Focus Magazine - Summer 2014 - (Page 13)
FRONT OF THE ROOM
Brian Lange
Getting Your
Head Right
Positive
affirmations
can be a nice final
boost for your
performance.
T
he practical and necessary often
consume our preparation for being in
front of a roomful of people: premeeting communications with participants;
organizing any guest speakers; ensuring room
logistics and materials; designing content and
structure; making catering decisions; etc. Not
to mention honing our own familiarity with the
material we're going to present.
However, I often find that one overlooked
part of our general preparations can casually be
referred to as "getting your head right."
I confess to being a Big-Picture-Kind-ofGuy. I like to know how the pieces fit together,
and why things are as they are. I also like to
know where they're going. So, I try to make
some of my prep time about getting my head
right.
Here are some things to consider to assist
you in connecting the dots for your audiences -
and linking organizational, learning and
participant needs together - as well as getting
your own mindset ready.
Start With Why
With acknowledgement of the phrase to
author Simon Sinek, you should absolutely
know how the material you are about to present
relates to what is happening in the
organization, and why it is important. Too
often, we deliver material in a vacuum, and
context suffers as a result. Sure, you're rolling
out a new initiative, and "everyone has to go
through it"-but why? How does it fit in the
overall performance and execution of the
company's mission? How did we get here?
What's driving it? What do we hope to gain
with it?
I am not suggesting that you conduct an
opening by answering all of these questions.
This is about what you should know in your
gut, so that it shapes how you choose to deliver
your material. We have to look beyond the
leader's guide/slide deck to see the big picture
relevance: This is the potential of the impact
and value you can bring to your audience!
Get Inside!
In typical public speaking classes, the notion
of "know your audience" is often put forth:
Who are they, what roles, backgrounds, etc.
This doesn't quite go deep enough to provide
value for the speaker to connect with-and
engage-the audience. There is tremendous
value in putting thought into getting inside the
head of your audience members. Put yourself
in their shoes: What's on their minds? How
might they be feeling about being there? What
might they be protective/defensive of (if
anything)? What biases might they bring?
What could the upside be of the material you're
presenting? How might they feel about you?
Affirm
Just as the character Stuart Smalley from the
old Saturday Night Live sketches used to say,
"I'm good enough; I'm smart enough; and,
doggone it, people like me!" Positive
affirmations can be a nice final boost for your
performance! I have reminded myself before
some sessions simply that, "I know my material.
I know why it's relevant and people are going to
enjoy working with me." Yes, it may sound a
little (or a lot) hokey, but don't knock it till
you've tried it! Think of it as a final self-pep
talk. I
Brian Lange, blange@perim.com, is with Perim Consulting and serves as lead facilitator for LTEN PrimeTime! For
Trainers Core and Masters workshops. He blogs at www.WorkplaceInfluence.blogspot.com.
FOCUS | SUMMER 2014 | www.L-TEN.org
13
http://www.WorkplaceInfluence.blogspot.com
http://www.L-TEN.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Focus Magazine - Summer 2014
Focus Magazine
From the President: Clarity, Community & Career
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Guest Editor: Your Network and the Connection Ecomony
Front of the Room: Getting Your Head Right
Neuroscience: Neuroliteracy
Introducing LTEN: The Life Sciences Trainers & Educators Network
Communities of Practice: Learning in Action
Are We Living in a Post-LMS World?
Member Solutions: Measuring the Impact of Training
Selling as a Team Sport
From the Training Room to the Board Room
The Science of Changing Sales Behavior
Personalized Medicine: The Coming Revolution
Virtual How: Trends in Selling Models
Member News
Ad Index
Focus Contacts
5 Questions with Nigel Brooksby
Focus Magazine - Summer 2014
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