Guila Muir

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  • How to Be Concise–and Tacos!
    “I started talking, and then I kept talking, and then I lost my point and didn’t know how to stop. And then I felt like an idiot.” Does this sound like you—at least sometimes? Many of us struggle to be concise—especially when we get nervous.

    But What About Tacos?

    I’ll use use the PRES frame (below) to talk concisely about tacos. PRES is simple and easy to use. It prevents you from getting lost in a muddle when speaking. P: Point Begin with the key point: “I believe tacos are the best food around.” R: Reason Explain what drives your comment: “The reason I think that is because tacos are inexpensive, full of protein, come in many flavors, and are delicious.” E: Example Provide an example to expand on why your comment is important: “For example, my family ate take-out tacos from our favorite restaurant on Sunday. We ordered five different kinds, the kids loved them, and we spent a fraction of what it would cost for a fancier meal.” S: Summary Reiterate your main point: “In summary, tacos are the best food around because they are inexpensive, taste great, and are nutritious!”

    PRES: A Non-Taco Example

    Now that you are familiar with the four parts, check out this more elaborate example: P: Point Begin with the key point: “The best use of our $30,000 would be to contract an on-call technical producer for online workshops.” R: Reason Explain what drives your comment: “A technical producer troubleshoots from behind the scenes to ensure that online meetings go right. We’ve noticed that participants are much more satisfied when we’ve used a technical producer.” E: Example Provide an example to expand on why your comment is important: “For example, Facilities has been presenting a series of online training sessions using a producer. We’ve recruited volunteers for that role, and surveyed meeting participants. People reported 75% more satisfaction with online experiences when a producer was used.” S: Summary Reiterate your main point: “In summary, we believe that the best use of the would be to hire an on-call technical producer to improve our delivery of online workshops across the organization.” The PRES frame makes it easy it is to make a concise point and succinctly support its rationale. Try using it the next time you present. Then, consider rewarding your conciseness with a taco or two!    
  • 7 Tips for Successful Panel Presentations
    I have moderated dozens of panels throughout my career. Unfortunately, I have also been in the audience for many panels. I say “unfortunately” because panels can be the laziest, least educational format on earth. These tips will transform your panel presentations into brilliant and memorable experiences.

    Tips for Moderators

    1. Do your homework! When planning the panel, ask multiple representatives of the audience what they want to learn. Rank those answers and create questions (and perhaps even a panel title) based on this information. 2. Clarify if this will be a series of short presentations, a free-flowing discussion, or a combination of the two. 3. Create a written goal. (Be sure to state it aloud when the panel begins.) Some examples:
    • Our goal is to better understand what makes Puget Sound so special.
    • Our purpose is to explore how several cities have increased transportation options.
    4. Craft an agenda that includes one kick-off question you will ask ALL panelists. 5. Prepare the panelists. Share the goal and kick-off question, provide time limits, and be very pointed in what you want each to accomplish. 6. Ensure all technology works and the panelists are visible to everyone. 7. Begin and end on time and manage time throughout.

    Tips for Panelists

    1. Ask who the attendees are. What is their experience and level of expertise? What do they want to know? Why is this panel being given? 2. Review the agenda, the panel goal, and any questions the moderator has gathered. Ask yourself how you can best achieve the panel’s purpose. 3. Research the expertise of your fellow panelists. What questions do YOU have for them? How can you build on what they say? 4. Practice. DON’T allow the event to be the first time these words have come out of your mouth, or the first time you’ve used the technology. 5. Highlight lessons from your own experience. Connect those to the audience’s interests and needs. Examples:
    • How we got 3,500 people to participate in our annual fund drive…
    • What were the most important 3 steps we took to accomplish…
    • Mistakes we made; things NOT to do…
    6. Sit tall and speak directly to the audience, even when answering an individual’s question. 7. Be ready and eager to learn. Don’t be a blowhard, but allow your passion to shine. Done right, panels can be incredibly rich with interest, learning and fun–a memorable experience instead of the lazy way out.  
  • Why Is It Important to Begin ANY Presentation with a Hook?
    During our recent long spell of online presentations, I noticed something important. In the first few minutes of air time, presenters often either:
    • Launched a poll. This often took longer than expected, and could dilute participants’ focus on the topic itself.
    OR (more often)
    • Presenters didn’t try to hook their audiences at all. Instead, they launched into introductions or dove straight into content.
    If the goal was to elicit engagement, commitment and interest in the topic, both these strategies sadly miss the boat.

    Good Hooks

    GOOD hooks help people “get into the boat”. They are fast, meaningful, and interactive.
    • FAST: Your hook should last 30 seconds to one minute.
    • MEANINGFUL: Your hook should relate to your topic. The best hooks elicit emotion in the audience, whether it is intrigue, anxiety, laughter, or any other feeling.
    • INTERACTIVE: Your hook should demand engagement from ALL audience members. Physical engagement is great, even online.

    Three Good Hooks

    IMPORTANT: Make sure any hook you create meets the criteria above. 1. Ask a question that participants must answer in chat immediately . Give only 15 seconds to respond. Answers can be simple yes/no, true/false, or anything else short and sweet. Don’t belabor the answers or read them aloud. 2. With cameras on, ask participants to raise hands as you ask questions fairly rapidly. Again, don’t belabor. Insist that people respond. 3. Use “Perspectives”:
    • Tell participants to point at the ceiling with their index fingers, arms above their heads.
    • Now, tell them to start moving their index fingers in a clockwise direction, keeping them perpendicular to the ceiling.
    • Tell the participants to begin to move their index fingers downward, keeping the circle going and perpendicular to the ceiling.
    • When the fingers are at about at chest level, still going in a circle, instruct the participants to look at their fingers.
    • Ask: “Which direction is your finger going?”
    • Participants will look confused and say, “counterclockwise.” Keep asking until some bright soul says “It’s still going clockwise! Our perspective changed, that’s all!”
    • Wait for the “ah-hahs.” Connect this experience to taking on a new point of view/perspective regarding the concept you are about to present.
    I provide more ideas for good hooks in my book, “Instructional Design That Soars”. Remember, a good hook is fast, meaningful and interactive. Good hooks go a LONG way in making your presentation a success.          
  • “Difficult People” Versus Difficult Dynamics
    Presenters wanting to learn to respond to ruckus-causing participants discover an industry dedicated to techniques, programs and articles, but especially labels. Experts in the “difficult people” business love labels. Here are several labels for different kinds of “difficult people”:
    • The Know-It-All
    • The Show-Off
    • The Rambler

    But Guess What? We Are All “Difficult People”

    To be a person is to be difficult. “Difficult people” are often just regular people responding to difficult dynamics. Difficult dynamics can include:
    • Organizational change
    • Bad room set-up or temperature control
    • Mandatory attendance
    • Ambiguity about how the event will benefit the individual
    • Personal challenges, such as hunger and low blood sugar.
    What trainers, facilitators and presenters need to know is:
    • You cannot fix people.
    • You can reduce difficult dynamics, thus lowering the risk of reactive behavior.

    3 Ways to Reduce Difficult Dynamics

    You may have little control over organizational change or mandatory attendance. However, these steps will address a broad spectrum of difficult dynamics: 1. Set Up the Room for the Outcome You Desire For engagement, interaction, and accountability, seat people in groups of 5-6. 2. Clarify the Benefits You MUST clearly express on why this topic is important to the participants and how it will benefit them. 3. Model Both Authoritative and Cooperative Behaviors as a Presenter Encourage people to express themselves and to ask questions. Simultaneously, set and hold limits. To achieve smooth dynamics, don’t label human beings. Instead, prevent difficult dynamics before they occur.
  • Roar for Better Meetings
    Most staff participate in an average of 15 meetings a week, and 71% of senior managers say that meetings are unproductive. So I created 3 GRRRs:  “Guila’s Roars to Rehabilitate our Rendezvous”. These GRRRs will improve your meetings immediately:

    GRRR #1: Clearly Identify and State the Meeting’s Purpose

    The leader or group must determine beforehand “what will have changed” as a result of the meeting. If you can’t say what will change, scrap the meeting. Always use an outcome-based agenda.

    GRRR #2: Do Not “De-Risk” Your Meetings

    Unhealthy peace is as negative as unhealthy conflict. A meeting full of smoothers-over lacks effectiveness. A facilitator should ask the hard questions and welcome disagreement. Stick to the stated outcome and actively use behavioral agreements.

    GRRR #3: Know That “Meeting Recovery Syndrome” is Real, and Toxic

    Even if they seem fine during the meeting, many people seethe and ruminate afterward. This affects their work and their environment. Facilitators, ask for honesty and authentic feedback, and be ready to change what you do as a result. We must stop accepting bad meetings as a “cost of doing business”. Let’s roar together for better meetings!

    Additional Resources

    This session changed our lives. Thank you!

    Participant, Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation