Signpost
Signpost means explaining your intention before you speak. This makes it clear to your audience what they should listen for – and it also makes what you say more…
You have to talk about the ‘elephant in the room’ – the big thing that everyone knows but doesn’t want to talk about. But if you do that, the colossal animal becomes so much smaller.
For example: If I, as a speaker, know that there is anxiety in the room: verbalise the anxiety. If there is a conflict in the group – tell me you know about it. If someone thinks I’m too old for my position: mention it, preferably with a twinkle in my eye, as when President Biden recently said that he “although it doesn’t show, been around for a while”.
This was one of many simple techniques we talked about during two half-day workshops on presentation skills at Lund Municipality. Thank you for the trust – and good luck in your important mission in the service of citizens.
Signpost means explaining your intention before you speak. This makes it clear to your audience what they should listen for – and it also makes what you say more…
Talkback means repeating exactly what the sender has said to confirm that the message has been received. This is an excellent way to end a meeting: go around the room…
Mirror means mentioning what you think you see, without judging, to show that you want to try to understand. This is a simple way to start a conversation. In safe…