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QUICK QUIZ – be brilliant without trying

Tags: Be interesting | Presentations | Meetings | Impact

25th July

Here is a quick quiz for you.

You have five seconds to answer these five questions:

  1. What do cows drink?
  2. What’s the opposite of 'not in'?
  3. How much dirt is in a hole measuring two metres squared, and three metres deep?
  4. What weighs more – a ton of concrete or a ton of feathers?
  5. How many of each animal did Moses take onto the ark?

Time's up.

The answers:

  1. Water, not milk
  2. 'In', not 'out'
  3. None – it's a hole
  4. The same – they both weigh a ton
  5. He didn't. It was Noah.

How many did you get?

It should be five, right? After all, they’re pretty easy.

But I bet you didn't.

Why?

Because you were rushing.

So, although it should be easy, your speed meant it wasn't.

It's the same when trying to make your communication stand out. It should be pretty easy to do – after all, most comms aren't that good. But, because of speed, they aren’t as good as they should be.

But look how easy it is to improve…

For example, how do you make a presentation more interesting?

Easy. By including interesting things.

For instance, audiences like interactivity. So prepare great questions to ask, to get them talking.

See? Easy.

Another example: how can you ensure that every meeting triggers actions?

Easy. By having 'Actions arising' as your final agenda item. Not ‘Any Other Business'!

But we don't do this easy stuff, do we?

Because we’re rushing. We aren’t thinking. We're just doing the same thing we did last week. Even if last week didn't work.

Now, I'm not suggesting you spend ages over-preparing. You haven't the time.

But you have more time than none.

And an extra two minutes prep can make all the difference.

So, let's finish with two final quick questions:

Question #1: How many letter Fs are in this sentence…

Fifty florins for a flagon of fluff

How many did you see? Five? Six?

There are nine.

And question #2…

Action point

…in today's diary, what's your most important communication?

Spend two minutes, identifying 1-2 simple ways you can improve it.

And, when your communication is a ‘selling one’ – so, you’re selling a product, a service, yourself – this can feel daunting. But, like most things, it’s easy when you know how. Here’s a FREE video, showing how to become better at it in seconds.

Andy's speaking at the UK's best sales conference in November. Other speakers include Sir Clive Woodward and Allan Pease. Fancy coming along?