Engaging Audiences
Actively Engage Employees with Video Contests
Corporate communicators have been using video to share messages for decades. But in just the past year or two, more and more companies are recognizing that employees are more actively engaged when they create the video themselves. Here is a great example of this approach.
Hospital Video Contest: Washing Hands
Rather than creating a corporate Wash Your Hands campaign, one hospital asked employees to create and submit their own videos. Here’s a compilation of results:
Consider inviting your people to create your next important message themselves!
Great Presentation Skills Resource
Two colleagues of mine here in Colorado Springs, Howard Stableford and Michael Gardner, specialize in helping leaders improve their presentation skills. Their company is called Authentic Communication Training.
Authentic Communication Training uses cutting-edge learning technologies and proven presentation strategies to easily and effectively help clients become authentic and extraordinary presenters–in small and large groups, on-stage and in front of the media.
Looking for a taste of what Howard and Michael offer? Check out their free audio book, “Six Things You Must Know before Being on TV or Video.” I learned a lot from it. My favorite tip: Don’t wait in the green room for your interview – hang on on set instead and observe others.
Keep the great tips coming guys!
New Data on Customer Engagement
I’ve written about employee engagement in previous posts, but today is all about the customer.
PeopleMetrics, Inc. recently released it’s 2009 Most Engaged Customer Report. According to their study, the companies that have the most engaged customers include:
Ritz-Carlton
Google
The Four Seasons
Netflix.com
Cartier
Armani
Newegg.com
Wegman’s Food Market
Coach
Costco
Not suprisingly, a number of the companies that made the top of engaged customer list are also companies that are famous for their focus on employees, including Wegman’s, Ritz-Carlton, and Costco.
Want to read more about engaging customers and employees? The Executive Summary is available online for free.
Dealing with Resistance – An Effective Example
I was summoned to appear for Jury Duty today and was pleasantly surprised when the experience resulted in an effective example of communicating with an audience full of resisters.
After the 30 or so of us signed in with the Court Clerk, we were shown a video. I admit to bracing myself for something preachy and boring. However, 30 seconds into watching “The Colorado Juror” I was digging in my bag for a pen and paper to capture notes on how good the video was! I thought it was an effective example of the order in which to cover points when dealing with a resistant, skeptical, or hesitant audience.
#1: Start with empathy for the emotions people are feeling.
The video started with clips of four past jurors talking about how anxious and annoyed they were when they received their summons. As people chuckled and nodded along, the tension in the room started to dissapate.
Speaking Advice from Bruce Springsteen?
A few nights ago, Bruce Springsteen was a guest on The Daily Show. In addition to giving a moving performance of his new song, Working on a Dream, Springsteen talked about going on tour and connecting with audiences. I was struck by how relevant his advice is to anyone who speaks or performs. Here is a recap:
- Celebrate the history you have with the audience.
- Share your new work (thoughts, ideas).
- Connect to what is happening in the world now.
He went on to emphasize that there are many different audiences that make up the crowd at any performance. Some believe what you believe. Some want to be entertained. Some will disagree with you. Springsteen says to recognize that fact, but stay true to who you are.
Great advice for singers and speakers!
Haven’t heard the song? Check out the YouTube video:
Leading a World Cafe
A few years ago, my good friend Jennifer McCollum introduced me to a method of engaging people in powerful dialogue. The method, known as World Cafe, was created by Juanita Brown and David Isaacs. A World Cafe centers on inviting people to meet at small “coffee shop” type tables to have several rounds of conversations. Participants rotate from table to table, building on ideas as they move. Brown and Isaacs have used World Cafes with anywhere from 12 to 12,000 people and their method has been replicated around the world.
In my work, I’ve used the World Cafe method to engage employees at all levels in dialogue about the key issues their team, group, or organization is facing. By moving from table to table and focusing on having conversations, rather than making decisions, participants broaden their own thinking and begin to understand and value different perspectives.
To read stories about successful World Cafes and to learn how to host one yourself, visit www.WorldCafe.com.
Improving Town Halls
Alison Davis of Davis & Company recently posted about town halls on her blog. Here’s what she had to say:
“The key reason that employees are reluctant to speak out during meetings is because meetings are poorly structured to encourage interaction. A 10-minute Q&A section does not elicit participation—it shuts people down. If you really want employees to speak out, they need time (lots of it), a safe venue (breakouts, for instance, not a big crowd), and leaders who demonstrate that they welcome all kinds of feedback, including negative comments.”
In situations like these, I like to use a quick & dirty method for actively engaging with the audience. After your presentation, divide participants into small groups. Ask each group to spend 5 minutes discussing each of the following questions:
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What about the strategy/vision (fill in the blank) excites you?
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What concerns you?
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What questions do you have?
When Audiences Twitter
On occasion I’ve seen audiences “titter” at the expense of speaker, leader, or trainer. Now audiences have moved on to “twittering.”
Twitter is a social networking tool that allows people to send quick real-time updates to their “followers.” As one blogger put it, it’s like having several simultaneous spontaneous conversations online.
I’m not a twitterer myself, but I’ve recently realized that anytime any of us speak to an audience, there is a good chance that some of the participants are using their blackberries and cell phones to tweet to one another.
Blogger Besty Harman wrote, “I’m really looking forward to using it (Twitter) at the upcoming conference because that way I can read tweets from people who are in the same sessions I’m in or in sessions I’m missing at the moment or I can hear about where everyone is meeting after sessions for some great New Orleans food and drinks.”
Putting an End to Death by PowerPoint
We know that turning out the lights and turning on the LCD projector is a terrible way to engage an audience. So why do so many people do it? Here’s a brilliant alternative:
[slideshare id=85551&doc=death-by-powerpoint4344&w=425]
Making Your Talk Two-Way
As a senior leader, you are often in the position of delivering presentations to your organization. Picture the last time you announced a new strategy or the occasion when you unveiled your vision for the first time. Heads nodded, people seemed like they heard and understood, but you got no push-back, no real reaction. You saved five minutes for questions at the end, but there were none so you quickly wrapped up.
How do you know if employees took away the message that you intended to send? How do you know what your people really think about your message?
In situations like these, I like to use a quick & dirty method for actively engaging with the audience. After your presentation, divide participants into small groups. Ask each group to spend 5 minutes discussing each of the following questions:
-
What about the strategy/vision (fill in the blank) excites you?
-
What concerns you?
-
What questions do you have?
