Tips of the Trade

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Trusted Advisor: 12 More Ways to Walk the Talk

February 20, 2009 in BossaNova Recommends, Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade, Trusted Advisor by aletham | No comments

I just led a program called Being a Trusted Advisor for a global consulting firm. The list of collective “ahas” that was generated at the end of class is worth sharing. As always, the beauty lies in the simplicity of each item on the list; the mastery lies in their application. Here’s a Top 12 list, in no particular order, with a little bit of voice-over added:

1. High trust means high risk. There is no trust without risk, period.

2. People trust people. Branding and marketing efforts are valuable, absolutely. And trust is personal. It occurs (or not) human-to-human.

3. It’s OK to say what you’re thinking. This is especially true when you’re thinking isn’t fully formed and perfectly articulated. “Thinking out loud” demonstrates your willingness to be honest, humble, and sometimes messy.

4. Don’t rush to problem-solving. This is the second biggest destroyer of trust. We, the overachievers, naturally want to prove our credibility by showing how quickly we can come up with the right answer. But we have to earn the right to give advice before we can give it – if we want that advice to be heard.

5. It’s OK to be honest, even if it makes you look bad. Honesty is an essential aspect of credibility.

6. Get the chatter out of our brains. Our own thoughts, worries, fears, and pre-occupations create noise that interferes with our ability to truly tune in to others.

7. “Rip off the band-aid.” When there’s bad news to deliver, deliver it right away.

8. Get the elephant out immediately. A close cousin to #7. What seems un-discussable (the proverbial elephant in the room) is usually precisely what needs to be discussed to build trust.

9. Get the words and the “music.” Listening – really listening – requires attention to facts as well as emotions, surface as well as nuance.

10. A problem shared is a problem halved. This one speaks to the principal of collaboration, which is usually easier said than done.

11. “This isn’t about me.” Another great mantra. Self-orientation is a huge trust-destroyer.

12. Stop being clever; be human and honest instead. Enough said.

Which one will you choose to put into practice by COB today?

Learning that STICks

December 10, 2008 in BossaNova Recommends, Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by aletham | No comments

Next week we’ll be unveiling our new white paper called Learning that STICks – a practical guide to avoiding disappointing returns on soft skills training.

Learning that STICks is learning that is Sustainable, Transformational, Intelligent and Collaborative. STICky learning is flexible; it can expand or contract to fit time, budget, and resource constraints. But in every case, being STICky pays off.

To give you a taste of what Learning that STICks is all about, here are some examples of quick ways to implement STICky learning:

- Convene an action learning team with the specific goal of improving one or more real-life client relationships over a three-month period (Sustainable). Include time to define and debrief specific action steps as well as time for members to give each other feedback and reflect on what mindsets are in play (Transformational). Have participants complete a before and after self-assessment to identify their strengths and development areas in terms of thinking smarts, relating smarts, and being smarts (Intelligent). Invite managers to join the action learning team once a month to provide guidance and feedback (Collaborative).

- Have participants in a learning program work together to prepare a “brown bag” series (Sustainable) on “Emotionally Intelligent Consulting” (Intelligent). Make storytelling an integral part of the presentations (Transformational). Invite a client panel to participate to share their experiences and perspectives (Collaborative).

Here’s the key: learning that STICks addresses all of the essentials in some form or other. You might say the elements must be –um, “stuck”— together to be effective. For example, learning programs that are Sustainable but not Transformational may do a great job of reinforcing new skills but never crack open the limiting mindsets that impair a consultants’ ability to carry out those skills. Learning programs that are Intelligent but not Collaborative may create a cadre of well-rounded consultants but miss the “wow” that’s created when key stakeholders are focused on exceptional client service.

We’ll let you know when Learning that STICks is available on our website. No registration is required to download the paper, but if you’d like to receive automatic notification, please click here to register for our monthly BossaNews.

Zen and the Art of Trusted Advisorship

November 19, 2008 in BossaNova Recommends, Tips of the Trade, Trusted Advisor by aletham | No comments

This post can also be found at the Trust Matters blog.

In our Trusted Advisor workshops and coaching engagements, we spend a lot of time on listening. Why? Because not listening is one of the top two causes of trust breakdown. (The other — accelerating too quickly to a solution – is another form of not listening.)

Listening is critical to advice-giving because it’s through listening that we earn the right to offer advice.

There are many reasons we humans do a crappy job of listening. One of my favorites: the little internal voice that clogs our brain with incessant chatter.

(Don’t have a little voice in your head? Your little voice is the one that says, “What little voice? I don’t have a little voice.”)

A 30-second snippet from a typical internal dialogue:

Client: [insert reasonable work-related comments here]

Your little voice: “Uh oh. I should have spent more time preparing for this meeting. You know, I’m not sure I like this guy.”

Client: [insert reasonable work-related comments here]

LV: “I do like his tie. The suit, not so much.”

LV: “Did I remember to take my black suit to the drycleaner?”

Client: [insert reasonable work-related comments here]

LV: “I wish he’d hurry up and finish so I can re-focus this conversation. He’s taken us way off course.”

And so it goes. Like static on a radio station, the little voice interferes with our ability to tune in.

Which begs the question: How to reduce the static to improve our listening so that we, in turn, will be listened to?

Unfortunately, that little voice will never go away – it comes with being human. But there are ways to minimize it. Here are my Top Three:

1. Prepare your mind. This suggestion comes directly from The Trusted Advisor (page 200, if you must know). Train your brain to notice random chatter, and substitute some wry wisdom of your own choosing. Examples:

“I am not the center of the universe.

“It’s a ‘we’ game, not a ‘me’ game.”

“A point of view doesn’t commit you for life.”

“Knowing the truth is better than not knowing it.”

You can also make this part of your pre-flight checklist before your next big client meeting.

2. Get a little Zen. When the chatter arises, notice and observe it; raise your consciousness about it in the moment and gently but swiftly return your focus to the real conversation at-hand. This is similar to the practice that experienced meditators use of returning to the breath when “monkey mind” (a mind that jumps from thought to thought like a monkey jumps from tree to tree) takes over.

3. Think out loud. Get the chatter out of your head and into the conversation. This is especially valuable when your little voice is expressing a concern. Here are some examples:

LV: “He seems distracted.”

What you might say: “Let’s take a time out to be sure we’re going in the right direction with this conversation.”

LV: “I’m not sure she understands what I’m getting at.”

What you might say: “At the risk of appearing a little assertive here, may I be blunt?”

LV: “I am doing a lot of talking; someone shut me up!”

What you might say: “I’m hearing myself doing a lot of the talking here. What haven’t I asked about that’s important for me to know?”

This one requires some risk-taking. As does all trust.

You’re not crazy for having the little voice; you’re human. Do your clients – and yourself – a favor by training your brain to tune chatter out, client in. By listening, you earn the right to be listened to.

Andrea Howe has been in the consulting profession for nearly 20 years. A skilled speaker and facilitator, she has designed and delivered hundreds of off-sites, workshops, presentations and learning programs for people endeavoring to improve their business relationships. Read more…

New Resource! The Trust Matters Primer

October 2, 2008 in BossaNova Recommends, Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by aletham | No comments

Charlie Green, co-author of The Trusted Advisor, has just released a compilation of his best blog posts in a great little e-book called The Trust Matters Primer: The best of the Trusted Advisor Blog.

Topics range from how to answer that million-dollar client question, “Why should we choose you?” to three keys to transforming client relationships gone bad. We’re delighted that one of our blog comments is featured in the primer (page 18).

Click here for access to the Primer: http://trustedadvisor.com/public/files/pdf/TrustMattersPrimer01.pdf

Click here for access to the Trust Matters blog: http://trustedadvisor.com/trustmatters/

How Trustworthy Are You?

May 14, 2008 in BossaNova Recommends, Consulting on the Edge, Tips of the Trade by aletham | No comments

HandshakeCharlie Green of Trusted Advisor fame has a new online self-assessment to gauge your level of trustworthiness. We think it’s a great little tool, with 20 simple questions and an elegant and short report at the end, based on your entries. Take it today at www.trustedadvisor.com/trustquotient.

Reading Your Clients – Part Two

March 7, 2008 in Consulting on the Edge, Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by aletham | No comments

Ever wonder why you get along so well with one client but just can’t seem to make headway with another? It could be that you have different Social Styles. This week’s blog offers tips for how to relate – and get results – with clients who have different Social Styles from your own.

In our last post, we acknowledged that, while it’s important not to stereotype or “box” others in, models that define typical style preferences can be helpful. We think the Social Style Model (www.tracomcorp.com) is easy to understand and immediately apply.

The combination of Assertiveness (the degree to which you ask or tell during interactions) and Responsiveness (the degree to which you tend to control or emote) reveal your Social Style as Analytical, Driving, Amiable, or Expressive. Click here for a description of each social style.

Taking that one step further, here are tendencies and tips for each Social Style category during times of stress:

trust diagram

For a detailed list of recommended approaches for each quadrant, check out Tracom Corp’s web site (www.tracomcorp.com). The key is to figure out your primary style first, and then your clients’. You can close the gaps from there.

Reading Your Clients

March 5, 2008 in Consulting on the Edge, Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by aletham | No comments

Ever wonder why you get along so well with one client but just can’t seem to make headway with another? It could be that you have different Social Styles. This week’s blog offers a simple and useful framework for understanding and remedying disconnects between you and your clients (or between you and anyone, for that matter).

Human beings have natural behavioral patterns. While it’s important not to stereotype or “box” others in, models that define typical style preferences can be help us understand how to relate to our clients – especially when they are different from us. We like the Social Style Model (www.tracomcorp.com) because it’s easy to understand and immediately apply.

The Social Style Model uses two dimensions of human behavior:

trust diagram

1. Assertiveness is the degree to which you ask or tell during interactions
2. Responsiveness is the degree to which you tend to control or emote.

In combination, these two dimensions reveal your Social Style:

The challenge arises when you and your client have different Social Styles but don’t realize it. For example, an Amiable consultant (like me) may misinterpret a Driving client’s focus on actions and results as a lack of caring for his staff, and may frustrate her by spending too much time on relationships. Similarly, a Driving consultant may mistake an Amiable client for someone who is not bottom-line oriented.

So how do you minimize the gap in styles and maximize your ability to get the job done? Check out our next blog post to find out.

11 Rules to Consult By

February 27, 2008 in Consulting on the Edge, Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

We were recently asked to create a Consulting 101 for a group of IT executives at a very big company. In today’s blog, we share the eleven “Rules to Consult By”, a distilled list that represents what the best of the best in consulting practice on a regular basis. Here we’ve turned it into a short self-assessment. See how you do! Be honest.

trust diagram

If you’re an “Often” on 8 out of 11, congratulations! If you’re a “Sometimes” on five or more, create specific reminders or actions to take in the next week to get back in the best practices groove. If you’re a “Never” or “Rarely” on one or more items, let us know and we”ll offer up some tips to help: info@bossanovaconsulting.com.

Building Group Trust: The Service-Oriented Facilitator

February 12, 2008 in Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

Client meetings are a great opportunity to build trust with many clients at once. Today’s blog is the fourth (and last) in a series that focuses on how to build trust with your clients when you morph from Consultant to Facilitator (Click here to read the first article in the series, Building Group Trust: The Credible Facilitator.)

We’ve used the components of the Trust Equation as our framework. So far, we’ve covered Credibility, Reliability, and Connectedness; now we turn to Service Orientation.

trust diagram

Service Orientation exists in the domain of motives. Service-oriented facilitators make it clear that they are relentlessly focused on their client’s wants and needs at all times. Service-oriented facilitators are also committed to making sure that any and all interactions are all about the group–not about the facilitator. (Note that this component is reflected as Self-Orientation in the denominator of the Trust Equation – the idea here is to minimize a focus on self as much as possible.)

Service Orientation is so important that we’ve identified 20 tips for establishing yourself as a Service-oriented Facilitator:

1. Find out how your client defines success and how you can help them achieve it

2. Deliver “early and ugly” in the design phase – collaborate and iterate

3. Let go of trying to appear clever, bright, witty; it’s not a show and it’s not all about you

4. Put the PowerPoint deck aside – use stories, easel charts, and creative handouts instead

5. Don’t name-drop

6. Be self-deprecating

7. Give voice to your fears

8. Take risks

9. Don’t jump to a solution; give the group ample time to define and grapple with a problem

10. Know your own traps/triggers and make it your job (not your clients’) to manage them

11. Don’t interrupt

12. Answer direct questions with direct answers

13. Practice active/reflective listening — constantly

14. Be really honest even (especially) when it makes you look bad

15. Give others credit for successes

16. Take responsibility for failed communications

17. Confront issues as they arise (e.g., when ground rules are broken) -being preoccupied with them keeps your attention on your own preoccupation

18. Be willing to turn leadership of the group over to the group at an appropriate time

19. Let someone in the group have the last word, even (especially) when you”re dying to add your piece

20. Take time to solicit “plus/delta” feedback; hear it all with grace and good humor

Clients who experience you as Service-oriented can be heard saying, “I trust that she cares about xyz.” As a result, they’ll trust your leadership of the group.

Credibility, Reliability, Connectedness, and Service-orientation: four secret ingredients to turning any client meeting of any size into an opportunity for a double-whammy: exceeding expected results while simultaneously building trust.

Email us to receive our one-page handout called “50+ Tips for Building your Trustworthiness as a Facilitator.”

Building Group Trust: The Connected Facilitator

January 8, 2008 in Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

Client meetings are a great opportunity to build trust with many clients at once. Today’s blog is the third in a four-pack that focuses on how to build trust with your clients when you morph from Consultant to Facilitator. (Click here to read the first article in the series, Building Group Trust: The Credible Facilitator and click here to read the second article in the series, Building Group Trust: The Reliable Facilitator). We’ll use the components of the Trust Equation as our framework.

trust diagram

We�ve covered Credibility and Reliability so far; now we turn to Connectivity, which aligns with Intimacy on the Trust Equation.

Intimacy exists in the domain of emotions and emotional connectedness. The Connected Facilitator visibly demonstrates both empathy and discretion, which makes it possible for the group to flourish in a comfortable and safe working environment.

Here are 10 tips for establishing yourself as a Connected Facilitator:

1. Be rigorous about maintaining confidentiality when you collect and report group data (e.g., surveys or interviews)

2. Create a meeting design that supports discussion and disclosure (e.g., pairs sharing first before a whole group discussion) – especially around sensitive topics

3. Create a physical meeting space that is welcoming and orderly

4. Share something (appropriately) personal with the group; lead by example

5. Pay special attention to member participation throughout the meeting; use techniques like one-word check-ins and round robin reporting so all voices are heard

6. Use easel charts, white boards, and other visible recording devices to capture group input and actions

7. Use participants� language when creating a group record – even if you think it’s incorrect (grammatically or otherwise)

8. Acknowledge uncomfortable situations (e.g., “Wow, I notice the room got really quiet all of a sudden.”)

9. Demonstrate empathy; repeat back/summarize not only the content of what group members are expressing, but the emotion behind it

10. Use “process checks” periodically; step away from the content of the meeting to get feedback on participants’ overall experience of it.

Clients who experience an emotional connection with you have a sense of security, comfort, and ease in your presence. As a result, they’ll trust your leadership of the group, which means they will be more likely to express themselves and share information with you and with each other.

Unfortunately, emotional connectedness, or intimacy, is necessary and not sufficient for building trust. Last up: The Service-Oriented Facilitator.

Building Group Trust: The Reliable Facilitator

December 21, 2007 in Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

Client meetings are a great opportunity to build trust with many clients at once. Today’s blog is the second in a four-pack series that focuses on how to build trust with your clients when you morph from Consultant to Facilitator (click here to read the first article in the series, Building Group Trust: The Credible Facilitator). We’re using the components of the Trust Equation as our framework.

trust diagram

First up was Credibility. Today’s topic: Reliability.

Reliability exists in the domain of actions. Reliability occurs when you prove yourself to be dependable and predictable over time.

Here are 10 tips for establishing yourself as a Reliable Facilitator:

1. Whenever possible, interact with the group prior to convening to introduce yourself and begin to demonstrate how you work.

2. Be sensitive to your clients’ cultural norms when designing sessions.

3. Stick to the agenda you’ve created unless you clearly re-contract with the group or group leader to make changes.

4. Create materials (easel charts, handouts, session notes) with a consistent look and feel.

5. Dress appropriately; don’t dress way “over” or “under” your clients.

6. Use the group’s terminology.

7. Check against objectives/expectations at key junctures and ending points.

8. Always return to “Parking Lots” and other similar group records to bring closure to outstanding ideas and actions.

9. Absolutely, positively end your session when promised (unless you have agreed otherwise in advance).

10. Deliver follow-up materials on time.

Clients who experience you as reliable can be heard saying, “I trust her to _______.” As a result, they’ll trust your leadership of the group.

Credibility and reliability are necessary and not sufficient for building trust. Next up: The Connected Facilitator.

Building Group Trust: The Credible Facilitator

December 19, 2007 in Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

trust photoClient meetings are a great opportunity to build trust with many clients at once. Today’s blog is the first in a four-pack that focuses on how to build trust with your clients when you morph from Consultant to Facilitator.

We’ll use the components of the Trust Equation as our framework.

trust diagram

First up: Credibility.

Credibility exists in the domain of words. It is created through your credentials, your truthfulness, and how you present yourself.

Here are 10 tips for establishing yourself as a Credible Facilitator:

1. Know your stuff! Stay up-to-date on facilitation tools and techniques.

2. Be accurate and complete with your design and preparation.

3. Prepare your easel charts and other supporting materials well in advance; create an organized and welcoming meeting space.

4. When you are in presenter mode, practice, practice, practice, so your delivery is relaxed.

5. Be familiar with your clients’ terminology and acronyms.

6. Say “I don’t know” when you don’t know.

7. Never lie. Ever. (Click here to read more on the topic of lying.)

8. Remain poised and secure when group members express different opinions.

9. Express your passion for your work and for the group.

10. Be humble; remember the group’s wisdom rules the day.

Clients who experience you as credible can be heard saying, “I trust what he says about xyz.” As a result, they’ll trust your leadership of the group.

All that said, credibility is necessary and not sufficient for building trust. Next up: The Reliable Facilitator.

Consulting and the Art of Self-Deprecation

November 29, 2007 in Consulting on the Edge, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

Today’s blog brings humor to your desktop (or PDA), along with some perspective on what consultants can learn from comedians.

According to Wikipedia.com, comedians use self-deprecating humor “to avoid seeming arrogant or pompous and to help the audience identify with them.” Sounds like a good strategy for anyone looking to build trust and rapport with another human being. Sounds like an especially good strategy for anyone in the consulting profession. Ask any client who has worked with consultants over the years – they’ll have at least a few horror stories to tell about the Big Important Expert they hired. That creates messes we are all left to clean up.

Self-deprecation is an art that should be routinely practiced by anyone who claims the title “consultant.”

Here’s some material for your toolkit (original author unknown):

Top Ten Things You’ll Never Hear from a Consultant

1. You’re right; we’re billing way too much for this.

2. Bet you I can go a week without saying “synergy” or “value-added”.

3. How about paying us based on the success of the project?

4. This whole strategy is based on a Harvard business case I read.

5. Actually, the only difference is that we charge more than they do.

6. I don’t know enough to speak intelligently about that.

7. Implementation? I only care about writing long reports.

8. I can’t take the credit. It was Ed in your marketing department.

9. The problem is, you have too much work for too few people.

10. Everything looks okay to me.

Share this with your clients. They’ll enjoy laughing at your expense. And they’ll appreciate your ability to laugh at yourself!

Truth, Lies, and Unicorns Revisited: How to Speak Honestly in Business

November 20, 2007 in Consulting on the Edge, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

This is our last post (for now) on the subject of lying in professional services (click here to read our first blog posting on the topic). Today’s blog offers a socially acceptable way to put hard truths on the table. It’s called “Name It and Claim It” and it starts with a caveat and ends with telling it like it is.

Caveats are forewarnings that compensate for what we are about to say. An example might be, “I wish I had better news …” Acknowledging the sometimes harsh truths that follow, we rob them of their power.

Another style of caveat is to speak with humor: “You’re gonna love me for this …” By using humor, we lighten a tense situation.

After the caveat, the next part is simple: Tell it like it is. Say, for instance, “This job is going to take longer and cost more.” Do it in ten words or less.

“Name It and Claim It” functions as a meta-tool: by speaking the thing we fear most, we disarm its power. It is a form of emotional risk management. By incurring a small amount of discomfort, we reliably defuse much larger amounts of discomfort later.

By telling the truth, we solve problems and simultaneously build trust. The result: our client opens up to us. He takes our advice, seeks us out, and listens carefully to what we say. Isn’t that what we’re really being paid for?

*”Name It and Claim It” can be found in The Trusted Advisor by David Maister, Charles Green, and Rob Galford. We think it’s a must-read for anyone in professional services.

High Impact Client Presentations – Tip #5 of 5

October 30, 2007 in Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

Today’s blog offers the fifth of five tips to help you avoid the all-too-common trap of speaking more than listening when you’re giving a client presentation. Use these tips any time you are trying to influence a group of people — regardless of your role, your audience, or your time boundaries.

Tip # 1: (Within the first 2 minutes) Get their voices in the room. Click here to read more.

Tip #2: (Within the first 5 minutes) Find out what they want to hear from you. Click here to read more.

Tip #3: (At the 6-minute mark) Don’t be afraid to throw out what you had planned based on what they tell you they want. Click here to read more.

Tip #4: (5 minutes before closing) See how well you met their expectations. Click here to read more.

Tip #5: (1 minute before closing) Know where they stand when you leave. Use a One Word Check-out. Ask, “How are you as you leave the room?” You’ll know immediately what impact you had and what your next steps are. This is often a really uplifting experience for everyone involved – including you! It’s amazing how quickly a room can go from “pooped” to “psyched,” especially when you’ve followed Tips 1 through 4. And if the reverse has happened, well, bummer. But wouldn’t you rather know – and know immediately – so you can deal with it … and adjust your approach for the next time?

Bottom line: Being influential comes as a result of listening first, not talking. This is true whether you’re a consultant outside an organization or a leader within one, speaking in a formal setting or gathered casually around a conference room table, delivering a presentation lasting 30 minutes or 3 days. Use all five tips for high impact client presentations.

These tips were originally presented in BossaNova’s TwentyFourSeven newsletter. Click here to see it and find other articles of interest.

High Impact Client Presentations – Tip #4 of 5

October 25, 2007 in Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

Today’s blog offers the fourth of five tips to help you avoid the all-too-common trap of speaking more than listening when you’re giving a client presentation. Use these tips any time you are trying to influence a group of people — regardless of your role, your audience, or your time boundaries.

Tip #1: (Within the first 2 minutes) Get their voices in the room. Click here to read more.

Tip #2: (Within the first 5 minutes) Find out what they want to hear from you. Click here to read more.

Tip #3: (At the 6-minute mark) Don’t be afraid to throw out what you had planned based on what they tell you they want. Click here to read more.

Tip #4: (5 minutes before closing) See how well you met their expectations. If the venue allows it, ask everyone to share to what extent their interests were addressed. If this kind of one-to-one exchange just isn’t feasible, then summarize what you covered and how you attempted to address what they wanted to accomplish. Refer back to the list you made as part of Tip #2. Ask for a show of hands to indicate how successful you were.

Next up: Tip #5 of 5.

High Impact Client Presentations – Tip #3 of 5

October 23, 2007 in Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

Today’s blog offers the third of five tips to help you avoid the all-too-common trap of speaking more than listening when you’re giving a client presentation. Use these tips any time you are trying to influence a group of people — regardless of your role, your audience, or your time boundaries.

Tip # 1: (Within the first 2 minutes) Get their voices in the room. Click here to read more.

Tip #2: (Within the first 5 minutes) Find out what they want to hear from you. Click here to read more.

Tip #3: (At the 6-minute mark) Don’t be afraid to throw out what you had planned based on what they tell you they want. This is the hallmark act of someone who really knows their stuff – and knows how to connect with people. Trade in a “perfect” pitch for one that’s perfectly in tune with your audience. It doesn’t matter if you stumble and fumble a bit in the process. Let your audience know they are so important to you that you’re willing to forego your put-together image to give them what they want.

Next up: Tip #4 of 5.

High Impact Client Presentations – Tip #2 of 5

October 18, 2007 in Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

Today’s blog offers the second of five tips to help you avoid the all-too-common trap of speaking more than listening when you’re giving a client presentation. Use these tips any time you are trying to influence a group of people — regardless of your role, your audience, or your time boundaries.

Tip # 1: (Within the first 2 minutes) Get their voices in the room. Click here to read more.

Tip #2: (Within the first 5 minutes) Find out what they want to hear from you. How else do you know how to best use their valuable time – and yours? Once again, a simple question will do. One I use often is, “What would have to happen in the next __ minutes/days for you to walk away saying, ‘Wow, this was really valuable’?” If you’re speaking to a room of 10 people, you can afford to solicit an answer from everyone. If you’re speaking to a room of 50, take a random sample. There is always a quick and effective way to get the information you need to tailor your pitch for maximum impact.

BONUS: Record what you hear on easel chart paper or some other medium that can be seen by the whole group. This is another way to help people feel heard. Plus you’ll want to refer back to this list later.

Next up: Tip #3 of 5.

High Impact Client Presentations – Tip #1 of 5

October 16, 2007 in Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

Not too long ago I got to watch another consulting team give a sales pitch to my clients. Sadly, the consulting team missed a major opportunity to build rapport with their prospects and get into their world. Why? Because all they did was talk. Today’s blog offers the first of five tips to help you avoid the all-too-common trap of speaking more than listening when you’re giving a client presentation. Use these tips any time you are trying to influence a group of people — regardless of your role, your audience, or your time boundaries.

Tip # 1: (Within the first 2 minutes) Get their voices in the room. One of my favorite techniques is what I call a One Word Check-in. Simply ask, “If you had to describe how you are at this moment in just one word, what word would you choose?” (Notice I do not ask how they are “feeling” – a charged word for some people.) Your audience’s answers will give you an immediate sense of how they are doing, and how ready they are to engage with you. As a bonus, they’ll be that much more inclined to engage because you took a moment to inquire about them early on.

What do you do with what you hear? First and foremost, don’t even think about taking their answers personally. I once surveyed a group of 40 people and the majority shared words like “exhausted,” “tired,” “spent.” This had absolutely nothing to do with me. But was I glad I collected the data. Simply asking about – and acknowledging – their collective state immediately boosted the energy in the room. Plus I was able to tailor my presentation to adapt to the group mood. Conversely, if the vibe in the room is upbeat, ready, energized, you can get down to business that much faster and feel confidently you aren’t leaving people behind.

BONUS: Repeat each word you hear before you move onto the next person. This requires all of one extra second per person and you get two important things in return: (1) You help everyone hear how the room is doing (in a large room, sometimes you’re the only one with the benefit of a microphone or a booming presenter’s voice), and (2) You give each and every person the experience of being heard – one of the greatest gifts you can give another human being. All within the first 2 minutes of your pitch!

Next up: Tip #2 of 5.

“Early and Ugly” – an Oldie but Goodie

October 2, 2007 in Consulting on the Edge, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

This appeared in BossaNova’s 2006 summer newsletter, and it bears repeating.

“Early and ugly” is what a prized client said he wanted from his consulting firm. “Our very senior client was telling us he didn’t want to wait weeks or months for a polished deliverable; he wanted to be part of the action every step of the way,” reports Wayne Simmons, managing partner of ICOR Partners , a strategic management consulting firm servicing the public sector. “We were happy to hear it because that’s exactly how we like to work,” he added.

What a great reminder that not only is it OK to be “messy” with our clients, it’s often what they prefer. The Recovering Perfectionist in me needs this reminder repeatedly.

How messy do you dare to be?