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removed from the bidder's list because of the rising percentage of defects in your deliveries. Timing is crucial. Ask any politician. |
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Tip 281: Create a favorable atmosphere. |
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Meeting planners claim that registrants rate educational seminars higher when they're held in resort locations. Job applicants prefer jobs where they are interviewed in plush surroundings. Shoppers shop longer where music plays in the background. Diners linger longer over meals served in comfortable restaurants. So it stands to reason that the principle can work for you. |
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Tip 282: Stand up for people to take you seriously. |
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If your office culture is generally laid-back, with people walking in and out to see the boss without appointments, with no-agenda meetings, with "your office or mine" casualness, you may want to get attention to the seriousness or urgency of a problem by changing the atmosphere drastically. Be formal. Do the out-of-the-ordinary. Use a flipchart or overhead. Make it official. A stand-up presentation adds to your authority. Put people on notice that your idea deserves unusual attention. |
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Tip 283: Present your idea to several small groups rather than one large group. |
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Groups take on a personality all their own. Any large group presents the problem of getting to know individual members. Their experience, attitudes, uses for what you have to say, biases and needs, and personal agendas vary so that you're at a great disadvantage to make your ideas relevant and clear to all concerned. |
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In smaller groups, you can select the details of most concern to the fewer individuals and relate your facts to their experiences, fears, and hopes. A less formal presentation to a smaller group will usually generate more participation and questions that give you important feedback and allow you to rechart your course. And, of course, you can build rapport quicker and easier because you seem more "approachable" to them. |
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Aside from the extra time involved, smaller is better. |
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Tip 284: When there's a parade, take the last spot. |
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If you're one of several people trying to persuade your audience to choose among you, ask for the last time slot. By the time the others finish with all their statistics, charts, and promises, the buyers will have grown weary and forgetful. Your presentation will be the last on their mind. |
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