Tips For Delivering Compelling Presentations |
| Posted by Lisa Kaslyn |
| Friday, 01 February 2008 |
 As a communications consultant, Ive always been fascinated by the legal profession. Outside of politics, there are few other professions that demand a higher degree of sophistication when it comes to persuasive communications.
The relative success of any attorney is based almost entirely on his or her ability to effectively win over a judge and jury on behalf of their client.
I talked with several respected Westchester attorneys who shared insights on how they prepare to sell a jury or settle a case to the benefit of their client. Many of their persuasive techniques and tips can be replicated by anyone seeking to drive more business, influence their employees or simply get their point across more effectively.
Tips for delivering a compelling presentation:
1) Know your audience and build rapport
According to Patricia Micek, a partner at McMillan, Constabile, Maker & Perone,
LLP, building rapport and getting the attention and empathy of your audience is key. The best lawyer I ever observed arrived late to court, breathless and disheveled. Without missing a beat, he announced his apologies, blaming a terrible accident and the fact that he missed the bus. The attorney most likely hadnt ridden a bus in over 30 years, but that statement established immediate rapport and empathy from the jury because everyone in the room could relate to his circumstance.
2) Listen and tell your story using simple yet effective language
Persuasive communication starts with being a good listener, says Stephen Jones, managing partner, Jones Garneau, LLP. Actively listening helps the client to narrow down what the issue is that they need help with or from a business standpoint, what the customer is trying to fix or improve. Oftentimes people are upset, lack focus or have difficulty expressing themselves. My job is to listen, apply some critical thinking skills and ask the right questions to ascertain what the true need is. Only then can I effectively communicate on behalf of my client.
Many people have a broad range of vocabulary and language skills, but when youre speaking to someone you dont know or to a group with mixed backgrounds and education, you should always communicate in simple yet effective terms that the majority of people can identify with.
Jon Dorf of The Dorf Law Firm, LLP, says, The most effective way to reach people using words is to paint a picture by telling a story. Stories are memorable and identifiable; people respond to stories because they enable them to visualize the point being made by the speaker.
3) Nothing beats preparation
And finally, the preparation. This point cannot be overstated, yet Ive worked with
many executives who prefer to fly by the seat of their pants, cramming minutes
before or reading from notes during an important public event or media interview it shows. On the flipside, it also shows when youre prepared, because nothing beats a self assured, passionate and knowledgeable speaker who can engage an individual or audience with comfort and ease.
Even the great British orator, Winston Churchill, fumbled during a speech because he was not prepared, said Stephen Jones. After suffering through his parliamentary colleagues jeers, Churchill put a rigorous preparation process in place, so that he would never publicly lose track of his message again. If one is not prepared, one cannot make split-second decisions in the courtroom or the boardroom. In communication, timing is critical and if one does not have a strong command over their subject matter, one will not be able to decide what to say and when to say it with the greatest impact.
As another checkpoint in the preparation process, business leaders and entrepreneurs should track their perceived weakness in the marketplace. Like a good attorney, you must lay out the entire story pros and cons. Once you have openly acknowledged the potential issue, i.e., your business is smaller or your service is more expensive than the competitors, etc., your preparation and key messages should enable you to overcome the issue or weakness up front, so its exposed and rendered benign in the mind of the client or customer.
Lisa Kaslyn is the president of Kashen Communications, a consultancy specializing in PR, employee and executive communications. Reach her at Lisa@KashenPR.com This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it or 845-225-7571. | 
