In today's episode, you'll discover the precise tool to force your mind to focus on getting the exact information that you have that best serves you. the senior executives and other key stakeholders in the room.
Welcome back to Speak Up, the podcast for high performing introverts, including you social introverts. where we reveal the charisma and communication secrets of A-listers so that you get the recognition and the opportunities you have earned.
I am your host, Laura Camacho, your magical executive presence coach, godmother, and strategist.
And by the end of today's episode, you will know why over preparing makes you look immature. or at least not ready for the next level.
A single powerful question that can transform how you show up, whether it's a last minute meeting, a high stakes pitch or or a presentation that you have, surprise, surprise, overprepared for.
And finally, how too much data is worse than not enough.
There's this question that's going to help you filter out all the information that you have to get to what is needed for your audience That's hard to do, right?
And that's something that I'm constantly teaching people.
And I actually did an episode on this question that's going to be your filter.
Last year, it was episode 322. And so this content comes from that Amazing question.
And I keep teaching it. So you need to learn it.
So a couple of weeks ago, I had this amazing conversation with executive coach Adam Quinney.
He works with extremely high IQ, means brilliant. people like you.
He works with the smartest people in the room.
If you missed that conversation, that would be episode 320. called How the Smartest Leaders Sabotage Their Communication and Executive Presence and How to Stop That.
So you should check it out after this one if you haven't heard it before.
And Adam and I got to talking about how clever people, smart, driven, highly conscientious leaders like you often over prepare for meetings and presentations Not to mention any names, of course, but overpreparing is not necessarily a bad thing.
Sometimes it's actually a good thing. But what Adam and I both agreed on is that it's at expensive way to allocate your very precious time and It's often, if not usually unnecessary.
So let me walk you through what typically happens when you're getting ready for a high stakes conversation or meeting, it might be a presentation to senior leaders or the board or a big client pitch.
And what's the first thing you're probably thinking is that you need all this information and I need to get my facts. straight meaning the data all those facts straight so you want to have the latest data at your fingertips which makes sense right because we live in a world that's constantly changing And you might even be waiting for some last minute numbers to come through so that you have the latest and the greatest.
But sometimes you can focus too much on the data.
If you have your slides with too much text, too many data points, too little context.
If you're trying to squeeze in every bit of information that you can, If you want to make sure that the audience knows everything you know, then you are barking up the wrong tree.
And in fact, you may be trying to use the data and all these false the hacks to prove your credibility to even be speaking in the room.
But here's the truth. That is completely the wrong strategy.
First of all, the quantity of data points is infinite.
And our human brains, even if your IQ is 2000, cannot take in too much information in one sitting.
And when you focus on the data on how much information you can provide, you miss the point.
You might even get stuck thinking about how your audience is judging you, And you may be remembering when you bombed in your college public speaking class Or you may be worrying about your voice, but you take comfort in all that data that you're bringing them.
Let me share the real question that you should be asking yourself before any significant meeting or presentation.
And that is, What does my audience need from me?
Again, I keep doing this in all these different ways and all these different episodes.
I want you to shift your focus from you to them.
So let me break it down for you. Your audience, whether it's one person or a room full of executives is not need a lot more data.
They may need a few data points, but not a lot.
They don't need to be figuring out what you're trying to say.
They don't need to be working hard to follow your message.
And you may think that giving them more information is better, but it's not.
What they need from you is to help them get to the point quickly and clearly.
They want you to be more directive. more recommendations, showing them exactly what they need to know and maybe where they can get more information, but not giving them everything. all the information in that one message.
So how do you do that? You tell them what you think because you have a unique viewpoint, unique experience, unique knowledge.
And that's why you're there to tell them what you think.
They don't want you to give a history lesson on the problem.
What they want to know is what is your informed recommendation?
What is your point of view? What do you believe they should do?
And they may disagree with you folks. I mean, that can happen.
Business is not for babies who can't handle somebody pushing back on them no you have to be able to defend your point of view but it's having a point of view and presenting it in the most interesting way possible.
And that's what you lead with. You lead with your recommendation.
You don't build up to it. You lead with your point of view.
You lead with the action step and then you back it up.
Because then you get their attention with this informed point of view.
This is where so many people miss the mark.
They assume their job is to present everything that's come out everything that's out there let the audience figure out let the executives After all, they're making more money and they have higher level and They're so brilliant, but that's not leadership.
Leadership is about guiding people and helping them to make decisions faster and more confidently.
Let's go back to that one powerful question.
What does my audience need from me? They need clarity.
They need direction and most importantly, They need you to have the confidence to tell them what the next step should be. now i know what some of you are thinking yes i can read your mind you're thinking laura but what if i'm not sure what the right recommendation is and what if I make this recommendation and they all start yelling at me.
That's okay. They are not going to yell at you.
And if they do, then something's wrong with them.
You don't have to be 100% certain. Risk is a fact of life, especially in business.
What's more important than being completely right all the time, like nobody does that. is that you've taken the time to consider the options, weigh the facts, and come forward with a well thought out perspective.
So here is an executive presence tip that's going to help you, especially when it's off the cuff, you know, when you're trying to think, well, what do they need?
And I need to speak up and all these people are talking.
I don't know if I should say this or not.
So remember to lead with purpose. You've heard me say that before.
That means opening up your message by saying something.
The purpose of what I'm going to say is is to help us move forward on making this decision.
It's based on a certain experience. It's based on what a client told me last week.
I think it's gonna help us move forward.
I think it's gonna help you understand better the problem.
I think it's gonna help us all get to an agreement.
Leading with your purpose gives your audience a clear direction from the beginning and everybody's always wondering why is that person speaking Anyway, so you're there to serve.
You're not an entertainer. We're not Taylor Swift.
We're there to help people make better decisions.
We're not there to be entertainment. Now, if you can be entertaining, that's great.
I think that's fabulous. And you and I should have a podcast soon. interviewing you so you can help the rest of us be entertaining.
All right, so you're not trying to impress people.
You're not trying to drown them in data.
You're just guiding them towards the decision.
And you will see. how they respond to you differently and you are literally owning the room.
So to sum it up, Ask yourself, what does my audience need from me?
And two, realize they don't need a lot more uncontextualized data.
They need clarity. They need direction. Maybe a story that's based on your data.
And three, lead with purpose. Be more directive.
Tell them what you think. You're not saying, you know, that I have infinite wisdom and this is what I believe.
No, I believe we should do X. And this is why they want you to be their guide, even if they're much more senior than you, the more you do that. the more you'll find yourself owning the room, whether it's a last-minute meeting or a big presentation.
And when you know that, you really know that, that you're able to walk in there and help other people, then your confidence is, goes through the roof, but not in an annoying way, in a nice way.
When you speak up, opportunities open up.
If you would like personalized help with your executive. presence.
You may be interested in my Executive Presence Mastery System, which is a 90 day intensive coaching program, just focus on executive presence.
There is a link. in the show notes to set up time for us to talk about it.
In any case, have a fabulous day and I will catch you on the next episode.
