Jenny Schmitt bio:
Jenny-Rebecca Schmitt is a veteran public relations and marketing professional, trainer and sought-after public speaker. Her 15-year marketing and communications career includes experience in the fields of sports marketing, nonprofit marketing, healthcare communications, and public relations.
Have you ever been to a moderated panel presentation only to be let down by panelists who seem to be paralyzed? Has that panelist ever been you?
Fear no more – we’ve created 12 tips to help you be a successful, confident and memorable panelist, rockin’ it with your very own name tent. Look below and takeaway tips that allow you to bring value and expertise without being “sales-y,” repetitive or, quite honestly, predictable. (And if you’re the moderator, check out these great tips here and here.) Now panelist, read on:
Meet the moderator. Even if it’s 5 minutes before the panel, intro yourself and reiterate your expertise in a few memorable lines (you may want to mention your expertise, book, columns, etc…). Reiterate how you hope to be of help to them and the audience today.
So few people do this and it’s an easy way to get questions directed to you by the moderator (which = more opps for your messages).
Can you e-mail the moderator this week, just to make an intro?
Be the expert: this is the place to offer insights, opinions, and comments; the audience expects your participation.
Think a quotable interview as a good panelist: clear, concise, distinct, informed and intelligible (avoid jargon if at all possible).
Keep the audience needs foremost in your mind. They are there to learn about X topic, focus on that when you present or answer.
Ever been to a panel where the topic offered was not the topic given? What a waste.
Pop the opening: Know what you want your intro/opening to convey: set yourself as an expert and an approachable resource.
Make eye connections with 1-3 people across the room – if you convey connection with those people, everyone in the room will feel connected.
Sit up straight, sit on the edge of your chair and on your coat bottom if you can; keep an open body stance whenever possible.
Keep your voice as strong at the end as it was at the beginning; do not trail off the volume.
Let the audience know you look forward to their questions.
Kill the closing: Know your closing comments in advance – so few panelist have this down and wing it. Remember “winging it” is for the birds.
Be prepared for the closing comment and if it isn’t offered, say “Before we finish, I’d like to say…”
Build a simple framework to define the problem and the solution at the core of that panel: getting C-suite buy-in.
Use anecdotes or analogies if you have them that people can easily relate
Even better if you can convey the story through a current customer in a similar industry/size. Let the audience hear your solution for this customer so they can visualize themselves solving it as well.
Enumerate: Whenever possible, tabulate or enumerate: humans remember numbered lists if they are short – no more than 3 things.
One good tactic is to say something as tabulated, as in “I’ll share three key points that your executive team will want to know before they buy in to the benefit of XXX… Those three things are:…”
Or if you can use letters instead of numbers, e.g “Just remember “BAIT- benefit, automation, integration, testing.”
Keep your answers brief. When you are confident and prepared this is easy. When you don’t know your point, you’ll start to ramble which is a credibility killer (there is one on every panel, don’t be that one). Make your point and close.
It’s respectful of other panelists who may want to answer.
It’s respectful of your audience b/c they can ask more questions.
You can always start by saying “That’s a good question, let me offer a brief answer and if you want more details after, just let me know.”
Be prepared to “add, subtract or disagree with your co-panelists.” Some easy transitions to do just that:
“I’d like to add to that point…” (be sure you are adding!)
“Before moving on, let me add a brief/direct point or point of consideration…”
“From my experience the approach that worked best for [target audience] was…”
“I’m coming at that question from another angle…” (when you disagree)
Avoid the “selling” game or the company’s “talking head” syndrome. Audiences need info to make decisions – if all you give them are specs or product details they will shut you out (remember they’ve got the brochure).
Phrase your products into solutions…”Let’s say you’ve got a product with 20 options and you need to XXXX quickly, one solution is to have your product that…”
Cue the listener, nail key transitions. How do you get to say “Company Name” 20 times without saying the name every time. With key transitions. Let me share a few, but have these written down on a piece of paper that you keep in front of you for the panel:
“Let me start by saying…” (insert key message)
“The one thing your executive team will want to know is…”
“The one thing you should take away from this is…”
“What’s important to remember is…” (typically this frames something into a bigger picture)
“There are options available including (our product, but use its description/benefits)…”
Be available. Always let panelists know you are available after the panel, and you’d be happy to share your contact info with attendees who may have additional questions.
Hang out after the panel… a good line is to ask an attendee if they were able to take anything useful from the panel (let’s hope they say one of your numbered items, or one of your key transition messages!)
Invite people to the booth (if you has one) to continue the conversation
Fear no more panelist! You’ve now got 12 tips to help you be valuable to the audience.
We’re big advocates of finding ways to visually tell people your stories. Why? Because most of us learn and retain information better when it’s presented visually (and reinforced with spoken word). Kelsey Ruger at Moleskin (@moleskin) has a great way of sharing the importance of visual story-telling. To help those of us who might be art-challenged, Kelsey offers this terrific presentation on how to reconnect to the creative, drawing parts of your brain. Knowing their audience, they’ve laid it out in easy-to-understand, step-by-step process. You know, for those of us who are more linear and left-brained. Or for any of us who ever got a “D” in art class. Ahem.
This fall, I’ll be speaking at LavaCon in San Diego on generations and the social experience. The popular conference is focused heavily on the digital and social media experience. The way they phrase it, they’re focused ‘on how to develop, manage and publish digital content that enhances the customer experience, reduces production costs and promotes your online brand.’ Who’d the conference really for? Marketers, public relations pros, brand managers, project managers and anyone with a hankering to learn more about making digital and social media work well for their brand.
And here’s the better part: you can save $50 off of registration by using the discount code CLOUDSPARK. Register by July 9 and take advantage of early registration rates. (Psst, wanna know what we’re doing with our $50? Sneak a peek!)
If you decide to go, let us know, we’d love to meet up in beautiful San Diego.
“In the future everyone will have 15 minutes of privacy.”
For now, Facebook efforts to own the new social web are facing a backlash from its blatant invasion of your privacy (and the privacy of your friends). The company has made it ever-challenging to keep control of personal data on the side of consumers using its services. With changing updates coming in rapid succession, defaults set at opt-in, it’s easy for consumers to not know, or be confused about, what they are agreeing to share and to disclose. For Facebook, their trappling of privacy is another rung in their effots to control data, remember it wasn’t that long ago that Facebook asserted content rights over nearly all data: writing, photos, art, etc.
While you might use Facebook for personal relationships, the complexity its privacy policy and consumer concern may translate to businesses using a Facebook platform like Facebook Open Graph. As a business will you be able to answer your customers concerns about how Facebook and how you are using their data? Will Facebook’s challenges translate onto your brand and consumer trust? These are important question to ask (and answer).
Now how are consumer supposed to easily navigate the complex privacy settings? In an increasingly complex social web, consumers are right to question just how their data is collected, used and ultimately shared. Facebook should make it easier and more transparent to understand how their data is being shared. If Facebook becomes a company that consumrs don’t trust, what will it mean for the whole social web? And what will it mean to you?
With the fast pace of sports – an industry with ever-changing leaders, teams, athletes, seasons, sponsors, opportunities – it’s no wonder that keeping up with the rapid pace of social media can be a challenge. This week, the Atlanta chapter of Women in Sports and Events, invited me to present a social media primer for sports and event professionals. Having worked in the several areas of sports, I jumped at the chance.
Using examples of successful and innovative social media initiatives in the sports industry, I presented Social Media: A Primer for Sports and Event Professionals. The goals of this presentation were to give these professionals the definitions, the keys to success, the demographics and details of the most popular social media platforms (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr,and YouTube) in use today.
And just for a note of inspiration, I stated the presentation with this new video channel on YouTube. In our opinion, it’s a near perfect blend of brand/sponsor, global event and the fan experience.
You’ve heard about Twitter right? You join about 87% of Americans who’ve heard of it, but maybe you’re part of the 93% who haven’t ventured to try it for personal or for business. While there are lots of case studies to show innovate ways to use Twitter and proof it leads to sales, you just don’t know how to start or if you should. You’re not alone.
We frequently present on Twitter for business. It’s so important to help people get started, especially businesses, that Twitter posts a Twitter for Business Guide on its homepage. But before you get there, let us help you with the first steps.
This presentation was given at Atlanta’s Freelancer’s Forum last week. While a lot of learning happened off the screen, these are the basic steps to get start in and understand more about the world’s most popular short-message platform.
We’ve been telling visual stories for nearly our entire careers. Why? Visual matters because most people are visual learners or can better recall a visual cue than a written one. When YouTube came around 5 years ago a whole new opportunity came up to tell that story directly to an audience – no media required. We’ve been on board every since.
Now wait, if someone tells you they can make a viral video for you, stop there. You (or your agency) can’t make a video viral, you can make it great. Only your audience, your customers, your fans, can take it viral. No matter, even if you think you have a tough product or service, there is always a visual story.
We’re sharing this new branded YouTube page from The Coca-Cola Company. It’s a soon-to-be-classic example (created by Sapient Nitro – deep talent over there) of just where video can take a customer. Coca-Cola a global leader in the refreshment category has taken the World Cup ritual (the on-field celebrations) and asked fans to share their own celebrations if they were playing on the field. Here’s why we think Coca-Cola succeeds:
1. It lets people (the fans) participate directly: send in video, artwork, photography (branded or not)
2. The content is seemingly new, refreshed, all the time and it’s easy to share
3. Coca-Cola can tie-in the campaign with actual events (note the videos with the branded banner)
4. The music is universally appealing, borrowing beats, harmonies from different cultures
5. For a global brand, the World Cup is a near-perfect opportunity to showcase its near-universal appeal
What videos do you think stand out as examples of a great visual story? What would you add?
For a follow up from our ealier presentation, Social Media 101, I presented a second session at today’s PRSA/GA Annual Conference in Atlanta, Ga. More conceptual, this session was focused on discussing the forthcoming trends, some of which like Real Time and geolocation are already happening. While the audience was PR professionals, these trends are certain to impact brands and bottom lines in the near future. After all, it was only 3 years ago when people were saying, “What’s this Twitter thing about?” Like my earlier session, I used the new Prezi format, which won rave reviews from the audience.
Oh, and if you’re really geeked now, check out Akoha, a company that blends geolocation with good deeds, and augmented reality app Layar which let’s you see, what you don’t see, and keep your eyes on other companies pushing the envelope of what’s possible. Or drop a note here and let us know who those companies are.
Today, I presented at the PRSA/GA Annual Conference in Atlanta, Ga. This presentation to PR professionals focused on providing the basics of social media – definitions, demographics, and details – they would need to enhance/advance a company’s brand. It was also the first time I debuted the new Prezi format, which won rave reviews from the audience.
I’ll admit it, we tend to like the technical, complicated, and nerdy parts of our world. It’s a great communication challenge to take something incredibly complex and be able to explain it simply and concisely. We keep a regular mantra of simplicity behind all of our communication efforts – it’s even the subject of the first book we recommend to all of our clients.
But even the best communicators can get “lost in the details” or get caught ”over-explaining” a particular idea. So when we came across this quote from @eskimon on Twitter, well, we just had to put it on our team’s whiteboard and share it here:
So take this quote and keep it where you need it most. And if you have a great tip for keeping it simple, feel free to share it here. We may just put in up on the team’s whiteboard.
