• Seizing Opportunity
  • Look, Sound and Act like a Leader
  • Requires the right frame of mind and attitude
• Command the room, influence the audience

"Twelve minutes in front of a right audience can be worth more than a year behind your desk."

                                                                              Unknown

• Information
• Decision
• Mission
• Staff

Characteristics of Good Briefings

• Material is relevant, interesting, well organized, jargon free, well known
• Voice is energetic, loud, clear, good pronunciation, not too fast or slow
• Body language is relaxed
• Eyes address the audience
• Clothing is appropriate
• Visual aids are clear and necessary

Preparing Your Introduction

• Get your audience's attention
• Give people a reason to listen to your message
• Give people a reason to listen to you
• Consider the mood you want to set
• Consider what you do best
• Preview your message 

"Gaining Attention"

• Involve your audience
• Relate a personal experience
• Ask a rhetorical question
• Create suspense
• Provide a dramatic example
• Use humor
• Open with a quotation
• Startle the audience
• Tell a story

Building Perceptions of Integrity

• Speak from responsible knowledge
• Be honest
• Be straightforward
• Acknowledge opposing positions
• Demonstrate personal commitment
• Be concerned with the consequences of your words

Perceptions of Competence

• Know and understand your topic
• Refer to personal experiences with the topic
• Acquire responsible knowledge
• Cite authoritative sources
• Organize your message so it is easy to follow
• Pronounce words correctly
• Present your briefing with confidence

Organization of the Briefing

• Introduction
  • Your chance to hook the audience
  • Tell the audience what you're going to say
• Body
  • Tell the audience what you have to say
  • Provide details and examples of the topic
• Conclusion
  • Tell the audience what you said
  • Summarize the main points of the body

The Body

• One theme, One Message

The Rule of Threes

• People are naturally inclined to understand things in terms of three parts

Prepare Main Points

• Prepare a research overview
• Identify repeated information and ideas
• Limit the number of your main points
• Select points to fit your purpose
• Select points to fit your audience

Seven Types of Briefing Structures

• Space: How parts fit to form a whole
• Classification: Sets up categories
• Comparison: Highlights similarities
• Contrast:  Highlights differences
• Cause-Effect:  Shows a relationship
• Problem-Solution:  Persuasive
• Time:  Events or steps in a process

Transitions (Tell and show)

• For example
• To illustrate
• For instance
• In other words
• To simplify
• To clarify
• Case in Point

Useful Transitions (Importance)

• Most importantly
• Above all
• Keep this in mind
• Remember
• Listen carefully
• Take note of
• Indeed

Useful Transitions (Numerical Order)

• First
• Second
• In the first place
• To begin with
• Initially
• Subsequently
• Eventually
• Finally

Useful Transitions (Comparisons)

• Compared with
• Both are
• Likewise
• In comparison
• Similarly
• Alike
• Of equal importance
• Another type of
• Like
• Just as

Common Mistakes (when using transitions)

• Don't use transitions at all
• Using transitions that are too short to bridge to next idea
• Using the same transition throughout the briefing

Physical Dimension (Gestures)

• Respond naturally to what you think, feel and see
• Create the condition for gesturing, not the gesture
• Make your gestures convincing
• Make them smooth and well timed

Physical Dimension (Movement)

• Why move?
  • Forces people to focus and follow you
  • Natural
  • Relieve stress and relax
• Use three positions
  • Home position
  • Two relatively near
  • The home position
• Three steps, moving at a shallow angle

Physical Dimension (Eyes)

• Know your material well
  • rehearse enough so you do not depend heavily on notes
  • Up, down up!
• Establish a personal bond with listeners
  • Select on person (5 to 10 seconds)
  • Then shift
  • Show sincerity and interest in your audience
• Monitor visual feedback
  • Actively seek out valuable feedback
  • Volume, bored, puzzled

What comes out of your Mouth

• Vary the pitch of your voice
• Speak loudly and clearly
• Slow down, pause
• Use conversational tone
• Listen, do you hear "ahs" and "ums"
• Focus on the bottom (deepest pitch) of your voice range

Enthusiasm (A combat multiplier for briefings)

• Enthusiasm is contagious
• We judge others by their behavior
• If it is important enough to talk about...
• Feedback-what do you see?
  • Appreciation
  • Surprise
  • Genuine delight
• Remember, this is person to person!

How to remember the Material

• Memorize
• Reading from complete text
• Using notes
• Using visual aids as notes

Preparing Your Conclusion (Providing Closure)

• Signal the speech is coming to an end
• Summarize the main points
• What mood you want to sustain
• Consider what you do best
• Give listeners something to remember
• Issue a call for action if appropriate

Controlling Nervousness

• Know your subject cold.  Be over-prepared
• Talk to one person at a time
• Stand up straight.  Breath properly
• Know exactly what your opening line is going to be
• Say to yourself, "I know what I'm going to say and I'm glad for the chance to say it"

Overcoming Speaking Anxiety

• Know the room
• Know the audience
• Know the material
• Learn how to relax
• Visualize yourself speaking
• Realize people want you to succeed
• Don't apologize for being nervous
• Concentrate on your message
• Turn nervousness into positive energy
• Gain experience

Handling Questions

• Repeat so the entire audience hears
• Pause, reflect on the question before answering
• Avoid prolonged discussions with one person
• If you can't answer it, just say so
• Don't make stuff up

Practice

• The single most important factor for success
• Reflects upon you and your attitude towards the material and audience
• Practice all parts equally
• Rehearse, Rehearse, Rehearse
  • Rule of thumb - 10 practice runs for one presentation

Resources

Military Briefings Powerpoint Presentation