By Ignite Excellence

Marshall McLuhan’s widely quoted but poorly understood line states: “The medium is the message.” In interpersonal communications, you become the “medium,” which means that you are the message, or, as we will see, a big part of the message.

To be done effectively, message delivery (or presentation skills), in both face-to-face and voice-to-voice situations, requires a specific set of skills. In a situation where you are expected to deliver a message, many things can contribute to the success or failure of the opportunity. We are taking for granted that, at this point, our presenter has avoided the pitfalls of gaining and maintaining attention based on how people best receive information (see October 2007 newsletter).

A number of bodies of research in North America and from around the world support the following equation:
What You Say
+ Who You Are
+ How You Say It
= Total Influence Over the Audience

Research suggests that “what you say” can account for less than 10 per cent of your total impact, whereas “who you are” can affect that by as much as 40 per cent. The realities of this in working life become apparent in a number of situations. Here are some mock advice-column letters to illustrate:

Notes from the Real World:

#1 – Dear Real World:
It is the weirdest thing. We have put lots of effort into our recent Six Sigma rollout. My team and I have taken the courses, read the research, and applied all of our learnings to the company’s situation. The senior management team has bought in and I am convinced that this project is exactly the right fit for us to regain our competitive advantage by streamlining processes and reducing waste. All the right things are lining up, and I gave a little talk to put my ideas forward in one of our cross-functional team meetings. I got pretty nervous because there were about 60 of us there. Ever since then, I am getting pushback from the other project teams when I talk to them.
Sincerely,
Can’t Get Them to Trust Me

#2 – Dear Real World:
There is a certain situation that has occurred to me at work a couple of times and I need some advice. I have been with my organization for a number of years and I certainly am able to get good insight from the line workers. Because I came out of the rank and file of the organization, I can see the world from that perspective. The insight that I add is in translating what is on the ground to the management team. On several occasions, I have brought ideas for initiatives to the senior team, and have received lukewarm response. One of my fellow directors (she came to us from a competitor’s management team) has twice brought up ideas that I had presented previously… and her ideas seem to get accepted right away. Am I missing something?
Signed,
Don’t Have the Senior Team “Who Factor”

#3 – Dear Real World:
I am not sure what to do about this situation, but I am probably the only one in a position of objectivity with regard to this latest move. Much of our manufacturing has moved to China for very good reasons and the technology and process transfer has been superior. One group of components goes toward end products that are strictly sold in North America and it doesn’t make sense for that to go offshore. One of the consultants working with us on the project was adamant about “going all the way” with this switch. He has to see that this one set of production is different. How can this happen?
Yours,
The Wrong Ideas Sometimes Get Through
Who Factor
Getting and keeping a strong “who factor” can make a huge difference in communicating a message. It can give good ideas the leverage they need to move through; it can also mean that some ideas go unchallenged.

The adage that you don’t get a second chance to create a first impression holds very true in presenting. Presentations often give us an opportunity to create an impression with a wide range of individuals. Everything from how you stand, to how loud you speak, to how much you engage individuals in eye contact will give a lasting impression with the audience, and can help to give you the benefit of the doubt (or not) in everything that follows.

Those who can create a strong impression in presenting, often do so consciously. There is too much at stake to leave this kind of impression to luck. Decide upon what impression you want to create and work with yourself and others on how best to achieve it.

It is not fair, but it is simply not enough to have the right “what.”