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Seven Tips For a Winning
Proposal
By Michael McLaughlin
Have you ever been drawn into a proposal
effort that your instincts told you to pass on, but
you didn't? You'd think we'd learn…
Due to file size considerations, I posted
the article on the site. Read
the Article
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Meet the MasterMinds:
Dive Into Speaking With Vickie Sullivan
 Since
1987, Vickie Sullivan has been helping consultants,
experts and industry leaders use public speaking as
a marketing tool. She is a professional speaker, speaker-marketing
specialist and the author of Springboard Marketing™,
Speak to Sell, Speaking in the
Strike Zone and Get Those Bookings.
Sullivan's articles have appeared in national
publications, such as Professional Speaker
magazine and Lawyers Weekly. She also
publishes a newsletter, Splash, and is
active in the National Speakers Association and the
Institute of Management Consultants.
In this wide-ranging interview, MCNews
picks Sullivan's brain on everything from speaking skills
and topic selection to the use of speakers' bureaus.
The entire interview is posted on the site. Read
the interview
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This Month in History
Bet you didn't know this: August is "Admit
You're Happy Month." Each year, the Secret Society
of Happy People sponsors this event, encouraging people
to take stock of the good things in life and express
their happiness. Find out more at the web site http://www.sohp.com.
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* * * *
Watch the skies for the annual Perseid Meteor Showers
August 9-13, 2002. Among the best known and spectacular
meteor showers, this year the Perseids will peak August
10-12. You might see as many as 50-100 meteors in a
single night. Also called a shooting, or falling star,
a meteor is a small piece of rock or metal that burns
up from friction as it enters earth's atmosphere from
space. If you want to learn more, one source is the
American Meteor Society's site at http://www.amsmeteors.org/showers.html.
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* * * *
Now in its twenty-third year, the World Footbag Championships
will be held August 5-11, 2002, in San Francisco. The
Super Bowl of Footbag (also known as Hacky Sack) attracts
competitors from around the world. Check out the fancy
footwork at http://www.footbag.org.
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This Month's Featured MasterMind:
Bert Decker on Effective Communication
 An
expert in personal communication, professional speaker
and coach for speakers, Bert Decker has written numerous
books on the subject, including You've Got to
Be Believed to Be Heard, The Art of Communicating:
Achieving Interpersonal Impact in Business,
and Speaking With Bold Assurance: How to Become
a Persuasive Communicator. His most recent book
is Creating Messages That Motivate.
He created the Decker Grid System, which
has helped thousands of people hone their communication
skills. He has been featured in the New York Times,
Business Week, and on 20/20.
He was also a commentator for NBC's Today show
for the Presidential Debates.
Decker is a Certified Speaking Professional
and has received the Hall of Fame award from the National
Speakers Association. MCNews asked Decker to shed some
light on how consultants can become persuasive speakers.
MCNews: How should consultants approach
public speaking?
Decker: I like to think of it as
communicating rather than speaking, and that shift alone
makes for a different mindset. People think of public
speaking as those few times when they are in front of
a big audience. Particularly for consultants, smaller-scale
communication is every bit as important as large-group
events. That's true whether you are talking
to one person, a group of clients, or to your staff.
People don't consider smaller talks with the same mindset
as big speeches, but they should. Instead, too many
people think speaking to a large audience is different
and scary.
The fear of large audiences is very common,
of course, and you should be at your best for those
more formal venues. That's where your leverage is greatest:
you have 500 people at a conference listening, and you
have a chance to make an impact.
MCNews: Are there good ways for speakers
to get comfortable with that fear?
Decker: Fear of speaking comes
from the adrenaline of the fight or flight response,
and can range from absolute terror for those who seldom
speak, to tension and stimulation for seasoned speakers.
But, people should realize that every speaker
experiences that flow of adrenaline to some degree.
It's very similar to athletic performance
anxiety. An athlete in the NBA playoffs, or any championship,
will tell you that there is enormous tension and pressure
to perform. What they have to learn, and what speakers
also need to learn, is how to take that tension and
turn it into a positive flow. The only way that happens
is through practice and feedback. You need to recognize
that it's just a process and everybody goes through
it.
Emerson said, "Do the thing you fear and the
death of fear is certain."
Actually, small audiences can produce
just as much anxiety as large ones. You might have a
lot riding on a meeting with a single client, or on
a job interview. It's not the size of the crowd, but
the circumstances that matter. When you want to be at
your best, you need confidence and certainty in
yourself and in your message.
MCNews: In some cases, the preparation for a speech
can be harder than the speech itself. Do you have any
tips on how to prepare?
Decker: Yes, but first, it might
be useful to separate two aspects of communicating:
style and substance. Style is the behavioral side, all
those things about how you come across, like body language
and eye communication, while substance is about your
content. You must prepare both aspects.
When it comes to content, too many
people do the exact opposite of what they should: they
write their speeches. You should never read
a speech, so why write one in the first place? That's
just not the best way to communicate and connect with
people. Instead, we should use the best innate ability
of our minds, which is to be spontaneous.
With a few simple concepts, like those
we teach in the Decker Grid System, you can develop
a focused, listener-based message every time. It's not
that hard to do, and once you learn the system, you
can be spontaneous in everything, from full-scale, formal
presentations to the beginning of an important email.
This works for every kind of speaker, from executives
to preachers.
MCNews: Can you briefly describe the
Decker Grid System?
Decker: The Grid system is a quick,
easy way to create a high-impact presentation, or any
communication. Once you have a subject for the communication,
you identify the four cornerstones of the communication
- the audience, your point of view on the subject, the
action you want your audience to take and the benefits
to your audience if they take that action.
Then, you brainstorm ideas to develop
the key points of your communication, and cluster those
ideas into natural groupings. These ideas could include
personal experiences, stories and analogies that bring
life to your subject. After you've clustered your ideas,
you compose the communication by creating the key points,
sub-points and relevant benefits. When that is done,
you are ready to plan your opening, closing and the
transitions between your key points.
MCNews: For additional information,
click on the following link and look for the
book, Creating Messages That Motivate,
which describes the Decker Grid System in detail.
MCNews: Should speakers rehearse? How
does being spontaneous fit with rehearsal?
Decker: I do suggest rehearsal,
but people tend to over-rehearse. There
is nothing worse then listening to a memorized speech.
And, it does not allow the muse, or spirit, help you
get to some of your best thoughts. For those of us who
speak a lot, those thoughts that come out of the blue
in the excitement and tension of speaking are great
moments, and they give you material you can use again.
But, if you have a set speech, and are so rehearsed
that you have to be exactly at one point or another,
it doesn't allow any room for better ideas.
I'm not saying you should not prepare.
Inexperienced speakers especially should rehearse a
lot in front of a video, not to get the content down
but to observe their behavior and watch how they handle
the content. The more experience you get, the less rehearsal
time you will need.
MCNews: Do you think content becomes
second nature for experienced speakers so they have
more mental bandwidth to come up with new ideas as they
are talking?
Decker: That's a good way to put
it. I also think the degree of tension or fear you feel
will determine the bandwidth you have left for other
thoughts. For example, speakers who are comfortable
and confident are able to follow about four mental tracks
at a time as they talk. Those with less experience and
a higher fear level find that their emotions flood those
tracks, so they might be limited to only two tracks
of thought at a time. This explains why people can go
blank when speaking, because emotions block the mind.
MCNews: You have written that, for
speakers to be heard, they must be believed. How do
you suggest speakers make sure they are believed and
heard?
Decker: You are believed when you
are confident and certain of your message, and it shows.
Most people either have habits they don't know about,
or they get nervous and new mannerisms pop up that reflect
lack of confidence and lack of certainty. So, whether
it's in front of a large audience or in the conference
room, good feedback is essential. Of the
three types of feedback--from people, audio and video--the
most powerful is video feedback.
It's not expensive to videotape your practices
or meetings and speeches, but most people don't bother
with it, which I believe is a mistake. It's extra work,
but it has such a high payoff that I've become a nag
on the subject.
MCNews: Do people resist because watching
your faults on video gets so personal?
Decker: That's what communication
is, a highly personal connection. When you see yourself
on video, you perceive the disparity between what you
think is coming across and what others are really getting.
That disparity gets smaller and smaller the more you
use video feedback. And, the more you do it, the less
the personal aspects bother you; it becomes a positive
experience when you see improvements.
The first time I saw my golf swing on
video, I thought it was so terrible that I would never
play golf again. But then, you get more objective, and
see things you can fix or change. What turns it into
a positive force is that you know your performance will
improve. So, I urge speakers to get feedback,
especially from video, and to use feedback constantly
to improve how they project confidence in their core
message.
MCNews: You've coached a lot of diverse
people over the years. What's the most common area for
improvement you usually identify?
Decker: A lot of business leaders
are engaging and interesting in small groups, but
when they get on stage they are stilted because they
hold themselves back; they are completely different
people up there. You don't have to jump up and down,
but you do have to connect with people through your
personal energy. That energy is expressed through eye
communication, gestures, pauses and the use of your
voice. Your enthusiasm and excitement show people what
you are talking about, and that energy is what will
be believed.
People have this notion that if they say
the words, their listeners will understand. That's why
so many speakers write and read their speeches; it's
not as threatening, and they don't have to worry about
skipping over something in the presentation. In
fact, you can have the greatest message in the world,
but if you don't connect with people it doesn't matter
how great the message, people won't hear it.
Speakers need to communicate their energy
to their listeners. And, you don't really change much
whether you are communicating to five people or 5000,
in person or on the telephone. You adjust the range
of your energy level and your emotions to fit the situation,
but you still want the same authenticity. Confidence
and certainty breed authenticity, and authenticity leads
to believability.
MCNews: Last question - who are your
favorite speakers and why?
Decker: One of the top speakers
I know is a preacher/pastor, Dr.
Bruce Wilkinson, who is not only authentic, but
a phenomenal communicator. He has also written several
books, including The Prayer of Jabez.
Bill Clinton is a master communicator.
Whatever we may think of his character or politics,
he connects with people; he has energy and passion,
and doesn't have any nervous tics of any kind. John
Chambers, over at CISCO, is very effective even though
he's soft-spoken. Steve Jobs, of course, is a classic
speaker.
George Bush has become an effective communicator since
he took office. I often use a clip of him from 9/11
that shows his firmness, and that the tics and telltale
patterns he used to have are gone. He spoke to the nation
with a confidence and certainty that he didn't have
before, and that's when he became President. That's
a good example of how important style and confidence
are for a leader.
What all these speakers have in common
is confidence, certainty, focus and a passion that is
readily apparent. Management consultants need
those skills in ways that go beyond public speaking.
They must be confident leaders, yet listen and show
they care. They must solve problems and look
for new business at the same time, which is an exciting
balance. To be perceived as real, your passion for a
client's success must be real.
MCNews: Thanks for a great interview.
* * * *
Comment
about this interview
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Speaker's Tool Kit
For those who want more, here's a short list of resources
on effective communication.
Books
Speaking
Secrets of the Masters: The Personal Techniques Used
by 22 of the World's Top Professional Speakers
by Terrence J. McCann, Speakers Roundtable Staff
Did
I Ever Tell You About the Time: How to Develop and Deliver
a Speech Using Stories that Get Your Message Across
by Grady Jim Robinson
Secrets
of Successful Speakers: How You Can Motivate, Captivate,
and Persuade
by Lilly Walters, et al
7
Steps to Fearless Speaking
by Lilyan Wilder
Audio Programs
Creating
a Powerful Presence
by Bert Decker
High
Impact Communications
by Bert Decker
National
Speakers Association Convention Recordings
Library of audio programs from past NSA meetings, workshops
and conventions
Other Resources
National
Speakers Association Local Chapter Directory
Toastmasters
International
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Subscriber Feedback
Re: Before You Quit Your Day Job
Your article struck a nerve, even though I can now
count five years of success as a consultant. I still
think of myself as a newcomer to consulting. There is
always more to learn. Adding to the good advice you
passed along, here are the four key assets I would contribute:
1. Contacts: You need someone who wants/needs
to buy your services, or who can refer you to that potential
buyer. Learn to cultivate contacts relentlessly.
2. Credibility: It can come from an institution
(okay) or from experience (better) or both (best). Some
gray hair is an asset. Know what your credibility derives
from and how to portray it efficiently. Practice telling
your stories in fresh ways.
3. Content: Too often we try to sell what we
have, not necessarily what the prospective client wants
or needs. The successful consultant learns to quickly
sniff out the pain and craft content that provides a
solution.
4. Curiosity: I have come to realize that my
best skill as a consultant is the ability to ask questions
effectively. The marketplace has changed so many times
in the last five years, that I now practice and preach
just-in-time learning. Woe unto him who thinks he has
it all figured out.
John Kauke, Principal
Global Market Linkage
mailto:jbkauke@earthlink.net
* * * *
Re:
Newsletters We Like
We received these three recommendations from subscribers
to add to the list of high-value newsletters:
1. The Monday Morning Marketing Memo
- A free, weekly marketing newsletter sent out each
Monday helps business executives and marketers focus
on key topics to grow their businesses, retain customers,
and leverage their corporate brands. Subscribe by sending
a blank message to: MondayMorningMarketingMemo-Subscribe@Yahoogroups.com
2. Thinking About Sales - For free articles
and an ezine on sales management, check out www.davekahle.com/article.htm.
Dave Kahle, who has published over 300 articles, offers
how-to solutions for every-day sales problems.
3. TrendsAlert - To stay
on top of emerging trends impacting businesses, people
and the economy, check out the weekly newsletter published
by The Herman Group. The web site address is www.HermanGroup.com.
Note: Subscriber feedback printed with permission.
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Coming Attractions
In September, we'll focus on web design for consultants
with two special interviews. Vincent Flanders, author
of Web Pages That Suck, will provide his
own brand of advice on bad and good design features
for web sites and home pages. Steve Krug, who wrote
Don't Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach
to Web Usability, adds his thoughts on how consultants
can get the most from their web sites.
We'll also feature an article on why consultants' marketing
fails, and bring you a sneak preview of an upcoming
book you shouldn't miss.
* * * *
Mark Your Calendar
The Fall Conference (Confab) of the Institute of Management
Consultants (USA) celebrates the organization's first
twenty-five years, and will take place October 27-29,
2002, in Reno, Nevada. Click
here for details.
The 56th Annual Meeting for the Association of Management
Consulting Firms will be October 23-25, 2002, in Boston,
Massachusetts. Click here
for details.
The Project Management Institute's annual meeting will
be October 3-10, 2002, in San Antonio, Texas. Click
here for details.
That's all for this month, see you in September.
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The End Page
"Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning
of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."
- Winston Churchill
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Michael McLaughlin
Publisher
* * * * *
Management Consulting News ISSN 1539-2481, Washington,
DC, USA
Copyright © 2002 Management Consulting News
All rights reserved
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