Public Speaking Preparation

In my latest video blog, I talk about ways to mentally prepare yourself for your presentation. These are quick tips that can help make you feel more comfortable at the podium.



Can't see the video? Follow this link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HrUrAmQaB_s

Microsoft: Lost in the Mall

This weekend viewers got their first look at a series of Microsoft commercials featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. It's part of a rebranding strategy by the software giant, designed to combat some of the negative PR that's some from Apple's Mac vs. PC series of ads.

I'm scratching my head that this commercial. Much as I may enjoy Gates and Seinfeld holding court in a discount shoe store, there wasn't much of a takeaway from the spot. Indeed, you almost felt that you might have missed something or not cracked a code.

The commercial doesn't talk about the brand, emerging technology (other than edible computers), or make you feel excited about the next innovation. Some ad experts say the commercial is a success because we're talking about it but in my mind it does little to change the public perception of Microsoft being a heartless corporation that puts out poor operating systems which make your life more difficult.

I expect to see a parody on Saturday Night Live very soon.

If You Ask a Question....

Recently I've spent a lot of time talking to customer service representatives with Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Florida. The challenge has been overcoming a paperwork problem where two large companies are not communicating.

After discussing the issue, hearing about the limitations of a resolution process, and being told to wait three more business days for a possible resolution, I was asked a question.

"Are you satisfied with the service you received on this call?" said a well rehearsed voice.

"Well, no," I responded.

There was silence on the other end. The representative mumbled a few words about hoping my next experience would be a better one and the call ended.

When people call a company they want their problem to be solved or at least be told more about how it can be solved. They don't want to hear, "Gee, you do have a problem." If you're going to ask customers about their service experience, you need to make sure that you actually provided a service to them.

The Power of Words

You've practiced your presentation over and over but it just falls flat in front of an audience. The problem may be with the words you're using. In this short video, you'll learn some quick tips that can help energize your talks.



Can't see the video, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KBRYQ3bYgls

An Accented Perspective

Recently, I watched the film, Sliding Doors, on DVD (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120148/) I hadn't seen the movie since it came out 10 years ago. It's a good film about the nature of chance that has the audience follow a woman's life depending on whether she makes it onto a subway train or misses it by a few seconds.

Sliding Doors is set in London and Gwyneth Paltrow is the lead. In 1998 I wasn't very familiar with her career and thought that she was an English actress. Of course, she is as American as apple pie and can perform a very good British accent. But now that I watch the film, I find myself paying a lot of attention to her accent, looking for slip ups. On the most recent viewing, I did notice that Paltrow's character does use a lot of English slang, probably more than the other characters in the film. So while I still enjoyed the movie, I found myself distracted by the accent. Perhaps this is why many popular performers are told not to use an accent in their films.

Of course accents can have the opposite effect as is the case with Paltrow's costar, John Hannah. Hannah has a distinctive Scottish accent that would probably sound cool even if he was evicting you from your home!

Why Cold Calls Fail

Imagine working in an industry where a high level of failure was a daily expectation. In baseball if you connect on one third of the pitches, you're a star. But success in the phone sales business is much lower. For many call centers, the name of the game is making as many calls as possible in order to get that elusive hit. But is there a better way to do business? In this video report, I'll go over some of the mistakes and missed opportunities callers are making. These are also some good customer service principles to keep in mind as you move from survival to success.

What's With the 'Tude, Microsoft?

Recently Microsoft unveiled a website to promote it's new Photosynth photography system (www.photosynth.net). It's billed as way to view photos in 3-D environment. As a fan of photography I clicked to the site to find out more. While there I learned that right now it's only available for Windows based computers. I have an iMac so I couldn't view any of the images. That’s fine but I was a bit surprised by the message I got when I tried to take a look:

“Unfortunately, we’re not cool enough to run on your OS (operating system) yet. We really wish we had a version of Photosynth that worked cross platform, but for now it only runs on Windows.”

Is it me or is this a rather strange way to state the application is only available for the PC? The attitude is a bit of a turnoff. I was a PC user for eight years and this kind of statement reminds me why I made the switch.

Microsoft recently announced that it will use Jerry Seinfeld in a series of commercials with Bill Gates. Let's hope they don't inspire comparisons to the film, "Grumpy Old Men."