Keep Your Audience Talking

I recently did a presentation for a company with twelve people in attendance.  The topic was communication.  While this was a new topic I was presenting, I have been in front of audiences of all sizes for many years and have been able to engage them through questions and examples.

There were only two ladies in the group that would answer the questions I would ask.  A third woman would make negative comments throughout the presentation.  It was a difficult presentation and I struggled to get interaction, which I found surprising.  I would ask a question, wait for a response and not hear a thing.  What really made the whole presentation worse was one evaluation form I received back had a comment that I could not engage the audience!

What!! I wanted to scream when I read this comment later that night.  I did everything but stand on my head to get participation.

An audience that responds to the trainer will gain more from the presentation.  The trainer isn't asking questions to have a break from talking or cannot fill the allotted time.  The trainer wants the audience to be engaged to increase their comprehension of how the information can be used back in their work environment and how their fellow participants are processing the information.

Later that evening I thought about what else I could have done to encourage the rest of the group to participate.  I went through my experience: asking open ended questions, relate the information to their industry, ask how they could apply this information to their positions, give my personal examples, and listen to clues where some of the questions were leading.  Check to all the above, I did these things.

I realized some people will not say anything in a group.  I also realized some people just want to be heard and will try to hijack the presentation from the speaker.  It can be a challenge to find the balance.

Sometimes no matter how hard you try, you cannot keep an audience talking.  What other ways do you get an audience to keep talking?


Until the next blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President

DG Training Solutions, Inc.

Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc

LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni


 

 

 

 

How Large is Your Digital Footprint?

We have all heard - be careful what you put on the internet.  It is there forever and could potentially harm you or your reputation. But is not having a digital footprint harmful to you professionally?

As someone self-employed, I have very little funds in my marketing budget and carefully examine how to allocate those funds.  I try to maximize all opportunities available to me:  my website, business Facebook page, LinkedIn, Twitter, and all of my professional organization profiles.  I belong to a number of professional organizations and have quite a few profiles to manage.  I didn't spend too much time on their content, who would really look anyway?  Why take the time to put all that effort into my profiles and keep updating them?  Boy was I wrong.  I will say it again, I was wrong! In the past year I have made an effort to redo all of those profiles.  Did it make a difference?  I will let you be the judge if it is worth your time and effort by giving you a few examples of my experience. 

I belong to a Women's Business Organization that has almost 400 members.  One day I received an email from the editor for the newsletter of this particular organization asking if she could print two of my blogs in the newsletter.  She thought the two blogs had great information the members would enjoy reading. I asked how she found me.  She was looking through the Member Directory, came across my name, clicked on my profile and clicked the link to my website.  Then from my website home page, she spent time reading my blogs.  I was excited, this was free advertising for my business that was going to 400 women without me doing anything extra. 

Four months later the same editor contacted me again and asked if she could print another blog in the newsletter. All this because I kept my profile updated. 

A few weeks ago I was on a business trip and received an email from a company in California, they were looking for someone to fill in and give two presentations the next week in Pittsburgh (which is where I live).  They found my information off of one of my profiles in a Pittsburgh training organization website. From that profile, they went to my website and hired me on the spot to complete the presentations.  Now I have another new client!

These opportunities came out of the blue all because I have updated information on my profiles and people were able to see my abilities, past experiences and skills.

Isn't it time to increase your digital footprint?

Until the next blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President
DG Training Solutions, Inc.
Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com
Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc
LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni

But Why Are You Different?

I attend a lot of networking events.  Some of the networking events and groups I belong to are women only, and some include men.  I have noticed a trend whenever I hear someone give their one-minute commercial (or elevator speech).  Now with complete honestly, I must admit I was also guilty of this until I changed my strategy.

Whether you are giving your one-minute commercial or giving your elevator speech consider this, like myself there are people in attendance who participate in multiple networking events and groups.  Most of us hear the same commercial each time.

Hello my name is (insert name).  I work for (insert company).  If you would ever need (insert service or good they are trying to sell), I would love to meet with you and be of assistance.  Now sometimes the commercial is not verbatim, but close enough to what I just said.

Okay what do you think is wrong with this?  It doesn't stand out and people will not remember it.  I run into many insurance salespeople, financial advisors, and direct sales people all the time.  Explain why you are different from everyone else out there in your industry who is also trying to obtain my business.

I mentioned in the beginning of this blog I was guilty of this myself.  Here is my new commercial:
"Hello everyone.  My name is Denise Galloni and I am the owner and president of DG Training Solutions, Inc. My company will assist your organization in maximizing employee potential through training and development (this is my mission statement I use every time I talk about my company).  I can create a training plan including videos, manuals and on-site employee training.  I can also help your organization with standardization, process improvement or branding.  I work with my clients for 8 hours, 8 days or 8 months, whatever is needed to succeed in their goals.  This will increase your profits and save you money by contracting with me short term rather than bringing a new employee onboard."

Did you see the difference in the scripts?  It may take a few times to really get this to flow when you are introducing yourself, but it is worth the effort to tell everyone why you are different!


Until the next blog, Keep Speaking!

Denise

Denise Ann Galloni, Owner & President
DG Training Solutions, Inc.
Website:  https://www.DGTrainingsolutionsinc.com

Email:  dgtrainingsolutionsinc@gmail.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/deniseanng
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/DGTrainingSolutionsInc
LinkedIn:  www.linkedin.com/in/deniseanngalloni
Blog:  http://DGTrainingsolutionsinc.blogspot.com