The Best Banking Presentation Ever - Part II

Here’s the scene: I was attending the annual shareholders meeting for a start-up bank, Champion Bancshares (http://www.championbankstl.com/). To be perfectly honest I showed up partly because I heard the food at the event would be fabulous. And it was. What I wasn’t prepared for was how good the presentations were by the bank officers. In my limited experience, most people don’t camp out for several days to get line tickets for an upcoming bank presentation. The Police reunion tour, yes. A series of banking speeches, not so much.

At any rate, after the bank president Kirk Briden kicked off the meeting in fine style (See “Part I”), he turned the mic over to Lane Alpert, Senior Vice President. Lane talked about the commercial side of the bank by opening with a short anecdote about Auguste Renoir. (Art history majors, rejoice!)

Apparently Renoir suffered from terrible arthritis during the final twenty years of his life; it was so bad that his gnarled, pain-stricken hands could barely hold a paintbrush.

When asked by a friend why he continued to paint while he suffered so greatly, Renoir replied,

“The pain passes, but the beauty remains.”

Lane tied this quote to his team’s hard work and creative approach to banking. It’s not easy, but certainly worth the effort. He also quipped that bankers’ hours for his group meant 11-12…(long pause)…hour days. Nice.

And to top it off, Lane concluded his remarks by going back to the Renoir quote. Very poignant. Very symmetrical. Sort of like a Hemingway chapter. Bravo.

Even when the vertically-challenged CFO, Bruce Phelps got up behind the lectern to start his portion of the program, he opened with humor by saying, “Yes, I am standing up.” Laughter ensued. Undoubtedly Bruce had the toughest assignment of the night because he had to read all the legal disclaimers, review some key financial information and handle the Robert’s Rules of Order stuff. But he even joked about trying to make his part of the presentation shorter, but the lawyers wouldn’t have any of it. Another smile, dare I say a laugh from the crowd.

Finally, Kirk Briden once again stepped up to the microphone and he asked all 37 of the bank employees to stand while the shareholders gave them a rousing ovation. But he didn’t stop there. Kirk also acknowledged the support and sacrifice made by the employees’ spouses and significant others (who were also in attendance).

Again, it was THE best banking presentation I had ever seen. Kirk, Lane and company took a potentially dull discussion of data and turned it into a decidedly dynamic discourse. That’s dynamite.

Interesting sidebar: After the meeting I had no less than three people came up to me and ask if I had given the presenters speech coaching. I had not. I wished I could have taken credit for their speeches that night because it probably would have lead to additional business for me.

I guess I’ll have to find another group of bank officers that need help jazzing up their presentations. Know anybody who fits this description? Let me know.

Time to Hit Your Stride…

Your Turn #1: Who are the unsung heroes of your organization that need to be recognized publicly? How can you honor them in your next presentation?

Your Turn #2: Many people might think that banking and humor don’t mix. I think they mix quite well. Where can you add a little relevant, appropriate humor to your business communication?

Happy speaking,

Steve Hughes
Speaker - Trainer - Sudden Banking Enthusiast

The Best Banking Presentation Ever - Part I

Benjamin Franklin once said, “If you can make a speech about banking fun, you can change the world.”

Okay, I’m not 100% sure that Ben actually said that, but the words are a truism as far as I’m concerned.

Case in point. Last week I attended a shareholders meeting for a newly formed bank in St. Louis called Champion Bancshares (http://www.championbankstl.com/). While the bank is off to an amazing start with the 2nd largest capitalization in Missouri banking history, I wasn’t necessarily looking forward to the officers’ speeches with all the numbers and spreadsheets and details and whatnot. I, like most people, find the choice between a banking presentation and a root canal to be a toss up.

Was I ever wrong.

The first speaker of the night was Kirk Briden, the bank president, and this guy immediately grabbed the audience’s attention by flashing a picture on the screen of a group of 15 geeky looking 20-somethings from what appeared to be the late 1970s. Everyone laughed. This group was an odd sort to say the least. Kirk then asked the audience, “Would you have invested in this group of people?” More snickers and laughs.

He continued, “Well, you would have been wise to do so because these are the founding members of Microsoft.” Stunned silence followed. “My team and I are certainly glad that you all decided to invest in out bank…”

He then quoted 19th century architect Daniel Burnham who was instrumental in Chicago’s urban planning after the Great Fire of 1871. Burnham said,

“Make no small plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably
themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work
remembering that a noble, logical plan once recorded will never die.”

This quote summarized the bank’s approach to business. Make no small plans. Aim high. Powerful stuff.

After this Kirk proceeded to discuss the “state of the bank,” what lay ahead and what was in store for the rest of the meeting. This part of the speech could have been a cure for insomnia, but Kirk used several analogies from Alexander the Great vanquishing superior armies to the last year’s surprising World Series victory by the 83-win St. Louis Cardinals.

The Cardinals analogy was brilliant because he used it to reassure his investors that while things were going very well, the bank had experienced a few bumps along the way. He noted that the 2006 Cardinals won baseball’s top honor, but they also endured two 8-game losing streaks and committed their share of errors. In other words, he reminded his audience to keep their eyes on the prize and that any worthwhile venture will suffer minor glitches along the way.

Again, this was a banking presentation. Kirk had the crowd of 150+ engaged and interested in what he had to say. What a terrific way to get the evening rolling.

To hear about the other speakers, tune in tomorrow.

Time to Hit Your Stride…

Your Turn #1: How can you use quotes, stories and pictures to make your next presentation meaningful and memorable?

Your Turn #2: What “big plans” are you making? Are your goals lofty enough? How can your next speech “stir the blood” of your audience?

Happy speaking,

Steve Hughes
Speaker - Trainer - Utility Infielder

www.hityourstride.com

How to Make Your Next Presentation Funnier

One of the most frequent questions I get asked at my seminars (http://www.hityourstride.com/wst_page8.html) is "how can I add more humor to my presentations?" A natural follow up question is "can anyone learn to how make people laugh?" The answers to these questions are "very carefully" and "yes."

Many business people, trainers and educators recognize the need to keep their presentations interesting and engaging. Duh. They just don't know how to do it. Humor is hands down the quickest and most effective way to make even the driest presentation palatable. Just ask the flight attendants at Southwest Airlines. The best part is anyone can learn to generate more laughter at the podium.

That's right. Anyone can learn to generate more laughter when they speak.

Just follow this simple three-step process and you'll get more people to crack up.

1. Don't be a stand-up comedian. In other words, there is such a plethora of humorous material out there that has already been vetted, there's no need to create your own stuff. Just identify the quote, picture, comic strip or story that fits the occasion and watch the laughter materialize. Then be sure to cite the source. BUT, DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES TELL A JOKE. (That's a subject for a future post.)
2. Be relevant. Don't be funny for funny's sake. Try to graft in humorous material that reinforces the point(s) your trying to make. The humor needs to move the presentation forward. Then, even if you attempt at humor doesn't generate any laughter, at least your audience will understand and recognize that you were just trying to make a point.
3. Start slow. If you haven't ever used humor in a presentation, don't go from zero to sixty in one speech. Your audience will probably recommend some kind of therapy.

You're probably saying, "Steve, that's all well and good, but can you give me an example?" Glad you asked.

Let's say you're a financial planner and you want an engaging way to begin your public seminar on "planning for retirement." You could use the one-panel New Yorker cartoon (www.cartoonbank.com) that features a husband and wife pouring over their finances amid spreadsheets, stock reports and retirement literature. Eventually the husband looks up and says, "If we take a late retirement and an early death, we'll just squeak by." Wait for the laugh and then say, "Let's talk about how you can plan for an EARLY retirement and a LONG life with full health coverage. Sound good?" Then your audience is ready for the heavier information they came to hear.

Time to Hit Your Stride...

Your Turn #1 - In your next speech, what key point(s) could be reinforced and driven home by the addition of relevant humor?

Your Turn #2 - If you're hesitant to add a little humor (and that's okay), what's holding you back from mixing more mirth into your presentations?

Happy speaking,

Steve Hughes

Speaker - Trainer - Hair Loss Survivor

www.hityourstride.com