Wisconsin Business Travel Association

1/16/2010

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Wisconsin Business Travel Association Education Day in Kohler, Wisconsin.  As a business traveler myself I was interested to learn more about the industry.  I would like to thank Jesse Funk for booking me as a speaker and allowing me to attend all of the sessions.  The information shared by industry insiders and front line hospitality experts was enlightening. 

It was a long day and I was the final presentation.  I was the only thing between the attendees and heading home.  Not the best position, but with my high energy speech about success and bowling alleys I tried to send them home with a smile.

About 85 % of the attendees stay to the end and I hope my presentation rewarded them for their perseverance.  The reaction to the speech seemed to reflect that was the case.  A number of attendees stayed afterwards to have me autograph my book and tell me about their experiences bowling.

 Thank you WBTA for a wonderful day and the hospitality shown me as a guest.

The skill of the presenter is often more important than the message

3/3/2009

I recently attended a "Town Hall" type meeting for a large non profit organization.  The purpose was to inform the local volunteers of changes in programs and operations and how those changes would impact the local level.  As with any message being delivered, the method of presenting the information is as important as the information itself.

As a veteran of many of these meetings over the years I have learned how to articulate issues, frame them from the point of view of the listener and explain the rationale, while empathizing with the audience.  It is a difficult skill that takes time to master.

The support material and how it is handled also has an impact on the audience acceptance of the information and understanding of the reasons behind the decisions.  Too much information and it appears you are trying to bury them with minutia.  Too little and it looks like you are hiding something.  And one thing I learned is that you can only estimate the level of explanation as the audience members will vary as to how much information is needed.  This can be a no win situation, so base it on the largest segment of the audience.

Now back to the meeting I attended.  I do not plan to talk about the issues as most of those reading this blog have no interest in the specifics.  What I would like to talk about is the problems with the delivery of the information and what could be done to improve it.

The meeting started on time, a good thing.  The opening was handled by a local volunteer, which may seem politically correct, but unless the individual is a competent public speaker, the credibility of the presentation is compromised. In this instance the volunteer, while a nice guy and a great volunteer is not a public speaker.  I felt uncomfortable for him which is not the way to open an important meeting.  I would suggest to the organization to abandon the politically correct volunteer and simply recognized the important people in the audience and then begin professionally.

The support material was a power point presentation that froze with the first video (the second slide).  Again a distraction that takes away from the intended impact of the presentation.  The first rule of using electronic support is to check it , recheck it and check it again.  In addition the presenter had to have someone else advance the slides rather than having a remote clicker.  Another distraction that can be easily fixed.

Now to the presenter.  He was a young energetic individual that is one of the top executives at the organization.  He had a very professional appearance which is essential to establish audience credibility.  Unfortunately as he began to speak he suffered the age old problem that plagues many neophytes to the speaking field: a case of the uhs, ahs and ands.  I stopped counting at 50 in the first few minutes.  Talk about a distraction....  This is a difficult habit to break, but practice is essential.  The deadly uhs, ahs and ands will kill the impact of the presentation in short time.

At the end of the presentation, the session was opened to questions and answers.  The presenter stated his personal disclaimer, "I don't know the answers to every question so if I don't I'll get back to you."  Seems like a smart thing to do, but in reality you have just told your audience that to get the right answers they should look to someone else.  Now I realize everyone can't have the answer to every question, but handle that if such a question comes up.  There may be a chance that over the course of the Q and A you do know the answers to each question, but your disclaimer puts doubt in the minds of the audience.   

In reality the presenter did not have answers to many of the questions and  partial answers to many more.  If you are sending out someone to represent your organization in a public setting they should be briefed on the probable questions and the appropriate answers.  To me I saw the presenter's efforts during the Q & A as a lack of preparation on the part of the organization and the presenter.  In essence they are telling me in a backhanded sort of way, that they were expending little energy and interest in informing me of the changes.  Not a good way to get me to buy in.

Maybe I am just too critical because this I what I do for a living, but I am good at what I do and I expect anyone asking me to spend time listening to them should invest the their time to make it worth my time.

Of course in the words of Dennis Miller, " That is just my opinion and I could be wrong."

Where's the book?

2/26/2009

As I have indicated in blogs and on my home page, my new book, "The Gutter Paradigm" is soon to be published.  Soon is the operative word.

I thought it would be published by December, January, February and now I am hoping early March.  It is like that dream we all have had where we keep trying to get somewhere, but it is like running in wet sand and you make no progress.  Well that is how I feel as I try to get the book published. 

 The content was completed last fall, the printer is all lined up and all I needed was for the graphic designer to finish the cover and page designs.  Pretty simple, huh.  Not really.  Creative people are creative for a reason and it is not always about deadlines and timing.  It is about creative inspiration and design.  The cover was finalized and approved in January and I have signed off on the page designs.  It is now a matter of getting it ready for the printer.

 If all goes well, and it usually doesn't, it should be ready for press within two weeks and the book should be ready for sale around March 15th.  But as Ceasar knows, "Beware of the Ides of March."

 I only hope I survive until then.

Look for the announcement on this site for when the book is ready for purchase.  I think it will be worth the wait.

"It's the Economy Stupid"

1/14/2009

This was a famous quote from a presidential contest years ago, but it could just as well be stated about the problems facing associations, and for that matter almost everything in our daily lives.

Today I attended a luncheon talking session of the WSAE to discuss the impact the economy is having on associations.  I brought along a copy of the survey recently done by Whorton Marketing and Research.  The conclusion were probably what one would predict.  Membership renewal is down, less attendance at conventions and meetings, etc.   As our group discussed these issues I raised the following question.

"Is your renewal rate down because of the economy or is it a convenient excuse your members can give to you so that you won't argue their decision.  Is it really they see little value in the current products or services and have found a convenient excuse to exit the association?" This stunned a number of people, but I have found that too often we don't adjust and remain relevant to our members and they will leave if there is a convenient "out" while saving face with their colleagues.  Maybe in these tough economic times it shouldn't be about cost cutting as much as being about adjusting to the new world order of our respective industries or constituents.  I suggested that each group look at every activity as if you were just starting out.  Is it there because a past president thinks it is a good idea.  Is it there to service some issue from a few years or even decades ago?  Or is it just that it has always been there.  What ever the reason, see if it is justified now.

A second question I asked is whether the associations are operating under a strategic plan but have stop the plan because of finances?  Or do they even have a plan.  What better time to reevaluate your plan for the future.  Use a formal process otherwise it will be a shot gun approach aimed at today's issue and tomorrow there will be a different challenge.  Strategic planning is not a luxury or a esoteric exercise, it is the necessary road map to assure that you and your Board know where you are going.  If you ever heard the expression, "We don't know where we are going, but we are making good time," beautifully describes an association without a plan.

 Why am I saying this? because I lived it in my previous life and I don't want you to make the same mistakes my association made.  Remember "it may not be the economy, stupid."

Look for the announcement of my new book The Gutter Paradigm, which should be off the presses soon.

Change is the new buzzword for 2009

1/3/2009

"Change you can believe in," "The economy will drastically impact our plans," are two phrases you will hear ad nauseum in 2009.  But will you embrace these phrases or just brush them off and continue to do the same old same old?

In talking to clients and potential clients over the last year I have always asked them the same question about planning meetings or conventions.  "Have you ever considered doing a bowling event rather than the traditional golf outing?'  Usually the look is surprise and shock.  "We have always had a golf outing." is the answer.  But I respond by asking about participation by most attendees, social interaction and the biggest concern, the weather.  We all have horror stories about the weather and our annual golf outings and the percentage of attendees who actually sign up is usually low.

But why bowling?

• Weather is never a factor
• Everyone has bowled (unlike golf)
• Everyone is together for the entire event (try to spend 5 hours on a golf course with three people you don't like)
• If you bowl bad no one cares (whiff a golf ball or take 20 strokes on a golf hole and see how the rest of your foursome reacts)
• It is fun regardless of the outcome
• It promotes team building
• You can switch partners every game
• More people will participate and it will cost less
• Etc, etc, etc.

So why haven't you thought about a bowling event for your group at the next annual convention?  It is change you can believe in.

And to make the event even better, schedule a keynote speaker (think Roger Dalkin at Pinspiration) to deliver a speech using bowling as the vehicle to deliver the message.  That ties right into your social event to strengthen the message.  And guess who can help you plan the bowling outing?  That's right- Roger Dalkin at Pinspiration.

So if you want to embrace change and reduce your costs because of the economy, while impressing your boss, think BOWLING.  Just call or write and I'll help you "change" your boring meeting or convention.

Have a great New Year and remember "Let's go Bowling."

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