Tactics, Not Habits

Have you seen these in a presentation? The presenter...

• continuously paces back and forth across the front of the room, or
  
• repeatedly uses the phrase “you guys,” or
  
• spends most of the presentation with one arm folded in front, and the other hand holding the chin, in a thoughtful pose.
  

There are many more—these are simply three that I have seen with my clients in the last week.

And in speaking with them about these observations, here were the responses I heard:

• Pacing: “I don’t want to be rooted in one spot and look scared.”
  
• “You guys”: I’m giving this presentation to some really salt-of-the-earth people. If I don’t use the phrase “you guys,” they’ll think I’m one of those slick people from corporate and my credibility will go down.
  
• “Thoughtful” pose: “I want to show that I’m not stiff and inauthentic, but real and (surprise, surprise) thoughtful.
  

Their intent is right on—the presenter shouldn’t be rooted in one spot and look scared, come across as slick, or seem stiff and inauthentic. The issue isn’t what they did to avoid these impressions, the issue is when/how often they did them. In other words, there are times to move around in a presentation. Doing it continuously so that it becomes pacing is too much—your audience will stop listening to you and start timing your walking and your turns. It’s true. There are certain audiences for whom it’s important to say “you guys” a few times—to the wrong audience or done to much, people won’t take you seriously. And there are times to move your body into a pose of clear thoughtfulness, yet done throughout most of the presentation will cause you to look cut off or possibly judgmental. In other words, because all three of these actions were done repeatedly or continuously, I knew that they weren’t being used strategically and wisely, as tactics to effectively deliver the content to the audience, but as a default, as a habit. And habits will serve you when your habits match what’s needed in the situation. And when they’re not, they’ll get you into trouble.

Take a step back this week—and look not only at how you present your ideas to others, but further afield. Look at some of the ways you operate in regards to how you communicate, organize, focus, exercise, prioritize, eat, get rest, etc. Whatever comes to mind for you is probably what you need to take a look at. And ask yourself if you’re essentially operating:

• Out of habit, on autopilot, or
  
• Out of choice, choosing tactics that serve you really well
  

And if you find an area in which you’re operating out of habit, and upon inspection, feel that it’s not serving you well in all of the situations in which you use it, go into tactic mode. Give yourself a different tactic to take, given whatever situations you have in mind, and what would make sense. Essentially, bring yourself to a higher level of awareness—awareness of when you tend to do what, when it’s appropriate, and when or in what situations you would want to take a different tactic.