I spent last Thursday with Patricia Fripp, a great speech coach and friend of mine.  We were at the National Speakers Association, New Jersey Chapter. I can’t get her out of my mind.  She is a presence!

Someone with  presence makes you pay attention. You don’t have to work hard to listen to them or watch them.  In fact, you can’t help being engaged by them.  Fripp is one of these people.   

She does it in at least two ways:  intellectual and emotional. 

Fripp says interesting things in interesting ways, such as, “The enemy of the speaker is sameness.” 

Then she tells you why she phrased it the way she did.  She will say that the last word in your spoken sentence should pack the punch.

That’s a powerful thought, one that will change the way I talk.

To be a presence in someone else’s mind on a substantive level is a good thing.  It means you have made them think, aroused their curiosity, and stimulated further dialogue.

Great conversationalists, (I am thinking of Barbara Walters, Leonard Lopate,  and Dick Cavett) can carry on a dialogue on a wide range of topics.  In other words, they can be present in almost any discussion.

There is more to presence than animal magnetism.  We take for granted intellectual presence, yet it is the currency of success for many of our most accomplished colleagues. 

Read the first blog in this series:  Presentation Skills:  Stay Tuned for a Month of Presence.

Sims Wyeth is a private speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in executive speech coaching and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.

Suppose you work for a large pharma company that historically makes its profits from blockbuster primary care products, and you work in oncology.

When you present your plans to the senior people, it’s evident that they don’t understand your specialty, and what’s worse, they don’t seem to care.

They grew up in the company selling the old stuff. They still have their eyes on the big prize–the next big thing–and they hardly notice what’s going on in the more remote corners of the company.

How can you get them to pay attention, take an interest, and develop an understanding of the complexities and importance of the oncology market?

More selfishly, how can you preserve and grow the franchise within the company?

1. Develop a demographic and psychographic understanding of senior management. Who are they? What do they think and do now? And why do they think and do as they do?

2. Define your goals. Where do you want them to be when your campaign is over? Don’t assume you’re going to convert them to a drastically different point of view. Can you “de-activate” some of their attitudes and beliefs? Can you educate them? Can you raise the shadow of a doubt in their minds that they may be missing something?

3. Develop sticky messages. Sticky messages are messages that are simple, emotional, and filled with surprising specifics. They are also vivid–they paint pictures in the mind of the listener, and they most often come in the form of stories.

4. Develop your proof statements. Make sure that any claims you make about the value of the oncology franchise are credible.

5. And finally, seek out opportunities to get your points across in a powerful manner.

Presenting is the number one tool of influence and persuasion, because when you get people in one room at one time to think about one thing, you have the greatest chance you’ll ever get to change their minds and move them to action.

David slew Goliath, and small pharma franchises can earn the attention and respect large enterprises with the right combination of messaging and personal impact.