About Maria Boukhval
As an MBA student at Lincoln University, Maria worked for the Student Services Department providing support in career advising, housing, and general services. Now she is pursuing her DBA degree at Lincoln.
Maria shares her experience working at Google and Adobe, as well as tips she learned from Stanford University's course "Communication Skills for Non-Native Speakers" taught by Stuart Friedman.
Maria's goal is to help prepare students for their internships and careers beyond Lincoln, and to develop her art of storytelling in the process.
Insights on communication
Instead of spending my summer relaxing on the beaches of Hawaii or earning money, I dedicated myself to learning and expanding my skill set. I enrolled in a course at Stanford University called "Communication Skills for Non-Native Speakers," taught by Stuart Friedman.
My goal was simple: to become a better storyteller.
I focused on three objectives in the Stanford course:
Clarity - the ability to be understood by others
Logic - delivering one point at a time
Confidence - learning techniques to calm down and engage with the audience.
Accomplishing these objectives requires Preparation. Preparation is key to successful improvisation. It is crucial to outline your main stories in advance, set goals, and break them into milestones.
Taking Action is the key to turning ideas into reality. Planning the speech, learning it, and recording yourself 1,000 times -- or talking to yourself in t he mirror -- will improve your communication skills.
It is also important to be aware of, and to control, non-verbal gestures. Calm your voice, speak slower, make pauses, and speak in a friendly and genuine manner.
My formula for effective communication:
Be mindful of your tone, and adjust your speech depending on who you are speaking to.
Before speaking, consider the positive impact you can make on others. Words have the power to harm or uplift.
Focus not only on yourself, but also on others.
Keep your storytelling simple and conversational, from the heart to the heart.
The most valuable lesson I learned is that effective presenters are really just good storytellers.
In that vein, I plan to share what I learned in the course by telling you a story. It is a story about Max, the colleague who introduced me to the communication course.
A success story at Google
Once upon a time, in the bustling city of Oakland, lived an international student named Max. Max had recently graduated with an MBA from Lincoln University and was fortunate enough to secure a job at Google for his Optional Practical Training (OPT). However, Max faced constant pressure to perform well in order to receive sponsorship and continue living in the United States.
Max was a diligent worker, always punctual, and had a knack for numbers. Over time, he became the go-to person in the office for anything related to data and statistics. However, there was one thing that Max dreaded more than anything else: presentations. The mere thought of standing in front of a crowd made Max's palms sweat and his heart race. He believed that he was a terrible presenter and that no one would be interested in what he had to say.
One day, Max's boss assigned him the task of presenting their team's quarterly report to the entire company. Fear gripped Max, but he knew he couldn't back out. Determined to improve his presentation skills, he decided to enroll in a course called "Presentation Skills for Non-Native English Speakers" during the summer. The course was offered by Continuous Studies at Stanford University, and the instructor was Stuart Friedman.
During the course, Max learned a valuable lesson from Professor Stuart Friedman - a memorable presentation is not about the presenter, but about the audience. It's about engaging them and making them feel like a part of the story being told.
Stuart emphasized three key elements that make a presentation memorable. Firstly, Max needed to "Tell a story" in a conversational manner. Regardless of how dry or technical the content was, Max had to weave it into a story. People remember stories, not just facts and figures. He needed to make the audience the hero of his story.
Secondly, Max needed to "Simplify" his presentation. He shouldn't overwhelm the audience with too much information. Instead, he should break down complex ideas into simple, understandable points. Visuals could also be used to help the audience grasp the concepts better.
Lastly, Max needed to "Involve his audience". He could start the presentation with a joke, a short story, an unexpected action, or by asking questions to encourage participation. He had to make the audience feel like active participants, not just passive listeners. Max also needed to consider the audience's decreased attention and cognitive fatigue.
To summarize these key elements, Stuart introduced the acronym SUCCESS, which stands for:
Simple,
Unexpected,
Concrete,
Credible,
Emotional,
Story, and
Slowly.
Max took the Stuart's advice to heart and worked hard on his presentation. He transformed the quarterly report into a story of challenges and triumphs, simplified complex data, and planned ways to involve his audience.
To perfect his presentation, Max recorded himself, sought feedback, and rehearsed his speech a hundred times. He eventually memorized it, including the transitions from slide to slide, and most importantly, he practiced speaking slowly and clearly.
The day of the presentation arrived, and Max was nervous. However, he remembered Stuart's words and started his presentation. As he got into the flow, Max noticed something amazing - people were truly listening. They were engaged, asking questions, and even laughing at his jokes.
When Max finished his presentation, he was met with applause, something he had never experienced before. His colleagues complimented him, and his boss was impressed. From that day forward, Max was no longer afraid of presentations. He had learned the secret to making them memorable - storytelling, simplifying, and involving the audience. Max made it a point to pass on this wisdom to anyone who needed it, just like Professor Stuart Friedman had done for him.
And so, dear listeners, remember that the key to a memorable presentation lies not in the presenter, but in how the audience is engaged. Tell a story, simplify, and involve your audience, you will surely capture their attention and imagination.
Additional resources
Download key takeaways from the handouts of Stanford course, "Presentation Skills for Non-Native English Speakers" by Instructor, Stuart Friedman.
Find these books in the Library
• Slide:ology — The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations, Nancy Duarte
• Made to Stick — Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die, Chip Heath & Dan Heath
• TED Talks — The Official TED Guide to Public Speaking, Chris Anderson
• Stand Out — How to Build Your Leadership Presence, Carol Kinsey Goman