting tasks don't just go away.

Get clear on what you really need to do

In his book Getting Things Done, David Allen talks about how we get "stuck" on projects and planning because we aren't clear on the goals and activities required (paraphrasing, "We don't know what done means, and we haven't figured out what doing looks like.") He offers excellent advice: Sit down and establish a crisp definition of the outcome you are trying to achieve - only then, can you begin to divine the steps and resources required to get there.

Another variation on this from Stephen Covey, in his 7 Habits, tells us to "Begin with the end in mind." Again, figure out what you want to achieve to get yourself unstuck and moving in the right direction.

Get some help

Whether it's doing your taxes, estate planning, or getting a project going sometimes we can all use some help. There are a plethora of options available to us, such as:

Outsource

Seek professional help. For financial matters, you might benefit from a professional tax preparer, a fee-only financial advisor, or an estate planning expert. You can often gain access to these people through organizations with which you're affiliated like credit unions, wholesale shopping clubs, or professional organizations.

These resources can also help you clarify your goals, provide expert advice based on the experiences of others, and useful things like that.

Network

Ask people you know for help. Whether you know them via work, community involvement, the blogging community, or other means, you can often find people who've had experience dealing with the same issue you're wrestling with. Why re-invent the wheel? Reach out and ask them for advice or help.

By the way, if you "get clear on what you really need to do" before you reach out, you'll increase your chance of success.

Engage If this is a work-related project, call a meeting and solicit help in getting things rolling. For maximum effectiveness, clarify your desired outcome ahead of time and pre-announce that via your meeting invitation. Also, clarify the purpose of the meeting (brainstorming, making a decision, creating a project plan, etc.), and communicate your expectations of the attendees so they show up ready to contribute in appropriate ways.
Take small bites

If a project seems overwhelming, maybe you're being too aggressive or optimistic. Consider whether you can break it up into smaller projects. One of the things I've learned from my work in the software industry is that there is often a ton of value in using a "go ugly early" strategy to show some project and establish visible momentum. This helps you achieve a sense of accomplishment, enables you to recruit supporters and more resources with less effort, and can help you detect flaws in judgement before you've invested too much time and energy in the project.

Create a forcing event

There is nothing like a deadline to drive activity. Consider making an external commitment to getting your project done. Announce to your team, customers, or other "audiences" when you'll deliver something, and you'll often find that it provides that extra bit of motivation to get you off your butt and get to work.

A variation of this is calling a meeting for which you need to produce something (a plan, update, or presentation). Get it done, or you look bad - ego is a powerful tool, when used in this way.

Study up

Sometimes, it's tough to get started because you have no clue what to do, or how to do it. While you can "Get some help" as described above, you may decide that you'd rather address your own lack of skills instead. Again, there are a lot of resources out there, including:

  • e-learning
  • your public library
  • local community colleges
  • books
  • courses offered through professional organizations

If what you're doing will provide you with reusable skills that advance your career or give you personal satisfaction, this is a great option.

Share what you know

Help yourself by helping others. You can build your network of resources and create more leverage in your life by sharing what you know.

When someone asks you to become part of their network you (by definition) extend your own network.

So how about it? what do you do to overcome The Resistance?

Related posts:

Read More

Interesting Finds: May 24, 2006 PM edition

Gretchen at the Happiness Project has some excellent advice regarding how to make a good first impression. Some of the items on her list include:
  • ask questions and follow up on people's remarks; and in doing so, focus on opinions and feelings, not just facts

  • try to find common experiences or interests

  • share observations about everyday life

The rest of the list gets even better. If you've been stopping by here long enough, you may recall that this kind of "connecting" is very congruent with the things I've been preaching with regard to genuine curiosity.

There are a couple of things on Gretchen's list that push my previous observations to the next level - for example:

  • mention some vulnerabilities and laugh at yourself

  • don't dwell on the minutiae of your life, especially annoyances

  • at least at the start, focus on positive comments, not criticisms or complaints

Your next click should be to head over to Gretchen's and check out the whole list.

Though it was focused on a different topic, this list also reminds me of a conversation with a colleague of mine in the UK this week on what it takes to work effectively with business partners. Our list sounds very similar (though a lot shorter):

  • Build trust early by sharing your objectives, concerns, and vulnerabilities
  • Understand your partner's objectives, concerns, and vulnerabilities so you can support them
  • Work hard to achieve a win/win/win scenario (ideally, you win, they win, and your customers win)
  • Be prepared to share the risk with your partner - that means taking on some of their risk, not just transferring your risk to them.
  • Be prepared to share the good things, too -- revenue, glory / credit, account information, etc. -- the rewards will be far greater for you both in the long run
  • Make sure there is a long run by working hard and continuing the open communication, even when things don't go as well as expected

It's easy to hold back in relationships because we freak ourselves out with the thought of losing control, being judged, being hurt, being "tricked" or other kinds of scary things. Start by opening up and taking a few risks - nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Related:

Read More