Imagine it is two hours before you are speaking to the National Hispanic Corporate Council on how to connect corporate responsibility to corporate communications - and you are sick to your stomach. There is no need for alarm. I speak in public often, and for better or for worse, this always happens to me too.
We are speaking more frequently in public and now we are doing it virtually so in addition to combatting nerves, we have to make sure we have a decent wifi connection and hope the new puppy doesn't make an unscheduled guest appearance.
Increasingly, corporate responsibility professionals are being asked to make the case for the work they do in boardrooms, town halls, and video conference calls. Inside your company, much of the "low-hanging fruit" has been implemented. In the community, your stakeholders are becoming increasingly knowledgeable, connected and are demanding more transparency and accountability.
When you present your ESG initiatives to executives and colleagues, how do you secure their support? While PowerPoint slides and executive summaries are needed to make the case, the power of a persuasive, engaging presentation cannot be underestimated. With that in mind, I wanted to share my four tips for speaking and would welcome your top tips as well.
1. Research your audience
Nothing is more painful than sitting through a canned presentation. We can all see you reading the notes off your laptop, so don't expect us to say yes to the request or support the cause. A little bit or research and thoughtfulness goes a long way and a quick visit to an organization's website or personal LinkedIn page can quickly uncover your hook as you present your initiative. As Lynnette McIntire, at Silver Birch Communications, and colleague a at Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, notes in "Sustainability a CFO Can Love," even the more skeptical can be swayed if you can make a business case and appeal to "enlightened self-interest."
2. People want a discussion, not a lecture
I saw a meme floating around recently that stated something similar, and I couldn't agree more. The most engaging and effective presentations are when the speaker has spoken to the slides she is presenting, not reading them. She connected with the audience and gained support for the corporate responsibility initiative through interactions, audience participation and was comfortable wandering slightly from the script. At the very least, be sure to leave ample time for questions and answers. You do not have to expand on all of your bullet points in your prepared remarks. In fact, I would encourage you to keep two or three insightful comments that can be incorporated into your answers or closing remarks.
3. Master the video conferencing technology
Video conferencing is now an essential skill that was once a secondary thought for most. I've included some how-to guides below in the Et Cetera section for you to review. But let me call out a few master-class tactics I've seen. First, move the participants' video streams to just below your camera. This way, it feels more like a conversation because you are looking at them and the camera. Second, call on a specific person, or order of people, to get specific perspectives. Do not open it up to the group with open ended questions. You either get silence or everyone talking at once, and neither works while video conferencing. Finally, use (or don't use) the "chat" function wisely, when talking to large groups. The chat bar can take on a life of its own if it is ignored. If you are doing the presentation solo, consider turning off the chat function and removing the distraction. But ideally, have a colleague moderate the chat conversation and bring key ideas and questions to you as a co-host or privately via a scribbled note, text message or IM.
4. Take care of you
This might seem basic, but taking care of you is too often ignored. Staying up late to perfect your pitch does you no good if you are too exhausted to handle the 'curveball' question from the audience. A bit of caffeine an hour before speaking may be necessary, but the triple shot espresso right before you start is never a good idea.
Looking for more resources to explore, tactics to use, connections to make, then check out et cetera...
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