Small firm managers face an internal audience daily and large outside listeners infrequently. However, many of the rules that apply to public speaking also are effective in handling employees. At the same time, like different venues create different audiences, there are distinct types of employees.
Joseph Sommerville, President of Peak Communications Performance believes audience engagement is crucial to the success of any presentation. Yet, he argues, it's often one of the most overlooked aspects. To Sommerville, too many presenters operate on a broadcast model, where they believe information should flow from the source (them) into passive receivers (the audience).
At the same time, Leif H. Smith, a psychologist who works with companies to improve information flow argues that many managers fail to recognize the differing types of employees. Failing that, these managers do not adjust their communication protocols to fit the individual.
Focus On Them, Not You
Remember, it's not about you; it's about them. When you keep focused on the needs of your employees or audience, you'll be more successful in getting your message heard. Smith divides workers into five groupings for communication purposes:
- The General-loves to be in charge, to feel important, to be in the middle of things. Plans to move up within the company.
- The Mouse-quiet, behind the scenes, appeasing with others. Avoids conflicts, goes along with everyone else's opinion. Seeks to keep a low profile above all else.
- The Cheerleader-full of energy, extroverted, is a walking banner-display for company values.
- The Rebel-loves to be contrary. Points out others' flaws, values own opinion above all else (without regard for competence). Bristles or pauses when given directives.
- The Transient-Moves from job to job, career to career, without much planning. Does only what is expected of him or her. Invests little of self in company values and activities.
Smith argues that ineffective managers cause lost productivity, confusion, and general employee ineptitude. He believes the following suggestions can improve productivity by twenty-five to fifty percent.
- When dealing with a General, seek to allow them to take center stage whenever appropriate with tasks. By doing so, you will be meeting their need to feel important and worthwhile, while simultaneously improving the odds that the task will get done.
- When dealing with a Mouse, seek to build their confidence. Appeal to their need to avoid conflict as a noble trait, and reinforce individuality and autonomy at every opportunity. Seek to keep them separated from Generals as much as possible.
- To best deal with a Cheerleader, never douse their passion. Put them in situations where their energy and people-skills will be most effective (dealing with customers and customer complaints). Praise them early and often. Hire two Cheerleaders for every Mouse on your staff.
- The best way to deal with a Rebel is to not engage in battles with them, for that is what they are seeking. Instead, fail to reinforce their rebel behaviors (voicing displeasure, complaining, etc) by making an example of them in front of others. This will only reinforce their role. Behaviors that are not reinforced eventually extinguish due to lack of utility.
- To deal effectively with Transients, minimize their role in important company roles and tasks. Transients are here-today, gone-tomorrow types, so you must be certain to appeal to their self-interest if you expect them to invest any amount of energy in improving the corporation's bottom line.
The Houston, TX,-based Sommerville provides some tips on ways presenters disconnect from their audiences and ways to avoid falling into the same traps. He argues that poor speakers provide infodump. Information without context is simply data. The information dump is to listeners what spam is to email readers. Don't provide information just because it's available. Use it in a supportive role. How does it help you explain your point? If you can't draw a direct link between the information and the strategic goal of the presentation, don't use it. Be sensitive to what level of detail your audience expects.
All these suggestions also apply to working with employees.
Features Tell, Benefits Sell
Sommerville continues by urging managers to remember the marketing maxim: Features tell, benefits sell. He urges speakers to focus on giving people a reason to listen to you. Will you help them save time, money or other resources? Will you improve their health, career or productivity? Will you help them reduce uncertainty, aggravation or frustration? Don't just tell them your information is valuable or important. Explain why.
To Sommerville, the delivery of many speakers detracts from the message. He says that although good delivery alone cannot guarantee success, poor delivery can usually guarantee failure.
Both Smith and Sommerville cite weak eye contact as a critical problem. "If you can't look your employee in the eye, how can he or she learn to respect what you say," Smith adds. Another deadly sin is the vocalized pauses such as "uhm" and a monotone delivery that has no variation in pitch, rate or speed. The cumulative effect can be excruciating. People who think what they have to say is so important that they don't need to make it compelling or interesting are in the greatest danger.
Engaging Others Is Important
The best way to improve delivery is to strive for engaged conversation. Think about how you'd speak with a friend, add enough volume and energy to fill up the room and infuse your presentation with enthusiasm. Use the vocal channel to reinforce the verbal channel. For example, when you want to convey thoughtfulness or seriousness, slow down a bit. When you want to convey excitement or urgency, increase your rate. The key is to inject variety.
Their language causes a disconnect. Within a particular trade or profession, jargon serves as an economical way to communicate. When used with people outside that linguistic community however, jargon serves as a barrier to understanding. Technical presentations to a lay audience are especially at risk as are explanations that involve complex financial, legal or medical issues.
Presenters are often tempted to use larger or more obscure words because they think it will make them sound smarter. Choose the words that will best get your point across to your audience. There's also a difference between oral and written language. As a general rule, oral language will use shorter sentences and more direct language. Be sure to define and explain any terms that might be unfamiliar to your audience.
Their information is poorly organized. Because of the way we process information, we expect to receive it in distinct and patterned ways. When material is presented merely as a "grocery list" of seemingly unrelated pieces of information, an audience will have difficulty seeing the connection. It's one thing to think in a non-linear fashion. It's quite another to try to communicate in it.
Use the organizational pattern that best mirrors the mental connections you want the audience to make. For example, if you're introducing a new policy or change, spend time making the case that a problem with the current situation exists, then offer your policy as a solution. Show how the new policy will solve the problem you've identified. If you're trying to teach someone a skill, a step-by-step organization pattern makes it easy to remember.
Long gone are the days when you could simply recite a lengthy speech or hurange and expect to hold the audience's attention or respect. Some presenters read directly from a written paper or worse yet, read lines of text from a PowerPoint show. In our multimedia rich age, attention spans are shorter and expectations are higher for some form of interactivity. Your audience members may remain in their seats throughout a lecture, but your chances for effecting change or moving them to action are slim.
The most important and oft-overlooked principle in becoming a better manager or speaker is to be human. Show your employees and audiences that you have a soft side, that you enjoy good jokes, that you make occasional mistakes, etc. The more you do this, the more your employees and the audience will feel they can relate to you. The more they can relate to you, the better your chances that you will be able to influence them in your role as manager and/or speaker.
Somerville can be reached at