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January 2002

Welcome to the New Year! In 2002 may you find the courage and strength to pursue your dreams and to live in peace and joy.

I just came back from a wonderful vacation in the Yucatan in Mexico. We stayed on the beach, with no electricity, in a big tent under a palm roof. We were only seventeen steps from the ocean. We swam, snorkeled, walked the beach and saw gorgeous sunrises and sunsets. If that type of vacation appeals to you go to www.mexicoholiday.com/destinations/kaliuumcito.html

In this month's free e-news from Wilder Presentations, I'd like to discuss two ideas for presenters and one for designers. As always, there's a monthly challenge.

FOR PRESENTERS:

Step 6: USE ALL MODALITIES: VISUAL, AUDITORY, KINESTHETIC

This month I'll summarize our discussion of the three modalities: Visual, Auditory, and Kinesthetic. If you've just started receiving this bulletin, go to my Web site and read:

      2001 October:       Visual types

      2001 November:       Auditory types

      2001 December:       Kinesthetic types.

To engage your audience, it is vital to include each of these modalities in your presentation. How do you quickly identify the three different types among your audience members?

1. Words: Pay attention to the words they say.

Visual words include: see, bright, focused, clear, perspective, focus.

Auditory words include: hear, tune in, discuss, harmonize, shout.

Kinesthetic words include: feel, touch, angle, exciting, grasp, smooth, solid, warm.

2. Phrases: Notice the phrases and metaphors they use.

Visual types say: "That really brightens my day." "I want to see the big picture." "We need to put this into perspective."

Auditory types say: "I hear you loud and clear." "That sounds great." "I called this program to a screeching halt."

Kinesthetic types say: "I'm immersed in this job." "The pressure is on our group." "This project is breaking my back."

3. Way of being:

A visual person will be either making a picture in his or her head or drawing one on a pad of paper.

An auditory person will listen and then be able to repeat back what you said.

A kinesthetic person may be busy taking notes and jotting down ideas when you are talking.

In the office environment, visual people are usually neat because they like to "see" an ordered environment. Although an auditory person likes order, it's not as important as it is to a visual person. Kinesthetic people don't see disorder, so their office may have piles everywhere.

4. Eye cues: Notice where their eyes focus. The visual person will be processing in pictures; the auditory in words; and the kinesthetic in feelings.

Visual types look up to the upper left to see a past visual memory and to the upper right to construct a picture from what you are saying.

Auditory types look level left to remember a specific sound and level right to construct a sound. People who scan their eyes from side to side are checking what they hear at the moment with what they heard in the past.

Kinesthetic types look to the lower right. People in your audience who tend to look down are probably accessing how they feel about the situation.

When you are presenting to a group of people, you need to use all the modalities to draw in the entire audience: show pictures, tell stories than bring out people's emotions, and provide crisp, clear descriptions. All three types appreciate music if it's appropricate.

For more information see these books: Awaken the Giant Within by Anthony Robbins, Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins and Instant Rapport by Michael Brooks.

FOR PRESENTERS:

PERSONALIZE THE QUESTION-AND-ANSWER PERIOD

Ellen Finkelstein, author of PowerPoint 2000 Professional Results, suggests:

After giving your presentation, open the floor to questions. Then exit Slide Show mode and in PowerPoint, start a new slide. Explain what you're doing. As someone asks a question, type it on the new slide. Then answer the question. Continue for all questions. After the presentation, when you return to your office, write in your answers and send the audience members all the answers to their questions. This becomes a uniquely personalized, meaningful handout.

I've also seen this work well with suggestions at a meeting. The presenter creates slides to document suggestions, then sends the appropriate slides to the person responsible for acting on the suggestions.

Visit www.ellenfinkelstein.com for PowerPoint tips, AutoCAD links, and Flash links.

FOR DESIGNERS:

NEED SOME SLIDE IDEAS?

I've written several articles on slide design for InfoComm. You can access them through my Web site

(go to www.wilderpresentations.com the double click on the Slides That Win picture icon, then go to the gold bar and click on October 2001 or November 2001 under the black name Slides Article: InfoComm)  Or click on:

http://www.infocommnews.net/index.cfm?objectID=BC7DFC4A-C24F-11D5-A0D000D0B7913DE7

http://www.avavenue.com/index.cfm?objectID=20932EB9-DD38-11D5-A0DA00D0B7913DE7

SOUNDS YOU CAN USE

Visit www.hulabear.com to order CD's  for $14.99 with music beds and sound effects for your multimedia projects.

MONTHLY CHALLENGE:

PRESENTERS

Experiment with writing people's questions on your slides or a flip chart. Then e-mail them your answers after the meeting.

DESIGNERS

Think about where you can add sound to your presentation. Maybe the sounds can only be before or after the presentation. Some people will enjoy walking into a room with music playing.

CLOTHING IDEAS FOR MEN

Here are some ideas for men from Mary Lou Andre's Dressing Tip of the Week. As this is the start of the New Year, I thought you men in my audience would like some ideas on dressing that you can apply when you give a presentation.

To subscribe, visit http://www.dressingwell.com/subscribe.

* Even if you work in a business casual environment, there is still room in most professional wardrobes for at least one suit and one updated sports coat. With or without a tie, a jacket always sets a business tone and is a respectful garment to wear if you meet new clients or present in front of a formal group. A sport coat paired with a dark to medium color wool pant is always less formal than a suit. There is definitely a trend towards being more "dressed up" than "dressed down" these days!

* Jackets with three or four buttons are the current trend. They are often slimming because of the elongated design. Double-breasted blazers are too formal for most business environments today. When buttoning the jacket of a three-button suit, fasten the top two buttons. A double-breasted suit should always be buttoned when standing.

* A classic "Straight" collar is appropriate for all suits. It is traditional and conservative. The "Tab" or "Pin" collars are other traditional styles. They are both neat and formal. The "Button-Down" collar is the most casual of all business shirts and is the easiest collar choice to wear without a tie. A dressy mock turtleneck or other dressy, collared knit tops, worn with or without a sports coat, is another nice business casual option.

* In addition to traditional dress slacks that are typically paired with a blazer, khaki's, "Dockers," corduroys, wool flannel are typically acceptable when they are presented professionally (i.e. pressed, tailored to fit and coordinated with tops that are equally professional.) Note that wool gabardine and tropical wool are the most sophisticated fabrics for pants even if you choose them in a khaki color. A percentage of Lycra and/or polyester in a dress slack also keeps down the wrinkles and makes them drape better.

* For many men, shoes are an afterthought, but cheap or unkempt shoes can ruin an otherwise polished look. The best shoes for a traditional business suit are wing-tips. Oxfords and loafers are better choices when wearing more casual clothes. If you work in a climate that might produce snow this season, buy a pair of boots that won't be distracting if you forget your dress shoes at home.

* The details do matter. Dark socks such as navy, black or brown are best. Over-the-calf socks are much better than shorter styles. Coordinating his belt with his shoes will instantly pull his look together.

Presentation Points, written by Claudyne Wilder, usually comes out the first business week of each month. For more information, call 617-524-7172, e-mail claudyne@quik.com or visit my Web site, www.wilderpresentations.com.

Presentation Points may be forwarded via e-mail, printed for circulation, and quoted FREE OF CHARGE. No permission is required, but please mention where you got this information. It's also perfectly acceptable to post Presentation Points on your company's Intranet.

To subscribe to Presentation Points or to see the home page of my Web site, go to www.wilderpresentations.com.

Happy New Year!

Copyright 2001, Claudyne Wilder. All rights reserved.