By Liz Radzick of Manifest Consulting

For those who can remember the 80’s movie Valley Girl, one of the hallmarks of the teenage inhabitants of the Valley was the tendency to speak every phrase as a question.

E.g. So the other day? I was in Loblaws? And they had a sale? On lobster tails?

Unfortunately, this is a common pattern among fully grown North American women many of whom do it completely unconsciously. The problem is that speaking this way makes a woman sound like she is both uncertain and child-like. Not the way you want to sound when you are a manager of sales or a director of fundraising.

There is a 4 step fix for this problem which involves training the ear and the voice.

Step 1. Record yourself having a conversation or leaving a voicemail. Listen for the rising inflection at the end of each phrase or sentence. Notice how frequently you do this or if it only happens at the beginning of a sentence or at the end. This step is to raise your awareness of how you sound to others.

Step 2. Now write out a series of random statements e.g. The laundry is dry now. I have to go to the gym. I want to see the new Twilight movie.

Step 3. Speak each phrase as a question first, and then as a statement immediately after. By doing this you are heightening your awareness about what a question should feel and sound like vs. a statement. E.g. The laundry is dry now? The laundry is dry now.

Step 4. Write out a series of sentences that you might make at a meeting at work or use in a presentation. Repeat Step 3 and then Step 1.

If you do this for a week every day even for just a few minutes, you will be on your way to losing the Valley Girl talk and speaking more professionally. Like, totally rad!

By Liz Radzick of Manifest Consulting

It was a dark and rainy night when I was driving my friend along Queen St.  That’s when I heard this horrible grinding sound caused by my car scraping the side of a parked car on the street. A 6 month old parked car with (as it turned out) a female lawyer in it. Not good. I immediately pulled over, put on my hazards and walked towards her car. “You hit me with your car!” accused the woman as she got out of her car to inspect the damage.

Things could have been worse – no one was hurt – but the last thing you want to have is an emotional scene after an incident like this.  Here are some things you can do to navigate this kind of intense communication scenario.

Speak in short sentences with lots of pauses. “Are you all right? Let me get you my info. Would you like me to use my phone to take pictures of the car?” Prevent emotional babbling by keeping it short and simple.

Breathe. When your body starts going into shock like mine did and you get shaky, breathing will help you to think clearly and decide what to do next.

Sink your energy into your feet and into the ground to stay grounded. By staying physically calm and keeping movement to a minimum I was able to maintain my composure and communicate clearly.

Listen closely to anything that is said and even take notes so that you can remember what you committed to do.

The result of doing these things was that the lawyer calmed down quickly and we were able to focus on exchanging information in a quick and civil manner. Imagine my surprise when we shook hands after the event and she wished me a good evening!

By Liz Radzick of Manifest Consulting

Last week my friend Lisa was feeling anxious. She was procrastinating about making a phone call to contact an agent about a resumé and headshot she had sent in to be considered for the agency’s roster. “If I get the receptionist what do I say?” she asked dejectedly. “ I never know how to get past them.”

Here are some tips to handle receptionists/assistants to increase your chances of getting a call back.

Sound professional: Don’t sound too chirpy or cheerful or accommodating or nervous or domineering. Sound like you have a clear goal to connect with the person and rehearse what you want to say (Lisa and I rehearsed her script 20 times!)

 e.g. Hi this is Liz Radzick. I’m following up on an email/package/text/voicemail that I sent to Dalia yesterday – is she available to talk at the moment?

Drill for Data: If the person is not available and the receptionist asks if you want to leave a message with her say yes…but there’s a hook!  Get more information about when and how you can best contact the person you want to reach.

e.g. My name is Liz and my phone number is (etc)…I was just wondering, is Dalia tied-up for the rest of the afternoon? Would I have a better chance of reaching her first thing in the morning before the phones start ringing say around 8:15?

If you do this in a friendly and confidential sounding way you can often find out that in fact Dalia is leaving for Calgary tomorrow…or that she will be in an offsite until after 1pm.

State Your Plan: If you discover that tomorrow morning would be a better time to try calling you can say something like:

“Great! I will call back at 8:15 then and if for some reason I don’t reach her I’ll check in with you later in the morning to see when a better time to reach her would be.”

Form an Alliance: Finally, get the receptionist’s/assistant’s name. “I’m sorry, I didn’t catch your name…” is one way to ask this. You can then thank them for their help and end the call on a positive note. You have now had more than just a dry exchange of data and demonstrated that you are going to be persistent in trying to reach your contact.

By Liz Radzick of Manifest Consulting

One of my favorite movies is Kindergarten Cop with Arnold Schwartzenegger as the hapless undercover cop in charge of a class of kindergarteners. Even with his rippling physique and imposing stature he initially struggles to maintain control of the room. In this age of smartphones and sleep-deprived workers sometimes it can feel like you are dealing with a roomful of distracted kids instead of a focused team of colleagues.

One of the ways that you can make meetings run more smoothly is to physically adapt the space to give you the advantage if you need to exert authority over an inattentive crew.

Here are the actions I used recently in client meeting of executives:

Always make sure you can see who is entering and exiting by not sitting with your back to the door. This ensures you aren’t caught off guard by the assistant bringing in papers that need to be signed or the refreshment cart.

Clarify how much time you actually have. Having this information spoken aloud will reinforce the agenda timings you have already set out and signals to the group that timing is important.

Move the furniture around if necessary so that you can see everyone easily. I sat in the center of long side of the table and pulled away the extra chairs on either side of me so that it was easy to make eye contact with all the participants.

 Choose to stand rather than sit. This gives you higher status and makes it easier for you to refocus attention if people get off-track.

(S)he who holds the marker has power. I asked if I could stand and use the flip chart. By doing this I now had 4 colours and a big visual focus to keep people’s attention where I wanted it.

Move around the room. Sometimes I would stand directly across from the person who was speaking. Other times, it can be more effective to sit and be on the same physical level as the other participants to show solidarity. At other times I would step back completely from the table and stand against the wall to allow the group to have a lengthy, internal discussion.

It is possible to stay in charge with a few simple actions. You can then declare in the words of Detective Kimble “You are mine now. You belong to me.”

By Liz Radzick of Manifest Consulting

In a recent article in the Vancouver Sun a director at Home at Debenhams reflected on the kinds of words that are influencing male kitchen gadget shoppers.  “These men feel more comfortable buying equipment which is described using words denoting power and strength rather than style, colour or even value.”   Phrases like “Planetary mixing action” and “horizontal motor” are edging-out “stylish” or “well-co-ordinated” in advertising copy geared to this specific audience. So what does anodized steel have to do with your presentation to the executive directors?

The oracle at Delphi urges us to “Know Thyself” but when it comes to presenting the oracle should urge us to “Know Thy Audience.”  Just like a savvy kitchen appliance marketer you can get better results influencing and persuading your audience by using language that resonates with them. Typically audiences are a mix of different “chefs” and so here are a few language suggestions to help you flavour your slide titles, text, or your spoken delivery.

4 Types of Chefs in Your Audience

Controllers (Gordon Ramsey, Cat Cora): Often in management, care about time and money, results-oriented focus, accept sports/military metaphors, low tolerance for technical jargon, more formal in style

Words That Impress:

Win beat target maximize end-game  ROI  execute  impact  fight burn grip  succeed threat advantage drop-kick challenge build effort tackle solution competitive

Analyzers (Alton Brown): Techies /finance people, great problem solvers, love detail, care about accuracy and specific numbers, embrace acronyms and technical jargon

Words That Impress:

Synthesize track platform granular efficient prototype logistics avoid prevent deploy consistent  launch touchpoints B2B first-generation Web 2.0

Promoters (Rachel Ray, Jamie Oliver): Sales/Marketing people, big-picture thinkers, great initiators, hi energy, dislike detail, love people, enjoy expressive language and metaphors, informal style

Words That Impress:

Fun exciting new friends love amaze  interactive playful Mondaze (or anything with a majority thumbs-up next to it at http://www.urbandictionary.com/) great fabulous wow BAM! incredible

Supporters (Paula Deen, Michael Smith): Admin/Customer Support, care about relationship, helping & serving, prefer informal speech

Words That Impress:

Community share values team acknowledge appreciate invite safety-conscious welcoming family-centric homey social encourage enable environment inclusive caring

So what to do if you have a mix of chefs in your audience? I advise appealing to the Controllers first and using their language and their preference for more cut-to-the-chase formality. Because if you can’t take their heat, they’ll kick you out of the kitchen. 

By Liz Radzick of Manifest Consulting

So you’ve been invited to be interviewed on TV or on a webcast for the first time. You’re excited and nervous! What can you do to prepare for this kind of situation so that you look and sound your best?

1. Prepare answers for the questions. Call the producer or the interviewer in advance to ask if you can get the questions that will be asked. Think in sound bites – I usually suggest that people speak an answer aloud and then rewrite it afterwards. Then you don’t have to worry about memorizing the exact wording from the start, but simply tweak the answer you would more naturally generate. Remember, you don’t want to talk for too long – 30-45 seconds is a fairly long answer.
2. Make up the questions. If you can’t get the questions in advance, compose a list of 10-15 questions and prepare answers for them. Doing this will mean that you are better able to improvise on camera because you will have thought through your content in advance.
3. Rehearse and tape yourself in advance. Try to re-create the set you will be on (sit or stand based on the show) and get a friend to role play with you. You can record yourself using a webcam. Nervous gestures like lip biting or fidgeting will show up immediately and you can practice focusing on eliminating them. Don’t forget to breathe before you speak!
4. Choose your wardrobe carefully. Wearing white close to your face washes you out on camera, fabrics with tight patterns like checks, stripes, herring bone and hounds tooth have a vibrating jumpy effect on the TV screen, and shiny or noisy bracelets/dangling earrings create audio and visual distraction. Go easy on the lip gloss or you’ll look like an 80’s throwback.
5. Dial-Up your energy. Although the camera visually expands us by 10 pounds, it also tends to compress our energy. In order to look engaging and interesting you need to be aiming for a delivery energy of an 8 on a scale of 1-10. You may feel like you are acting like Grover on Sesame St. but if you tape yourself then review it with the volume off, you will discover that you actually don’t look as crazy as you feel. (Makes you wonder what being around Ty Pennington must be like in real life!)

Hope to see you on YouTube!

By Liz Radzick of Manifest Consulting

Superbowl Sunday was over two weeks ago and although I’m not a sports fan, I know for certain what happened before the kick-off took place: Both teams warmed-up in order to play their best game.

I believe that giving a presentation is no different from a sporting event because it’s a physical event. You don’t just communicate with your mouth – you use your whole body and presence. So what can you do to warm-up before a presentation?

Stretch and Bend. To avoid muscle stiffness and locked knees it’s a good idea to do some side bends, calf stretches…anything that you might do before other sports to get the blood flowing. I often start at the top of the body with neck rolls and shoulder circles and arm stretches. Your gestures will be much more relaxed and you will feel more comfortable gesturing with your arms away from your body than if you are tight in the pecs and upper body.

Face Off.  Nothing like a blank, expressionless face at the front of the room delivering good news on the 4^th quarter sales results to inspire the troops. Facial relaxation exercises are important because sitting in front of a computer all day doesn’t encourage eyebrow, mouth and cheek movement. Say “Bee-Boh” slowly over and over while exaggerating your facial movements –make a wide smile on “Bee” and a long fish face on “Boh.” Do not do this in front of your audience.

Untie Your Tongue. My favorite tongue exercises are as follows: Count from 1-10, recite the days of the week and the months of the year while holding the following positions: biting the tip of your tongue so that only the back of your tongue can move, placing your tongue over your lower teeth and behind your lower lip as if you had a poppyseed stuck in your teeth, and hanging your tongue out of your mouth like Gene Simmons from KISS. (Have I just dated myself?) Doing these exercises will help relax and limber up your tongue so that if you have an early morning conference call you won’t sound slushy.

Just Breathe. Take in 3 or 4 slow breaths while sitting in crash position in a chair. You’ll feel your belt dig into your stomach. You’ll feel your ribs expand. Now sit up slowly and take 3 breaths while sitting up. This should calm you down.

Now get out there and win!

By Liz Radzick of Manifest Consulting

One of my favorite shows was (and still is) Sesame Street. The producers of Sesame Street have mastered the art of understanding what interests their audience (children)  and then delivering content to them in a clear and creative way. Are there ways to use the power of Sesame Street to improve the way you communicate with your audience?

Keep it Simple

 One of the most appealing aspects of this program to kids is that it talks to them at their level. Researchers found that when too many characters were involved in a scene or there were concepts that were too advanced for the target age range, kids would stop watching and play with their toys or tune out altogether. In today’s modern work environment, your co-workers’ busy brains appreciate when messages are clearly stated with plain language and the benefits are made plain. We’re in overwhelm much of the day – your slide deck shouldn’t make it worse.

2.      Use Visuals

 Sesame Street without visuals would be like a brownie without chocolate (can you tell it’s mid-winter as I write this?). What kind of props, pictures, movies or audio could you use to create more interest in what you are saying? I’ll never forget a Native American client of mine who opened a conference presentation on Aboriginal entrepreneurship by holding up a small dream catcher. In Native culture, he explained, they are used to capture dreams as we sleep. He then held up a dream catcher that was 3 feet wide and covered in beautiful, large feathers and told the audience he wanted them to dream big about the possibilities of their future and to use this conference to inspire them to dream these dreams. Powerful opening, relevant visual, big impact.

3.      Know The Street

Perhaps you have to communicate with an Oscar the Grouch in your office. If so, you know that you have to thoroughly think through all the objections and weak links in your arguments and present them up-front to demonstrate your thoroughness. Maybe you need to communicate with Grover who is so wired and distracted that your best bet for holding his attention is having a meeting while walking down a hallway. Remember: just because Cookie Monster and Grover are blue and furry doesn’t mean that we should talk to them the same way.

Did someone say cookie?

By Liz Radzick of Manifest Consulting

Probably the most common question I get asked by presenters is “What do I do with my hands?” Many people wave them around all the time while they talk while others clasp them modestly in front of them like a virtual fig leaf.  Some people are completely oblivious about what their hands are doing – like the man I coached once who had no idea that he had given the finger to his audience when counting off a series of ideas with one hand!

So what to do with your hands when presenting?

Aim high. If you are at a podium and want to gesture, you’ll have to gesture from your chest up to your head zone if your audience is going to actually see the gestures. For example, if you are counting on one hand, hold your hand high up to the side (not in front of your face) and hold it steady while you count off your points.

Do Karate. Rather than using soft, curved hand shapes and fluid movements (which are fine but tend to be more feminine and not as powerful) experiment with flat, straight hands and definitive gestures. For example, imagine you are holding a box in front of you with your elbows close to your body and your hands out straight – like a bad robot impersonation. If you were to say “It is CRITICAL…” you could then do a slight chopping motion with both your hands firmly and briefly as if you were putting the box on a table in front of you to emphasize the word CRITICAL.

Don’t point. Pointing at people makes you look like an angry librarian. Instead, use a flat open hand palm up and extend your arm just shy of its full extension to the person you are indicating.

Befriend your navel. The best place to park your hands when you are not using them is right about navel level. Folded, fingers lightly interlaced or clasped is fine. Choose what feels best for you. If it feels weird to hold them here, practice by holding a laptop at this level while talking. Then repeat without the laptop – your muscles will stay engaged and you won’t feel as awkward.

 And after you present, use your hands to give yourself a pat on the back!

By Liz Radzick of Manifest Consulting

On a cold day this past December I stood on Yonge St. and watched the Olympic flame as it passed by on its way downtown.  Seeing this symbolic act made me reflect on the importance of symbolism in communication and thought I would write a series about its importance and how you can use it to your advantage.

Body Position and Stance

If you are presenting to a U shaped set-up room, moving into the centre of the U to talk to the group can symbolically create more rapport and connection than if you stay at the front of the room close to the podium or the slide screen. On a large stage getting close to the edge of the stage can also signal intimacy, even if there are several hundred people in the room.

Standing during a presentation creates a more formal and authoritative impression. Clients often tell me that they prefer to sit because they feel less nervous and vulnerable. If they are trying to establish their credibility, especially among senior management who might be present, I encourage them to stand except when to do so would be seen as a disrespectful challenge to tradition or precedent. I have also deliberately used sitting when teaching my workshops when I have wanted to downplay my authority and get the participants to take the lead.

Sitting doesn’t always mean relinquishing power however. Years ago I was teaching a group of accountants and one of them, a man in his 40’s, was about to give his presentation to the group for feedback. I had noticed that he had been limping a bit through the morning – probably a weekend warrior who had a rough time on the soccer field I thought to myself. I had already stressed the importance of standing and posture when speaking when he approached me privately and asked if he might prop himself up by sitting on the table as he spoke. To my credit I listened to my gut I said yes and asked no questions. He then went on to make the most impactful presentation of the day about his battle with Multiple Sclerosis. He sat. He was powerful.  He was an Olympian in his own way. And in spite of breaking the “rule” he had us symbolically standing in awe.