Dahle Communication

Keep researching because you might just surprise yourself - like finding water on the moon!

via www.npr.org

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut. We think we know it all. We stop doing our due diligence. We get up to give a speech that we've given a hundred times without thinking about it because we already know it all.

Then it happens. An expert in the field we are talking about who has done more research asks a question at the end of our speech that throws us off. It is a slap in the face - a dousing of cold water - we are caught off guard and now look a little foolish.

This is sort of what has happened to scientific researchers. Our knowledge of the moon, the closest celestial body to earth, was thought to be pretty strong. We knew there was no water on the moon's surface - it's dry isn't it? Surprise! There's water on the moon! Needless to say, this has become a shock to researchers.

Don't let something like this happen to you. If you are giving a speech that you have given numerous times and feel like you know it all - look it over again. Make sure you've done your research. Maybe you'll discover something new and exciting that you can then add to your speech. That way, you won't be shocked when someone tells you that there is water on the moon.

Persistence is Key - build a following like Muse did

via muse.mu

Before the days of internet radio stations like Pandora and last.fm and before on-line music stores like iTunes and Zune there were two places where you could go to find new 'non-radio friendly' music: an independent music store or college radio stations. Luckily in 1999, I had the chance to work at a college radio station - KSDJ at South Dakota State University - and had to opportunity to find some new music. One of those bands was Muse.

In 1999, Muse was a little known band that didn't get a lot of radio play. In fact, if you listened to them, you probably thought it was a new album from Radiohead (which is what one of my friends thought when I played him their album). However, Muse continued to play, record, tour and adjust their sound. They were persistent. They continued to play and gain a following. Over the past couple of years they have appeared on the Guitar Hero video games and the massively popular movie Twilight. And most recently, their latest release has been featured on the front page of iTunes. It looks as though their persistence has paid off. Not only that, but their sound has gotten better and their albums are fantastic.

There is a lesson here for people giving speeches and presentations. If you want to become successful, you need to show that persistence. Giving a speech or presentation is not easy - it takes hard work and persistence to do well. If you are not doing well at first, that is okay! Just keep working on becoming better, fine-tuning your presentation and giving it again. If you do that, you can become a great speaker and start getting invitations to speak again and again.

Presentations to watch: xBlog: Did You Know 4.0

via www.xplane.com

In case you missed it, XPLANE has been putting out a series of presentation videos called "Did You Know." The videos are very well done and have a lot of great information. If you are interested in communication, how people communicate, new technology or just statistics in general you should check out the series - its quite good (thanks to Slides That Stick and Presentation Zen for posting it this morning). Note: because of my settings, the widescreen presentation is cut off, so you want to go to their site to view the video.

What I have liked about them is the style. If you are putting together presentations, this type of style clearly takes more effort than a regular slide presentation. However, I feel that it shows all of us what is possible if we work hard at something and want to do well and it is something that I plan on working towards. 

Embrace Church 'Embracing' New Technology - How Twitter can be used for good

via www.keloland.com

There have been numerous articles and blogs written about Twitter over the past year. Some of those articles have been good and others have been bad. I have commented several times about twitter and how it can be used for good. Embrace Church in Sioux Falls is doing just that. Embrace Church is a fairly new church that is not your typical setting. Pastor Adam Weber is a young pastor who wanted to build a church that can become a place for a younger generation that has increasingly become disillusioned with organized religion. 

For full disclosure, Adam is my first cousin and I have been able to talk with him on occasions about Embrace and what they are trying to accomplish. I like some of his ideas, but mostly I love his approach. He wants to communicate with the audience and have a conversation with them. He doesn't just want to preach AT them, he wants them to be a part of the communication process. This is why he has encouraged his parishioners to use twitter during the service. It is this feedback that he can use to try and make the service even better.

I think all of us in the business world can learn something from Pastor Weber's approach. Let's not shrink away from feedback and twitter, but embrace it (no pun intended). We should try to expand our communication to include our participants. If we can do that, then maybe we can increase our own following for our businesses.

Sometimes it takes a miracle - but you better be preparred

Miracle's happen - at least any Denver Broncos fan believes that now. In case you missed it, the Denver Broncos - after being tied or leading the Cincinnati Bengals for 59 minutes and 20 seconds of a 60 minute game - were down by 1 point with 38 seconds to go. The Denver Post sums up best what happened next.

 And there was one of the most incredible touchdown receptions in Broncos history, by Brandon Stokley, who went 87 yards untouched Sunday with a deflected pass.

Stokley, who is known as a very smart football player, used his instincts and his experience to help him with this improbable play. His experience told him to go towards the play, even though the ball wasn't intended for him and once he caught the ball to sprint to the end-zone. The Broncos needed a miracle and got one. However, without some heads up play and preparation, would it have happened at all? Who knows - but being prepared no doubt helped the Broncos and Brandon Stokley.

There is a lesson here when it comes to giving a speech. Sometimes you are going to be caught off guard by something. Maybe you'll be asked to give an important speech at the last minute. Maybe you'll be asked a question that has never come up before. Maybe you're projector or computer will crash and all of the great slides you had prepared can't be shown. All of those can and do happen. However, what you do in response to those situations comes down to preparation. If you have continuously prepared yourself for the worst case scenarios, you can make it look like you pulled off a miracle.

Don't take things for granted. Don't assume that everything will work with your equipment or that no one will ask you to speak on something because you weren't the go-to guy. The Broncos could have thrown in the towel and assumed they were going to lose - instead they got a miracle. What's going to happen to you when it looks like all of your chips are down? Can you pull off that miracle? If you are prepared - you should be able to.

Blogs I follow: Slides that stick

via stickyslides.blogspot.com

There are several blogs that I follow each week (or at least attempt to follow if my schedule allows) that more people should know about. One of those sites is Slides that Stick run by Jan Schultink.

Jan posts quite often and all of them have some great ideas when it comes to giving a presentation. Jan's focus is all on improving the use of powerpoint presentations. He almost always has examples of what he is talking about and practical tips that you can use. Additionally, his blogs are short and to the point. A lot of times blogs can get very wordy and that is never the case with Slides that stick.

If you are looking to improve your powerpoint presentations with better images, then you need to check out Slides that stick - I do.

Ted Kennedy was above all else a communicator - and that is why his legacy will live on.

via www.time.com

I was never a huge fan of Ted Kennedy. I agreed with some of his policies and disagreed with others. However, I always felt that his background and image hurt his causes more than it helped them. However, when I took a closer look at the legacy that is Ted Kennedy I came away with something more.

Edward M. Kennedy was above all else a communicator. He worked tirelessly with other colleagues - from Democrats to Republicans - to try and fix what he saw were wrongs with the country. While his brothers will forever live as young and idealistic - shot down in their prime before their ideas could come to light - It was Ted who lived. And what he did will last longer than the glow of idealism. He was critical in passing everything from the Freedom of Information Act and OSHA to the Americans with Disabilities act. While his brothers will always be remembered for their idealism, it was the youngest who lived to get those ideas passed into law.

He was a great orator who had a booming voice that could rouse the audience. But he was also someone who worked with the Republican Party and tried to reach compromises as much as he could. It is this type of communication that will be missed in the Senate. In this era of partisanship, it was Kennedy who would be able to reach across party lines and get something done. That is being able to communicate. I just wish a few more Senators would be able to learn from him.

Travis