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September 2012   

Greetings! 

 

Public Speaking strikes fear into the hearts of even the most accomplished business leaders.   But is the fear attributed to the presentation or the uncertainty of the Q&A portion of the program?  This issue's featured article give you steps for preparing for the open portion of the presentation.  Would you like to learn more or brush up on your presenting skills?  For more information on our new Excellence in Public Speaking, Presentation & Facilitation program, please contact Damian Dinan at 610-861-5064 or [email protected]
HANDLING THE DREADED Q&A 
Damian J. Dinan
  

Public SpeakingYou've done it!  You've prepped for, sweated out and racked your nerves getting ready for your big presentation. You had all your notes written out, you've re-configured your slide presentation a million times. You've made all your points, you've hit all the highlights. Now, you're finally done!

  

Whew! Glad that's over with....uh...wait a minute. Did the words "Does anyone have any questions?" really just come out of your mouth? Oh no! Please, don't let anyone raise their hand....too late.  "Could you please clarify your point on blah, blah, blah?" You've stopped listening...you're frozen in fear...I'm not prepared. I don't know that answer! What do you do now?!

  

Few things in life are more feared than Public Speaking. Jerry Seinfeld's great joke sums it up. "According to most studies, people's number one fear is public speaking. Number two is death. Death is number two. Does that sound right? This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy."

  

Public Speaking is stressful enough, but then comes the dreaded Q & A afterwards. This is when the pressure is really on. No more slides to rely on...no more charts or graphs...it's just you. It's time to think on your feet...to be fast and quick...and time to minimize the "ums & ahs".

  

Of all the tips on how to handle the Q & A, preparation is the key. Experts suggest compiling a list of foreseeable questions and rehearsing the answers to those questions, just like you've rehearsed the presentation. But what about the questions you don't see coming? What about those impromptu situations, like when you're called on at a meeting, or someone asks for your opinion at a conference? What do you do then? Can we train our brains to think faster and more agile? Can you become "quick on your feet"?

 

Improvisation is one of the best ways you can train yourself to "think fast on your feet". Author Gail Blanke says one of the best tools of improv is the "Yes and" technique.

 

How it works: Say two actors are given the words "blueberry pie" with which to create a scene. It might go:

 

Actor 1: "I made a blueberry pie."

 

Actor 2: "Yes, you made a blueberry pie. And you remember the last time we had blueberry pie?"

 

Actor 1: "Yes, I remember. We took a picnic into the woods, and that's when you said you wanted to join a nudist colony."

 

You see what's happening? Suddenly there's a story; suddenly there's a direction and a purpose. Using the simple words "yes...and" moves the scene into new territory, and that's where new possibilities occur.

 

You can practice this technique at home and with friends. Not only it is useful to work situations, but it is also a lot of fun. Using this technique during Q & A sessions allows for three things to happen: 1. You are giving yourself a little pause, which allows your brain time to think. 2. You can clarify the question. And 3, you keep the conversation moving forward into new territory!

INSTRUCTOR SPOTLIGHT
Sam Schaadt, Quality

 

For more than a decade, we have been honored to have Sam Schaadt as one of our Quality Instructors.  Sam has a rich history practicing and teaching quality principles throughout the Lehigh Valley.  We are pleased to share two of Sam's most recent accomplishments.  On August 20, 2012, Sam was elected by the current members of the American Society for Quality Technical Advisory Group 176 to membership of US Tag 176.  This group reports to the U. S. Standards Group(ANSI) on the position of U.S. Quality Professionals representing U. S. industry's position on International Standards that are either under consideration or being reviewed for improvement or revision. Routinely ISO Standards are reviewed every 5 years to insure the standards requirements are still appropriate. The ISO 9000 series have started their review process and are due for update/revision and reissue in 2015. As a member of TAG 176, Sam will contribute his ideas and have a vote on what is issued by the TAG 176 group to the ANSI Committee to the International Standards Organization.

Only a week later, on August 27, 2012, Sam was also elected to ANSI ASC Z1 Subcommittee, on Quality Management, Environmental Management, Dependability, Statistics, and Auditing. This group's focus is on documenting consensus on proposed American National Standards in the fields of quality management & quality systems, environmental management systems, dependability and  related disciplines, application of statistical techniques and auditing of management systems.  Congratulations Sam!  To learn more about CBI Quality programs, please click here.
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Download our catalog of upcoming programs:
July - December 2012 (Acrobat PDF,  3.58MB)
 
Contact the client development specialist, Damian Dinan:
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In This Issue
Handling the Dreaded Q & A
Instructor Spotlight
Quick Links
 
 

Sept. 2012

(Click on title to register)

LEADERSHIP

Basic Management Skills*

  

Conflict Resolution Strategies*

 

Managing the Performance of Others*

 

Practices of Successful Leaders

  

Working with Teams

  

CORPORATE SAFETY

Advocating for Safe Work Practices*

(two hour program)

 

Engaging the Workforce in Safety Practices*

(two hour program)

   

HEALTHCARE

NEW! Nurse Aide Mentoring

 

HOSPITALITY 

Food Service Sanitation

 

Food Service Sanitation Examination Re-test

 

ServSafe Food Handler

 

IT/COMPUTER

Adobe Photoshop Beginning Seminar

  

NEW! Facebook for Business

(half day program)

 

Microsoft Access 2007 - Intermediate

 

NEW! Microsoft Access 2010: Queries In-depth

(half day program)

 

NEW! Microsoft Excel  2010: Pivot Tables & Lookups

(half day program)

 

Microsoft Office Transitions

 

Search Engine Optimization & Web Analytics

(half day program)  

 

QUALITY & PERFORMANCE

NEW! Quality Management Systems Application Techniques

 

* indicates workshop is part of a diploma program.