| Suppose you had a great new idea that you wanted to pitch to that snarly Alan Sugar, the charming Richard Branson and the contemplative Bill Gates.
If you wanted to maximise your chances of success, you wouldn't present it to each of these businessmen in exactly the same way.
This is because - despite their individual success - the three of them have a distinctly different personality and a strongly preferred way of thinking and communicating.
When it comes to persuading people on a one-to-one basis to go for your ideas, your products or your services, it makes sense to use a different communication approach for different types.
This is why I am launching my new communications-boosting session "Get Your Message Across To All Personality Types".
It's for business leaders groups such as the Academy for Chief Executives, Vistage and others where those keen to raise themselves to new heights in the commercial world come together to enhance their knowledge and skills.
And the new session is also for companies that have to persuade their clients, their prospects or their own staff.
Board members, sales teams and those working in customer service centres are prime examples of those who might need it.
There's also a keynote version of "Get Your Message Across To All Personality Types" for conferences.
This is where we can demonstrate on the big stage how to best connect with introverts and extraverts - and with those who are more task-oriented and those who are more people-oriented.
And, more amusingly, we can also demonstrate how to spot when it's done badly.
We can even act out the game where we seek to sell a proposition in the manner of the "Dragon's Den" BBC programme on business pitching.
If you pitch in the wrong way to the wrong "dragon" you won't get much in the way of investment - or even civility.
Which is why you need to get it right. |
LET'S TRY IT WITH ALAN, RICHARD AND BILL
So let's start with Alan Sugar - the often grumpy, get-to-the-point tycoon whose favourite expression on his TV "reality" show is "You're fired".
As an ascerbic, highly task-oriented extrovert known as a "Director Type", Alan Sugar wants you to get straight to the point.
He's likely to ask things like: "Why should I go with your idea?", "Do you really know what you're talking about?" and "How much money will it make me?"
And he'd expect to get answers that are short, sharp and punchy.
Give Mr Sugar and his type what they see as too much superfluous detail and you'll be fired before you're ever hired.
Your experience with Richard Branson would probably be more pleasant.
As a suave, people-oriented extravert known as a "Socialiser Type", he'd be more interested in getting to know you personally.
You could potentially captivate him with the story behind your idea...and he'd probably be keen to tell you a couple of stories of his own.
In one of his many business books, Richard Branson writes about spotting and employing Virgin-type personalities around the world.
These are people who are good at connecting with others and strong on keeping customers happy...rather like him.
If you don't connect with Richard Branson and other Socialisers personally then he probably won't buy your idea - or you.
Winning over Bill Gates to a new idea to assist his planet-wide charitable causes would need a different approach.
As a somewhat geeky, task-oriented introvert classified as a "Thinker Type", Bill Gates - if interested - would want far more detail about your idea than Alan Sugar could possibly stand.
He would also want the information imparted gradually so he could analyse it as you talked.
And you wouldn't want to rush him for an answer, because he would want to mull it over for a while before reaching a conclusion....and possibly kick it around with Melinda Gates.
|
SO HOW DO YOU REACT?
"Get Your Message Across To All Personality Types" helps you and your people identify the different kinds of characters - and how to appeal to their varying preferences for absorbing information.
If you're a Director Type this is what you might say to what I've outlined so far:
(A) "How much money will my team make if they master all these personality types?"
(B) "Let's just get on with it and book it now"
(C) "I've got better things to spend my money on it. You're not hired."
If you're a Socialiser Type you might respond by saying:
(A) "Tell me about the cases where understanding the different personality types worked best."
(B) "We should discuss this over a drink"
(C) "Let me tell you my story about..."
If you're a Thinker Type you will be scratching your chin absent-mindedly and saying:
(A) "Send me more details so I can really get to grips with what you're offering."
(B) "I'm developing a three-year plan to enhance the skills of my staff. Maybe this could be part of it."
(C) "Let me mull it over."
So for you thinkers who want to learn more, you can google Dr Tony Alessandra who writes comprehensively about the different personality types.
And if you want to know what are the other communications-boosting options for your people:
# This is the place for business leaders groups: http://www.
# Here's the spot for companies: http://www.
# And this is the link for conference bookers:http://www.
|
HELPING TEACHERS PRESENT WITH PIZZAZZ
I've been doing a lot of work with teachers in recent times, and there's a couple of things I've noticed about their communications skills.
One is that as learning experts, they tend to be impressively rapid learners.
But however good teachers are at performing in front of the classroom, they often find presenting in other situations to be a different and more challenging experience.
This is especially so for the high flyers who are on their way to becoming head teachers... or head teachers who are on their way to becoming these "super head teachers" who lead a group of schools.
The higher teachers climb, the more their success depends on how they perform in front of those outside the classroom - audiences on parent-teacher nights and open days and the media.
And of course there are also those school inspectors they have to wow.
(In the UK I have an unfair insider advantage here, as I've been training Ofsted inspectors to present their messages to teachers - which rather helps when it comes to showing teachers how to shine in front of Ofsted inspectors.)
When it comes to helping teachers reach new levels, I have been working with confidence coach, Nicci Roscoe, known as the "Mind Makeover Artist".
Nicci is a wizz when it comes to inspiring teachers to feel more empowered and effective when presenting in potentially daunting situations.
Here's what some of those in the teaching world have kindly said on our report card...
"Nicci Roscoe and Michael Dodd led a master class focused on Presenting With Confidence And Positivity. Over a week later I am still talking about it! The impact on the day was evident in the way the participants had developed their confidence in public speaking. Presentations changed from the ordinary to the extraordinary - engaging, interesting and influential." Barbara Chevis, Senior School Improvement Partner, Education Kingston
"Nicci and Michael: I wanted to mail you to say how powerful I found the course you ran. I attend many courses, but rarely do I remember so much of the content, days later. I can now clearly see how to structure any presentation and am so eager to get on and do my next one." Emily Haywood, Paddock School, Wandsworth
"Nicci and Michael's master class was utterly inspiring. I have now taken away so many valuable ideas that I can put into place immediately - and I am now excited about presenting with confidence." Helen Palmer, Deputy Head, St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School.
We can do communications-boosting work with teachers on Inset Days.
Or if we run a master class for teachers on a school day we can also include the option of a session for pupils on "How To Shine In Job and University Admission Interviews".
Having been lecturers at colleges and universities, Nicci and I have insider tips on what these institutions are looking for when it comes to student selection.
Nicci and I can demonstrate good and bad interview practice in front of the pupils.
And if they're up for it, some of the more courageous, outgoing pupils can have a go on stage and we can critique their approach.
|
THIS WEEK: SUNNY BRIGHTON AND EVEN SUNNIER LIBYA
As the British summer sunshine is revving up I'm heading off to the English seaside this week to Brighton.
The aim is not so much to feed the seagulls and plunge into The Atlantic - though this could well happen - but to spend two days helping British civil servants enhance their presentations to large audiences.
It's always great to run presentation courses over a couple of days because participants get the chance to think about things overnight and rework their content, structure and delivery style to a much greater extent than they can in a single day.
They can then wow their audiences on Day 2 - partly by mercifully reducing unnecessary verbage on their slides and replacing it far more absorbable images and graphs.
After the seaside sunshine my thoughts will turn to Libya.
I'm privileged to be chairing the two-day "Libya Higher Education Forum" in London to help Libya chart its educational future as it emerges from its recent troubles.
As Libya seeks more stability and development, there are sixteen-thousand students who have been awarded Liyban Government scholarships to pursue their higher education studies abroad.
Many of these will end up studying in the UK.
The forum is bringing together Libyan decision-makers with education providers from British universities, English language schools and vocational training centres to help place large numbers of Libyan students.
The forum promises be a great meeting of minds as it seeks to foster the creation of innovative partnerships and lasting alliances between the academic communities in Libya and Britain.
As an Australian conference chairman, I can hopefully provide a comforting neutrality between all parties represented.
I'm not an expert yet in Libyan higher education, but expect to be steeped in it by the end of the week.
So if you're interested in contributing to Libya's future higher educational development, ask me who you need to contact at the end of the week.
Meanwhile I have fallen in love with this captivating Libyan scene which the conference organisers are using to promote the forum.
It certainly makes you want to go there.
Keep smiling,
Michael
|
No comments:
Post a Comment