start your message by listening

I was struggling with my approach to a conversation. I didn't know which approach was right for the customer. My information was limited. This is not unusual. The pending conversation was approaching quickly and I expected the customer to be highly analytical and detailed when receiving my message. Along with my presentation I had a couple of solutions I could offer them. I didn't know what they do today. The solution to my problem was hiding in this realization. If I didn't know what their baseline for the conversation was, why not ask them? That's what I did. After brief introductions, I asked them what they do today. A dialog emerged from this that continued throughout the presentation. With just a few minutes of listening to them I was able to tailor the next thirty minutes to the message they needed.

if you question what you see, get a second opinion

The macro buttons I normally used in an Excel add-in disappeared one day. I tried a number of fixes before reaching out to a colleague. Through investigation the mystery was solved. It appears the UI was changed from one release to the next. Confirming the change with someone else provided the critical insight to move forward with the process. An external sanity check was the critical help to move my work forward.

check you have the right template before applying it

I was trying to use a spreadsheet template for a process and kept failing. Finally I started the process from scratch and succeeded. Templates are great. But before you use a template, make sure it fits the intended task. Sometimes you will spend more time in total by applying the wrong template first instead of creating something from scratch. Do a quick check first to ensure your template fits your task. This reminds me of the saying - think before you act.

find and address the core concern

During a conversation about my learning plan my boss was expressing concern about how much time I was planning for each module. I sensed her concern about completing all learning prior to customer meetings. Once I identified the core concern, the conversation quickly resolved. My boss just wanted to hear that I was on board with presenting to customers near term. Reminding her of my successful certifications and stating that I was ready to go on customer meetings without my learning plan is all she needed to hear. One concern was more than 80% of the call.

Do you really need to attend that meeting?

I received an invite to a meeting that was completely unexpected and unfamiliar. So I called and asked the organizer. She told me a different person was the intended invitee. No meeting necessary for me. Time and energy saved! The default in corporate life is to accept and attend meetings. You should always ask whether you need to attend a meeting, even your own.

crucial conversations are valuable

During a project I received a bunch of customer questions. During my review I had a general but important impression. A single conversation between the sales rep and the customer would go a long way toward removing a significant amount of work from my entire team. One conversation could eliminate days or even weeks of work and save thousands of dollars. Communication is one of our most valuable tools. Use it well.

beat guessing with rapid testing

Recently I bought a new HD antenna. In theory it comes with a reusable adhesive that sticks to walls and other surfaces. I hypothesized endlessly about the probability of the adhesive solution holding the antenna to the wall and the associated TV reception.  My words multiplied but never provided any verification on the key question. Will it work? Nothing proved more effective than simply testing it. When it arrived, the antenna fell off the wall repeatedly because the texture didn’t allow the proper hold. I improvised with some small adhesive hooks and moved on. Instead of the endless debate, just test quickly and move forward.

ask the necessary question

I asked a question about a point that was unclear. The resulting conversation realigned the focus of the team and increased my understanding of my responsibilities. It also gave me insight into how I might address the subject going forward. Sometimes you don’t understand, not because you’re less capable, but rather communication has not been sufficient.

before you throw away a solution, make sure you're using it correctly

I bought a new chair, the HÅG Capisco. The first time I sat on it I felt like the included hydraulic seat post was too tall. The sitting angle was unlike any chair I’ve ever used. Honestly, it felt wrong. I started down the path of ordering a shorter stem sold for the chair. Before going through that bit of trouble I decided to check the instructions for further adjustments. I found an instruction booklet under the seat. It showed how to adjust the chair for proper height and gave a key explanation. Reading the instructions to understand proper design and use of the chair prevented me from spending money or time on obtaining a new piston for the chair. It's supposed to be that tall.

begin with the end in mind

Before investing time in learning something, make sure your source materials and instructions are aligned with the topic and appropriate for your needs. If all you have is peanut butter and jelly don’t waste your time reading how to cook the perfect steak.

don't go down the wrong path for the sake of a fast start

The right instructions are the best instructions. I reduced the length of my presentation by 50% and the required prep work by arguably 75% because I waited to receive the final instructions. If you don’t trust the instructions you’ve received, confirm for yourself whether they are final.

direct your question clearly to the target audience

I was working on a team project where we were addressing questions from a customer. I had to rewrite my questions after they weren’t communicated properly to the customer. Direct the question you need answered to the target audience the first time. Vague questions waste time and probably won’t get communicated appropriately. In my case I directed several customer questions to my team. These internal questions were basically ignored. Your question is most potent at the source. Expect it to lose power as you lose control of it. If you transmit the question intact to the final recipient it will retain more of its power.

refer to the manual

I was missing several points of understanding related to a product. I had a few questions written down and fit into proper context. I turned to the user guide and quickly found three answers to three questions. I could spend hours trying to figure something out on my own. This is akin to recreating the wheel. Referring to instructions lowers the inputs required for potentially greater output.

templates increase results with fewer inputs

I give many presentations. Much of the content is redundant. I’ve created templates to cover various business requirements. Add or remove modular templates to quickly construct a full presentation based on current needs. Using this approach you can decrease your preparation time and the risk of errors. This strategy can also be applied to questions that you receive frequently. For presentations you can keep unused templates in the backup to address any questions. You will appear far more prepared without a significant increase in effort.

Don't spin your wheels, find traction

I couldn’t find a solution to a problem in any of the available resources. I recorded my questions and moved on. Not long after my mentor was able to quickly answer several questions and provide context. Time saved. More learned. Momentum and energy retained.

listen to your curiosity

While learning a complex application, I struggled to find the answer to a couple of questions. I took some time to explore the software and stumbled on a seemingly mundane menu option. At first I was going to ignore it and move on, but I paid attention to my curiosity and clicked on the link. Another dimension of the interface opened to me and I quickly found the answer to my earlier questions.

Know your why

Frequently people give assignments without explaining the why. Even the military has begun acknowledging the weaknesses of orders given without understanding. When you’re given a task or instructions, ask what it means. What’s the main idea? You might be able to ask yourself this question and come up with the answer. The value in this exercise come from mentally capturing the guiding principles and vision. It will help you understand the purpose for your action, the actions themselves, and give greater insight for improving that performance.

Sometimes avoidance costs more than acceptance

I was put in a group of more experienced people with the assignment of delivering a 20 minute presentation. All the experienced people in the group began some serious navel-gazing. I tried to steer the conversation toward the content of our presentation, but a couple of people were focused on pinning presenting assignments on others than themselves. After 30 minutes had passed I realized the stupidity and futility of the room. I volunteered for a five minute assignment and the meeting ended almost immediately thereafter. Putting the extreme stubbornness of several individuals aside, we saw that one question provided all of the friction that wasted everyone’s time.

Ask and Learn

I asked my manager for clarification of expectations. The reply eliminated a challenging process and cut out significant low value preparation. My mind was free to focus on the meat of the presentation. Instead of memorizing a script, I quickly learned the concepts and was able to present in my own words. Also, using slides with diagrams and pictures related to the key concepts helped me bypass memorization and led to a more natural style of presentation. Memorization exponentially becomes a less efficient strategy as the quantity of material increases. Learning is the meta-skill that becomes exponentially more efficient as the quantity and complexity of material increases. For many years I mistakenly conflated memorizing with learning. This is a Pareto Guide 2 in 1 tip. Asking for clarification can reduce the size of a challenge and learning can be much more efficient than memorization.

So what?

As I was working on a presentation I walked through my planned sequence asking the question, “So what?” What was important about this information? How did it apply to the individuals listening to the presentation? Through this I came up with three personal stories to inject into my presentation that made it much more engaging and memorable. These stories also helped me better internalize the information. A simple walkthrough and question provided the elements that connected the audience to me and the material.