Use Personal Stories in Your Next Presentation

Messages matter more to people when they’re relatable on a human level. Typically, only stories elicit that kind of response. You can repeat stories you’ve heard, but audiences feel more affection for presenters who reveal their own challenges and vulnerability by giving personal anecdotes. Choose ones that are appropriate for the occasion — they’re relevant and have the right level of drama.

Think of stories in advance so that you have an arsenal you can draw on again and again. Brainstorm past events, such as important times in your life — childhood, adolescence, young adulthood — what you learned, and who you learned it from — teachers, bosses, mentors. Jot down any stories you remember and the emotions they might elicit.

Keep a catalogue of these stories to help you prepare future presentations.

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from the HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations.

Build a Better-Than-Yourself Bench

Great leaders ensure that their successors are not only prepared to take the reins, but are poised to surpass past accomplishments. Start small and support one person — a direct report, or a more junior person who you have trust in — with your experience, skills and network. Explain why you believe in her and how you plan to aid her development. Put her in touch with contacts, sing her praises, and give her frank feedback.

Once you’ve seen success, expand on it — develop a bench of employees capable of rising to a level greater than yourself and bringing your company with them.

Adapted from “Your Greater-Than-Yourself Project” by Steve Farber.

Go Ahead and Break Some Grammar Rules

When it comes to business writing, some people feel paralyzed by grammar. But it’s important to distinguish between the rules that help writing and those that hinder it. There are some outdated “rules” that grammarians have long dismissed as ill-founded and unnecessary. For example, you may have been told in school never to begin a sentence with a conjunction. But look at how many times “and” and “but” begin sentences in high-quality prose.

As sentence-starters, these words keep readers following a train of thought and are more colloquial than “additionally” or “however.” It’s also acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition. A sentence with a terminal preposition may sound far more natural than the same sentence forced into avoiding one. “What will the new product be used for?” sounds much better than “For what purpose will the new product be used?”

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from “Those Grammar Gaffes Will Get You” by Bryan A. Garner.

Serve Your New Ideas Raw

If you struggle to find new ideas in your organization, don’t assume there aren’t any. Instead, look at the ideas’ processes before they’re presented. Are they batted around, revised, screened, and debated before anyone with authority sees them? Instead of thoroughly vetting ideas before they reach senior management, find ways to expose executives to ideas when they’re raw. Skip the PowerPoint presentation—it only creates high expectations for a slick, refined idea.

Remove the well-intentioned gatekeepers from the process. Hold an idea science fair where people present ideas in their earliest stages on poster board to a room of mingling executives who can stop to discuss ideas that catch their attention.

Adapted from “How Iteration-itis Kills Good Ideas” by Scott Anthony.

A LETTER TO FATHERS FROM DAUGHTERS!

by Christine Hassler

In honor of this Father’s Day, I am moved by the impact a father has on the life of his daughter. As a coach and facilitator for the past ten years, I have seen first-hand how a woman’s relationship with her dad influences every aspect of her life. John Mayer sings it well: “Fathers, be good to your daughters, Daughters will love like you do.”

My hope is this letter inspires all fathers and fathers-to-be to call yourselves forward and realize the role you play in our life. This letter is to truly celebrate what is possible between fathers and daughters — no matter what age she is.

It is never too late or too early to begin a loving relationship.

Daughters: if your father was not the Dad you wished he would be, I am sorry. You have my compassion. Take in the words of this letter and know you are so worthy and deserving. Trust you will discover great healing when you forgive and then create what you may not have had.

Do this by only being with men with generous hearts who value fathering your children and the children of the world. And by raising your sons with the strength of heart that will inspire him to be a great man and a great father.

Dear Fathers of the World,

You are the first man that I ever loved. You are my hero. Your arms were the first place where I felt so safe and protected.

The smile that comes upon your face when you see me makes me feel so cherished and adored.

Thank you for listening. Being able to be share with you and show you my vulnerability has been so important for my development as a woman. You have known when to offer me advice and when simply to wipe my tears.

Thank you for working hard to provide for me and our family. It has provided me with a sense of security that has propelled me in creating a fulfilling foundation for my own life.

Thank you for accepting me for who I am. Your unconditional support of my gifts and my quirks has supported me in knowing who I truly am. Loving encouragement from you has been the wind beneath my wings.

Thank you for showing me your softer side. I know you are strong and protect me, but I also love when you show me your tears. When you reveal your emotions, I feel so special and close to you.

Thank you for your time. Seeing you at my games, recitals, graduations, and at home for dinner made me feel like a priority in your life.

Thank you for always telling me to take a sweater and be careful. Even though it was annoying, I knew it was your way of saying, “I want you to feel comfortable and safe.” And thank you for interrogating every boy who came over. Even though it was so embarrassing, I knew it was your way of saying, “You mean the world to me.”

Thank you for being my teacher. You taught me how to ride a bike, throw a ball, open a checking account, and change a tire (or better yet gave me my first AAA card).

Thank you for not cheating. Your loyalty has helped me to be able to trust men and be drawn to healthy, loving relationships.

Thank you for being honest. I look up to you and respect your integrity. And your strong character has inspired me to value and honor myself.

Thank you for being a loving shoulder to cry on when my heart has gotten broken and a hand to high five to celebrate when I achieved a dream.

Thank you for giving me advice when I’ve needed to negotiate a deal, sign a lease, or take a leap of faith. Your wisdom is gold to me.

Most of all thank you Dad for being you. I know you that you are my Father but you are also a human being, on your own path and learning your own lessons. Even if you have not done all these things, I know in my heart you have been the perfect Father for me for you have taught me the life lessons I need to learn.

No matter what I will always love you.

And no matter how old I am, I will always be your little girl.

Happy Father’s Day.

With love,
Your daughter

This is dedicated to my Dad, Patrick. I love you.

# # #

Christine Hassler is an author, speaker, life coach and spiritual counselor dedicated to helping people answer the questions who am I, what do I want and how do I get it?

Three Tips for Giving High Performers Feedback

Don’t assume your high performer knows how good she is. Instead, use these three tips to give her the feedback she wants and deserves:

•Identify development areas. There may only be a few and you may need to work hard to identify and articulate them, but help your star understand what she can get better at.

•Show your appreciation. Failing to say thank you is a simple and common mistake. Your stars need feedback and praise just as much as everyone else.

•Give feedback often. Don’t wait for review time. High performers thrive off feedback and it’s your job to give it frequently.

Adapted from “Giving a High Performer Productive Feedback” by Amy Gallo.

Give Up Trying To Keep Up

Social media trends happen fast. Just when you’ve got your Facebook account set up, everyone’s tweeting instead. When embarking on using social media at your organization, don’t get hung up on trying to keep up. Even technology gurus have a hard time keeping track of all of the emerging tools and technologies. Instead, focus on what matters most to you, your team, and your organization.

Only a few technologies will truly be helpful in achieving your goals and those are the only ones you need. By shutting off the noise of trying to keep up, you free yourself to make the most of the tools that will support you in what truly matters.

Adapted from “Don’t Keep Up With Social Technology” by Alexandra Samuel.

Father’s Day Fast Facts

Here is what you need to know about Father’s Day, celebrated the third Sunday in June.

Facts:

June 16, 2013 - Father’s Day.

Father’s Day is the fourth-largest card-sending occasion with 93 million cards given every year.

50 percent of all Father’s Day cards are purchased for fathers. Almost 15 percent of Father’s Day cards are given to husbands.

Two top-selling categories are “Dad from Daughter” and “Dad From Both.”

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates there were 189,000 stay-at-home dads in 2012 taking care of children while a spouse worked outside the home.

Sonora Louise Smart Dodd of Spokane, Wash., is credited with starting Father’s Day after hearing a sermon on Mother’s Day.

Dodd wanted to honor her father William Jackson Smart, a widower who raised six children on his own.

Timeline:

1910 – Spokane celebrated the first Father’s Day on June 19, the anniversary of William Jackson Smart’s birthday.

1924 - President Calvin Coolidge publicly supported plans for a national Father’s Day.

1966 - President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed Father’s Day to be an official national holiday.

1972 – President Richard Nixon signed into law a permanent U.S. Father’s Day to be observed on the third Sunday of June.

Happy Father’s Day to all the wonderful Dad’s out there.

Stop the Shouting Matches

You don’t have to raise your voice to appear to be yelling. There are many ways to inaudibly be aggressive: sending nasty emails, enlisting others to exert pressure, and escalating disputes to your boss, to name a few. Yelling, even when done quietly, betrays your frustration and anger, and certainly doesn’t encourage real understanding or acceptance of your message. If you find yourself in a silent shouting match, restart and reframe the discussion. Take a step back and ask the other party to as well.

Work backwards by asking questions like: What are our shared goals? What do we want to accomplish? From this defused spot, you have a much better chance of making progress.

Adapted from “Turn Down the Volume on Yelling!” by Ron Ashkenas.

Customers Need More Than Products

The best salespeople see a sale as a consultation, not a transaction. They find ways to benefit the customer beyond what the product offers. Here are three ways you can be more valuable to your potential clients:

• Help clients see issues they hadn’t considered. Don’t start by lecturing a customer about the problems you see in her business. Lead a conversation, prompt her to explore deeper issues, and then offer thoughtful diagnoses as the discussion progresses.

• Point out opportunities they’ve missed. If you can identify them, help your customer see untapped possibilities – markets, technologies, trends – that will allow his business to grow.

• Refer them elsewhere, when necessary. Not every client needs what you’re offering. When that happens, connect them with people who can help think through a complex issue or point them to another vendor who has what they need.

Today’s Management Tip was adapted from “Would Customers Pay for Your Sales Calls?” by Scott Edinger.