168 How to Sell Yourself
- Start on time. Don’t punish promptness.
- Have a wonderful welcome ready. If you haven’t been able
to greet everyone personally at the door because of the
sheer numbers, be sure to prepare a warm, friendly, sin-
cere welcome. - State the objective of the meeting. Even if the group has a
detailed published agenda, briefly cover the highlights. - Get everyone involved. Encourage participation. Even in
large meetings this can be done by requesting the attend-
ees to fill out questionnaires. - Ask leading questions. Call on silent types, but don’t em-
barrass them. Sidestep the domineering talkers. - Tie agenda items together. Provide links from one point
to another. Offer periodic summaries. - Venture tentative conclusions or agreements. Submit them
as your understanding of what’s been said so far for the
group’s approval. - Watch for nonverbal signals. If you sense disapproval,
strong agreement, boredom, skepticism, or objections, call
for comment. - Be nonjudgmental. You are the moderator, the traffic cop.
Lead the group toward your desired objective, but don’t
try to dictate the outcome. - Keep on time. Keep the subject matter on track. Without
appearing rude, cut through digressions and irrelevancies. - Communicate your genuine respect for every member of
the group and what they have to say. Having established
this connection, they’ll tolerate and support your efforts
to control digressions and other roadblocks and work with
rather than against you to achieve the desired objective. - End on time. Even better, end early.
Some additional tips:
- Force yourself to listen.
- Concentrate.
- Pay attention.
- Don’t anticipate what’s coming next.