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A Road Map to Learn ANYTHING

Rob Waite — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:38:57 +0000

Last night my wife DRAGGED me to parent’s night at Kentucky Country Day School, where my youngest daughter is a sophomore. Don’t get me wrong, I take a great interest in my children’s education, but generally I don’t get a whole lot of “meat” from parent’s night. However, last night I was very happy I went.

Why? Well, my daughter’s French teacher handed out a document that she gave to the class at the beginning of the year titled, “What you must know about acquiring a language”. I was very impressed with this document because it applies to learning ANYTHING. I thought it was such a great road map, that I’m going to modify it a bit and use it with my company but I wanted to share it with all of you right away. As you read it… and read the whole thing, it is short… you’ll find the principals are a great road map to learning ANYTHING.

Here it is verbatim:

What you must know about acquiring a language

1.       There is no such thing as a person who isn’t good at learning languages.
2.       The trick to acquiring French is ridiculously simple:
a.        You must hear a lot of French and you must completely, entirely, totally 100% understand what is being said.
b.       If you are doing it right, it feels effortless. It feels involuntary.
3.       You must be relaxed and not feel pressured to speak or perform as an individual in front of the class.
4.       Turn off the part of your brain that wants to turn this into work… wants to memorize… wants to study… wants to analyze… wants to cram information into the short term memory instead of long-term memory.

TO DO THAT YOU MUST:

·         Have fun. Commit to making everything that happens here an absolute blast.
·         Listen. Be aware of when our attention wanders and contribute something to the story or the class conversation.
·         Tell me every single time you don’t understand by signaling me.
·         Tell me if I am talking too fast. If you think it’s a little fast, someone else does also. Consider it a community service.
·         Make sure that you support everyone else here in being able to effortlessly and involuntarily acquire French.
·         LAUGH. According to brain research, you remember more when you laugh. Collectively, you are much funnier than me, so I really need your help.
·         READ. According to the research, the best way to improve your vocabulary, spelling and grammar is to READ.

OK, time to go learn something!

The Paradox of Change

Rob Waite — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 16:53:20 +0000

                I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “The only constant is change!” It sure is true. Yet, paradoxically, most of us resist change with almost every fiber of our being. No wonder there are so many worried, discontented people in the world. They’re always watching out for and fighting change!
                What brought this to mind was a photo I saw on the Internet and an object I have laying on my desk. The photo on the computer is a picture of one of the Phoenix Landers feet on the surface of Mars. The object I have on my desk is a piece of rigging I have from a tall ship. This piece of rigging came off the tall ship in the late 1700’s. The difference between these two items is truly mind boggling. One is wood and metal and its only form of propulsion was the wind. The other is a part of inter planetary space travel! Think about it, mankind has gone from its only long distance form of transportation being wind driven wooden ships to interplanetary vehicles in less than 200 years… remember the Mars Viking Landers in the 1970’s? That is a lot of change in a short period of time!
                Since most people are resistant to change, it is amazing we as a species have come so far. So, how did we come so far in the last two hundred years? Well, the answer is simple, a very small number of odd balls; outcasts, who were ridiculed for their ideas. Odd balls like the Montgolfier brothers with their hot air balloon in 1783, Fulton with his steam engine in 1803, the Wright Brothers in 1903 and other odd balls, outcasts who were ridiculed for their ideas. For example, Fulton’s steam engine was called by the majority of the press as “Fulton’s Folly”. Yet his steam engine changed the world of travel.
                Fortunately for all of us, there are odd balls in the world that are willing to embrace change and actively look to change the status quo.
                Growing up, I never wandered more than 100 miles from Philadelphia. I left for college from the same house that my parents brought me to after I was born. I went to college only 83 miles from Philadelphia. I thought I would spend the rest of my life in the comfortable little radius from the New Jersey shore to the Pocono Mountains. But an event in my life led me to make the CHOICE to embrace change and actively pursue change.
That event is a topic for another positing but suffice it to say that I became a change junkie. I’ve always had my eye on where I want to go, so I didn’t change just for the sake of change itself, but changed to gain the skills and experience to get to where I wanted to go. The amount of change my wife and I were willing to accept, I have to admit, maybe a bit over the top. We’ve moved 13 times, including various different countries. I’ve worked for four different companies before embarking out on my own.
One of my weaknesses that I have to be careful to temper is that I can become impatient with those who seem unwilling to change. In order to help effect change, it is best to communicate, communicate, and communicate some more.
I received an email yesterday from a very bright young guy who is president of a company that is embarking on a lot of change. I’m not sure who said or wrote the quote, but it is a good one:
                “Change is hard because people overestimate the value of what they have—and underestimate the value of what they may gain by giving that up.”

Trash Talk and Disparagement

Rob Waite — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 18:14:31 +0000

Have you ever been shocked, hurt and disappointed because you learned about a competitor, former employer or colleague who unfairly trashed you? If you haven’t, then you’re a rare exception!

How do you respond? Why do people do this? Let’s start with the latter. People who actively engage in trash talk actually are afraid of what you are able to accomplish. They are afraid that you’ll succeed. So start by taking it as a compliment! Also people who engage in trash talk are adding no value to their customer or their employer. It is political, mean spirited and the trash talker desires to hurt you, not help their customer or employer.

So, how do you respond? 99.9% do not respond at all. Trash talking almost always back fires on the trash talker. They look petty and small in the eyes of the person they are spouting off to. That person doesn’t have a dog in the fight and doesn’t really want to be involved. I’ve seen this again and again, yet trash talkers rarely learn this lesson. Therefore, just let it go. It can be emotionally hard to do, but 99.9% of the time, that is the smart move. If someone approaches you and says that so and so said this and that about you, simply respond with, “It’s unfortunate to see someone behave that way; we had a legitimate difference of opinion and nothing more than that.” Then redirect the conversation and move on.

What about the 0.1% of the time? This occurs when the trash talker crosses the legal line and defames and slanders you by spreading verifiable lies. A person’s negative opinion of you or difference of opinion on a business decision, even if wholly wrong, does not cross the legal line. Only provable lies do. In that case you need to consider if you should either simply provide the correct information to the recipient in a professional, calm manner or if you should involve an attorney. I suggest only involving an attorney if the liable/slander will have a material impact on your business, earnings, career or reputation in the community. Involving an attorney because the only damage done is your hurt feelings is a waste of money and risks escalating the situation.

I recently had the unfortunate experience where a competitor was trash talking me. At first, I was offend, upset, hurt, angry and confused as to why they would spin such ridiculous story. It was very hard, but I heeded my own advice and just let it go. I kept a watch from a distance to assure things didn’t cross the legal line, but held my tongue and ignored it. I debated with myself every day for a week whether I should do something about it. I’m glad I didn’t. In this case both a supplier and a customer who heard the disparaging information came back and expressed extreme reservations about the trash talker and how it made them not trust the trash talker. All I had to say was, “I really appreciate doing business with people like you.” In the final analysis, the trash talkers achieve the exact opposite of what they set out to achieve. Always take the high road. It isn’t just smart business; it will make you a happier person too.

The great thing about capitalism today

Rob Waite — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 15:48:48 +0000

     Sitting in the dentist’s office waiting to get poked, scrapped and drilled, I sat there starring at the out of date pile of magazines on the table in front of me. I scanned through one issue of Fortune Magazine and read one sentence that I think speaks volumes about capitalism today: “In today’s economy, a big idea is worth more than a big market share.”
     This is very true. The speed that companies’ industries, economic models and competitors change is so great that scale isn’t necessarily the only path to success. Having the next big idea is what really drives markets. As a matter of fact, that big idea doesn’t have to be a new idea either. It just has to be tuned, updated and executed well to change an industry. Think about the iPod. MP3 players have been around, technologically speaking, for a very long time. Yet Apple dramatically improved upon the MP3 concept and literally swept the world.
     What we all should take away from this is that any one of us can have that big idea. The question is then, what are you going to do about it?
     As a writer, I am forced to follow my own advice, so I did follow through when I got what I think is a big idea. Click on the link to find out more: http://www.designandbuildwithmetal.com/IndustryNews/News/waite_joins_drexel_metals.aspx
     More will be written over time about the “big” idea…

Get a Job!

Rob Waite — Mon, 26 Nov 2007 14:46:54 +0000

     In reflecting back on Thanksgiving, one of the things I’m thankful for is that in America there is always plenty of opportunity for those who are willing to stretch themselves and perhaps try something they think is unconventional.
     This relates to some of the questions that have been coming my way. Questions like, “I’m an accountant, engineer, or manager (whichever, fill in the blank) and I just can’t find a job.”
     While finding a job, particularly those approaching or above six figures, can be very challenging and time consuming you can find that job IF you are willing to open up your thinking a bit.
     Let me give you an example. Back in November 2002, I read an article in Newsweek about an engineer who had been making $100,000 per year and had been out of work for over a year. The article concluded that because of the effects of 9/11 and massive outsourcing, this gentleman was likely to become one of the growing number of long term unemployed professional white collar workers.
     It just so happened at that time that I knew of two friends who were looking for an engineer that fit this gentleman’s specialty. As a matter of fact, my two contacts were getting frustrated that they couldn’t find someone for their open positions.
     I figured that it would be a good idea to contact this gentleman and get him connected with my two friends. Maybe they would even compete for him.
     It was easy enough to find him since he had been looking for a job for over a year. I just had to go onto Monster and search his name. I found it and called him. After chatting with him for about 15 minutes to get to know him a bit, I told him about the two openings. He asked where they were. I said, “Pittsburgh”. And he promptly responded that he wasn’t interested. Shocked, I asked him why.
     He said that he lived in a Midwestern city (name withheld) and he wasn’t interested in moving. He all but said that he was owed a $100,000 per year engineering job within a reasonable commute of his home. He blamed 9/11, he blamed outsourcing to India and he blamed his former employer. He was sporting the classic “victim” mentality combined with a splash of “entitlement” mentality.
     I asked him, “How many openings are there right now for engineers in your specialty at $100,000 salary are within a 60 minute commute of your house?” He wasn’t sure. I told him probably somewhere between zero and two. After a little debate, I politely ended the call.
     I concluded that the article was right; this gentleman was going to be part of the long term white collar unemployed. But not because of 9/11 and outsourcing but because he wasn’t willing to do what it takes to replace his six figure job.
     If you are having difficulty finding work, widen the geographic area of your search. Go beyond the traditional online job boards. Also look at sites like www.executiveagent.com where you can very economically have your resume sent out to hundreds of recruiters. Also, you may want to consider contracting with Job Bait where you can have your resume directly mailed to thousands of companies. You can learn more about Job Bait at www.jobbait.com.
     Please note that I am not affiliated with either of these sites, nor to I receive any compensation from them. I just know them from reputation and my own experience.
     Best of luck in your search!

Battling Ageism in Job Searches

Rob Waite — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 11:35:56 +0000

More and more these days we keep hearing and reading about ageism as an obstacle to those over forty in finding managerial positions.

Supporting this is a survey conducted by ExecuNet, a job-search service and networking organization. ExecuNet found that 94% of executives over the age of 40 said that they thought their age was a contributing factor that cost them from landing a particular job. There can be no doubt that ageism exists to one degree or another. Is that unfair? Yes it is! And it is illegal. But, what can you do about it? First you have to simply accept that you may have an obstacle that your younger competitors don’t. Second, YOU NEED TO TURN THAT OBSTACLE INTO A STRENGTH!

To do this, let’s examine why ageism may appear to be an issue in some cases. When a hiring executive or recruiter is looking at three, four or five finalists for a managerial position they may subconsciously give the younger candidate more credit if the accomplishments of the candidates appear to be similar. Why? Because the hiring executive will think of the younger person in this way: “Hey, this person accomplished a lot in a short period of time!” That translates into the younger candidate being considered more ambitious, harder driving and smarter… and hence the superior candidate for the job.

However, as all of us over 40 (yes I’m a geezer too) know that maturity and life experience can make an even bigger difference when it comes to leading people, integrating quickly into the new company and in handling unique or challenging situations.

So why don’t hiring executives or recruiters… who quite often are over 40 themselves… consider these factors? I’ll answer that question from experience as a hiring executive. Most candidates over 40 do not communicate this additional value that they can deliver to the hiring company!

Now you know why I bolded, italicized and underlined the phrase “appear to be similar”. Don’t allow yourself to appear to be similar in the interview when you are most assuredly not similar. Make sure that you communicate in a winning way the tangible value of your unique experience. If you have thirty years of experience, make sure that you communicate it in such a way that it doesn’t appear that you have ten years of experience, repeated three times!

Also, with age should come some wisdom. Wisdom is conveyed through controlled self-confidence, not the cockiness of the twenty-eight your old whiz kid, but the confidence of an experience business professional. A professional who not only has a proven track record of success but who has the maturity to lead a team to even better results and who has enough experience to deal with anything from a sudden crisis, changes in economic conditions, hiring properly and firing when needed.

With all of this in mind, how do you prepare for the interview so that you can convey all of this with controlled self-confidence being what you portray? The simple answer is to avoid the three deadly mistakes that most interviewers make.

The first mistake is not preparing your answers to potential questions; including the first question you will be asked, So, tell me about yourself”. The second mistake is rambling. You should never take more than two minutes to answer an interviewer’s question. If your answer takes longer than two minutes, you are rambling and you will loose the interviewer’s attention. The third mistake is not asking questions designed to uncover what their needs are and any potential objections to you as a candidate so that you can deal with those objections and show how you have the EXPERIENCE to meet their needs.

Through diligent preparation of your resume and through preparation for the interview, you can turn being over 40, 50 or 60 to your advantage and leave the younger fold in the dust!

What is the Sum of 2+2?

Rob Waite — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 10:45:02 +0000

In my work, I have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of companies. I am always interested in learning how other people run their companies and how various functional managers approach their work. I’ve spent a lot of time benchmarking other companies in this effort. This has allowed me the opportunity to conduct some original research into how managers from different functions think and act. It has been a fascinating experience. The way I approached this study was to ask managers of various functions simply this, “What is the sum of 2+2?”I feel passionately that everyone in an organization needs to think and act as a general manager, not think and act exclusively as a custodian of their one or two lines on the P&L.

The reality is that we all have functional areas that we work in and we are influenced greatly by that function alone. And that impacts how we see the business overall. One Fortune 500 Company I interviewed was particularly interesting in their response.

I first went to the CFO and asked, “What is the sum of 2+2?” He responded immediately, without any hesitation and said, “The answer is 4. Anybody who gives you any other answer than that is either stupid or an outright liar and I want to know who they are so that I can have them summarily terminated!” His right eye began to twitch and he broke out in a fit of turrets syndrome and kept yelling “Sarbanes – Oxley” with each twitch. So I just said “thanks” and got out of there. Next I went to the Vice President of Engineering and asked the same question. His response, after some considerable thought, was “Well in a linear world the answer would be 4. However since space and time is actually curved the answer is therefore 3.98675439 approximately.”

From there I decided to try this question out on the Vice President of Sales. He replied, “So you want to know the sum of 2+2?” I said, “Yes.” I think he restated the question to buy some time since he’s been tripped up on math questions before. His response was this, “I believe that the answer is 4, but if that is too high for you I can discount it a little.” Finally I decided to wrap this line of questioning up with the Chief Legal Council. I walked into his office, sat down and said, “So councilor, what is the sum of 2+2?” Before responding, he stands up and quietly closes the door, and then he walks over and closes the blinds, he sits down and leans over his desk and says in a hushed voice, “So, what do you want it to be?”

The moral of this little psychodrama is that most people view the world through their functional lens without ever trying to see things through the whole company lens. I call this functional myopia. While this not a true story, the scary thing is it really feels like it could be!

Let me ask you this, do you believe that if only the folks in the other functions really understood your business issues, your company would perform much better? I bet you do. Now, do you believe that you adequately understand how your company works across functions and that you yourself don’t suffer from time to time from functional myopia? Be honest! You can’t point the finger at the other guy in the first question without being intellectually honest with yourself in answering the second question!

Here’s what I hope you to take away from this anecdote. We need to run our businesses, within the context of our strategy, by the numbers. Not black and white by the numbers, but by an in-depth understanding of what drives each number on the P&L and how those numbers interplay with each other. With this understanding, we can raise the level of our dialogue between functions from raised voices to raised knowledge. We can engage in a business discussion about the best solutions rather than fighting over whose number on the P&L should take the hit. Now, what does 2+2 really equal? In business the answer must be greater than 4. If not, then we are not generating a profit, we are not providing a return to the shareholders and we are not adding economic value to our enterprises.

Real Networking

Rob Waite — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 10:35:16 +0000

     Networking is one of the most overused words in the career management/career search arenas and it is one of the least understood.
     The main reason networking is misunderstood, is that there are various stages from making your first connection up to the point that someone is truly part of your personal/professional network. Until that contact is part of your personal/professional network, they really only are contacts that need to be developed.
     A true member of your network is someone who knows you personally and professionally well enough that they are willing to stake their reputation on going to bat for you and visa versa. Meeting someone at a cocktail party and expecting to impose upon them next week to introduce you to XYZ Company, isn’t likely going to happen. If it does, your introduction will be tepid at best. Think about it. How would you react to meeting someone who immediately wants you to utilize your network to connect with them when you don’t really know who they are and how your association with them will reflect upon you?
     There is nothing wrong with finding a contact name at XYZ Company from someone you met at a cocktail party, but don’t impose on them to make an introduction for you. You then can make the introduction yourself. If the contact you make with the person with XYZ Company is successful, go back to the person you met at the cocktail party and tell them it was and thank them for the information and offer to return the favor. This begins the process of turning that contact into a member of your network.
     One of my network contacts and I were discussing this very thing the other day. He mentioned that he received a call from someone he hasn’t heard from in ten years. This person said something along the lines of, “Hey John, glad I got a hold of you. I’m now looking for a CFO position and I thought you may know of some openings.” While this person was not very smooth at making the reconnection, that wasn’t the biggest problem John had with the call. He doesn’t know what has been going on with the person for a decade now. Why should John suddenly drop everything and spend time redeveloping this connection just because this guy called looking for a favor?
     The lesson from this story is two fold. First, don’t let your network connections grow cold. Scroll through your contact manager monthly and keep in touch with people. Call them, invite them over, take them to lunch, or send them a snail mail of an article you read you thought they would enjoy.
     The second lesson is always being on the look out for something you can do for someone else first. It is much better to be viewed as someone who is a giver rather than someone who is a taker.
Real networks are earned relationships established using the norm of reciprocity. The norm of reciprocity is an interesting little study in psychology. It refers to the strong need many people feel to return a favor in order to discharge a debt. A person who is networking in the truest sense, then, is always on the lookout for opportunities to do favors for others that count as credits they feel obliged to pay back as part of the networking process. In this sense, I guess Don Vito Corleone was the ultimate networker.
     Brian Tracy, the noted motivational speaker and author, has a more honorable view than Mr. Corleone: “Successful people are always looking for opportunities to help others,” he said. “Unsuccessful people are always asking, ‘What’s in it for me?’”
     Another key to networking is to avoid becoming trapped inside a closed loop. I’m referring here to the importance of branching out to people beyond your industry or function. Unless you do, you’ll have only a narrow circle to call upon when needed. By branching out and developing a broader network, you’ll have access not only to the contacts you made directly, but also to their contacts.
     Your external network can be derived from friends, social contacts, people you’ve met on the golf course, whatever. Everyone you meet is a potential network contact – as long as you remember the importance of looking out to find ways to help them.
     The Bureau of Labor Statistics did an analysis as to how people found their current jobs. The BLS results showed that 20% of all people found their job through a friend, relative, school/alumni contact or other personal connections. For those earning over six figures, the results were very different. 72% of six figure earners said they landed their positions through someone they knew.
     This has led to a flurry of articles and books all extolling the virtues of networking as THE way to land a six figure position. But, as a good manager, you know that understanding the meaning and context behind the numbers is just as important as knowing the actual number itself.
     While the 72% number is not wrong, I believe it is certainly misleading to promote this number as the only or the best way to find an executive level position. While my survey of executives is qualitative and not nearly at the level of the Bureau of Labor Statistics, here is what I found.
Statistically speaking, if you are actively engaged in a job search, networking will only yield approximately a 30% success rate, according to detailed research conducted by Mark Hovind, founder of JobBait.com. This is because of the time frame we are dealing with, an active job search means you are looking for a job right now. The probability of you having someone in your network who knows of a six figure position that is open right now that is a fit for you is statistically low.
     Now if you are in a passive job search mode, meaning that when you uncover an opportunity you’ll look into it, but you don’t need a job right now, then 72% number is a very real.
     The point you have to keep in mind is that how well networking will pay off for you is dependent on your time frame (six months or less vs greater than 6 months) and how well you develop your personal/professional network.
     Just collecting business cards and calling as many people as possible will likely not yield the results some pundits espouse if you are not practicing real networking. You have to look at networking as a long-term strategy rather than as a short-term skill.
     If you are a novice to networking, don’t let this information get you down! It is better that you know the facts and developed a balanced job search strategy than frustrate yourself and sub-optimize your six figure job search. I also recommend that you start to develop your network NOW! Don’t confuse contacts as members of your network. Make as many contacts as possible, it may lead to job leads you haven’t heard of. And also develop those contacts into members of your personal/professional network. Networking is an ongoing activity that will serve you throughout your career, not just during your current job search.
     A friend, mentor and occasional supplier to me, Michael Allen of Allen Search (a retained executive recruiter) pushed me ten years ago to start real networking. Thanks Michael! The efforts have been paying dividends. Not just in career management but in everything from finding a great doctor to getting media outlets to return my call.
     If you are looking for a job right now, what is the statistically fastest way to find a quality job? Direct mail! It has an 85% success rate, according to JobBait.com.

Death by PowerPoint!

Rob Waite — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 11:17:58 +0000

We’ve all endured them … PowerPoint presentations that drone on forever.

The most critical job of a manager, when you boil it all down, is communication. To be successful, a manager has to be effective in communicating one-on-one, in writing and in groups. While weakness in any of these three disciplines will compromise the ability to lead, the weakness most often seen in managers is in group communication. And it’s the most conspicuous.

Group communication can be one of a manager’s most powerful assets. When presenting to a group, he or she has its full attention – at least at the start. The trick is to keep it.

Rather than dreading presentations, managers should seek out opportunities to present to anyone in the company. The best way to develop any skill is through repetition. This particular skill also helps to increase personal and professional exposure.

Unfortunately, corporate presentations are usually either:
1. Mildly competent, or
2. Career killers

If a manager has a propensity to dig a hole for him or herself in a presentation, PowerPoint can be an earthmover on steroids. On the other hand, managers who are adept at presenting and public speaking can communicate even more effectively and convincingly with PowerPoint.

One of my near-death by PowerPoint experiences occurred during a plant review of a company that I used to work for. After touring the plant with the staff and making the general niceties with the production folks, we settled in the conference room for the homestretch … the PowerPoint presentation.

The projector warmed up, the presenter clicked on his computer, and I saw something that almost killed me on the spot – the little box in the lower left corner of the frame that read, “Slide 1 of 101”. That’s right, 101 slides!
I didn’t have the heart to pull the plug on their presentation and ask them to get to the point in 20 slides or less. The team had worked very hard to improve that factory, and they deserved the chance to relate the pride of their accomplishments on their own terms. So there I sat, contemplating forms of suicide to end the pain of nonstop listening.

All we walked away with from this presentation was that they presented 101 slides! Beyond that, I couldn’t have recalled three things they had tried to communicate to us 15 minutes later.

The Ten Elements of a Great Presentation
1. Before you do anything else, identify a maximum of three key points you want the audience to remember.
2. Determine why your audience should remember these points, so you can communicate that, too.
3. Open your presentation with the “why” in such a way that it takes no more than one minute to explain. If you can’t explain to the audience why your presentation is important to them within one minute, you’ve lost them.
4. Never forget that the audience cares less about what you have to say than you do.
5. Speak at an appropriate rate. Not too slow or too fast. And project your voice.
6. Communicate broadly through body language as well as spoken language.
7. Don’t use the podium. It’s easy to create the impression you’re holding on to it for dear life. Speakers who don’t use a podium show more confidence. Walking, talking and gesturing at the same time also is a great way to hide the yips because all the adrenaline doesn’t go to the throat.
8. Be so well-rehearsed that it doesn’t sound rehearsed. There’s no substitute for preparation.
9. Review your presentation with a trusted colleague or two to ensure it says what you think it says and is easily understood.
10. When using slides -
§       Organize your presentation so the titles of the slides alone tell the story. Any other text or charts should simply support the title.
§       Don’t overuse slide animations.
§       Never read the slides word for word. Their only purpose is to reinforce what the audience is learning.
§       Never spend more than two minutes on a slide.
§       Finally, and most importantly, prepare your presentation so that you don’t actually need any slides. If you can do that, your slides will enhance your presentation, rather than being a crutch.

I can’t emphasize enough that if you want to succeed as a leader, you must master the art of group presentation. If you just aren’t comfortable with it, there is only one way to cure your discomfort… do as many presentations as possible! Comfort and controlled self-confidence will only come from experience. The more you avoid developing your presentation skills, the heavier this anchor will become on your career.

Take a course, join Toastmasters, or buy a video/CD on the subject. Start with easy small group presentations and continue to work your way up until you are comfortable regardless of how many people are in the room.