Category Archives: communications

Are you ready for the biggest presentation of your life?

The crowd gathers in the conference hall; the buzz about your presentation is so alive you can feel electricity in the air. Every noteworthy blog, Twitter feed, LinkedIn discussion group and e-mail list has been hyping your presentation as the next big thing.

The front seats fill up within minutes. With five minutes until your presentation, there’s not an empty seat in the hall.

You review the key talking points in your head, while wiping a faint bead of sweat from your head. A last sip of water and a nervous press of your pants steadies you. You are ready for this big moment.

The Master of Ceremonies’ resonant voice fills the room:

“Thank you for coming to this conference. It is wonderful to see a sellout crowd gathered for such an historic occasion. I have heard our keynote speak a number of times, and your life is ready to be changed. Please help me welcome our keynote speaker.”

If you were given this complimentary introduction for your big speech would you be ready? Would you exceed the expectations of an audience already buzzing with excitement?

When it’s your big chance to take the mic, what will you do?

Here are a few tips to keep your audience talking long after the lights dim:

Talk with your audience, not at them: If your goal is to show how smart or funny you are, you’ll fail miserably. Ask the audience some questions. Get their hands in the air. Make them stand up, sit down, jump around. Make them repeat the key points of your presentation.
Tell stories: Stories make you seem more real, more authentic, more reachable. It’s perfectly fine to add some quotes and facts to help make a point, but stories (the more vivid, the better) are the pieces of your presentation that will be remembered.
Speak from the seats, not the podium: If you’ve done your homework, you intimately know the hopes, dreams, fears of your audience. You know what keeps them up at night. You are well aware of how they are motivated. Being a thought leader means knowing the questions and answers that are always on your audience’s mind.

When you are passed the microphone for the biggest presentation of your life, will you be ready? Follow these tips and you’ll hear that pre-presentation buzz; you’ll feel that electricity and seize the moment.

Until next time,

Dan Naden

Coffee Bean: Customer Focused every day

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I have high expectations for new businesses.

I have an expectation when entering a new store that I’ll be treated like royalty. I want that business to do everything they can to show me that I am a valued customer.

Frequently, this lofty ideal is crushed, leaving me departing the venue dejected, despondent; a new business’ worst nightmare.

I’ll tell my friends about my miserable experience, enlightening them about all that went wrong.

Coffee Bean’s not just serving coffee, but memories.

On a sunny Monday morning in Austin, Texas, a shining, triumphant new business star was born. Nothing went wrong.

A new Coffee Bean Tea & Leaf store opened in our neighborhood, and my wife and I were eager to give the store a try.

Opening the door for my wife, we were serenaded with welcomes from the staff: “Hello, how are you today? Welcome, it is great to see you.”
We may have come in strangers, but we felt welcomed within an instant.

What store makes this a common practice? In most in-store experiences, it’s tough to get eye contact with an employee. This interaction, though, was authentic, engaging, breathtaking, refreshing.

After ordering our drinks, we relaxed in soft, cushiony chairs; the sunlight threw long shadows across the spotless floor.

Nearby, a young woman looked frustrated at her laptop. Within seconds, a Coffee Bean employee appeared: “Are you having trouble connecting to the WIFI? Let me help you.” The woman’s scowl disappeared; a fresh, surprised smile grew across her face.

Was this really happening? Employees that appeared happy to work there, and happy to please – there is hope for customers.

Our drinks arrived quickly. My wife couldn’t stop commenting on the flavor in her Latte. My coffee tasted fresh, not burnt. A few minutes passed, and a friendly employee asked: “Would you like a glass of ice water?”

If this is the new standard for service, I am a believer. Don’t just give me what I expect; blow me away with kindness; go out of the way to show you care.

Sadly, the day was too nice to stay at the Coffee Bean. The calendar said January, but the weather shouted April. As we left, the manager stopped by our chairs, thanked us for coming, picked up our glasses, and gave a hug to a young woman with her children.

“It’s great to see you again. Thanks for coming back,” he told the young woman.

“It’s great to be here. What a nice day it is today, “ the woman responded.

Another customer dazzled by attention, care, diligence, friendliness.

Give Coffee Bean a try. I hope your experience is a pleasant one. If it’s anything like our recent experience, you’ll come back for more.

Idea for Coffee Bean: Not sure of the return on investment for those loyalty clubs, but how about starting a Coffee Bean rewards club called the Beaners? Personally, I don’t need a program such as this to come back again, but it could help the skeptics.

Check Coffee Bean on Twitter: @TheCoffeeBean

Until next time,

Dan Naden

The Work From Home Manifesto

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No traffic.

No commute.

Lunch with the family.

Flexibility.

Minimal distractions.

I’ve been working from home for the past year now and the verdict is in: I love it!

I’ve never felt more productive, focused and driven to meet my goals.

But, there’s a catch. Don’t get too distant from being ‘social’.

Yes, it’s vitally important to be intentional with ‘outside time’, including coffee, lunches and meetups with friends. Join a club, association, lunchtime group.

Working from home has turbo-boosted my productivity. How about you?

Even the dog sees the upside. She loves that I sometimes give her a run around the neighborhood during my lunch break.

Working from home might not be for everyone. The pull of ESPN, Reality Shows, MTV might be too appealing. The Web’s many paths can easily distract and disarm you from meeting the day’s goals, especially with no other professionals around to keep you honest.

So what does working at home teach you?

1. Discipline: You need feedback on a project? There’s no cube mate ‘next door’ to share perspective. You must take initiative and pick up the phone or initiate a Web chat to seek out another’s opinion. Passivity won’t work. If you want to grow and improve working from home, you must be VERY intentional.

2. Drive: If you are working in an Agile environment as I am, (and I think you should give this project methodology a look!) the team is counting on you to meet your commitments. If you miss a deliverable, you are disappointing many, not just yourself. It’s essential that you push aside all obstacles and find a solution to the problems you face.

3. Creativity: Being creative means different things to different people. For some, creativity ‘happens’ amidst a large group of people, discussing, sharing, debating a key concept. Other people might only experience inspiration during downtime; a silent morning walk or a digital detach with no smartphone, Web, or television. I find creativity strikes me during quiet moments of thought; these scenarios would be difficult to find in a noisy office environment.

Give it a try; I know you’ll like it.

Until next time,
Dan Naden