Thank You

A quick word to all of our wonderful, loyal and intelligent readers. Thank you so much for commenting, sharing, and, liking the posts on social media this year. And, for viewing the films on the “Dear Captive Audience” YouTube Channel as well.

Merry Christmas

It means everything to us that you have engaged, learnt and applied the wisdom that we all need in these challenging times.

We wish you a fabulous break and healthy and prosperous 2021.

Thanks,

Matthew

British Humour – British Culture – What is the MEANING of THIS? It’s FUNNY when you think about it. And, here’s WHY… by Matthew Hill

#funny #humour #british #culture #laugh #work #company #joke #wit Sometimes a joke is not a joke. And sometimes a laugh is not a sincere laugh in British Culture. Yes, it can be totally confusing learning about British humour. When advising …

UK Right Wing Government Want to Scrap Unconscious Bias Training. Of Course They Do! But WHY? And opinion piece by Matthew Hill

With the  minister’s announcement, they give themselves away. #unconscious #bias #training #WOKE #racism The right, unconscious bias training, constructively changes processes within any organisation, to move executives away from their old  and cosy habits, of hiring, favouring, and, rewarding the usual club …

Was that a GOOD Presentation? And, How Could YOUR Team Help YOU Become GREAT? by Matthew Hill

#presenting #skills #improvemenet #coaching #training #bad #good #excellent #teams

Score that performance! – How about officially marking your colleague’s presentation skills? Let’s face it – You do it in your head anyway! How was the last one, on a scale from, “I’d rather be at the dentist than listen to this drivel” to “I want to marry the presenter”? Where would you put your work buddy’s pitch on that scale?

Are they paying attention?

And, what criteria were you selecting to measure their excellence or uselessness? Did you employ science or just instantly react to some arbitrary criteria (e.g. They look like my best friend Steve / Stephanie, and I like my friend)?

**Structure** – Here, we provide 4 useful measures to actually gauge whether or not you have been a witness to greatness (or ghoulish foolery.)

Let’s get everyone involved – Why not spread this short presentation skills feedback post amongst your teams and see if you can set up a simple system of peer-to-peer presentation sessions with feedback? Then, everyone can progress up the quality ladder to victory. Everyone can move up, rung by rung, from bad to not quite as bad, not quite as bad to OK, OK to good, and eventually, good to great.

Here are some starting criteria for you to use…

1. CLARITY – At the beginning of the presentation, did the speaker clearly outline what they were talking about, what the main concept was, and how it applied to you, the audience? And, did they do so in a way that was understandable, simple and true?

2. RELEVANCE – Was their evidence that the speaker had done their homework, and, worked out who the audience were, and then tailored their delivery to be appropriate for your ears or your day-job? Could you apply what they told you for personal benefit or professional gain?

3. PRESENTATION SKILLS – Does this one sound too obvious? Now we’ve all migrated over to Zoomland, we ALL need to up our game and get the basics right. Sound – Was the audio crisp and clear? Light – Was their background free of children, dogs, and, the ironing board? Voice – Did they select relevant language, pronounce their words well enough to be transmitted over the airways, and, did they put some drama, emphasis and varied intonation in place, to keep your attention and aid in transferring their material to your heart and memory?

4. ENGAGEMENT – Did the speaker build in some interactivity or a provocative question to make you feel something, and, pull you into the show? If they were providing a solution, did they get you to explore your problem in more depth first, before the big reveal? And, was their pitch good enough to make you feel like taking action?

Am I Clear Enough?

Improvement

If you were held to account by your colleagues for EVERY presentation using these 4 measures, just think how quickly you would grow, how much more conscious you would be when preparing, and, how much more popular / successful / impactful, you would become…

ACTION

Please feel free to spread these four benchmark categories, 1. CLARITY, 2. RELEVANCE, 3. PRESENTATION SKILLS & 4. ENGAGEMENT amongst your team and peers, so that we can all hold each other accountable, and, provide critical and supportive feedback, to produce a tide of colleague-to-colleague coached improvements, that will float all the boats in the harbour.

Good luck with your next team outing to Zoomland.

Matthew Hill is a Presentation Skills Coach, providing remote feedback for groups that present in their day jobs. – Contact his via email; matthew.hill@hillnetworks.com or via phone, 07540 65 9995