Trainers, facilitators and presenters frequently worry about ‘losing control of the group’.  This assumes that they were ever in control of the group in the first place!  Groups have their own dynamics and our role, as the ‘person in charge’, is to work with those dynamics and influence the group for results.

Typically, when people worry about losing control of a group, they worry about not being able to sustain the group’s attention.  Actually, sometimes being unable to get the attention of the group is a good sign.

Picture the scene:  you’re facilitating a group session, and the group are happily working on something in small groups.  As the time for group work draws to a close, the group is still fully engaged in the activity, and no one listens to you as you try to bring the whole group back together.  Eventually, you get most of the group’s attention, but small pockets of people persist in continuing to discuss the exercise with each other.  You feel frustrated and like you’re failing to keep control of the group. Don’t.  Notice what’s happening – the group is learning from each other, fully engaged, and needing very little input from you in order to keep ‘on task’.  This is good.  You want the group to be engaged, enjoying working together, and learning from each other, don’t you?

Here’s another scenario:  you are running a training course over several days.  As time passes, you find it increasingly difficult to get the group to come back after breaks on time.  No matter how you tell them, they all wander back in late and sit chatting to each other.  You worry that you are not respected as the trainer and that they are wasting time socialising.  Don’t.  The principles of group dynamics teach us that as healthy groups form, they want to interact with each other more and more.  A delay in returning from breaks is a good sign, as is the socialising – it means that the group is forming and healthy.  Set your ego to one side, and be pleased that the group enjoys being together.  And, to get them back on time, tell them a time 5 minutes before when you really want them back in their seats!

Usually, when I write these tips, I’m in favour of advising what to do, rather than what not to do. However, on occasion, I spot a spectacular example of what not to do that perfectly illustrates why it’s not a good idea to do it. And so – ta da – today’s tip is…don’t write your speech notes on your hand. Please. Just don’t. It doesn’t make you look smart.

Most people facing an important presentation worry about remembering the key points of their presentation. It’s important to have a strategy for remembering your content.

I’ve worked with many clients in the past who push themselves to memorise entire speeches word for word. This is not a realistic strategy, and, even when successful at remembering, the effort of recall tends to suck the life out of the speech.

Some people like to read a script word for word. Unless you are a gifted orator, or a practiced lecturer, this is not a good idea. Many people’s ‘reading out loud’ voice is not very interesting, plus there is a strong tendency to look at the script rather than the audience.

So what’s the solution? Well, here are 3 strategies that have worked well for many of my clients.

• Own your own content. Content is a lot harder to remember when you get someone else to write it for you. Write it yourself – getting help if you need it – and be 100% behind everything you say.
• Imagine your talk like a shape, seeing the beginning, middle, and end. Imagine your talk is a journey, and get to know its geography. Where will you be taking people? Note the content ‘landmarks’ along the way. These signposts will help you link the key points of your talk together.
• Make a crib card. Reduce your talk to its key points. If you’ve written all of it out, reduce each paragraph to a single phrase that stands for the point of the paragraph. Then reduce each group of phrases to a phrase. When you have 5 phrases or less, write them in order on a small card. Study the card regularly, rehearsing the talk in your mind, seeing yourself remembering the material effortlessly. Put the card in your pocket when you speak just in case you need it (you won’t). Now who, I hear you asking yourselves, would be dumb enough to write their prompts on their hand? Well, here’s your answer: Yes, it’s Sarah Palin, courtesy of Sky News.

Have you ever been to a presentation that was disappointing?  In what way did it disappoint you?

Most of us, when we think about presentations, put performance pressure on ourselves.  Actually, giving the right talk for the audience is more important.

I remember, years ago, booking a day out of the office to travel to attend a trade show relevant to my work.  My entire decision to attend was based on an enticing presentation.  The blurb suggested that the speaker would be sharing critical information that would fill a major knowledge gap that I had at the time.  Well, you can guess what happened.  The presentation was a waste of time.  The speaker seemed to be talking about something completely different from what I’d been expecting.  More than that, the information he was sharing, although interesting, wasn’t meeting my needs.  Most of us have attended at least one presentation like this.  So what’s the solution?

It’s helpful to think about any documents and presentations you create from your audience’s perspective. Take time to think about what they will want to know about. If you don’t know what they want, find out.  What is the information they are interested in? What are they expecting to hear about from you?  Imagine two overlapping circles. One circle is you; everything that you want to communicate in your document or presentation. The other circle is your audience, whether an individual or a group; everything they want to know about after listening to you or reading your writing. Concentrate your presentation or document in the area where the two circles overlap. This allows you to constructively meet the needs of your audience without introducing unnecessary and distracting information.