Listening to Yourself with My Ears

Hi Persuader,

I’m often asked to listen to speeches or presentations or interactions between my students and their prospects to give comment on what more can be brought to their individual persuasion skills. The sad fact is, I haven’t figured out a way to extend my days. I’ve only got 24 hours, as do all of us, and I simply don’t have time to help in this way.

The up side is, if you’re in my Elite Coaching Club, you are either fully capable of critiquing yourself, or you’re on your way to being there. My suggestion is that you record yourself doing your presentations or speeches or calls or interviews and listen to them. I guaranty you will find this valuable.

All you have to do is listen to your presentation with the following in mind: Do I have rapport? Listen to it again and ask: Am I using the presuppositions affectively? Listen to it again to determine: Am I using their criteria affectively? How about when they objected, where could I have heard that earlier on?

What follows are some frames within which to listen to your presentations.

What’s the level of rapport that you’re hearing taking place? Is it strong? Could it be stronger? What would you have to do to make that stronger?

What is the overall frame you’ve set from the minute you begin interacting with those people? With your prospect? What’s the overall frame you’re setting? Is it one of authority? Is it one of one down and they’re one up? Are you one up and they’re one down? Are you equal? How do you come across in terms of the overall frame you’re setting?

What are the presuppositions that you can identify quickly that you’re using throughout your presentation? Are you using them well? Are you using them a lot?

What are you using? What are you using well? What could be used better?

Where are you getting objections? Where could you have become aware of the objection much earlier on in the presentation?

So let’s say you have an hour presentation, you’re listening to it, and you know that at the end, there’s an objection. Where could you have heard that earlier on? How could you have become aware earlier on of what happened and how could you have framed against it earlier on maybe even at the point of the criteria elicitation? How could you have heard what was going to come out and then framed against it?

Re-listen again and ask yourself: Did you get and use their criteria? And did you continue to reference it throughout the presentation?

And again listen to it and determine: How do you feel about the length of time you were there? Were you there too long? Were you not focused on your outcome well enough or were you focused on your outcome well enough? How long were you there? How much time did it take and is that justifiable time?

If you’ve been studying with me for any amount of time or have been involved with my work in the least, you will begin to understand the frames I’m using to listen to you and you will be able to hear yourself with my ears in that respect.

For those of you that don’t know what I’m talking about, and if you’re signed up for the Persuasion Factor or in my Elite Coaching Club, you will shortly know exactly what I’m talking about.

Until Next Time,

Kenrick E. Cleveland