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Sometimes I’ll hear a dynamic speaker
with fancy slides and think, “Yeah. But she wasn’t as
good as Dairy Queen.”
Let me explain.
A couple of weeks ago, my wife and I
celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary at Bacchanalia,
which, on its website, bills itself as “Atlanta’s most
celebrated restaurant featuring contemporary American
cuisine.”
It was delicious and very expensive. We
spent $250 (tip included) with one glass of wine each.
I had the “Local Berkshire Pork Loin, Crispy Belly,
Anson Mills White Grits, Fresh Andouille Sausage,
Summerland Farm Greens, and Pot Likker Jus.”
For dessert, I had the “Brown Butter
Poached Rhubarb Fried Pie” in the “Honey Tangerine
Float”. It was also good.
But, to be honest, the dessert wasn’t as
good as a vanilla cone dipped in chocolate at the Dairy
Queen.
No Gourmet Dessert Beats
Dairy Queen
You see, I’m of the strong opinion that
no matter how much money you spend on gourmet tarts,
torts, flans, mousses, or tiramisus, you’re never going
to beat the simple satisfaction of Dairy Queen.
That’s because there’s just no improving
on Dairy Queen. The vanilla cone dipped in chocolate is,
in my opinion, a pure good. No matter how fancy you
get, you can’t satisfy me more.
I see presentations the same way Good
presenters do certain things that are simple yet – like
a chocolate dipped ice cream cone from Dairy Queen –
create an experience for the audience that can’t be
surpassed, even by the most dynamic speakers.
What are those simple things? A crisp
message. Stories. Conversational style. And most
importantly, lots of Q&A. Those things deliver pure
engagement. You can’t satisfy your audience more.
Simple Keys to a Great
Banking Presentation
I worked with a banker who had to give a
presentation on how business owners can make their firms
more competitive with well-structured retirement plans.
This banker had been the subject of
complaints that his presentations were long and boring.
The first step was to simplify. We
trimmed his message to eight slides and 15 minutes.
I asked him, “What are the three things
that you really want business owners to remember about
retirement plans?”
He decided that a good retirement plan
can:
·
-
Grow your wealth and allow
you to retire
-
Position your business for
sale by attracting and retaining top employees.
-
Increase competitiveness by increasing
employee engagement.
We also worked on his style. He wasn’t a
natural speaker. But with a little coaching, he was
speaking with more energy and smiling.
Q&A Drives Full Audience
Engagement
The most important key to his success,
however, was an instruction that he gave at the
beginning of his message. He said, “If you have a
question at any time, I want you to interrupt me. Don’t
wait. Don’t write it down. I want your questions as soon
as they come into your head.”
His audience asked questions from
beginning to end. In an email he told me, “I had many
questions; in fact the program ran over because there
were so many. “
When there are so many questions that you
run over, that’s full audience engagement. You can’t do
better than that.
It’s just as good as Dairy Queen.
Joey Asher is President of Speechworks, a selling and
communication skills coaching company in Atlanta. He has
worked with hundreds of business people helping them
learn how to communicate in a way that connects with
clients. His new book “How to Win a Pitch: The Five
Fundamentals That Will Distinguish You from the
Competition” is available on Amazon and at
www.speechworks.net. He is the author of “Selling and
Communication Skills for Lawyers” and “Even A Geek Can
Speak.” He can be reached at 404-266-0888 or joey@speechworks.net. |
