Tuesday Tips

You know how you’ll be speaking to lots of people today?

Well, will you be interesting?

Will they enjoy it?

Will you?

If you know 100% that, yes, you’ll be interesting, great – crack on.

But if aren’t that sure, here’s a great question to ask yourself when you’re preparing:

       Is this interesting?

It sounds obvious, I know.

But hardly anybody asks it.

That’s why most communications aren’t interesting.

Great news though: it’s extremely easy to be more interesting. All you have to do is follow these two simple steps:

1. Think what people find interesting
2. And do some of that

For example, people like interactivity. So include some questions. That way, you ask them things. That makes them speak. It’s now interactive.

They also like it when people tell stories to make their point (facts tell, stories sell). So think of a couple of stories you can use, and use them.

They’re interested in things that benefit them. So mention benefits in your opening sentences. Which presentation would you rather listen to?

• “Today, I’ll be running through the intricacies of Excel. It really is a wonderful spreadsheet” or
• “You know how you’re short of time? Well, I’m going to show you something that’ll free-up lots of time for you. Maybe a few hours every week. It’s what we call Excel”

Let’s do a couple more. ..

They like it when things are relevant to them (and hate it when they aren’t). So, before you prepare it, ask them what topics they want you to focus on. And then talk about them. Maybe also ask what topics they don’t want to hear about, to ensure you don’t bore them with irrelevant stuff

They also like good visuals. So don’t use bullet points on slides – they’re just boring to look at (I know they’re great Speaker Prompts. But you’re presenting to them, so should show them things they’ll like). For instance, you could use PowerPoint’s SmartArt function – miles nicer to look at than bullets.

Let’s think – what else do people find interesting? Learning things – so teach them something. Trivia – so include some. Quizzes – so have one. Humour – so include something funny. Brevity – so minimise your content.

You get the picture. Simply:

1. Think what people find interesting
2. And do some of that

You don’t have to do all the things in this Tip, of course. But, if you want to be interesting, you’ll have to do more than none of them.

After all, if you don’t, it’s boring. And that’s just terrible for everyone.

Action point

Preview today’s diary. What are your main communications? Ask yourself “Are they interesting enough?” If they aren’t, you know what to do.