Recommended Read - Presenting to Win

One of the clients who I was working with, highly recommended that I read this book called 'Presenting to Win' by Jerry Weissman. I have always been fairly comfortable both preparing presentations and presenting them, whenever I got the chance. Hence I was a little reticent to try this out initially but when I had some time last weekend, I decided to read it. Am glad that I did and to be honest, I found the book not only insightful but filled with lots of specific case studies and examples.

Check out a few key pointers below that the author recommends for an effective presentation:

• Every communication has as its goal to take the audience from where they are at the start of your presentation, which is Point A, and move them to your objective, which is Point B; To reach Point B, you need to move the uninformed audience to understand, the dubious audience to believe, and the resistant audience to act in a particular way

•             Mastering Audience Advocacy means learning to view yourself, your company, your story, and your presentation through the eyes of your audience

•       Building a presentation is a creative process. That means starting with the right brain; Let the right brain complete its stream-of-consciousness cycle before applying the left brain’s structure

•       There are proven techniques for organizing ideas in a logical sequence to create a lucid and persuasive presentation. These techniques are called Flow Structures; Eg: Chronological, Problem/Solution, etc.

•            There are many opening gambits to draw the audience attention; Eg: Analogy, Quotation, etc.

•       Less Is More should be your guiding principle when you are creating your presentation graphics

     These are many more key pointers with specific examples to help drive the 'Why' piece of the pointers. This is a recommended read for anyone (especially if you are in sales or consulting) who aspires to improve their presentation skills and persuade their customer towards the intended objective. A must read!

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Toastmaster Speech - CC06 - My experience at the DMV

Early this year, I chanced to read upon a book on Presentation. The title is 'Presenting to Win' by Jerry Weissman. I loved the book and it helped me deepen my knowledge around presentation and how critical it is to grab the audience's attention and not let go.

I tried implementing the concepts at my toastmaster's speech and it went off, very well. I am sharing the content of the speech (I did make some off the cuff comments, but that is how it is for most speeches anyway :) )

Have you ever seen a video of a lion strutting about in the jungle? It moves in an absolutely self-assured manner, so sure of itself, almost arrogantly. There is no fear, no worry for the lion – After all, it is the king of the jungle! Well, this was how I went to DMV last year to give my driving test. After all, I had nothing to worry about. I have driven a car for 10 years! I was not a beginner!

My wife kept repeating to me – You need to practice and prepare well. Inspite of multiple reminders, I went to DMV with not much of practice. After all, why should a 12^th grade student worry about taking a 1^st grade exam? I met the DMV instructor who looked at me, much the way an army officer will look at a new joinee. Once the instructions were through, we started the drill. All through the drive, I had a smug smile on my face and towards the end of the drive, I thought the job was done. The DMV officer looked at me and said ‘You have failed’. I was shocked! I asked him why and he told me that I had made a dangerous maneuver. Dangerous maneuver! I have driven a car for 10 years! I was really angry when I headed back home. I told my wife that the Fremont DMV office was way too harsh and that I will take the next exam in a different center.

I walked in to the Tracy DMV office with a similar air of confidence. After all, one cannot make the same mistake twice. I conversed with the DMV instructor who was much more friendly. I proceeded to drive very carefully. At a particular signal, I had to take a left and when I took that left, I saw another lane to my right as well! The DMV instructor straightaway said ‘You have failed as it was a lane violation’. I was flabbergasted. As I went home, I was thinking of what to explain to my wife who had zero driving experience but had cleared the exam in her first attempt.

I had driven a car for 10 years! How could this happen to me??

And then it struck me the reason why am failing. It is the very fact that I considered myself above the bar and neglected putting in the time and effort. It is about having a beginner’s mindset and all about practice, practice and practice. 

I have to have a first grade mindset to clear a first grade exam!

And yes, as a wise man once said, it always makes sense to listen to one’s better half!

And so, I went back to the drawing board, not as a lion but as a deer. I practiced with a high degree of alertness and awareness and I practiced, practiced and practiced. Finally, I went back to the DMV office (Pleasanton this time) and went through the exam very cautiously.  When I finished, the DMV instructor proceeded to tell me all the areas that I could improve on. After some time, I interrupted with a simple question – ‘Did I pass’? She replied – ‘Yes, but I have to tell you the areas that you should improve to be a better driver’.

Phew! I was so relieved! It felt like I have achieved the impossible! At the end of the day, I have gained some important insights through this experience.

One – It is important to have a beginner’s mindset and Two – Practice, Practice and Practice more

These are qualities that I hope I bring into toastmasters and I wish for all of you as well. Thank you!

2016 - Becoming more of me

2015 was a terrific year full of discovery and learning about self. It was a year where I finally got a sense of clarity around my values and my strengths. It was a year where I finally made peace with myself and my past and around all the feelings of inadequacy that I had been grappling with. It was a year where I felt gratitude and love for all that I have been blessed with.

As I look forward to 2016, I sense a shift within me. It is not so much about what I want to do and achieve but rather who I want to evolve into. I want to become more of me and that means living my core values of love, family, compassion, service and personal growth. My deepest wish is that I live these values every minute of my life moving forward and not be side-tracked by focusing too much on the future and what I need to do to get there.

To focus on living my values, I need to simplify my life and remove the clutter so that I can truly focus on what is essential.Here is a list of things I will say YES to and a list of things that I will say NO to:

Yes to:

-          Being fully present in the moment

-          Deep listening

-          Being deeply curious and having a learning/exploring mindset

-     Volunteering and pro bono activities

-     Authentic connections

No to:

-     Time on Social media

-     Procrastination

-     Negativity

On this journey to become more of me, I hope to make a positive impact on the people around me.

I wish all of you a memorable and growth filled 2016!