www.michellebowden.com.au How to Present Magazine NOVEMBER 2015 !1

NOVEMBER 2015

IN THIS ISSUE

Speaker Ian Hutchinson shares his tips for presenting in business 8 KEYS to running effective MEETINGS CONFERENCE Speaking Tips Keeping your voice HEALTHY Emails people read! How to build your PERSONAL BRAND 15 Tips for INTRODUCING a speaker What NOT to do PERSUASION Tips SUCCESS stories Performance Review

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PLUS: FREE book giveaway WINNERS focus on winning, losers focus on winners

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Michelle’s Update

Welcome to the November issue of How to Present - this issue is packed with articles that will assist you to present with greater confidence and influence at work.

NEWS BREAK: The 8th PCO Conference and Exhibition themed “Now is the time”, will be held in the Adelaide Convention Centre, from the 29th of November to the 1st of December 2015. It will provide a platform for C o n f e r e n c e P l a n n e r s , O rg a n i s e r s , Producers, Researchers, Managers, Convenors and Supplier Partners to examine and discuss the drivers of business in the Meetings Industry in Australia and New Zealand. I’ve been selected as one of the very few (and lucky) speakers for November 29th. And they’ve already got double the delegate registrations for my session than expected! Woo hoo! If you are a PCO, Event Manager or you work with a Speakers Bureau please come to my session! Visit the PCO website for more information! http://conference.pco.asn.au

A big cheerful welcome this month to the following new clients: Indivior, Wavestone and Royal Australian Air Force and welcome back REVLON, Delta Electricity, Challenger, Department of Defence, Teradata, AMP, Australia Post and Estee Lauder! You’ll see some terrific photos in the back of this edition!

My world famous Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclass is nearly full for the entire year (only 10 places per program). Please register today. Register here to be sure you can attend on the date you prefer. Visit my website.

Ian Hutchinson is our cover this month! Ian is a terrific speaker and you’ll definitely enjoy reading his tips for presenting in business. PLUS in this edition I will help you with our regular features on What NOT to do, Persuasion Tips, and Conference Speaking Tips PLUS I’ll share my 15 Tips for INTRODUCING A SPEAKER.

Ty Bennett explains that WINNERS focus on winning and losers focus on winners. Lana McCarthy helps you to Keep your VOICE healthy. David Penglase gives you some tips to Build your personal BRAND and Overcome Sales Call Reluctance and Ken Warren gives us 8 Keys to running effective MEETINGS. Greg Mowbray, asks The Annual PERFORMANCE review is dead! Or is it? And Nina Sunday gives us some invaluable tips for Emails People READ! Plus read some inspiring presentation Success Stories.

So grab yourself a ’cuppa’, put your feet up and have a read! And most importantly, make sure you put the invaluable advice into immediate action so you see some fast results. Happy Presenting!

DIARYDATES

WHO IS MICHELLE BOWDEN?

Michelle is an expert in persuasive presentation skills in business. She has run her 2-day Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclass over 700 times with more than 7000 people and she’s been nominated for Educator of the Year for 7 years running.

Michelle is one of only 35 Australian females who is a Certified Speaking Professional - the highest designation for speakers in the world. For a list of Michelle’s clients please go to: www.michellebowden.com

PERSUASIVE PRESENTATION SKILLS MASTERCLASS (2-day Public Masterclass - max 10 people per program)

SYDNEY 2015 November 17-18 December 8-9

To register or chat about your specific needs please email:michelle@michellebowden.com.au

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Michelle Bowden’s Proven Presentation System

Do you get nervous when presenting at work?

Do you want to showcase your knowledge, influence people and accelerate your career?

Would you like to learn the secrets of successful speaking, communicating and presenting?

How to Present reveals how you can be a confident, clear and influential presenter every time. Presentation skills expert Michelle Bowden shares her internationally proven 13-step system to exceptional presenting, starting with analysis (plan what you would like to achieve), then design (put your presentation together) and delivery (communicate your message for results).

Whether you’re presenting or speaking to one person or thousands, this is the essential guide to becoming an outstanding presenter.

The ultimate guide to presenting your ideas and influencing people using techniques that actually work

There is no other book on the market like this that will take you step-by-step through the process of successful presenting.— Steve Weston, Managing Director of Retail Lending, UK Retail and Business Banking division, Barclays

How to Present will help you:

• Maximise your impact in meetings,  conferences and conversations

• Manage your nerves so you feel   calm and confident

• Engage your audience and master the art of persuasion

• Deliver your message clearly and with authority

• Command attention and achieve your goals!

RRP AUD $27.95, NZD $31.99 | Available in print and ebook formats

Buy it now!Purchase your copy here

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PAUL SCOULLAR PRODUCTION MANAGER, SUNRICE

I am a Production Manager at SunRice at the Deniliquin Rice Mill. In my role I manage 30 employees across 6 crews, and work within a management team of 10. My tasks range from the day to day running of the mill, to managing projects across safety, quality, human resources, and engineering.

What kind of presenting do you do at work?I present to a diverse range of audiences, from shop floor personnel, to my management peers, the operations team, and to visiting customers. With this broad audience I need to be able to tailor my presentation accordingly so that the right message gets across.

What prompted you to attend Michelle's Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclass?

The program was offered as professional development through work, and strongly endorsed by our corporate HR team. I thought

the training would help me in my current role, a n d w o u l d a l s o h e l p i n m y c a re e r development.

How did Michelle's Masterclass change your attitude to presenting in business?

The Masterclass changed my approach. I’ve moved from presenting for the sake of communicating information, to now convincing the audience to my point of view. I gained a better understanding that if you really need someone to understand, believe, and act on your message, you had better meet them on their level. You need to outline what will make their life easier, what’s in it for them?

In general, what positive outcomes have you achieved f rom improving your presentation skills?

It is early days, but I am more relaxed in front of the audience, and I am a lot more conscious of how the audience is receiving my message, and whether I have matched their pace before I start to lead.I n w h a t s p e c i fi c w a y s h a v e y o u r presentat ion ski l ls improved s ince completing Michelle's training?  

I have found that my presentations are better structured now. The 4MAT approach ensures that I consider all aspects of both the information and the audience.What were your top three take aways from Michelle's program?

WIIFM – no matter what the topic there is always a benefit for the audience, you just need to find out what it is an build on it.Manage objections before they are raised.You must finish with a call to action – information is good, ACTION is better.

SUCCESS STORIES!

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PERSUASION TIP #11 BY MICHELLE BOWDEN

Remember persuasion is not the same thing as being pushy.

How many times have you gone to a meeting where one member of the group became pushy?

Even if their opinion was valid, everyone just ended up ignoring them, right?

Persuasive people understand that in order to get their point across they must do it with subtlety, not brute force.

In fact, according the the literature, there are two main types of persuasion: PUSH persuasion and PULL persuasion.

Push persuasion is where you do whatever you can to get your way.

Pull persuasion is where there is a level of freedom in the decision making process of the stakeholder.

I teach pull persuasion. You always want your stakeholder to feel like they made the best decision at the time (even though you also got what you wanted).

Happy persuading! www.michellebowden.com.au

WHAT NOT TO DO #9BY MICHELLE BOWDEN

Welcome to What NOT to do! This segment is dedicated to remind you of all the funny little public speaking habits that you should get rid of immediately.

Please don’t take yourself TOO seriously! Be confident and committed without being cocky or too highly strung. It's essential you remember you're there to serve the audience so be present, be kind, be nice to the people around you. Happy Presenting! www.michellebowden.com.au

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KEEPING YOUR VOICE HEALTHYBY LANA MCCARTHY

Have you ever lost or in jured your voice after s h o u t i n g a n d screaming at a concert, a noisy restaurant or bar?

H a v e p e o p l e commented that your voice isn’t s o u n d i n g i t s best?

H a v e y o u e v e r given your voice and the important role it plays in your life a second thought or do you take it for granted? Well, it’s about time you started to pay attention and take action!

Your voice is like a musical instrument that needs to be handled with care and maintained to ensure its long term optimum performance. Your voice is vital to maintain your livelihood, your relationships and your wellbeing. Looking after your voice is paramount.

Here are 10 actions you need to take today, and every day, to keep your vocal instrument healthy and performing well:

Let go of neck, shoulder or throat tension.Speak gently with little effort, especially in the throat.Keep your throat moist - sip water frequently throughout the day to hydrate your body.Swallow or sip water instead of clearing your throat or coughing.Avoid prolonged periods of loud talking, screaming or shouting.Turn down or move away from background noise.Support your voice by using hand gestures over noise.Don’t smoke, avoid other peoples’ smoke and avoid recreational drugs.Rest your voice if you have a cold or sore throat.If your voice feels tired - rest it!

wordofmouthglobal.com

Start by defining your personal values - what do you stand for and how would you like people to describe their experiences and with you?Be consistent in your thoughts, words and actions.Develop some kind of personal 'image' that can be replicated in all that you do and provide inside and outside of your businessSeek help from a brand management expert - I recommend Fiona Pearman of Brand Illumination.

HOW TO BUILD YOUR PERSONAL BRAND?BY DAVID PENGLASE www.davidpenglase.com

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15 TIPS FOR INTRODUCING A SPEAKERBY MICHELLE BOWDEN

It’s true that most people have been in an audience at the start of a speech and dosed off politely while the MC read out a long, boring, uninspiring list of the upcoming speaker’s credentials resulting in a complete lack of interest in the speaker, the subject matter, and the session in general! Let’s make sure this is not you!

There are four main objectives when you are introducing a speaker.

1. Grab the audience’s attention. 2. Spark interest and anticipation in what’s coming up. In other words, it’s about getting the audience in the right state to be able to best receive the message the speaker is delivering.3. Build the credibility of the speaker. 4. Reinforce or establish your own credibility and the credibility of your business.

Here are my top 15 tips for introducing a speaker.

Research the speaker before you meet them. Call them or meet up with them if possible and have a conversation about what they will be talking about and what they plan to achieve with the audience.

Ensure that the intro you write is punchy, interesting and builds the credibility of the speaker. If you have been given something to read out by the speaker, check it fulfills the purpose of an intro and ask permission to change it if you think you need to.

Ensure you know how to pronounce the speaker’s name and details. Over the past 2 decades I could count on only 2 hands the times an MC has announced my last name correctly (even though I tell them “it’s bow like curtsey, not bow in your hair”). It’s unprofessional to say your speaker’s name incorrectly.

Learn the intro in advance. Ensure that you are able to deliver most, if not all, of the intro to the audience without reading it. Professional speakers don’t read from notes. Professional MCs don’t either.

Look up and smile at your audience before you speak.

Think of a catchy icebreaker, fact, statistic or something that you can deliver to kick off proceedings and make sure you cleverly link that icebreaker to the role you are playing today.

Look at everyone (one at a time) with direct, connected eye contact.

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15 TIPS FOR INTRODUCING A SPEAKER (CONT.)

Speak clearly and slowly and breathe deeply between your sentences.

Smile throughout and keep your energy high, enthusiastic, engaging.

Ensure you are true to yourself. Be authentic and reduce exaggeration in your gestures, voice and content.

Don’t talk about yourself. It’s not about you. It’s about the speaker and their audience.

Don’t make excuses for anything about the event, the room, the speaker, your nerves – you are there to introduce the speaker and set the vibe for a positive event.

Build your energy to a climax so the audience builds with you.

Remember to tell your audience to clap their hands for the speaker and ensure you clap your hands too.

Shake the hand of the speaker as they arrive on stage and look them right in the eye.

Happy Presenting! www.michellebowden.com.au

CONFERENCE SPEAKING TIP #10 BY MICHELLE BOWDEN

When using slides, be sure to balance imagery and text. You may have noticed that bullet points have almost entirely disappeared from professional speaker’s slides - ‘phew’ right?

The current fashion with slides is gorgeous imagery and a small amount of text, no bullets!

Just don’t be too clever with your images so that they distract your audience. They don’t want to end up trying to figure out how the image you have chosen relates to your points!

Only use bullet points when:- the point you want to make isn’t easy to

communicate visually.- v isual language is the best way to

communicate the idea.

- people need to see the whole idea in order to understand it. And if you do this, then be sure to also give the model on a handout too.

- you are discussing l ists of steps or sequences (again make sure you also use a handout). Otherwise, go for an evocative image that takes up the full screen instead.

Be sure any bullet point slides communicate your point quickly and clearly. Don’t use them as a memory trigger for what you want to say – that’s what preparation and rehearsal is for. www.michellebowden.com.au

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8 KEYS TO RUNNING EFFECTIVE MEETINGS

I confess that I hate meetings – at least those that are poorly run, go on forever, and where decisions are never made.

Am I alone in thinking that such meetings are a complete waste of my time? I don’t think so. I am a big supporter of meetings that are valuable and well-run.

Here are my thoughts on what it takes to make meetings a good use of everyone’s time :

A clear purpose. Is the purpose, for example, to share information, consult, collaborate on solutions, plan for the future, or to encourage relationship building? Whatever it is, don’t rely on people’s mind-reading ability - be clear as to what the purpose of the meeting is. One workplace I know does all of their information sharing by email, phone and informal conversations. They keep their meetings instead for collaboration, planning, celebration of wins, and relationship building.

Relevance. There is nothing worse than suffering through a long meeting that is completely irrelevant to your work. Ask the questions: ‘Who needs to be there?’ & ‘Do I need to be there?’ One manager I know refuses to attend meetings that are not relevant to the work she does. A great example, for all of us.

A clear agenda. Have an agenda with an allocated timeframe for each topic. You can distribute this beforehand and perhaps include questions beside certain agenda items for people to think about. But also have the agenda displayed on a whiteboard to help people stay focused and on track.

A strong chairperson. Although some workplaces like to rotate the chairing of

meetings, unfortunately, this can lead to some people being in a role that does not play to their strengths. A chairperson who allows individuals to dominate meetings or who is dismissive of other people’s ideas is not creating the atmosphere that is needed.

People who are good at chairing meetings can keep people to the agenda, be flexible when needed, encourage and affirm everyone’s input, manage differences of opinions well, and give people credit for their ideas.

Timeliness. Here the rule is to ‘start on time, finish on time’. When the majority of people have made the effort to be ready for a meeting, it is disrespectful of their time and efforts to then begin and finish the meeting late. Starting a meeting late, also reinforces the behaviour of late-attenders.

I also recommend meetings of no longer than 60 minutes to help people maintain their concentration and engagement. A short meeting can be a good meeting. However, if longer meetings are needed, then at least schedule breaks to allow people to check emails, etc. Consider also whether a meeting needs to happen at all. If you cancel a meeting due to an especially busy time at work, your colleagues will be very grateful.

BY KEN WARREN

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8 KEYS TO RUNNING EFFECTIVE MEETINGS (CONT.)

Clarity on how decisions are made. There is no one right way to make decisions – reaching agreement by consensus, taking a vote, deferring a decision to the following meeting, senior leadership making the decisions – these are all perfectly valid, at times.

The key is that everyone needs to be clear as to how a particular decision will be made. There is a potential for conflict when leaders, for example, think they are consulting about a decision and team members who think a decision is going to be made by them at the meeting itself.

Clear minutes of the meeting. Here there needs to be a summary of decisions that have been taken, the reason for those decisions (which will be helpful for those who did not attend) and who is going to do what by when. This last part I consider the most important. Even problem performers will be more likely to act when the minutes record the actions they need to take and a due date. Even if they don’t take action, it will at least be easier to hold them accountable.

A shared understanding of how meetings will be run. Ask people if they happy with how meetings at your workplace are being run. Chances are that they will see room for improvement. So gaining consensus on how your meetings will run for the future will help them to be a more productive use of everyone’s time.

Your team might choose to develop a ‘Meeting Magna Carta’, which summarises the ground rules for your meetings. These might include the need for all to practise open, honest, but respectful conversation; for no one individual to dominate the discussions, and banning technology so people are focused on the conversations.

Apart from the traditional, sit-down meetings, there are other types of meetings to discuss – short stand-up meetings at the beginning of each day, longer stand-up meetings to encourage brevity, and by phone or on-line with remote staff. There is also my personal favourite – a short meeting followed by a shared lunch where people bring in food from their country of origin.

You are welcome to forward this article onto your colleagues. Or better yet, place on the agenda for your next meeting, 'How we run our meetings' and discuss the points in this article.

Meetings can be valuable. But they don’t happen by accident. It takes action to make them that way.

Ken Warren BA, M  Soc  Sc,  CSP  i s a Relationships Specialist who helps teams to perform at their very best.Through his enjoyable and interactive speaking programs, Ken will help your people to: • Build even stronger, more positive and productive teams • Handle difficult conversations in a more confident and positive way • Enhance their resilience and well-being at work Check out all of his free resources through www.positivepeoplesolutions.com.au 

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WINNERS FOCUS ON WINNING, LOSERS FOCUS ON WINNERS

TESTIMONIAL about Michelle’s speaking:

"A high-energy, entertaining speaker, Michelle sold selling to the 'sellers' during a recent presentation to the Australasian Promotional Products Association (APPA). Marketing and creativity is the bread and butter of our business, but Michelle was able to teach us a thing or two about the gentle (and subtle) art of persuasion. Michelle's knowledge of promotional products demonstrated her impressive commitment to research our industry for our conference and the result was a memorable presentation that had many APPA members asking for more.”

For more information on Michelle’s speaking or training please go to www.michellebowden.com.au

FROM TRISH HYDE, CEO, APPA

I help to coach my daughter’s competitive soccer team. They are in fourth grade and are a really good team for their age group in the state.

Last week, I set up a scrimmage with a sixth grade team. These girls were older and bigger

but they don’t play at the same level and don’t know the game as well as our girls.

As we began the scrimmage, our girls were timid and very worried about how big they were. They weren’t playing their game because they were intimidated.

After a couple of minutes, I finally got them to stop focusing on the sixth graders and instead play soccer the way they know how. We started passing, being aggressive, spreading the field and we won 6-0!

My girls were doing what a lot of do in business and in life and that is why it is a good reminder that Winners focus on winning, losers focus on winners.

In business we often worry too much about the competition instead of just being the best at what we do.

In life we worry too much about what others are doing instead of just being our best self.We win when we stop focusing on others and instead focus on winning.

www.tybennett.com

BY TY BENNETT

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OVERCOME SALES CALL RELUCTANCE BY DAVID PENGLASE

How can you overcome your sales call reluctance?

B re a k y o u r c o l d c a l l s d o w n i n t o manageable and rewardable blocks. For example, you might make ten cold calls and reward yourself by doing something that you enjoy more for five minutes. Then make another ten cold calls etc.

Look for ways to get to clients other than making cold calls. For example, conduct breakfast briefings to twenty or thirty prospects - speak to them all once and you've achieved your 'contact initiation

goal' and avoided twenty or thirty cold calls. This is not about avoidance, it's just realizing that there are other ways.

Making a 'cold call' and the hesitation that some people feel when about to do so is often referred to as call reluctance or sales call reluctance. One of the best books to read on overcoming the fear of sales call reluctance is "Earning What You're Worth" by George Dudley and Shannon Goodson. It's published by Behavioural Science Research Press. www.davidpenglase.com

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CONFIDENT SPEAKING VOCALS–AUDIOA confident, persuasive speaking voice lies within you!

Many of us know someone who has a strong, rich, resonant voice. Maybe it’s an actor like Sean Connery or Cate Blanchett.

At some point you may have found yourself wishing that you could enhance your vocal quality and projection so you were more compelling, influential and persuasive when speaking in meetings, persuading your manager, or selling to your clients.

Well you know it’s possible, and it’s easy! Creating a rich, resonant influential voice is all about warming up your voice, and this CD will take you through the warm-ups that actually work one by one. Enjoy!

EXCEPTIONAL PRESENTATION DESIGN–DVDYou can design an exceptional presentation in a minimum amount of time!

Imagine how helpful it would be if you could have your very own coach taking you through the design process for an exceptional presentation. That’s exactly what this DVD is for!

If you have a presentation to write, simply play this DVD and Michelle Bowden will coach you through the design of an exceptional presentation from beginning to end. It couldn’t be simpler!

An ideal accompaniment to Michelle’s book How to Present, you’ll be reminded how to identify the purpose of your presentation, analyse your audience and design a powerful message that influences your audience to change their thinking and/or behaviour using techniques that actually work!

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HOW TO PRESENT–TIPS FROM THE MASTERS–AUDIO SERIESFast-track your presentation and speaking skills success by discovering the presentation secrets of 14 of Australia’s top conference keynote presenters.

What would be possible for your career and income if you absorbed the wisdom of Australia’s top speaking professionals and could learn from their tips and their mistakes? Well, now you can in this series of insightful interviews by Australia’s #1 Presentation Skills Expert–Michelle Bowden. Learn critical presentation tips from the amazing: Amanda Gore, Lisa McInnes-Smith, Glenn Capelli, Alan Parker, Siimon Reynolds, Rodney Marks, Sam Cawthorn, Marty Wilson, Terry Hawkins, Dale Beaumont, Catherine DeVrye, David Penglase, Avril Henry and Bruce Sullivan.

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EMAILS PEOPLE READ! BY NINA SUNDAY

Are you ever frustrated waiting for an email response?

You can’t move to the next step in a project because action you’ve requested by email hasn’t been completed?

Do you simply resend the same email again and again?

Many of us have email inboxes that are overfull.

How can you grab your recipient's attention if they are swamped by a deluge of emails?

 Here are some creative ways to gain attention and get the action you need done: 

1. Pick up the phone instead. It’s hard for someone to ignore a living, breathing human at the end of the phone line.

Don’t simply resend the email. Pick up the phone instead. And if you dial and get their voicemail, don't overwhelm them with detail. Here’s the best message to leave. I call it the QQ (quick question) message:

 ‘Hi [their name].

This is [your name]. I have a quick question for you.

Please call me on [your number].’

Curiosity forces them to reply. 2. Subject line. If a phone call still doesn’t inspire action, what can you do to make your next email stand out?  

Answer. Put urgency language in the first word of the subject line. Here’s a list to choose from: 

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EMAILS PEOPLE READ! (CONT.)

-        Action requested:-        Reminder:-        Resending:-        Did you miss this?-        Urgent:-        Important: Busy people appreciate a visual indicator in the subject line so they know what to action first. 3. Set a high importance level. To indicate the message needs the recipient’s attention, you can set the level of importance as high. Receipients see a visual indicator  - a red exclamation mark - in their inbox. You’ll find this function in the ’Options’ group.

4. Use fewer words. Can you reduce your email to three or five sentences? Wordy emails get ignored. Concise emails get actioned. Visit www.three.sentenc.es to inspire you to reduce the number of sentences in your emails. And if you can’t fit your message into three sentences, then visit www.five.sentenc.es and be inspired to fit your message into five sentences. There's even a www.two.sentenc.es 5. Give a reason. People are influenced when a reason is given with a request for action. For example, ‘Our client is asking for an answer . . .’ Check any email requests that are being ignored. Is it lacking a reason you are making that request? Add the reason; watch the responses come in. A read receipt request makes the recipient feel like you are ‘watching’ their response. But don’t attach a read receipt request with every email you send though. Email users often mention this feature as a source of irritation. Use read receipt sparingly. 

7. CC: their supervisor. Warning. Be very careful. You have now escalated the situation over their head. Know the right time to bring in a supervisor. You don't want to destroy trust or be regarded as a snitch. 8. And if all else fails, phone your (or their) supervisor. Be careful again. I don’t need to remind you, this is a last resort.

Nina Sunday is a speaker (CSP), educator and author. She has been engaged over 2000 times as a keynote speaker and workshop leader by more than 500 organisations. She has published two books, produced six training videos, been an invited guest expert on radio on many occasions and written dozens of published articles.  Nina founded Australian training company, Brainpower Training, and served two terms as NSW State President of P r o f e s s i o n a l S p e a k e r s A u s t r a l i a . www.NinaSunday.com

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TIPS FROM A PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER IAN HUTCHINSON PROFESSIONAL SPEAKER

Ian Hutchinson (G.Dip.Psy, B.Bus, CSP) is Founder and Chief Engagement Officer of Life by Design, maximisers of productivity & performance by fast-tracking engagement & motivation. Ian has been awarded the National Speakers Association of Australia Educator Award for Excellence, and is the author of “People Glue: Employee & Engagement & Retention Strategies That Stick” and “52 Strategies to Work Life Balance”. www.LifebyDesign.com.au

How lucky are we to have some of his top tips for speaking in business today! Enjoy!

Clarity. Be clear on your intention. Provide an engaging, meaningful service.

Audience Understanding. Get clear about what problems your audience needs to solve. Always do your research so that your audience

knows that you know the challenges and problems that they have and can empathise with them, before presenting the solution/s to their problems.

Preparation: Arrive early to hear prior speakers, get a feel for your audience and trouble shoot any room set up or technical issues.

Specialise and get them thinking. Pick a lane, specialise and become an expert in your topic of passion, then get your audience to think: 1) I never looked at that topic it like that 2) that makes sense, 3) I can do that.

The theatre experience. Learn how to use P o w e r P o i n t p r o p e r l y : t o c r e a t e a n entertainment experience; not as cue cards.

Appeal to all the senses. Use music when appropriate to fully engage the senses of your audience. For example, when you enter and exit and during exercises and/or role plays.

Engage courageously. Have fun, buck mainstream convention, be entertaining and interactive. Your audience will enjoy your session and will forget they are learning.

Embed the learning. Always give them written ‘take-aways’ to make the learning more on-going and keep you top of mind.

Exceed expectations. Always give your audience more than they expect.

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The thought of the dreaded annual performance review leaves many with cold sweats. There has been much celebration at the news that one of the world's largest professional services companies, Accenture, will soon stop doing annual performance reviews with its 330,000 employees. It is likely that many will follow suit. But before you rush into ditching reviews at your place, let's understand the issue a little more.

Imagine if a meteorologist, wandered out of their office on just one day per year, looked at the sky and recorded what was happening. In their report they could say that 2014 was rainy. They would be right because on the day the observation was made, it was indeed raining. But are they right drawing the conclusion that the whole year was rainy? The same crazy thing happens i n many o rgan i sa t ions w i th performance reviews.

There is nothing wrong with performance reviews if they give meaningful feedback to employees based on agreed criteria and are done fairly and objectively. The problem in most cases is that they are not done in this context. They are usually seen as a chore, a boring administrative task which is rushed and is more

about a manager ticking off a KPI. Wrong, wrong, wrong and wrong. No wonder they have a bad name.

Despite Accenture ditching the annual review, the company is now even more concerned about giving meaningful feedback to its employees. What wasn't covered in many of the news reports is that they are moving away from the one-off, annual review to more frequent, more meaningful, more personalised reviews. They understand that providing performance feedback is vital to getting the best from people.

Can you imagine if a footy coach only gave a player feedback on his performance at the end of the year? This would rob the player of the opportunity to do better in every training session and every game.

This has massive implications for leaders. If you thought you were escaping the dreaded one-off annual process, it is now being replaced with a constant, ongoing expectation that you will watch, evaluate and feedback, every day! What is your experience with performance reviews? www.licencetolead.com.au

WOW your VIP guests and boost your business whether you run a casino, resort, club, hotel, restaurant or conference centre. It has never been harder to compete for your guests’ dollar. How can your business cater to all of its highest-paying guests if they are from different generations and cultures, each with their own languages and high expectations? The VIP Principle is your answer. Inside, you will learn the best strategies that business veterans Michelle Pascoe and David Staughton have collected over a combined 50 years to help you continuously improve your guest experienceTo claim your very own copy of The VIP Principle be one of the first 5 to email michelle@michellebowden.com.au with the words The VIP Principle in the subject line.

FREE BOOK GIVE AWAY BY MICHELLE PASCOE AND DAVE STAUGHTON

THE ANNUAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW IS DEAD - OR IS IT? BY GREG MOWBRAY

www.michellebowden.com.au How to Present Magazine NOVEMBER 2015 !18

TESTIMONIAL about Michelle’s training:

“One of the best training sessions that I have attended in 40 years of work. Thank you Michelle for your time, energy, passion and the gift that you have - to impart such a critically important skill in work and life - and with such humour and honesty. Well done and congratulations.  I am keen to keep in touch and continue the learning." 

For more information on Michelle’s coaching or training go to www.michellebowden.com.au

FROM PAUL LE LARGE, REGISTRY MANAGER, PARRAMATTA & DUBBO, FAMILY COURT & FEDERAL CIRCUIT COURT

IS IT TIME YOU IMPROVED YOUR PRESENTATION SKILLS? COME JOIN ME!Dramatically improve the w a y y o u p re s e n t a n d influence. Attend one of my Persuasive Presentation Skills Masterclasses in 2014 and change your life!

S e r i o u s l y , i t ’s a l i f e changing experience!

Risk free - 100% money-back guarantee.

Endorsed by thousands of people from over a hundred c o r p o r a t i o n s a r o u n d Australia.

I n t e r a c t i v e a n d personalised.

Facilitated by Michelle Bowden who has over 20 years experience running her programs and who has been nominated for Educator of the Year for the last 4 years.

Absorb yourse l f in a generative and experiential approach. Learn something then practice, then learn something then practice…

Group sizes are limited to only 10 people per program.

Risk free approach to a subject most people find ‘daunting’!

Plenty of time for you to get personal one-on-one time with Michelle’s during the program.

Address your specific, personal needs.

Learning with lots of laughter.

Techniques are embedded so you remember them decades later.

DATES IN SYDNEY:

17-18 November (FULL)8-9 December (3 places left) 22-23 February 2016

To chat about your specific needs or receive more information please email Michelle: michelle@michellebowden.com.au

There’s no need for you to fear public speaking.

Please don’t miss a career opportunity ever again because you couldn’t

speak up! Anyone can be an exceptional presenter in

business - 100% guaranteed.

www.michellebowden.com.au How to Present Magazine NOVEMBER 2015 !19

CD OF THE MONTH If you are serious about being a

world class speaker. Visit my website and grab your immediate copy of this essential resource.

BEAUTY

Revlon ColorBurst™ Lacquer Balm.

MICHELLELOVES...

Here are some of my favourite things for you

HEALTH Raw Cacao products - one of the

best food sources of muscle relaxing, stress relieving

magnesium.

ACCOMMODATION I just stayed at the Olsen Hotel, 637 Chapel Street South Yarra

again this month. What a stunning place! Highly recommended for business travelers. And with my

Fine Arts Degree I was in heaven!

EDDING 800 PENS

BOOK OF THE MONTH

Best selling How to Present (Wiley) is everything you need to

know about the 3 phases of persuasive presenting in

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www.michellebowden.com.au How to Present Magazine NOVEMBER 2015 !20

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