Denver PR Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Deft Communications

Turn Signals

June 4, 2015 by Jon Leave a Comment

You know how there are people in your life who curate incredibly enjoyable Facebook feeds that shine like a bright star amidst the endless, interminable night sky of vaguebooking, inane quizzing and esoteric complaining? I have one such friend who posts updates about his mélange of projects which include his work as a home vintner, carpenter and chef alongside photos of ski outings and travel and occasional viral content that’s actually fun and interesting. He’s a fascinating guy, and his Facebook feed is appropriately representative of that.

He recently posted this update and photo:

“Having just come back from driving in Denver…this is so true”

I also recently had a different friend in town from the East Coast. She too complained about the drivers in Denver, and justifiably so. Having traveled extensively, I feel confident in saying Denver drivers are, when graded as a group, generally pretty terrible. I have not traveled anywhere where people stop on entrance ramps to the highway with as much frequency as they do in my fair city. Any time someone does this, I feel like my head’s going to explode because not only is this hilariously counter-intuitive, it is grotesquely unsafe.

With regard to the turn signal thing, my East Coast friend drove us to a brewery (where else, given my disposition?) and tried to merge into the left lane. She threw the blinker on, and like Denver clockwork, the person behind her sped up to prevent the merge. She exclaimed, “Why? I’ve got the signal on. I’m trying to be a good citizen!” All I could say was, “That’s Denver driving for you.”

And that’s where these two disparate people meet. One recognizes that Denver drivers don’t ever use turn signals, the other wonders why. Very simply, people in this town don’t use their blinkers because if you do, you’re pretty much guaranteed never to get that merge you need.

Some misguided dope behind you will think you’re in a race you had no idea you were a part of, and speed up to prevent you from beating them to whatever arbitrary finish line they’ve concocted in their minds. So you learn to adjust. And adjusting, sadly, means you’re frequently better off without your turn signal if you have any lane changing aspirations whatsoever.

To be clear, I abhor this philosophy and believe the world would be roughly 18% better if everyone used proper turn signal protocol at all times, but still. I got places to be, too.

Presentation Tip #2: Learn about your speaking venue

May 29, 2015 by Jon Leave a Comment

Deft Communications specializes in helping our clients prepare for all manner of presentations, whether it’s going on camera as a spokesperson, delivering a keynote speech to a large auditorium, or simply conducting a small team meeting. This blog series will periodically provide best practices for any type of presentation you do.

I’ve stood in front of hundreds of people in a darkened auditorium with large video screens displaying my meticulously crafted PowerPoint presentation flanking me on either side, wireless mic attached to my lapel, booming sound system sending my voice into what felt like infinity.

I’ve also stood up at a round table seating 10 people, the warm fall air’s gentle breeze washing over everyone’s sunglass-adorned face, no notes in front of me, no sound amplification, only the fondness for my best friend and his new bride carrying me through the brief two minute presentation.

Which speaking engagement was I more nervous for? Beforehand – it was a tie. They both seemed equally daunting. In the moment, it was easily the second one. If that surprises you, you’re not alone. It surprised me, too, but I was ready for it. Why? Because I structured my speech to deal with that level of intimacy.

I wrote this speech to be structured in such a way, that if I got lost, got too emotional, looked too long at the groom’s crying mother, whatever… I could short circuit to the end without missing a beat and without anyone being the wiser. That’s exactly what happened. The groom’s mother started to weep, I got caught up in the emotion of what I was saying, lost my train of thought, and short circuited to the end.

It’s for that type of reason that it’s so important to understand your venue when you approach a speaking opportunity. I knew this would be a small affair – we were only the bride and groom’s 10 closest friends and family members – so I didn’t want to use notes, and I didn’t want to sound too formal. So I knew while writing that I’d have to write in a way that built in a failsafe in case I hit any snags. I did, and the speech turned out wonderfully. Tears streaked everyone’s cheeks, and they complimented me after it was over. It was a good feeling.

Compare this to the large auditorium situation. I knew the crowd would be large, I wouldn’t be able to see anyone, and that I’d have to practice, practice, practice. Amazingly enough, the fact that I couldn’t see anyone gave me comfort because outside of an errant cough or the reactions from my planned laugh lines, I felt much less exposed giving this antiseptic performance than I did while delivering a heartfelt speech to less than a dozen people.

That’s why considering your venue is so vital. Understanding the physical characteristics of your presentation space will – or at least should – shape how you write your material. Is it a large group or a small group? How large? How small? Are you expected to stand up and act as leader or remain seated at perhaps a conference table? Will you need a sound system? Is the audience solely live, or are there webcast attendees to consider? All of these things, taken in concert with the event’s purpose, will inform how you present.

You don’t drive your car the same way on the highway as you do in your neighborhood. Your presentation style shouldn’t be the same in all venues either. Learn as much as you possibly can in advance of your presentation about the room, the audience, the layout, and the physical characteristics of the venue, and then use that knowledge to create the best presentation possible.

Because whether you’re looking to make your best friend’s mom cry, or trying to keep the attention of hundreds of strangers, understanding your environment is a big component of achieving any of your communications goals.

Cell Phone

May 14, 2015 by Jon Leave a Comment

When I worked for Noble Energy, I was very guarded with my cell phone number. I had to be. Working in communications for one of the top two oil and gas producers in the entire state makes you very popular.

Couple that with my general philosophy of accepting cold calls from pretty much anyone, guarding my cell phone number became a survival technique. Why did I let people cold call me? Because although I have extreme confidence in my ability and creativity, I’m not nearly arrogant enough to believe I could predict or self-generate where every next great idea came from. So I liked to listen. Give me your best pitch, and if it’s cool, creative, and/or otherwise worth doing, let’s do it. Let’s push. Let’s advance the methods, venues and fora in which we talk about this business.

I got some great ideas this way, and forged a number of interesting partnerships. Still, relative to the size of my overall network, few had my cell phone number. It wasn’t on my business card, wasn’t in my email signature and I only read it aloud on my outgoing office voice mail message, which means, if someone wanted to have it permanently, they had to write it down or type it, then manually edit their contact card for me and add it. Sort of a hassle. Again, this was by design.

Let’s fast forward to the present. I’m now on my own. No office phone number, only a cell phone from which to conduct all my business.

I’ve had happen more than a couple of times a text message sent to people I consider close professional acquaintances that were met with the response, “I don’t have this number in my phone. Who is this?”

At first, I felt deflated. How do you not know me? I thought we were close! Am I no longer important to you now that I don’t work for the giant corporation? My, how the world is a cold place.

Then I snap out of my pity party and remember that I live in a problem of my own creation. People don’t have your cell phone number because you never gave it to them, dummy. So I text back, give them my cell number – which, incidentally, I’ve had since I was 18 – and tell them it’s my primary contact number now.

Things change remarkably when you leave the corporate world and branch out on your own… which is a statement so banal, a fake, vinyl ficus in the corner of your drab, neon-lit office just withered and died from boredom at the groaningly facile insight that platitude provided, but it’s abundantly true.

So much so, I had no reason to ponder how an exceedingly minor way in which I conducted myself previously would spill into my new life. This is happening more and more.

So, do you need my cell phone number? I’m not dumb enough to leave it out here for all the spambots to find, but hit me up via email, and I’ll be happy to provide. It’s jon@deftcom.us.

Talk to you soon.

Presentation Tip #1: Be aware of your time limit

April 21, 2015 by Kristin Leave a Comment

As a public speaking instructor for college students, one of the most frequent complaints I receive – at least once a semester – regarded the seemingly draconian penalties I handed out for exceeding the time limit on any given speech assignment. The common argument was that a time limit was arbitrary, and that a speech should be allowed to go as long as the topic warranted, and then judged on the merit of its content.

What I end up explaining time and again is that adhering to the time limit is a key indicator of the merit of a speech’s content. When schooling functions at its highest level, it serves as preparation for real world conditions. And in the real world, we deal with seemingly arbitrary limitations all the time. Learning to navigate those limitations effectively is what breeds nimble, successful professionals.

In terms of public speaking opportunities, only in the very rarest of circumstances will you be given a blank slate on what to speak, and for how long. Virtually no one is given that kind of free reign. You will almost certainly be given time constraints, and while staying within them can be challenging, I think time limits are better viewed as a gift.

A time limit is an opportunity to hone and tailor your presentation to its most optimal. Do you have five minutes to present? You’d better make those five minutes count. That means distilling your material to its most impactful elements and focusing on that which you want your audience to think, do or feel. Understanding your presentation from the point of view of your audience might also help you understand it better as the presenter.

On a more practical note, adhering to the allotted time also demonstrates respect for your fellow presenters. If you’re participating on a panel during a day featuring multiple presentations, when you don’t adhere to the time limit, you’ve just taken time from someone else. Let’s say there’s three panelists, each given 20 minutes. If you go 25, you’ve forced your fellow presenters to shave five minutes from one (or from a combination of both) of their presentations. That can be viewed as careless at best, and disrespectful at worst.

Know your time limit ahead of time, tailor your presentation to fit the allotted time and focus on the key takeaway for your audience. Then deliver your material confidently. You’ll portray yourself as knowledgeable, poised, and respectful of your audience.