100Managing Yourself
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When creating a presentation, consider the slide deck and the meat of your
presentation separately.
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For a meeting to be eff ective, you need to prepare the agenda and invitation
list carefully, and elicit all participants’ viewpoints during the meeting itself.
Action items
To fi nd your voice as a leader:
❏
Pick one rhetorical tool and try it out in a conversation. Contrasts,
three-part lists, and expressions of moral conviction or shared sen-
timent will seem more natural in day-to-day interactions, whereas
metaphors, similes, and analogies should be reserved for larger, more
formal discussions.
❏
Choose emotionally heightened conversations to try new tactics. Prac-
tice your new skills when you’re debriefi ng a direct report in your offi ce,
for example, not just making small talk in the parking lot. Serious inter-
actions will give you better fodder, and you’ll have more time to pause
and gather your thoughts before you speak.
❏
Observe yourself speak. Make a video of yourself as part of your prac-
tice; it’s much more realistic than just watching yourself in a mirror.
Choose something informal like a status update or a more elaborate
script you wrote for a past presentation. Review the video to observe
your facial expressions and gestures: How animated are you? Work on
one specifi c behavior—for example, smiling—and practice it in all your
interactions for the rest of the day.
When you need to write something:
❏
Prepare by knowing what you really want to say (write three sentences),
understanding who your audience is, and deciding on an organizing
method.
❏
Write your fi rst draft quickly. Don’t necessarily start at the beginning.
Communicating Eff ectively101
❏
When you edit, review the content, polish your style, and check your
grammar and usage. Aim for simplicity instead of trying to sound
impressive.
When planning a presentation:
❏
Plot your presentation out in narrative form before you even open your
computer. Tell a story with a beginning, middle, and end.
❏
Decide whether you’ll be using slides.
❏
Prepare your visuals. Storyboard your presentation with sticky notes,
and limit yourself to one idea per slide.
❏
Perform like a pro by practicing ahead of time. During the presentation
itself, stick to your schedule.
When running a meeting:
❏
Prepare for the meeting by defi ning your purpose, creating an agenda,
inviting attendees, assigning roles, and prepping logistics.
❏
During the meeting, establish your ground rules for group interactions,
keep things moving, and make sure all voices are heard. Close the meet-
ing on time by summarizing your accomplishments and next steps.
❏
Follow up afterward by sending a note to all attendees. Seek out critics
to discuss (and disarm) their opposition.
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