Articles About Cable, DSL, And The Internet

Internet Marketing and Public Speaking: The Murder Board Practice

I recently posted an article titled "Internet Marketing and Public Speaking: Ten Tips for When the Twain Shall Meet." One of the tips concerned a means to practice your sales presentation with a "Murder Board." I received several emails requesting a fuller explanation of this practice method.

I decided to write two explanatory articles, so vital is this method to improve one's public speaking, specifically in preparing a presentation aimed at selling off-line your on-line product. In this article, I'll provide an in-depth explanation of this practice method; in the second, I'll cover the seven steps need for a successful Murder Board.

Simply stated, the Murder Board is a realistic simulation of the actual presentation to be made. Colleagues role-play the audience, asking the type of questions they believe this specific group is likely to ask. It is intended to be more difficult than the actual presentation.

If you want to become an effective and persuasive presenter to boost your on-line marketing, this realistic practice session is the most effective shortcut to speaking excellence. It allows you to make your mistakes when they don't count, increasing the odds that you will shine when the actual presentation is made.

The Origin of the Murder Board

The term Murder Board has its origins within the U.S. military, specifically within the extensive training system of the U.S. Army. When a person has been selected to be an instructor at an Army school, he or she must go through a demanding instructor training program.

Graduation and designation as an instructor is dependent not on a written test, but successful delivery of a 50 minute class from the curriculum of the school.

The audience for this crucible can be instructors who have gone through their own Murder Board, and are determined that this would-be instructor will experience the same frustration and humiliation they did. They ask tough, realistic, questions, the type of questions their students are asking.

At the end of the 50 minute class, the aspiring instructor gets a a thumbs up—meaning he or she can now join this band of brothers and sisters as an instructor, or a thumbs-down, meaning another "opportunity" to go through a Murder Board.

Lessons from the Pentagon

This realistic simulation has permeated the military culture. As an example, when I ran the Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA) briefing team, we had three Murder Boards before the daily briefing to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The first one was at 5:30 AM, the second at 6:30 AM, the third in front of two General officers and all the analysists, one hour later. By the time my briefer or I was standing in front of the Chairman, those intense sessions had provided the right answers to virtually any conceivable question the Chairman was likely to ask.

Why have a Murder Board?

This painstaking practice session has two overriding objectives:

1. Hone delivery skills

2. Anticipate probable questions and objections so succinct, accurate answers can be developed.

Many presenters, while accepting the need to sharpen delivery skills, reject the idea of a Murder Board, confident they can anticipate the difficult questions likely to be asked, and need not practice in front of others, especially their peers. These people may actually be displaying a false bravado to mask their discomfort at speaking in front of a group, perhaps exposing their lack of skill in the presentation art, and/or their apprehension at giving a less than sterling performance in front of their colleaqgues.

They are also very mistaken. I have given more than 3000 presentations, and always find it beneficial to conduct a Murder Board before an important talk. No matter how hard we try to think of tough questions that may be asked, a little censor in our mind generally provides only questions to which we already have answers. In my executive training workshops, I always emphasize the importance of a Murder Board, and the practice presentations made by my clients are set up as Murder Boards to get them accustomed to this simulation.

I am in good company in believing that we need other minds to assist us in preparing for a sales or other presentation.. The man who possessed perhaps the greatest mind of the 20th Century, Albert Einstein, realized that even he needed help. He once said:

"What a person does on his own, without being stimulated by the thoughts and experiences of others, is even in the best cases rather paltry and monotonous."

The Murder Board is the presenter's version of the actor's dress rehearsal, what lawyers do in preparing a witness to face cross-examination in a trial, what the flight simulator is to the pilot.

Just as with the actor, the witness, and the pilot, this simulation permits the presenter to learn from his/her mistakes, so that the actual presentation is (1) more responsive to the informational needs of the audience, (2) answers are developed for likely questions to be asked, and (3) overall speaking confidence and competence enhanced.

The Murder Board enables you to visualize the presentation in advance. Not only is proficiency in speaking increased by such a meticulous practice, so too is self-confidence. Public speaking ranks high in the pantheon of phobias because, in large measure, of the apprehension that one is going to be embarrassed by not being able to answer questions from the audience.

If you have been able to anticipate questions, then you can develop answers ahead of time. Think back to when you were in college or graduate school. Your GPA would probably have been higher if you could have seen the questions before the final exams. The Murder Board permits the presenter a look at the audience's probable "exam questions."

The only obstacle to developing a question-anticipating simulated presentation is your imagination and willingness to take hard hits in practice so you can be more effective in the actual presentation.

Copyright 2005 Larry Tracy

This article is excerpted from Larry Tracy's book, The Shortcut to Persuasive Presentations. Larry, a retired Army colonel, has been cited in numerous publications as one of the top presentation skills trainers in the US. His website is at top of Google for "persuasive presentations. Visit it for FREE tips and additional articles: http://www.tracy-presentation.com

Other Article Sites

findabook.com  moneycd.info  a-mortgage.info   about-lemon-laws.info  aboutstudentloans.info
all-about-publishing.info  auctions-articles.info  bestcollege-university.com  bestispconnection.com
biblefolder.com  blogger-website.com  books-used.info  brokers-guide.info  buywindows.info  cable-dsl.info
career-miner.com  carpel-tunnel.info  cashinaflash.info  cashloanreviews.info  casinobell.com  chat-house.info
clearmycredit.info  collegeloantips.info  crones.info  depression-articles.info   dirnic.net  dishguides.info
divers-below.com  expodog.info   financewizz.com  fire-insurance.info  getgood.info  handleit.net   it-idea.info
health-supplies.info  hosting-right.com  insidealert.com  insurance-facts.info  jobs-employment.info
justgood.info  lookgold.net   lowcost-travel.info  money-source.info  myhostzone.info  numisblog.com
peoplesearchfinder.info  pr-articles.info  realeas.com   refinancing-guides.info  spyware-remove.info
telelot.info  the-law.info   toppaid.info  travel-deals.info  travelcorrect.com  wedding-guide-site.com
your-blog.info  your-credit.info

MORE ARTICLES:

One Speed, Two Speed, All Speed, No Speed: DSL Internet And Its Mutations
Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) Internet is a form of Internet commonly used today by taking advantage of existing telephone infrastructure lines and manipulating them so that a wire not only transmits voice, but also data The technique has exploded in popularity and competes directly against cable Internet subscriptions

How to Secure your DSl / Cable Internet Connection Against Malicious Attacks
Securing your Windows Xp computer is done by achieving two main tasks.The first, is to prevent unauthorized users sitting at your computer and logging in through your keyboard.

Home Internet Options: The War Between DSL And Cable
If you are still using dial-up, you have probably gotten either the ?You don?t use DSL yet?? or the ?You don?t use cable yet?? expressions of credulity. So you?ve decided that it?s probably time to get off of dial-up ? yet, the question remains: which is better, DSL or cable? There are advertisements arguing the perks of both, but which will really get you more bang for your buck?

Nationwide Satellite Offers Affordable High-Speed Internet Solution in Areas Without Access to DSL or Cable
Nationwide Satellite now offers a complete HughesNet Satellite Internet system for just $299.98 after rebate including equipment, delivery and standard installation.

Cable High Speed Internet Providers
The PC has transformed life. Well it should be PC and Mac that have brought in this transformation. No matter what technology you use, we are definitely availing value for money invested. The home computer has become an integral part of our lives since the mid-nineties. Gone are the days when the desktop were mammoth in size and monitors of the size of televisions. Today things have improved due to technological advancement in the last decade.

How to Troubleshoot Your Internet Connection for DSL or Cable Service
One of the common problems among internet users is testing their internet connection to pinpoint the exact problem. There is a big number of internet users who use DSL, and cable modem service.

5 Uses for the Screaming Fast Verizon FiOS High Speed Internet
Not sure that you need a really fast Internet connection If you donýt work at home or do a lot of things on the computer you might not need an ultra fast Internet connection, but that doesnýt mean that it wouldnýt be nice to have

Thankfully We Now Have High Speed Cable Modem Services
What kind of speed are you dealing with these days? Come on, you know what I'm talking about. We all pretty much resort to our computers on a daily basis. As for me, I would have to say an hourly basis. I work on this thing.

The Benefits of Upgrading Dial Up to High-Speed Internet
ConnectMyHighSpeed.com Helps Consumers Compare, Shop and Save on Internet Service

Satellite Internet vs. Cable Internet
Cable TV versus satellite television is an old rivalry that can be seen discussed on TV at all hours of the day. The comparison seems to end however when it comes to satellite internet and cable internet access. This seems strange as cable and satellite companies are pushing packaged services over anything else. So, which is the superior Internet service provider, cable or satellite? Here we will examine both and see if we can answer the question.

GSC Communications Rolls Out Cable TV: Challenging Cable Providers Head-on in the Paid TV Market, as It Rolls Out Its Cable TV Division in South Caro
The North Carolina-based phone company is launching its cable and internet TV division called GSC Cable in South Carolina on time for the holidays.

Comcast High Seed Internet Without Cable Tv Or Phone
Satellite TV: Conan Obrien Satellite Tv

Cable Depot Launches Online Catalog for Standard Cable Assemblies, Custom Cable Assemblies, and Networking Hardware
Cable Depot, a provider of computer peripherals, has launched a new online catalog to promote online sales of affordably priced equipment to enterprise level, corporate, and government accounts.

Bundled Phone TV and Internet Package Deals From Cable and Phone Companies
With so many options for bundled phone, TV, and Internet service, your choice for which company to use may come down to convenience, price, technological preference, or simply who you prefer to do business with Some consumers living in well populated areas may have a choice between bundling through a phone company like AT&T or Verizon, a cable company like Comcast or Time Warner, or even a choice of multiple cable or phone providers