Fear and Gratitude

In today’s world, it can be incredibly easy to get caught up in many different kinds of fear. I’ve written about this before, but it’s come to mind again recently. As a preface, this is a vulnerable post that describes something I struggle with, so if you’re not up for that, it’s ok if you choose to come back tomorrow.

I feel like everywhere I turn there’s another advertisement for cancer care, another blog for someone who just found out they have cancer, or another charity event to raise money for (insert type of person) with cancer. It’s an incredible thing to see so many people rally to the cause and to see the positive effect it has on the people going through the struggle. (This doesn’t apply to just cancer — it can apply to many different topics, but this is one that hits home for me.)

All of these things can add up to be a bit overwhelming at times, especially for me. I’ve always been scared of getting sick — any kind of sick — and cancer is the ultimate form of getting sick. A billboard for cancer care burns a logo into our minds alongside an image of a family member, friend, or coworker we know or knew during their battle with the disease… Which makes it a powerful branding tool for those in the business of treating disease.

As I’ve grown older (perhaps this is a common occurrence), I’ve grown more aware of my mortality… Really, now that I think of it, I’ve been intensely aware of my mortality since a very young age. Seeing things like cancer care advertisements brings that awareness back to the forefront in the form of an intrusion into my psyche that I have not asked for. However, I know there are real people (a growing number) suffering from the disease and it’s a real possibility that many of us will face it in our lifetimes. Compared to their struggle, my fear is of relatively small importance.

So the question I’ve found myself asking is this: in the face of so much uncertainty, and even occasional fear, how can I remain positive, upbeat, and grateful?

One solution came to me as I listened to Episode 6 of the James Altucher Show with Dr. Wayne Dyer. In it, Dr. Dyer asserts that we invite into our lives the things we expect to come into our lives. The power of our mind is immense, and we control what we allow to control us.

As he made the comment, I came to a realization. One way to interpret the landscape I described above is to become fearful and shy away from reality as much as possible. Another is to embrace hope and be ever more grateful for every gift we’re given, whether the gift is related to our health, relationships, finances, career, or anything else.

Whereas an attitude of fear invites that fear into our lives and allows it to take over, an attitude of gratitude and optimism invites positivity into our lives. It allows us to support the people who need us (like those who may have been diagnosed with cancer, recently lost a job, or are suffering through some other challenge), while valuing every opportunity we have to create the life we want.

When we own the fact that we create our reality, it becomes much easier to let go of fear, express gratitude for every gift we have been given, proactively invest in the habits and relationships that create the reality we desire, and ultimately have faith in God that he’ll take care of us if we take care of ourselves.

When I change my outlook, it helps me change my actions, and vice versa. I believe I’m here for a reason. I believe God put me here and gave me free choice to act on my beliefs. And I believe that I have the opportunity to affect my future, today and everyday thereafter. But to do all of the above, I have to come from a place of hope and gratitude, not one of fear and anxiety.

I hope this post is a form of positive affirmation for you today. If you’d like to share fears you’ve had now or in the past, I’d love to hear about them in the comments.

Organizing People

This past Saturday I spent the day volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. It’s one of my favorite ways to get outside, do some service work, and feel a sense of accomplishment by getting my hands dirty. My love of Habitat started way back in middle or early high school when I first volunteered through my church with my parents. We had a great time and it’s been engrained in me ever since.

Then, last week two things happened. First, I read this post from Jeff Hilimire (CEO of Dragon Army, former President at Engauge, and fellow Villager at Atlanta Tech Village). Second, I got an email from Atlanta Habitat later in the day Monday or Tuesday saying they needed individual volunteers to help out with building on Clark Howard Way this past weekend.

My immediate response to the Habitat email was to jump on it. Add in the fact that one of my KPIs for the year is to go on a hike, adventure, or service day once a month, and it was a perfect opportunity. I wasn’t sure how I felt about Jeff’s iteration of paying it forward, but the reminder about service work clearly stuck in my subconscious mind on some level because I also invited about eight friends to join me on the build day (Habitat needed 17 individual volunteers).

It wasn’t a grand gesture, just a simple text message to friends I love spending time with. To my surprise, half said they would love to, but they already had plans for Saturday. Four others ended up saying yes, and three ended up attending the build day on Saturday.

It gave me great pleasure to do something meaningful with people I care about. I thought about how awesome it was that we were spending time outside on an beautiful day and doing some good in the community at the same time. Which got me thinking about what it means to organize people.

Sometimes I have a tendency to place such gravity on every little event I put together, and I know others experience the same thing. We put together itineraries, Facebook events, and Eventbrite registrations. We invite 100 of our friends in an impersonal way by clicking a button or two on Facebook and publishing a post on our blog. We think we’re being efficient and using technology to our advantage.

The thing is, sometimes the simplest way to rally people to a cause or instigate a great experience is simply to send a text message to a couple people you’re close to. That starts by making a decision: “I am going to do this, whether anyone comes or not.” Making a decision makes it a simple decision for others. They can think: “Barrett’s going, which means I won’t have to go by myself. Do I want to go with him?” It removes the ambiguity and allows them to simply say “Yes” or “No.”

Further, two of my three friends had never been to a Habitat build before, even though I know they’re the kind of people that would love that kind of thing. Indeed, they ended up having a great time, which made me incredibly happy. I’m 99% sure they wouldn’t have gone to a Habitat build on Saturday if I hadn’t sent them a quick message — which is not a knock on them, it’s just a fact. They weren’t on Habitat’s email list, so they couldn’t know about the build day.

I’ve rambled a bit, so I’ll wrap this up. Sometimes the easiest way to organize people is to make a decision about what you’re going to do and then send personal, simple invites to a small group of people you care about. Not everything needs an Eventbrite page, a Facebook event, and a compelling/obligatory pitch. That’s a lesson I’ll carry with me going forward.

Celebrating the Process

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve ever learned is this: “This might not work.”

The lesson has become more and more engrained in my mind as I’ve seen projects succeed and projects fail. Today I read yet another post from a startup saying they’re closing the doors and shutting down. Having to write that kind of post is a scary prospect for a guy like me who’s 2+ years into a venture that, in all reality, might not work.

As I’ve become more aware of our mortality as an organization in our infancy, I realize how important it is to celebrate the process.

Celebrating the process is something I fully experienced for the first time during my time in NYC last summer, working with a team of some of the most talented people I’ve ever met. It was a two week sprint, and at the end, by all of our initial measures of success, it didn’t work. We shipped, but not in the way we thought we would… But I don’t regret a single second of the experience.

I believe part of the reason I don’t have any regrets is that we celebrated the process. We lived the experience, as we were experiencing it. Each of us had to blog daily, and we started each day with a checkin on where we were, where we were going, and the learnings we had taken away so far.

It created a feeling of daily progress and utter enjoyment along the way. We celebrated small wins and enjoyed each other’s company. And at the end, when we knew we weren’t going to ship everything we had built, it hurt like hell.

But the thing is, there’s always that risk up front. This might not work, whatever “this” is, so we have to celebrate what does work along the way. The small wins and the learning matter, because they show us our potential and make it more likely that the next project will work.

Sometimes we’re so future oriented, looking toward the next thing, and imagining what “success” looks like. All of that is important, but when it doesn’t work, all you have left is the joy you felt in each little moment of victory along the way.

So today, I hope you’ll celebrate what you’re learning from your current project. I hope you’ll take time to look at all that you’ve already accomplished. I hope you’ll take note of the wins you’ve created. Even if it’s just for a couple of minutes.

This might not work. But today… Well, today you can celebrate the process.

Creating User Personas

These past couple of days I’ve spent most of my time thinking through the sales page for our new product at Living for Monday, which will serve as the core of our business model. It was a big project on my to-do list, and it made my brain hurt when I thought about it as a whole.

Usually when my brain starts hurting in response to thinking through a project, it’s because I don’t have a good understanding of the steps to completion OR I don’t have the skills/knowledge/expertise necessary to complete certain steps.

In this case, when I sat down to start writing copy, I realized that I hadn’t done enough thinking about the people who would be reading the page. Instead of pressing forward, I took some time to whiteboard my thoughts on our four different user personas. Here are some of the questions I asked myself as I did the exercise:

• What is she feeling on her best day at work?
• What is he feeling on his worst day at work?
• What does she do day-to-day?
• How does he think about what he wants from work?
• What questions are they asking about their careers?

Here’s what the whiteboard looked like at the end of the exercise (Yes, there is foul language in a couple of places. It was a personal exercise, please forgive me):

I based this exercise on four key personas that we’re serving with our new product offering (this is some of the copy that will appear on our new sales page):

1. The Fortune 500 Mover and Shaker — you found a job at a household brand name, and you’re proud of. Now you’re trying to find your way through the maze that is a massive organization. We know what it’s like and we’re here to help.

2. The Professional Services Pro — Accountants, consultants, and bankers, oh my. The world of professional services can be political, competitive, and stressful. We build courses to help you handle it with generosity, gratitude, and growth.

3. The Agency Life Addict — Account managers and junior designers know that agency life can be downright crazy, and that’s why they love it, and hate it. Our courses will help you manage your career while building the lifestyle you want as well.

4. The Startup Enthusiast — Startups are all the buzz these days. Salespeople, developers, and generalists know that startup life can be uncertain, but exciting. We’ll help you use your late nights and ambiguous responsibilities to your advantage.

Thinking about specific people in each of these roles allowed me to get into their mindset and thought process much more than I would have if I had gone straight into writing copy. I probably didn’t get everything right, but we’ll be able to leverage this initial process to conduct user interviews as we gather feedback about the product from our target audience.

I missed some key elements of a truly great persona exercise — I didn’t have pictures of the people or names for them. I didn’t fuel my insights with trends from multiple conversations with real people who represent each persona. Finally, I did not validate these insights with objective opinions from mentors, colleagues, or third-party observers.

Have you ever conducted a user persona exercise? What did you learn from it? Was it helpful? Did you make any assumptions that you ended up proving wrong?

Voting with Dollars

I’ve been thinking a lot about the concept of voting with our dollars lately. To sum up my thoughts in case you’re in a hurry, here goes: every dollar we spend is a vote for the way a company, charity, or organization “does business.” We’re either supporting a vision for the future of the world that is aligned with our personal beliefs, values, and vision, or we’re not.

For those of you more interested in the long version, I’ve used Whole Foods as an example of how I vote with my dollars based on my beliefs and values. I hope it will inspire you to think about your spending as a vote for the future as well.

Whole Foods

I read an article on Huffington Post recently that was essentially a parody on shopping at Whole Foods. It was funny and it played into the stereotypical comments that go something like, “Whole Foods = Whole Paycheck.” The comments come from the fact that as compared to the “average” American diet as purchased at the “average” American grocery store, Whole Foods is more expensive. Touche. If cost is all that matters to you, the point is absolutely true and you can move on to the rest of your reading list.

But if you dig a layer deeper and think through the economics, the values of Whole Foods, and the value added back into your life by eating mostly organic, natural, whole foods, the conversation changes.

Let’s take a little bit of a short ride through the world of food we live in today. First of all, the three most consumed food products in the US today are…. Wheat, corn, and soy. They occupy the vast majority of the crops produced here in the US. In turn, these three crops are responsible for much of the debate about genetically modified organisms and the effects of pesticides on our health and environment. I won’t even get into the argument about their collective effect on our gut health and immune system.

To further the complicated truth about these crops, they are heavily subsidized by the federal government, giving farms even more reason to produce the crops. Additionally, corn is used heavily in the production of biofuels, which, of course, results in more subsidies. Down and down the intertwined spiral goes between corporate-farm entities, the government, and the processed foods we see lining the average grocery store to fuel the “average” American diet.

An article from February 5th in the New York Times, highlighting the possibility of more farm land transitioning to fruits and veggies, summed up the corn conundrum:

…plantings of field corn surged to a record 97 million acres in 2012, from 79 million in 2002 — or roughly 20 times the amount of land given over to other vegetables and fruits.

According to Gallup, as of 11/1/13, 27.2% of Americans (more than 1 in 4) is obese and 35.5% are overweight. The rate of obesity in America has been climbing steadily since 2008, when Gallup began measuring the statistic. According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 2 “average” American men and 1 in 3″average” American women will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in our lifetime. Finally, according to the CDC, 1 in 3 males and 2 in 5 females born on or after the year 2000 in America, will develop diabetes in their lifetime if nothing changes.

A thesis could be written on the topic, and some could vilify me for drawing hasty conclusions, but I’ll do it anyways. The “average” American diet over the past 25 years is not working out so well for us. Factors that lead to increased risk of disease (like obesity) are on the rise, and we’re seeing an uptick in disease as a result.

My point in highlighting all of this is that three essential factors affect our physical well-being:

1. Genetics
2. What we put in our body (food)
3. Our physical habits (sleep + exercise)
4. Environment

If this is true, then our food choices matter in a big way. When we think about the decision to shop at a place like Whole Foods (or even better, local farmer’s markets) from a “cost factor” point of view, yes it is expensive. However, when we think about shopping at a place like Whole Foods as a lifestyle decision that affects at least two, if not more, of the four factors above, our decision criteria likely change.

Whole Foods’ value statement looks like this:

• We sell the highest quality natural and organic products available
• We satisfy, delight, and nourish our customers
• We support team member excellence and happiness
• We create wealth through profits and growth
• We serve and support our local and global communities
• We practice and advance environmental stewardship
• We create ongoing win-win partnerships with our suppliers
• We promote the health of our stakeholders through healthy eating education

These values are reflected in everything Whole Foods does. Their CEO elaborates on creating the kind of culture where values matter in his book, Conscious Capitalism.

When I spend a dollar at Whole Foods, I know it supports some or all of the following:

• Creating economies of scale for organic foods, thereby decreasing the cost over time for all consumers
• Funding or supporting local farms and causes around the world through the Whole Planet Foundation and Community Giving program
• Practicing more sustainable environmental processes – from the LEED certified design of the physical store to the food production value chain
• Education for more people about the value of whole, natural, and organic foods on physical health
• A mission to drive down the occurrence of obesity and disease while driving up the quality of life of our collective communities

Whole Foods reflects my beliefs about the future of the world. They’re driving the conversation around health and wellness related to the food we put in our bodies and the effects our food system has on the environment. They are proactively educating people about the choices they don’t even realize they’re making. They’re pushing chains like Kroger and Costco to reinvent their store design and increase natural or organic product offerings.

Every dollar I spend with a company like Whole Foods is a dollar I’m using to vote for the future I want for my children and their children.

I had planned to write about Warby Parker, Charity:Water, and Counter Culture Coffee in this post because I vote with my dollars at these companies as well, but I got passionate about Whole Foods, so I’ll leave it here for now. If you want to learn more about voting with your dollar, start reading into the companies and stores where you spend the majority of your outgoing dollars. What kind of world are they supporting? How does that make you feel?

What are some of the the companies you support with your spending? 

How to Build a Legacy

This past weekend I delivered the closing session at the Georgia Collegiate Leadership 2014 conference. The conference is hosted by the Leadership Resource Team at UGA and supported by the Center for Student Organizations.

GCLC 2014 featured an opening keynote by Adam Shepard, 20+ workshops spread across four sessions, a case study competition centered on mental health, and my closing talk. The planning team set a new record for the conference this year, with 475+ registered attendees. It looked like at least 300-350 stuck around for the closing session from my vantage point on stage.

A few posts back, I published a post called “Legacy Building: Explore. Invest. Build.” It was intended to be a rough draft of the talk I planned to give at GCLC. However, as I did my first couple of practice runs through the talk, it felt very average. I didn’t think it reflected the brand we’re building at Living for Monday or the kind of speaker I want to become as I continue to build my skills.

48 hours before the conference I made the tough decision to rebuild the entire talk, almost from scratch. I had new ideas about how to create a much more engaging talk, and I wanted to test them out. Many people wouldn’t share that reality publicly, but I think this is more common than many people realize amongst speakers. You tinker and fiddle with a presentation right up until you go on stage.

The conference was not officially recorded, but Michael, my girlfriend’s younger brother, was kind enough not only to attend the talk but also to record it on his iPhone. It’s not the highest quality video ever because, after all, it was an iPhone, but the sound comes through pretty clear. I hope you enjoy.

If you grow stronger, don’t I also grow stronger?

I had a thought this morning, and I’m not sure exactly where it came from. Here it is in tweet form:

I like communities where people think, “If you get stronger, don’t we all get stronger?” And therefore help each other get stronger.

— Barrett Brooks (@BarrettABrooks) February 7, 2014

When it comes to building community, I think this has to be at the essence of it.

It applies in countless settings, but here are three that help elaborate on the point I’m making.

When we were still in the hunter/gatherer stage of societal development (and some small pockets of the world still are), this theory of community building made sense. The more I help a fellow hunter increase his strength and become a better archer or spear thrower, the more likely we are to eat well tonight, tomorrow, and in the foreseeable future. The more I am able to teach my fellow gatherers to identify what is edible, what is not, what will kill us, and what will provide us with the most nutrition, the more likely we are all to stay healthy and happy.

For sports teams, the concept perhaps applies to an even greater degree, and yet it is ignored by so many athletes from pros to amateurs. You see it repeatedly, especially with the “superstar effect” whereby a person thinks they’re so good they don’t owe anything to anyone. Rather than build their teammates up, the superstar often tears his teammates down as a way of showing his superiority.

The alternative, of course, is clear. Look at a QB like Peyton Manning and the effect he has had on Knowshon Moreno’s career. He has helped Moreno revive a sputtering early career, likely setting him up for a sizeable future contract despite the fact that many teams had already written Moreno off before Peyton came to town. In helping Knowshon become an important part of the Bronco’s offense, Peyton became stronger and it contributed to his record setting passing season. The same applies to many athletes who chose to make their teammates stronger with the belief that it makes everyone better.

Finally, the same applies to startup and business teams. One of the great tragedies in business is when a key leader fails to see the value of employee training and development. At the same time, colleges and universities have fallen further and further behind in the value they provide to students as the industrial education system becomes more irrelevant by the day. I love this quote, which represents the two fundamental attitudes many business people have about training and development:

Photo from Behappy.me, where you can buy it in print, on canvas, and more.

The alternative to the fear-based, limited-pie-size mentality is one of abundance. “What happens if we don’t and they stay,” is the embodiment of the belief that when I help you get better, I get better. It relates back to the idea that the best way to learn is to teach. When every person in an organization or community believes that it is a fundamental part of their job to make the people around them better, it makes everyone better.

I choose to be part of communities that believe this:

“If you grow stronger, don’t I also grow stronger? If you become better, don’t we all become better?”

 

What do you think? Where have you seen this in action? Are you part of any communities that have this kind of mentality? Do any communities come to mind that take a different approach but are still successful?

My Ideal Presentation Preparation Process

You look out at the crowd from the side of the stage. You feel the butterflies and your palms are sweaty. You hear your name from the conference organizer and you get ready to climb the stairs to the stage. 30 minutes of uninterrupted talking is in your immediate future.

That’s the feeling I still get everytime I get ready to speak in public. Granted, I’m not a seasoned vet of the national conference speaking circuit, but I’ve probably had more opportunities to speak in public than 80%+ of people my age. It’s a privilege I’m grateful for and one I’ll continue to take advantage of as I work hard to become a great storyteller and communicator.

Over the next two months, I’ll have the opportunity to speak at two conferences I’m very excited about:

• February 8th: Georgia Collegiate Leadership Conference – Athens, GA
• Topic: Leaving a Legacy as a Student Leader
• March 28th: TEDxUGA – Athens, GA
• Topic: Living for Monday is the new standard for career success

I’m incredibly excited and humbled by both opportunities, which means I’m taking my preparation very seriously. I’ve invested time in books and people that have helped me understand how to create a prep process that will help me feel prepared to deliver a great experience for the audience. 

I figure sharing my process for preparation could be helpful for others, so here goes.

Research and Resources

First off, the resources I think are most helpful for learning how to design, practice, and deliver a great talk:

• The Minto Pyramid Principle – Perhaps one of the best books of all time for understanding a framework for structured, clear communication. This is required reading for management consultants, and I believe it is one of the best books to read for current or aspiring public speakers. It’s ridiculously expensive, but it delivers real value.
• Stand and Deliver by Dale Carnegie Training — a good introduction and overview to the preparation process for delivering a pro-level presentation
• How to Deliver a TED Talk by Jeremey Donovan — the author has taken the time to analyze hundreds of the most successful TED talks to understand what makes them engaging and powerful. He shares overall strategies for presentation prep, design, and delivery
• Resonate by Nancy Duarte — Duarte is also the name of the author’s agency that builds custom slide presentations for executive-level speakers. This book presents the principles Duarte has learned in analyzing some of the most powerful speeches of all time.
• Slide:ology by Nancy Duarte — Another book from Duarte focused specifically on the visual presentation of information through presentation software. The book outlines how to most effectively create a presentation companion.
• Presentation Zen by Garr Reynolds — This is a great overview text on building a process for presentation creation and then turning it into an engaging set of slides that will make the presentation better (rather than making the audience’s eyes glaze over).
• Top 20 TED talks of all time — This is a list of the most watched TED talks of all time as of the end of 2013, according to TED itself. Once you have an established understanding of frameworks and theories, it is incredibly helpful to see real examples. These talks would be a great place to start developing an applied understanding of how to deliver a great talk.

The Framework

The first thing I do in preparing any talk is to come up with the key idea. This is much the same as writing an article. I always come up with a headline first, then write the article, then rewrite the headline for the best outcome. Presentations can be created in a similar fashion.

Once I have an idea of the outcome, I try to stick to a 3×3 outline with an intro tagged on the front and a conclusion on the end. The framework looks like this:

• Key Point #1: Problem
• Key Point #1: Proof
• Key Point #1: Premise
• Key Point #2: Problem
• Key Point #2: Proof
• Key Point #2: Premise
• Key Point #3: Problem
• Key Point #3: Proof
• Key Point #3: Premise

The key points support the main message of the talk in one of two ways, which come from The Minto Pyramid Principle. First, you can use the key points to explain how the main message works in practice. Or, second, you can use the key points to explain why the main message is true or why the audience should believe what you believe.

So, if your presentation main message were “Atlanta Tech Village is the best place to work in Atlanta” then the three key points might be:

1. You can meet other smart entrepreneurs
2. Atlanta Tech Village a widely recognized brand in Atlanta
3. They have free snacks

This would be a “Why” logic to support your main message.

The problem -> proof -> premise framework comes from a combination of Resonate and How to Deliver a TED Talk. The problem -> proof progression highlights the principles from Resonate, in which Duarte argues that some of the best speeches in history create a picture of some problem in the world and then contrast that with a vision for the future. The problem = problem; the premise = an anecdote or visionary tale of the future.

The proof -> premise progression comes from How to Deliver a TED Talk in which Donovan argues that great presentations first use anecdotes or research-based evidence to tell a story that proves the key point. However, the story does not directly make the point until after the audience has been led through the emotional up and down of the story to reach a similar conclusion on their own. The premise comes when you outline and clearly state the key point, creating a shared language and instilling the point in the minds of the audience.

With this framework, you would introduce your main message. Then, you would outline the key points to come, preparing the audience for the checkpoints along the way. Then you would work through each key point using the problem -> proof -> premise structure.

This creates a feeling in the audience of: “I hear the main message” then “I know what to expect over the next 30-60 minutes” then “Oh no, that’s a problem! Oh, but that is a really cool vision for a better future. Wow, that’s a really intriguing point and he already proved it to me with that story.” then “Ah, I see, that was part 1, now we’re moving on to part 2.” then “I get it, the key message was BLAH, he supported that with the three key points, and his conclusion made one last passionate argument for why we should believe what he believes.”

One last point: I try to keep a talk to three key points, but sometimes I will include as many as five. The fewer key points you make, the more likely the audience will be to remember your message and be able to relay it to others. There is only so much an audience can process in one presentation. Your job is to make them intrigued enough about your idea to learn more, not to relay all of your knowledge in one hour.

Research + Anecdotes

One further practice I like to incorporate into my presentations is tying research to anecdotes. Research proves that there is some basis for the points I am making. Anecdotes create an emotional tie to the data presented by research. The combination of the two make the connection between theory and practice, logic and emotion.

Practically speaking, research and anecdotes can be tied into any part of the 3×3 framework. The problem can and should incorporate an anecdote that relates back to some research proving that there is a real problem. The proof can use an anecdote to relate back to research showing what is possible if some change is made in the world. The premise can summarize all of it into a key point the audience can relate to because you have appealed to both logic and emotion.

Creating the Presentation

To sum everything up, here is a bullet list for my project prep process (I’ll let you know how it works out for me after these two talks):

1. Understand the conference’s theme, audience, requirements (time/space/etc), and background
2. Create a main message or “headline” for the talk
3. Create a list of outcomes for the audience
4. Write a blog post based roughly on the outcomes to get everything related to the topic out of my head and onto paper
5. Create a 3×3 outline, starting with key points and then problem + proof. I do this on sticky notes so I can see them arranged in a 3×3 grid. I don’t write the entire thing out, just create bullets that serve as cues for my talking points.
6. Create an introduction and conclusion
7. Record a practice session using the outline
8. Listen to the practice session.
9. Make edits
10. Repeat steps 7-9 five times
11. Decide whether slides will make the presentation better or simply distract the audience from the message
12. Sketch slides on post it notes based on my edited outline
13. Repeat steps 7-10. Here I have the sticky note sketches in front of me and practice for when I would switch the slides as I speak.
14. Create digital versions of the slides using presentation software (Keynote/Powerpoint/Prezi/etc). Primarily image-driven slides. No more than 10 words per slide, preferably less than 6.
15. Repeat steps 7-10. Make updates in the slides accordingly.
16. Finalize presentation.
17. If time, edit the original brain dump blog post based on the finalized presentation. This is where you can include all of the information that didn’t fit into the presentation. You can add footnotes, images, graphs, detailed research references, etc.
18. Edit the document and create a PDF version. Send it to the conference organizer after the presentation to provide to attendees. They will appreciate a take home that helps them dive deeper if they are interested in the topic.

I believe that if I am going to speak in public, I should be well-prepared and engaging. Most presentations I have seen throughout my life have been incredibly boring, do not effectively use research + anecdotes, and leave me wondering what else I could have done with the hour I spent listening. My aspiration is to give the best talk anyone in the audience has ever heard. I won’t reach that bar every time I speak (if ever). However, if I’m not willing to shoot for that bar, then I believe I should save everyone time and energy by foregoing the opportunity to speak at all. 

How do you prepare for presentations? How could I improve my preparation process? Who is the best speaker you have ever heard in person? What was the best talk topic you have ever heard?

What’s your customer loyalty program?

Most customer loyalty programs are built around the idea that if you hand me a card with 10 spots for a punch hole on it, I’m more likely to come back. The really savvy business owners tell their cashiers/baristas/bartenders/whatevers that if they give two punches to the card on a customers’ first visit, they’re significantly more likely to come back. It’s a jedi mind trick that just happens to work quite well.

The whole system is built around gamification, with companies like Starbucks driving more and more towards an endorphin-fueled, gamified experience for their loyalty program. 10 drinks… Free food! 30 drinks… Gold card member! But keep coming back or we’ll take your gold card away. Muahahahaha.

At some point you show up and your card is punched the 10th (or 12th or 20th or whatever) time and you get a free thing-a-ma-jig. Congratulations, you’ve won a free prize! But here’s the question, when you walk away from the experience, are you more loyal? Perhaps, but more likely you are a member of the loyalty program for the coffee shop down the street as well, and your card there is on its 8th punch… two more to go!

Now contrast this with the stories we hear pop up from time to time. You’ve seen the headlines or status updates. “Starbucks manager decides to give free coffee to every customer for the first half of the day on April 18th,” (a date of absolutely no significance). “My favorite restaurant just gave me free dessert for no reason at all! That’s awesome!”

My friend recently had a similar experience. She happened to book a flight for the wrong date and she didn’t realize it until the day before she was to fly out. The flight she had booked used the same call number as her intended flight and she had been confused in her rush of excitement to book the ticket. She called the airline and asked if they could switch the date of her flight to 24 hours later when the rest of her travel group would be flying out as well.

Two associates with no decision making power did everything they could to stay out of trouble by saying, “I’m sorry ma’am, but there’s nothing we can do. The flight change + rate differential will cost you $900.”

She asked for a manager. She shared her story with the manager. “I’m headed on a mission trip with a group of people that want to do good in South America. I’ve done everything in my control to budget for this trip, but I have absolutely no wiggle room. I would have to forego the trip if I truly have to pay the $900 fee to change flights.”

The manager, unlike her disempowered associates, had the decision making power to build a truly valuable and customized loyalty program for my friend. It took just ten words, “Ok ma’am. I’ve changed your flight. The fee is waived.”

Which type of customer loyalty are you building?

Customer-Focused vs Me-Focused

I’ve had a recent experience that highlighted how important it is to focus on customer priorities as opposed to our own.

When we focus on our own priorities, it makes the customer experience painful. Some customers will deal with it, but many more will leave. Focusing on yourself means that you structure timelines according to what is convenient to you. It means that you create messaging that talks about you instead of talking about and to your customer. A focus on you neglects the fact that there is a real person, with real challenges and opportunities sitting on the other side of your process. The process has a thin veil over it that does a poor job of masking your agenda and priorities, making the customer feel like a pawn in your game.

Flip the script and consider what it means to have a truly customer-focused mentality in all that you do. The messaging on your website is directed at the goals, challenges, and questions of your customer. They arrive on your homepage and think, “Ah, this feels like home. They know me.” Your timeline for the project or presentation or training you want to get to the finish line could come completely from asking the right questions about your customer’s commitments and priorities right now, making them feel like a participant in the process. Your milestones and checkpoints along the way could be built collaboratively so your customer feels engaged rather than like they’re being put in a maze with a predetermined outcome.

Being you-focused or customer-focused is a choice. It’s a choice that reflects your business philosophy, the way you treat customers, how you’ll behave in moments of conflict or stress… The list goes on, but in short this choice reflects on everything a potential customer needs to know about you. From a customer standpoint, it feels good to be an engaged participant in the process. In fact, it makes me want to work harder to pay you and create a stronger partnership.

Of course, the opposite is true as well. The more you focus on you, the more I consider the possibility of looking out exclusively for myself. If that means finding someone to replace you, oh well, it doesn’t affect me.

Make a choice, but recognize how that will affect your business/event/nonprofit in the future.