When Listening, Put On Your Game Face

By Susan Tomai

Before we conduct on-camera interviews in our media training sessions, we tell our clients to be animated and approachable when speaking, but to maintain a calm, steady, pleasant facial expression while listening to the question. No nodding, head-shaking or other reaction that would make them appear as though they’re agreeing, disagreeing, or passing judgment on the question – they should appear neutral until it’s their turn to speak.

We then ask them to describe the image they’d like to project while listening to the reporter’s questions. We often hear words like confident, calm, alert, knowledgeable. But then after we play back the video, we sometimes hear: “Why am I gritting my teeth? Why am I squinting, or tilting my head? Why do I look as if I smell something foul?”

We’ve interviewed hundreds of people over the years and we recognize that not everyone can easily put on a “positive listening face.” When listening to a question (particularly a difficult or provocative question), it’s hard to maintain the desired pleasant, somewhat noncommittal expression.

The best way to achieve this is to try to anticipate any question or comment that might elicit an unwanted reaction. Consider the topic of the interview and then brainstorm a list of all the possible “curveballs” – all the conceivable questions you hope won’t be asked - then have a colleague ask you those questions on camera. Conditioning yourself to remain composed in the face of challenging questions is a sure sign of a skillful spokesperson.

Ummmmm.......Uhhhhhh.........

By Susan Tomai

I hear too many “uhmms and uhhhs” in presentations and speeches. Not good. They usually come at the beginning of sentences, as the speaker is trying to remember what to say next. It’s a bad habit – it looks unprofessional - and one that most people don’t realize they have until they watch a video of their presentation.

So how to fix it? Prepare. Practice out loud. The better you know your material, and the more you repeat it in rehearsals before your real presentation, the fewer ummms and uhhhhs there will be. Why? Because you’ll know where you’re going. You won’t be searching for the next word and filling the silence with an ummm or an uhhhh until the word comes to you.

Having said that, the umms and uhhhs might still occasionally show up, even if you’re well-prepared. If that happens, don’t be afraid of silence. Rather than rushing into an ummm or an uhhhh, simply be comfortable with a purposeful pause before you begin speaking again. This actually looks good to the audience – you appear to be in control and taking your time – no hurry. And that’s a sign of real leadership.

So the next time you're preparing for a presentation or speech, video yourself - your smart phone will do the job fine. This way, you can see how guilty you are of ummmming and uhhhhhing - and you can fix the problem the next time.

You Looking at Me?

By Susan Tomai

There once was a time when a person’s integrity rested on strong eye contact. But now that we spend most of our time looking down at our smart phones, we’re losing the art of paying attention and showing respect by looking our listeners in the eye. This is important in conversation and in formal presentations alike.

Three tips to get your eye contact mojo back:

• Look people in the eye, not over their heads or to either side of them. If this is uncomfortable for you, look at the bridges of their noses.
• Make an effort to spread your eye contact to everyone in your audience. To boost your self-confidence, start with the friendliest faces, then establish eye contact with individuals around the room in a varied and unpredictable way. Don’t make it a back-and-forth as if you’re watching a tennis match.
• Hold each person’s gaze for about ten seconds before moving to the next person.

If you do this, your audience will perceive that you’re talking to them, not at them.

Seize Your Opening

By Susan Tomai

We recently conducted a day of presentation training for a group of distinguished scientists. And even though most of them could probably decode the human genome on the back of a cocktail napkin, they, like so many presenters, did not understand the importance of a powerful opening.

Their existing presentations all began with a drearily typical cover slide – name, date, title of presentation, organization logo, predictable PowerPoint template – and each speaker started off by saying something along the lines of “Good morning, I’m happy to be here, today I’m going to talk about XYZ.” Not the sort of bravura beginning that makes the audience sit up and take notice.

So we gave them the tips we give all our clients:

• Grab the audience’s attention right from the jump. Find something interesting to lure them into listening, perhaps a stunning statistic, a visual or a story.
• Then tell them “the point”: the explanation behind that particular stat, visual or story.
• Then tell them what’s in it for them and why they should care: i.e., why the information will help them in their professional lives, why it will help others, etc.

After these grabbers, you’re ready to dive into the body of your presentation. Oh – and dump that place-holding cover slide. It’s okay for the handouts you might give the audience after you’ve finished speaking, but it’s a yawner if it’s the first thing your audience sees.

“You Said What?” - Keeping Your Communications Team in the Loop

By Susan Tomai

Calling all senior executives and officials: the last thing your PR/Communications team ever wants to hear you say is “Oh, I talked to a reporter yesterday and I forgot to tell you about it.” Say what?

Every day we hear about yet another communications blunder made by a leader in business or politics. We are not perfect beings - we make mistakes - which is why we have communications and media teams. It’s their job to understand and implement the organization’s communication strategy; it’s your job to run the organization.

A few tips to help you and your communications team work together more effectively:

• Don't talk to a reporter without first consulting your communications pros, so they can vet the interviewer and the direction and topic of the interview.
• If you’ve just given a speech and are cornered in the lobby by a reporter, don’t just answer her questions - ask your own questions first. What’s her name? Which news organization does she work for? Get her business card, smile and tell her you will get back to her asap.
• If your phone rings and a reporter is on the line, do the same thing: ask him the basic questions first, then politely tell him you’re in the middle of something and have to get back to him later. Then, immediately call your comms team and let them handle the next steps.
• If you do an interview with a reporter and your communications pros aren't there with you, record the conversation. Be transparent and tell the reporter you’re doing this to ensure accuracy.

May the words “You said what?” never be spoken again.