CHAPTER 7
Projecting the Real You: Public Speaking

DALTON COMPLETES ANOTHER visit to the Bay Area to see Kelli and her team and discuss presentation skills and leading practices on how to deliver a compelling message.

PEOPLE-CENTRIC SKILLS IN THIS CHAPTER

• Leading practices in presentation skills and building effective presentation materials
• How to win over an audience quickly
• Ending a presentation effectively and other suggestions to implement immediately to improve presentations
• Reading body language

KEY WORDS

• Presentations
• Public Speaking
• Body Movement
• Voice Inflection
• Confidence

The statistics on fear of public speaking are vastly exaggerated, but glossophobia is very real. Glossophobia, the formal name for public speaking fear, occurs when a person is performing or about to perform a speech or give a presentation in front of other people.¹ Approximately a quarter of adults report experiencing it.² Dalton always felt very natural in front of an audience, even though he never took a course or read a book on it. He was once like every other corporate America employee: graduate from college, go to work for a large company, progress, make money, retire. But something life-changing happened along the way.

Preparing for this course with a long morning workout, Dalton reminisced about key moments in his professional evolution. Twelve years ago, he was a vice president at Sham Pop, a popular drink company that is part of a much larger portfolio. SP, as everyone called it, had grown into a Fortune 500 company. Dalton enjoyed his role there but knew that his upward mobility was now limited. He did not see eye to eye with the senior vice president, Bella Ramirez. There were many issues with Bella and those issues were not readily resolved, particularly because there was a minimal age difference between the two: it can be difficult managing people with similar experience as you. Bella was intelligent but she only cared about one person—herself. Her leadership skills were underdeveloped and she seemed not to trust anyone. This distrust lead Bella to accuse Dalton of trying to take her job and to undermine his attempts to transfer to other areas.

Dalton was working from home one Wednesday morning and went to grab coffee. While waiting on his venti light mocha with an extra shot of espresso, he looked around the coffee shop and was genuinely confused at what he saw. How, on a fall Wednesday morning, were there so many adults just hanging out? Why weren't these people at work?

Dalton was raised with a much different mentality. His father had worked at the same company for 43 years prior to his retirement. His three brothers (one older, two younger) all worked at large companies like Dalton. All were relatively successful. Dalton assumed most of the customers at the coffee shop were either (a) writers, possibly successful but mostly failing, or (b) independently wealthy. Whatever it was, Dalton wanted to understand it and was extremely envious of this lifestyle.

Fast forward a few months and his relationship with Bella continued to deteriorate. His work product was impeccable but things with Bella were not going to get better. This was impacting his personal life greatly. When he was home, he was not mentally home. He stopped talking to his wife. His only outlets were working out and drinking too much. Then, something magical happened. He found himself very distant at Caleb's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese. His wife noticed. His mom noticed. Everyone noticed. Even the guest who was most checked out with his kids and overfocused on his career noticed.

Dalton's father pulled him aside and told him, “Son, if you are this miserable or overwhelmed by work, ask yourself, is it worth it? I spent 43 years dedicated to a job that, looking back, provided us sustenance and nothing more. I passed up many opportunities for consistency. This company used and abused me. Did they provide a decent living and good retirement? Yes. Did they destroy my relationship with your mom and never give me a chance to have a true relationship with my boys? Yes. You are smart. You work harder than anyone else. If you are not happy, quit. You have money and we can help you. You will figure it out, but don't make the same mistakes I did.”

For his own father, with whom he did not have any kind of real relationship with, to recognize this and give him advice, was shocking, to say the least. On Monday, he went in and told Bella it was time for a change. It was the scariest and most freeing period of his life.

After 60 minutes on the elliptical machine, Dalton took to the weights. He thought back on what took him the route of public speaking and executive coaching. Throughout his life, Dalton always wanted to be a writer. He wrote for some basketball websites in his 20s, trying to convert his love of the game into a career. At Sham Pop, Dalton published a few articles that were very well regarded in trade magazines. He still had that first article framed in his office. After the article was published, he had a few incoming calls to come speak at industry association meetings. He figured it would not hurt to give it a try.

After finishing up with dumbbell curls, he casually smiled at himself in the mirror. He recalled the stress of getting up in front of a lunch group of 50 in Fort Worth. He was dressed immaculately: suit pants, vest, French-cuffed shirt, double-Windsor knotted tie, and coordinating pocket square. He was exuding confidence—a very false, contrived confidence. He had many people offering unsolicited advice:

“If you are using PowerPoint, you need a slide for every two minutes of speaking.”

“Don't solicit feedback from the audience; bring your notes and stay on topic and on task throughout.”

“Don't field questions until the end; it will throw you off.”

“If you get nervous, stand behind the podium.”

“Bring notes and look at them as necessary throughout.”

“You don't need notes if your slides have a lot of information in them.”

Very similar to the unsolicited advice Dalton and his wife received when they first had kids, from friends who did not have kids, it was relatively useless.

Dalton's first presentation was challenging. He tried to be humorous (at least he thought his jokes were funny) to no avail. He attempted to engage the audience throughout and was met with blank stares. He was supposed to present for 60 minutes, but the entire session ran a whole 38 minutes, with no questions at the end whatsoever! On the trip home, he called his wife and told her that he never wanted to do this again. On the other hand, after an experience like that, it could not get much worse. In fact, it got much better, which has led Dalton down a path that he could not be more excited about.

After leaving Sham Pop, he did not know what he wanted to do. The positions he applied for were not interesting or exciting to him. He had a young family, so he could only not work for so long. Over the previous few years, he had been a guest speaker 10 to 15 times a year at different events and received very good feedback. He thought about starting his own training and coaching firm and put out some initial feelers. Those initial feelers proved somewhat fruitful, and then an old friend from Arthur Andersen (Brad Lester) reconnected and needed training, coaching, and co-sourcing. Everything took off from there. Dalton had been very blessed with a lifestyle of his choice and loved sharing what he had learned with everyone.

It had been a few weeks since he had seen Kelli and worked through the Julianne issue. He was excited to be back. The people he met had left a strong impression on him. Good, hard-working people, doing their best to be successful. He knew the team he was working with today desperately needed his assistance. Kelli's team consisted of five department heads who were technically savvy but lacking some personality and leadership. The team consisted of:

• Angela Barnes, Human Resources
• Austin Richards, Information Technology
• Jeffrey Tiller, Budgeting and Forecasting
• Lauren Snow, Accounting/SEC Reporting
• Rodger Smith, Internal Audit

The goal today was to discuss leading practices in public speaking and the challenges the team was facing. Then he planned on recording each and critically evaluating their presentations. Dalton loved this class. There was nothing more eye-opening and unnerving than seeing yourself on video. To this day, Dalton still cringed seeing himself on video, even though he had logged thousands of hours in front of audiences.

The morning began with a group discussion about their major concerns. The team was very well respected inside the organization from a technical standpoint. They were all very polished and presented well, but they appeared a bit stiff and unassuming. Kelli wanted to do this with her team because they were all relatively inexperienced and wanted to improve themselves prior to the significant growth the company was forecasted to have.

Angela was dressed in a navy blue business suit with matching heels. Her appearance was very striking: tall, athletic, long blonde hair, and deep-sea-blue eyes. Austin might be the physical opposite of Angela. Approximately five feet nine inches tall, he had a broad stature, and dark red hair and a thick full beard that covered his neck. Being in IT, Austin was more casually dressed, in khaki pants and a forest green sweater. Jeffrey Tiller looked the part of an accountant: tall, skinny, with black short hair neatly parted to the left, Jeffrey (not Jeff) wore brown pants, a short-sleeve button-up yellow shirt, and thick glasses.

Lauren was about five foot seven, athletic, with a dark complexion, jet black hair, dark brown almond eyes, and black-rimmed glasses. She was very professionally dressed in a black pant suit and white blouse. Finally, Rodger was well dressed, in black pants and gray blazer; he had a dark complexion and brown eyes. He also sported Dalton's favorite hairstyle: a shaved head. Because Dalton enjoyed self-deprecating humor, he liked to say that everyone knows it is a style choice and not a necessity.

The team shared their biggest concerns, which were diverse but very similar in nature:

• Angela felt very confident speaking to her team one-on-one or in small groups. When in front of a large audience, she was intimidated by having a large group stare at her. It made her very nervous and caused her to forget and stutter.
• Austin is an introvert at heart and does not mind speaking with peers because he can use technical jargon and speak at a level he is comfortable with. When he goes outside of IT, he struggles to connect with anyone.
• Jeffrey is similar to Austin: great at accounting, can talk the talk, but struggles to connect with people who cannot speak his language.
• Lauren was the most refined of the team and seemed very confident in front of peers. She was hoping to pick up some tips and continue to improve her group presentation skills. She was young, so Dalton was impressed with her confidence and taken aback by her cockiness.
• Rodger appeared professional and well-spoken. Dalton struggled to find an issue with how he would present in front of a group because he came off very polished. After an hour of observing the group interact, he pegged Rodger's issue: he sometimes came across as very condescending, speaking down to people and using words that are not common. This could be due to his Ivy League education. Rodger did not realize that he was very similar to Austin: neither could connect with groups, but for very different reasons.

Dalton spent the morning leading the discussion and developing rapport with the team. He had met many of them a few weeks back when he was investigating the Julianne issue but did not have a chance to speak to any of them in depth. Julianne, in fact, did not come up throughout the day. He needed to check with Kelli on what they were planning on doing.

Dalton would personalize his interactions and look for common themes to bond over. He was not sure of each of team's personal status, so he spoke about himself to humanize himself. He spoke glowingly of Caleb and Liora and how he is an avid reader, sports fan, and yogi. Angela was separated but has a daughter similar in age to Liora. Austin is a fanatical Golden State Warriors fan and he and Dalton bonded over their mutual love of basketball. Dalton, from Dallas, is a long-time Mavericks season ticket holder, and they discussed the Mavericks–Warriors series from 2007, one of the biggest upsets in basketball history, as the eighth-seeded Warriors beat the top-seeded Mavericks in six games. This memory still stuck in Dalton's craw.

Dalton was able to speak accounting with Jeffrey, which made him much more comfortable. Lauren was easy to talk to; she seemed interested in anything and everything Dalton had to say. She was also very easy to get lost in. Dalton was also a master of making the person he was talking to feel like they were the only other person in the room.

Dalton struggled with Rodger; he tended to struggle with academics. Dalton was very well educated (two degrees from Texas A&M University) but he had learned many years ago to speak at a level that everyone can connect with. In fact, he learned this being around Caleb and Liora when they were young. He would use words they didn't understand and they'd react with the classic inquisitive child questions: “Why?” or “What does that mean?” or “Huh?” He knew he had to speak in plain English to connect with them, or to really connect with anyone.

As Dalton knew, there are five language registers or styles. Each level has an appropriate use that is determined by varying situations—the audience (who), the topic (what), the purpose (why), and location (where). The five language registers are:

1. Static Register: This style rarely changes. It is “frozen” in time and content (e.g. the Pledge of Allegiance, laws).
2. Formal Register: Used in formal settings, this style is one-way communication. Such use of language usually follows a commonly accepted format, impersonal and formal. This is common for speeches (e.g. sermons, speeches, and announcements).
3. Consultative Register: This is the standard form where people engage in a mutually accepted structure of communication. It is formal/professional and in line with societal expectations (e.g. between strangers, between an employee and supervisor, between doctor and patient).
4. Casual Register: This is informal language used by peers and friends. Slang, vulgarities, and colloquialisms are normal. This is “group” language and could also include texting.
5. Intimate Register: This communication is private, reserved for close family members or intimate people (e.g. spouse, significant other, siblings, parents and children).³

Dalton thought that Rodger stuck to formal in most cases, a mistake many speakers make. People can usually transition from one language register to an adjacent one without encountering any major issues, but skipping one or more levels is confusing, to say the least. Dalton did believe that moving down the scale was prudent. He might start at Formal, quickly ease into Consultative and, by the end of the presentation, depending on the audience, nature, and format of the presentation, he would switch to Casual or potentially Intimate. He always wanted to personalize the experience as much as possible.

The rest of the day progressed well. Kelli popped in periodically to check on the team and sit in for a few minutes at a time before running to another meeting. Dalton asked her not to stay so the team would feel free to speak openly and hold nothing back. He certainly received that and more. Angela bared her soul, discussing deep-seated issues about being in front of groups, originating in her youth. She was on the verge of crying a few times. Some might think that was “too much” but Dalton found her attitude and honesty refreshing. To be able to speak so candidly and be vulnerable in front of other senior leaders was impressive. She was definitely using this session as therapeutic relief. Dalton, being observant, picked up on the attentiveness of Austin, Rodger, and Jeffrey while Angela was speaking. They seemed very interested and respectful of her emotions. He also picked up on Lauren's subtle eye rolls when Angela spoke. When the rest of the team spoke, Lauren displayed the body language of someone very interested in the topic at hand:

• Upright posture or leaning in toward the person speaking when she was focusing or when she was very interested in what was being said
• Legs and body facing the person speaking
• Hands (when leaning forward) on the table directly in front of her, connected or taking notes
• Legs crossed but minimal movement
• Head turning slightly when considering what was being said

Yet when Angela spoke, Lauren's demeanor changed strikingly and her body language revealed this drastic change:

• Leaning back in her chair
• Arms crossed or hands connected behind her head
• Leg beginning to twitch when crossed
• Would not make eye contact with Angela
• Frequent eye rolls
• Low sound effects (blowing air, sighing, etc.)

There was definitely something there that Dalton needed to understand further. He firmly believed that Angela was sincere. He did not have a baseline to compare to her current demeanor but there were telltale signs of someone being honest. When Angela spoke, she tended to show her palms, which is an indicator of sincerity. Palms down could be viewed as the person has something to hide. When recalling the root cause of her fear, she would look to her left and pause. Dalton could imagine the cartoon bubble right next to her, filled with the exact moment she was remembering. Dalton also observed that Angela was right-handed. When recalling a moment, right-handed people tend to look to their left. When constructing, righties tend to look to their right. (The opposite would be true for people that are predominantly left-handed.) At this moment, he pictured one of his favorite slides and topics from his courses: neurolinguistic programming, specifically to a person's eye cues (Figure 7.1). He loved this slide because he used a picture of his son as a young child to talk about this topic. Such a cute picture of such a sweet boy, but a sweet boy who could sure spin a tale or two. When he discussed this topic, he spoke specifically of Caleb, because Dalton believed that you could read a child's eyes better than an adult's. To an extent, adults learned how to mask some of these “tells,” but kids did not know better. Dalton specifically observed Caleb's eyes when he was determining if he was telling the truth.

FIGURE 7.1 Neurolinguistic programming: eye cues.

In general, a person's eyes tend to look in a specific direction when recalling information (to their left) or constructing information (to their right). (This assumes our subject is right-handed; the opposite would be true for someone who is predominantly left-handed.) The six quadrants are as follows:

• Visually Constructed: Constructing a site mentally (making up a story)
• Visually Remembered: Remembering something that has occurred (seen)
• Audio Constructed: Creating a sound or imagining what something sounds like
• Audio Remembered: Recalling what a certain voice (sounds like or any other sound) sounds like
• Feeling/Kinesthetic: Remembering how something smelled, or tasted, or a specific feeling
• Auditory Digital/Internal Dialog: When someone might talk to themselves; some type of internal dialog⁴

Dalton knew these should be used tactfully; the entire package must be accounted for: body language, facial expressions, tone, voice inflection, and eye cues. He also knew there was much hidden information in a person's eyes. And he knew his eyes moved to neurolinguistic programming like one of his favorite songs. In fact, he had to watch himself because he would look down to the right quite often. Traveling alone, the person he most spoke to was himself!

Austin, being an introvert, was quiet but observant throughout the afternoon. Dalton made sure to bring him into most conversations, especially the ones he showed interest in (without saying anything). Jeffrey was similar but seemed more comfortable talking among his peers. He spoke regularly and made some poignant observations. Rodger was interested and engaged but, again, seemed above some of the conversations.

Dalton wrapped up the afternoon with the team preparing their presentations for the next the morning. Dalton asked each to prepare a short presentation (less than fifteen minutes) on their department and key performance indicators over the prior period. What he did not tell the team was that he had asked Kelli to have 20 to 30 employees from their teams attend each presentation, including planting questions and distractions. This was a very intelligent, well-spoken team. Dalton wanted to challenge them.

Prior to leaving for the day, Dalton debriefed with Kelli about the inner workings of the team. When he mentioned what he observed from Lauren, Kelli (ironically) let out a sigh, not-so-subtly rolled her eyes, and filled Dalton in.

“Lauren is great. She has endless potential. To be 31 and as advanced as she is truly remarkable. She has earned every promotion she has received. She does come off immature at times, specifically with Angela. I do not think she trusts Angela at all. But I do not think there is any history there. Angela wears her emotions on her sleeve and Lauren is very much the opposite. I think Lauren believes Angela utilizes emotion to manipulate people. Lauren wants to be judged on her merits. Nothing more. Nothing less.” Dalton thought he could assist with this.

After wrapping up with Kelli, Dalton walked over to the downtown Hilton, changed quickly, and went down to the gym for a quick session on the elliptical and weightlifting. Dinner with Kelli and her family would be tomorrow night. He had been putting in double time on the road as much as possible and could feel the road starting to take its toll. He had gained some weight and wanted to make sure it stayed at that or dropped a bit. Dalton used this time to plan the rest of his week: what he accomplished today, what needed to be done for the rest of the week, and longer-term plans. He would also spend this time zoned-out and daydreaming, thinking about Caleb scoring a big goal, Liora doing her thing academically, his own first book coming out, or something of the like. It helped him push through those moments when he definitely needed the extra kick.

Most days, he loved his alone time and needed it after speaking to people all day. He rarely went out for dinner on the road, but tonight the thought of being alone in his room would drive him crazy. He took a quick shower, threw on his Adidas Firebird tracksuit and running shoes, grabbed his computer bag, and went down the street to Quakes Sports Bar, owned by one of the former NASL players for the San Jose Earthquakes. When in town, Dalton always stopped in because he was an avid soccer fan and collected sports memorabilia from defunct sports leagues.

Dalton found a quiet corner, ordered his Absolut and soda and a blackened salmon Caesar salad, opened his MacBook Air, and sorted through his emails. His waitress, Dahlia, dropped off his drink. (Dalton was obsessed with learning and remembering people's names.) He was knee-deep in his emails when he finally peered up from the laptop screen to check out the score in the Warriors game. In the distance, out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone who looked like Lauren. She still wore her black-rimmed glasses but had changed into a much more casual outfit: a short navy blue sweater, jeans, and brown ankle boots. Her long black hair was pulled back into a casual ponytail. She was sitting with an attractive young man who appeared to be younger than she was. The gentleman wore slacks, a dress shirt, and sport coat.

Dalton loved to people-watch. In fact, he could say this was research. The past 10 years, he had been steeped in research. His undergrad degree was in accounting and he had obtained his master's in finance. When he worked in corporate America, he used his technical skills wrapped up with his soft skills. Once he went into coaching and training, he began to use his soft skills more and more. People-watching was his training ground.

Lauren exhibited similar body language to earlier in the day: disinterested in the conversation, nodding her head often but without intent. This seemed to be more of a distraction tactic, to make it look like she was listening, but even a casual observer would pick up on her disinterest. Her crossed leg was moving very fast. She drank her clear cocktail fast, appearing to attempt to numb herself to the conversation. Her facial expressions showed boredom and a general lack of interest. She avoided eye contact and had minimal facial expression, except for the casual fake smile and laugh.

Dalton found her dismissiveness comical, especially after chatting with Kelli. He knew she was very personable but tended to turn it on and off as necessary. She had not seen him, so when Dahlia came by to check on him, he asked her to bring Lauren another drink—she looked like she needed it. He did tell Dahlia not to mention who it came from; he thought she would be able to figure it out relatively quickly.

Another 45 minutes went by. Dalton returned to his emails and planning and, with his headphone volume up, zoned out from the world. He quietly ate and surfed through LinkedIn for no real reason. He picked up his third drink and sipped it through the stirring straw (an annoying habit he picked up many years ago that he could not break), when he looked up to see Lauren with a very different look—a beautiful, cheek-to-cheek smile. She asked to sit down and they chatted for a while. In fact, they chatted for much more than a while. Time seemed to fly by as they got to know each other. She discussed her blind date; she thought he was really cute but Xavier was an investment broker and three years younger than her, and it showed. He came off somewhat immature and she was taken aback by his lingo; he spoke as he would text. She became bored quickly.

“I go out with younger guys on occasion, just to see if I could date someone younger, and then dates like this remind me that I have no interest in that potential immaturity. They are nice to look at—but then they speak!” Lauren said with a semi-sarcastic laugh. She was speaking pretty rudely but even Dalton let out a hearty laugh because he felt the same.

At 44, dating for Dalton was challenging, not necessarily due to his age, but to his schedule and priorities. His priorities, he believed, were in line with anyone with a family and a growing business:

1. Family
2. Religion
3. Work
4. Family
5. Working Out
6. Work
7. Personal Life

When he first separated from his wife, he dated quite a bit. He thought that was what you were supposed to do. Many women he had met over the years seemed interested regardless of his marital status. He made sure not to burn any bridges with potential clients and had the opportunity to date many amazing women. The problem was his priorities. He was rarely home and when he was, it was family time, Caleb's soccer, and other similar commitments. He dated more often out of town. That also brought up the obvious problem of not being there enough. He dated a few friends for the past few years but it teetered between dating and friendship every time they saw each other. Both he and his female friends loved being together, but it was a significant letdown the weeks after they spent time together.

Lauren was 31 but she was mature beyond her years. She struggled to find a good match. Dalton thought that this seemed predictable. He was a very good read of people and someone as intelligent and driven as Lauren would intimidate men, regardless of age. She definitely enjoyed dating older men but that was challenging. Many of the “good guys” were married or came with plenty of baggage. After a while, Dalton—being the type of person who can ask anybody anything—blurted out that he knew what type of guys she dated and what type of guys she should date. Lauren, intrigued by what she was hearing, with a flirty smile and a sip of her drink, asked him to continue.

“You date guys your friends say you are supposed to date. You are young and successful so you date young and successful. You date men younger than you, potentially many years younger. The problem is that many men are intimidated by you. So, you go out on dates with guys who will never fit long-term.” He paused for impact. “Maybe that is really what you are ready for, so maybe you purposely date guys who won't fit.”

You could immediately tell that she was truly considering what Dalton said. Everything he said was either correct or mostly correct. She was pondering the last statement. Dalton picked up on this when her head turned partially to the side, her right eye squinting and her eyebrows slightly furrowed. While he was speaking she leaned forward in her chair, but then pulled back and paused for consideration.

Dalton had to watch himself. He did not want Lauren to think he was flirting with her. Although he found her very attractive both in person and, more importantly, mentally, he did not want to cross any boundaries. He had too much respect for Kelli to even consider that.

After taking a few more sips of her drink, she smiled and asked Dalton, “So, what is your situation? You are so good at reading me. Tell me about you.” Dalton laughed as Lauren casually changed the subject. He smiled and did not bother commenting; based on her reaction, he was very confident that he had hit a chord. Dalton answered the question and they continued to chat until well after midnight. Dalton walked Lauren to her Uber, gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and hustled back to the hotel. Lauren hugged back very warmly and held on for an extra second. Dalton appreciated her warmth.

The next morning, Dalton got in early to set up the room and had his “plants”—the people who would run off a script and challenge the speakers—prepared well before anyone else was in the office. On days like this, Dalton loved his job even more. He loved to challenge people, to take them out of their comfort zone, and for many of the team this would be taking them out of their comfort zones.

Dalton thought about letting the team pick the order of speaking, but after yesterday's dialogue, he thought it would be prudent to go ahead and set the order himself:

1. Jeffrey Tiller
2. Lauren Snow
3. Angela Barnes
4. Austin Richards
5. Rodger Smith

Jeffrey and Lauren seemed comfortable speaking in front of groups, so he wanted to get the rest of the team warmed up and more comfortable in front of the group. The contrarian view was that Angela and Austin would have a high standard to meet going next but Dalton thought it was a worthwhile risk. Angela and Austin will be the most nervous, and Rodger—well, Dalton wasn't certain if he cared enough to put in the effort so it was an easy decision to have him bring up the rear. Dalton made sure his videographer, Mike, was also set and ready to go. It was important that everyone was thinking through how to optimize a presentation.

Preparation for any presentation begins with identifying your audience:

• Who is the audience?
• What do you know about them?
• Do they care about the topic?
• Should they care about the topic?
• What's important to them?
• Do they have any misconceptions about your topic?
• Could there be a lack of understanding?
• Can you predict the questions they might have?

Dalton strongly believed that going through this while preparing a presentation was definitely necessary, especially for novice presenters, because it helps give a basic structure for the speech, which the presenter can add to and take away from as necessary. Dalton created an audience profile/questionnaire for all clients to use:

• Education: Regardless of education and savviness, speak to the same level you are taught to write to (middle school). If the audience is well-versed in the technical language of the topic, that can definitely be used without a detailed explanation.
• Familiarity with Topic: What do people know about the topic already and what do you need to explain? Is this a controversial topic?
• Audience: Who in the audience do we need to get on our side? Who is the pulse-setter of the group? Is this presentation to convince the group of something, or to mediate an issue between groups?
• Interest in the Topic: Do they care about the topic? What do people care about? Is this topic important to them? What's important to them?
• Possible Misconceptions: Which incorrect ideas might you need to correct? In most cases, this should be addressed at the beginning of the presentation. Until this is addressed, the audience will be confused and their guard will be up.
• Attitude: Are people hostile, supportive, curious, worried? The attitude of your audience will affect the tone of your speech. The time of day and day of week will also potentially impact the attitude.

Dalton knew this would be a topic of conversation because the team did not have insight into the audience. Quite frankly, they did not know there would be an audience! Dalton taught the team that gaining and keeping the attention of an audience and speaking to what interests them is the most important thing about any speech. It is not about what you say, but how you say it. Consider the best way to deliver a message and consider how that message will be communicated best to the audience you are addressing. One of the quotes attributed to Dalton that he said at the beginning of his career trended on LinkedIn for a while:

The goal of communication is not merely to communicate a message. The goal of communication is to gain acceptance and understanding of the message.

He knew this was the most common mistake for novice presenters. They want to get the presentation over with and are not as concerned with how, what, and why—just get it delivered. He thought he might see that with Angela, Austin, or potentially Rodger.

Everyone was set up as the team came in. Lauren was first to arrive, wearing tan high heels, a navy mid-length skirt, white button-up shirt, and navy jacket. She looked striking and professional. She carried a venti coffee, as well as what appeared to be a large iced coffee (with cream and Sweet 'N Low). Their drink of choice had come up during their conversation the previous night and she was nice enough to bring it for Dalton. Truly a sweet gesture.

Angela walked in right after and Dalton did a double take. She owned the room as soon as she entered. She was dressed in a red skirt, tight black knee-high boots, and a white tight-fitting sweater. Her hair was straightened and her hands were freshly manicured. She was definitely dressed to impress. Jeffrey, Austin, and Rodger walked in together and were bantering about the Warriors game of the night before. The team had seen a precipitous fall this season due to injuries to Curry and Thompson and free agent losses.

Everybody was ready to go, so Dalton invited Jeffrey to start. Dalton had asked each team member to speak for 15 minutes or less on their department: mission statement, key objectives, strategic initiatives, and the biggest challenges over the coming year. Dalton chose this because of its relevance to the audience and the speaker; it was a topic all should find easy to embrace. The team was caught off guard by the audience in attendance but seemed to adjust quickly.

To his credit, Jeffrey started out with some humor to warm up the audience. He mentioned some of last year's accomplishments and stated, “We do not plan to be this year's Warriors; we plan on following up last year's strong performance with more of the same!” The audience enjoyed the humor and it relaxed any tension that existed. Jeffrey went through the presentation smoothly. The mood and opinion of any audience is important. It will influence the tone and content of the speech; a nervous or concerned audience will require an element of comfort or reassurance, while an excited audience will want to share a positive, electric atmosphere. This is what Jeffrey did to the group. He was able to get them excited through his positivity and passion. He highlighted last year's accomplishments, called out key team members who made large contributions to the overall success of the team, and followed up with key initiatives for this coming year.

Jeffrey went over the 15-minute allotment, and did not field many questions at all. Dalton wrote a note to himself to discuss this with Jeffrey since he considered this is important. Speakers will lose their audience quickly if they go over their time allotment. This is something Dalton always strived for: always end early. People tend to get impatient when running up against a time deadline. Everyone can relate to attending a training session where the speaker went over the time allotment. Regardless of how fun and interesting the topic is, once you hit your deadline, the time creeps by; one minute feels like ten minutes, or even more.

Dalton also felt strongly that a speaker should engage the audience throughout the presentation. Unless the presentation is designed to be controlling (such as a town hall meeting), engaging an audience will make everyone pay attention more intently. Hearing one voice consistently for a period of time is more challenging to pay attention to than hearing numerous voices and banter over the same period of time and on the same topic. Dalton always contended that speakers who hold questions till the end were not good presenters; it meant they did not want to be interrupted and most likely indicated that they were presenting through memory. Had they memorized their presentation, it would not feel fluid, with a good chance it would be monotone. Jeffrey did a very good job but Dalton thought this feedback would be very helpful.

One of the audience members raised their hand at the end of the applause from the group and asked Jeffrey a question. This had been plotted by Dalton. Jon Stanley, one of the managers on the team, asked Jeffrey about upgrading the current forecasting software and the potential to add staff the next year. Dalton knew these were contentious issues for Jeffrey and, based on Jeffrey's body language, he was definitely caught offguard by this. Jon attempted to hold it together and not smile, because Jeffrey knew it was not Jon's nature to ask questions like this during a presentation. Jeffrey caught on quickly but his initial reaction showed he was surprised and definitely did not appreciate being called out.

Dalton had asked Mike to zoom in on the speaker when the planted questions were asked and was excited that Jeffrey would be able to see this replay via video later in the day. Dalton caught Jeffrey exhibiting the following characteristics:

• Eyebrows initially raised, showing surprise
• Head moving backward as the question was asked, literally taken aback by the question
• Eyebrows beginning to furrow as his head moved forward
• Nostrils flared before answering the question
• Arms at his side before the question was asked, slowly moved in front of him and crossed when the question was asked and as he began to answer
• Hand gestures while answering the question; pointing at Jon while speaking (Dalton believed the pointing was unintended.)

Jeffrey regained his composure and answered the question tactfully and directly. Dalton was impressed at his recovery. They took a five-minute break and Jeffrey approached Jon immediately, not in an aggressive manner but with a smile on his face. Dalton ran to the men's room and saw Kelli approaching. She checked in to see how things were going but purposefully was absent from the presentations so as not to add additional stress to the team.

As Dalton reentered the conference room, he felt a hand on his forearm. Lauren came close to him and, with a large grin on her face, whispered how impressed she was with the setup. She told him he had better have something good planned for her, then winked and walked off. Dalton had to continue to watch himself as her flirtatious nature became more obvious.

Lauren walked up confidently and started out with a simple but important gesture: a smile. She had a beautiful smile. Regardless, any smile showed that the speaker was friendly and approachable. She started out with a strong introductory statement:

As a team, we met all of our financial reporting deadlines but, significantly, we cut 20% off of our reporting calendar this year. We continue to become more efficient every year but, more importantly, our team, led by Annie and David, continue to be as effective as possible. I could not be more thrilled to be a part of such a cohesive and high-performing team.

This garnered a rousing applause from her team. She then asked if there were any comments from the team and Annie and David both chimed in. Dalton continued to take copious notes, jotting down a couple of key points he saw from Lauren:

• When she wanted to emphasize a point, she edged away from the podium and closer to the group of 40. She moved right in front of them and used both hands to emphasize her affection for the team.
• She also stated that she was “part of the team” versus “leading the team” or calling them “my team.” This was subtle but important. Lauren knew her personal success was dependent on her team, so she always tried to speak in terms of “ours” versus “mine.”
• She altered her voice inflection throughout the initial monologue. She spoke with conviction and passion when talking about last year's accomplishments. And she spoke with concern but confidence when speaking of this year's challenges.

Lauren wrapped up in eight minutes, including some dialogue and questions from the team. She offered to field some questions after her wrap-up slide but there were none. Dalton loved this ending but planned to suggest one tweak to really take her presentations to the next level. He wholeheartedly subscribed to the theory that if your message as a presenter is readily accepted and you foster an interactive environment, there will be few if any questions at the end. He planned on discussing with Lauren and the team in the afternoon.

Dalton always struggled to understand why presenters ended with a Q and A session. As a presenter, you want your message to be flexible but you also want to control the message. A simple sales messaging tactic is to introduce your message, reiterate/support your message, and conclude with your ask or key message. If you end with Q and A, you might lose control of your message. There is a strong possibility that your conclusion is not as strong or is forgotten through the potentially irrelevant questions or questions that the presenter cannot answer.

When Dalton first started in this business, this was something he changed immediately. Prior to his final slide or final message, Dalton would always pause and ask for any final questions or comments. Similar to Lauren's method, there was rarely more than one question. Quite frequently, all had been answered and he would roll into his final concluding slide. On this slide, he would summarize the three key messages he wanted everyone leaving the room with. He subscribed to the rule of three: three is the lowest number that can form a pattern in our minds.⁵ People remember messages when they are simplified and easy to digest. Studies have shown that human recall is much better when the message is grouped in threes. So Dalton focused on this in his summary slide and made sure that slide had the three most relevant messages he wanted the audience to leave with. He honestly did not understand why presenters ended with a Q and A. He had concluded that many novice presenters either did not know any better; this was how they were taught and what they had previously experienced. When we do not know that there is another way, we fall into these vicious cycles. Dalton made it a point to reiterate this message in all his classes and this got to be his signature; he became known for this messaging.

Everyone adjourned after Lauren's presentation. Lauren had performed admirably and she walked out of the room with high confidence. Dalton waited for her outside the conference room to have a short sidebar. She strutted quickly out of the room and walked past Dalton without seeing him. He grabbed her arm and she came to an abrupt stop, seeing Dalton, smiling, and appearing very happy to hear his feedback. He was professional and did not give her the full attention she craved. He mentioned that he was impressed and she did a good job. Dalton noticed by her facial expressions that she was disappointed with the lack of elaboration. She showed this by:

• Smile slowly changing to a neutral expression
• Eyebrows raised, moving back to resting position
• Letting go of his forearm and moving back subtly

Dalton did not want her to get the impression that he did not enjoy the presentation or her company. He leaned in close and whispered, “You did a fantastic job. I definitely have some pointers and have some ideas I want to run by you but you have it and not many people have it.” Lauren smiled openly, blushing brightly for everyone to see, and thanked him. She then leaned in and told him she knew of better places to go than Quakes and if he was free, she would love to take him. Her excitement turned to slight disappointment as he mentioned he had plans with Kelli and her family. He did state that he was leaving early to see Kelli's kids and he could grab a bite or at least a drink later that evening. The roller coaster of emotions Lauren was showing turned to contentment as she heard this and was excited about what the evening would bring.

Angela prepared to start and the room could sense her nervousness. It still surprised Dalton that someone who presented herself so well could be so nervous. Her voice slowly fluttered due to her nerves. In order to focus, she hid herself behind the podium. Dalton always said this was the indication of someone who was physically hiding. This was like a safety blanket, or like home base when playing tag; no one could touch you when you were there. Angela stood behind the podium for the first few minutes, reading from her slides in a very nervous voice and no change in tone or voice inflection. She turned her back to her audience to read, which was another no-no.

Dalton readily turned his back to his audience as he would constantly move around through his presentation. This was purposeful, to engage the audience because they would have to reposition themselves to see him and his voice would be heard from many different directions. Dalton also determined his constant movement served his need to get to 15,000 steps a day and calmed his then-undiagnosed ADHD. When Dalton turned his back, he was usually behind the group and facing them. In essence, he had not turned around. He would, on occasion, turn his back when in front of a group but this was to quickly gather the contents of a slide, read them, and comment. He did not read each slide; in fact, he made sure his slides did not contain complete sentences or thoughts. The slides did not stand alone; they were there to jog his memory on where to go with this initial statement.

Dalton knew Angela was struggling. He liked everyone on the team but he took a special liking to Angela. He saw her potential and that he had the ability to really help her change. Instead of taking notes, Dalton got up from his chair and quickly walked to the middle of the back of the room (he was seated in the back near the door). Angela's eyes caught Dalton walking. Seeing this, Dalton gestured for her to move from behind the podium and mouthed, “Move around.” Since he had Angela's attention, he moved his hands to in front of his face and widened them to outside of his cheeks, gesturing her to smile. This made her smile unconsciously. She paused, walked from behind the podium that was in front of the room, and moved to the center of the room to continue. Her presentation pace picked up. This showed she was still nervous. After a minute, she looked back at Dalton, who gestured for her to breathe by taking his hands at his chest and motioning them up to his face as he took a deep breath and moving them back down to the position they started as he exhaled. Angela took the cue and took a breath and paused. She smiled again, and this seemed to help her relax. The remainder of her presentation improved greatly.

Austin seemed to learn from Angela's slow start. Prior to Austin's presentation, Dalton had advised him to be himself. “If you try to be someone else, people will sense it. You are an introvert; that does not mean you have to be introverted all the time but the most important thing is to be yourself. Regardless of how outgoing you are, be yourself. People will appreciate the authenticity of you being you.” Austin took this to heart and presented slowly but surely. He calmly went through the presentation without much voice inflection, but it was still effective.

Since Austin oversaw one of the most important and controversial departments, Dalton had planted a few questions from attendees. Since Austin presented fourth, he knew this was coming and handled the contentious questions pretty well.

Dalton was greatly anticipating Rodger's turn because he really had no idea what he was going to see. Would Rodger be prepared and engaged, or generally dismissive? Dalton leaned to the former because Rodger was a professional. Dalton was very interested to see the engagement he would get from his team. He had no doubt that Rodger was respected but was concerned about whether his team truly liked him and if he could get the best out of them.

Rodger started strong and engaged the group. You could definitely see that some of his employees were disengaged and might lack respect for Rodger. Rodger tended to speak above people and seemed to enjoy flaunting his intelligence. Dalton was also concerned how Rodger appeared to other leaders in the organization. As the head of internal audit, it was critical for Rodger to have good relationships and be respected by other department heads and executive management. If not, the value his department could bring to the organization would be limited.

The presentations wrapped up around 11:00 and they all enjoyed a quick catered lunch. Dalton spent some time with Mike and gave him guidance on how to edit the videos and what specific scenes he wanted to focus on.

He began to debrief after lunch and wanted to solicit everyone's thoughts on each other. He thought peer reviews were a good way to give and receive feedback. It also meant much more to hear it from their peers. The only problem with this approach was that everyone was way too nice. Dalton knew that, in order to preserve relationships, people would not be completely honest. Or at least they thought they were preserving relationships. Dalton had this bitter honesty type of relationship with Brad. Brad was always one to tell him the way it is. Dalton believed that was one of the reasons why they were so close.

Lauren and Jeffrey spoke confidently about their results. Angela brimmed with pride about how she was able to recover from her very bad start. Austin smiled lightly, seemingly always holding in all emotion. Rodger, as always, seemed indifferent. Dalton told everyone the plan: watch the videos and discuss as a team tomorrow afternoon after Mike had a chance to edit and Dalton had a chance to review.

As they left to head back to their offices, Austin stopped to thank Dalton sincerely for his advice. He also asked if he was available tomorrow morning to speak about a different topic altogether. “I spoke to Kelli about an issue I have with one of my team members; I wanted to run it by you and get your thoughts.” Dalton planned to meet Austin mid-morning.

In order to prepare his presentation, it would take Dalton three or four hours to analyze the videos and formalize his notes, even after Mike edited and finalized the videos. He had worked with Mike for the last few years and Mike knew exactly what Dalton was looking for in most cases. Dalton went back to the hotel, checked email, and got a quick workout prior to heading over to Kelli's to spend some time with her family.

Kelli and Baxter had been married for almost 10 years. They seemed to have a great relationship—a true-life partnership. Dalton enjoyed spending time with them because they exemplified what he wanted in a partner. Baxter was a writer with a work-from-home consulting business. He was relatively successful but when Kelli's career took off, he took a step back and went the home business route so he could stay home with the kids. The kids (Daniel, age five, and the twins, Banner and Chisholm, age three) were very close to their father, for obvious reasons. Dalton brought the kids Luka Dončić jerseys; the kids were fanatical basketball fans and Dončić played for the Dallas Mavericks and Dalton was slowly converting them to Mavericks fans. Dalton and Baxter were having drinks on the patio and the kids were playing basketball when Kelli got home. The kids were excited to see Mom, but not excited enough to pull them away from their intense game of 21.

Kelli changed and joined the men, catching up on life in general. Dalton was intrigued by Baxter's new book; he had always aspired to write his own book. He thought a book based on a similar premise to his life and travels could have a market. Baxter was planning on assisting him in finding a publisher. Kelli asked about the morning and Dalton filled her in on the highlights. He also mentioned that he was planning on leaving a bit early to have dinner with Lauren. First, he told her how this came about and that she wanted to meet after last night's conversation. Secondly, he told her explicitly that this was professional. Kelli started to laugh and said, “D, why would I care? We are friends; I know you respect me. I hope you can help Lauren, but have fun; I can see you guys getting along very well.” Dalton let out a silent sigh of relief. This did not change his plans but he appreciated the confidence and respect she had for him. Dalton said his goodbyes and promised to take the boys to a Mavericks game the next time they were in town.

Dalton grabbed an Uber and met Lauren for dinner around eight at a small hole-in-the-wall Italian restaurant just outside of downtown. Gino's barely had a sign up but the place was bustling with people. Lauren sat in a booth in the back, with a few bottles of wine on the table. Gino's was a bring-your-own-alcohol establishment and it appeared the bar was stocked!

Lauren looked nice in tight jeans, knee-high brown boots, and a loose cream sweater. Her jet-black hair was pulled back in a bun and she had her black-rimmed glasses on. She appeared to be a few glasses of wine ahead of her competition already. Dalton was not sure if he would greet her with a hug or a warm handshake but this was not his decision to make. Lauren made it for him by standing up upon first seeing him and delivering a warm hug, almost jumping into his arms. It was very sweet and Dalton was surprised by her outward affection. Lauren sat on the left side of the booth initially. When she rose to hug Dalton, she moved closer to the center of the booth. Dalton sat down and naturally moved to the center; at this point, there was less than a foot separating the two. Lauren quietly made small talk; she seemed to drink quickly to calm her nerves. Dalton took it as a great compliment that a refined woman like Lauren would be nervous sitting with him.

A large man with a shoulder-length hair and a beard walked over to take their order. The gentleman's hair was much more salt and pepper than black, the sign of advancing age that Dalton was now experiencing full bore. He could tell that Lauren knew this man based on her reaction when he approached the table. She smiled and rolled her eyes; not a condescending eye roll but one she might make to someone who embarrasses her. He smirked internally as this man had to be related to her. The man attempted to keep a straight face and play it as though he did not know Lauren. The man's name was Gino. Dalton said that it was nice to meet him and asked if he was the owner since that was the name of the restaurant. Yes, this was indeed Gino of Gino's Italian.

Dalton ordered a club soda and asked if Lauren was his daughter or niece. Gino smiled (as did Lauren) and they chatted for a bit. Gino was Lauren's uncle and they were very close. Lauren came in weekly but never brought company, except a few close girlfriends. Gino stated that Dalton must be something for her to take him to the restaurant. Everyone laughed and Lauren corrected Gino quickly with a slap to his shoulder and a blushing “Stop!” She evenly stated that she wanted to take him to a restaurant that was truly old San Francisco.

Dalton was honored she “let him in” in that way. Dalton personally did not let many people in. He did not show his true self; he had his public persona that everyone saw. His ex-wife knew him well. His parents and brothers knew him well. Meghan knew Dalton relatively well. Brad knew the true Dalton. Caleb and Liora knew him probably better than anyone. He rarely let anyone else in. Dalton thought how nice it would be to have someone he could confide in, someone he could trust unconditionally.

Dalton was very happy that he had caught a workout prior to going out for the evening because course after course kept coming. Fried cheese, salad, more salad (Dalton, at this point, could not distinguish any of them), numerous pastas, veal, chicken and eggplant parmesan. He wished the kids were with him because they would have enjoyed a feast like this! The food was spectacular: fresh ingredients, cooked to order It truly tasted as if it was cooked with love and affection.

Based on his personality and career, Dalton was truly easy to open up to. Most people would say that they felt comfortable telling him anything, without judgment. This worked very well when investigating potential fraud; people loved to admit things to him. Dalton had always joked that if he was ever single again, he had discovered the key to dating, regardless of physical looks. The audience would always laugh, but once Dalton divorced, he practiced what he preached. To him, relationship-building and dating one and the same, and he had determined that these were the keys:

• Smile and look approachable. As he taught in class, the power of a true smile is contagious and intoxicating.
• Ask open-ended questions. Open-ended questions are, in essence, not questions at all, but more request statements. Instead of asking, “What do you do?” Dalton would say, “Tell me about your work or your passion; hopefully they are one and the same!” These types of questions elicit a much more detailed response.
• 70/30 Rule. Dalton changed this to the 90/10 rule. He was paid to speak. He loved to speak. He also knew that he always had plenty of opportunities to speak. Not everyone else did. Every person wants to be heard. Dalton had experienced the phenomenon of being a great listener. Not only does the person you are talking to think you are a great listener, but they really view you as a great conversationalist and you have barely said anything!

Dalton applied this with Lauren and he saw very quickly the problem with her date the previous evening. Her date spent the entire time talking and trying to impress her; she would have been much more impressed with someone who listened to her.

Lauren spoke of her background: how she grew up, attending Stanford on a full soccer scholarship, her father's untimely death due to cancer, and her current role working for Kelli. She raved about Kelli and her leadership. Lauren had one sister, three years younger than Lauren and mentally disabled. Dalton could sense the love she had for her sister the way she talked about Robin. Lauren spoke of Robin's zest for life and how genuinely happy and upbeat she was, regardless of her own short comings. It was very inspirational and Dalton mentioned he hoped to meet her someday.

Suddenly, 8:00 pm had become 11:00 pm with a blink of an eye. That was the telltale sign of a great conversation. The night flew by, there were no awkward pauses, and the conversation transitioned smoothly from topic to topic. Dalton lightly nibbled on the food; he did not want to overeat and he was desperately trying to stay in shape. Meals like this on the road were what really killed him.

They wrapped up close to midnight and said their warm goodbyes to Uncle Gino. (Dalton felt natural calling him this regardless of the newness of their relationship.) Lauren and Dalton each ordered Ubers back home. As Lauren's ride pulled up in front of the restaurant, Dalton thanked her once again. She went in for a warm hug and, while hugging, both leaned left to kiss the other on the cheek. Their lips met surprisingly and each felt the spark of chemistry that they knew was already there. Dalton pulled away after a few seconds and naturally apologized. Lauren smiled, leaned back into Dalton, and kissed him full on the lips. She stated he had nothing to apologize for and rushed off to grab her ride.

The next morning, Dalton was not slated to begin until 11:00 am. This gave him time to prepare his presentation and final review notes of the team's presentations. This included sitting with Mike and making sure they captured everything that was pertinent. Dalton desperately needed a decent night of sleep but that was not going to happen this evening. There was always a trade-off: sleep in or workout. He tended to feel lethargic without his workout so he chose the latter and still planned on being up by 6:30 am to meet with Mike by 8:00 am.

Dalton laid in bed smiling to himself as the exhilaration of a beautiful, intelligent woman coming on to him refused to leave his mind. Since his separation, he had dated many women, a few of whom had seemingly been waiting out his marriage. In every instance, Dalton was the initiator. He correctly read the signs but he initiated. To have such a woman initiate was very flattering. He did not allow himself to get caught up in thoughts of what could be. He still felt uncomfortable about this occurring with someone from a client's office, even though Kelli gave her blessings and he stayed very professional. Regardless, Lauren lived in the Bay Area and he lived a three-hour flight away.

The dating scene for Dalton was limited at best. At first, he got out there a lot. Nice looking, in decent shape, intelligent, but probably most importantly, blessed with the gift of gab. He was always very confident in his ability to charm anyone. That is how his company has grown organically over the past ten years.

Dalton and Mike met for breakfast and walked through how the videos were to be presented to the team. Dalton wanted each in the following order:

• Video without sound
• Video with sound
• Highlights specifically chosen by Dalton

Dalton discovered this order to be very effective for each speaker to review their presentation with their peers. Without sound, everyone spent time focusing only on their body language, facial expressions, movement, and the like. Many idiosyncrasies were caught on this first video review. Next, the team would tend to focus on the voice more than the body movement, but the two were reviewed together. The team should be able to pick up on any tonal inconsistencies and whether appropriate voice inflection was used. Finally, Dalton highlighted a few specific points with each speaker to discuss. This would assist in reiterating some of the key points Dalton picked up on immediately during each presentation.

For the review session, Dalton tended to dress up more. He had not retired his three-piece suits but he tended to a more casual look when speaking. Maybe it was maturity, maybe it was laziness, maybe it was a little bit of frugalness. He knew that any logo gear that was worn served as a marketing (and tax write-off) opportunity. He had many different colors of polos with the company logo. He even went the route of having a matching computer bag and luggage with the company logo. He also used the cover of his MacBook Air as a billboard, with his logo skin on the cover.

Dalton knew the team would look at his presentation skills today as he constructively criticized their presentation skills. He broke out the well-pressed blue pinstripe suit (no jacket, just vest), blue-and-white-checked shirt, and patterned navy blue tie (navy blue is Dalton's power color). He even brought out his chestnut and cream two-toned wing tip shoes, something he has been known for for many years. As he prepared for the review session, he swung by Austin's office to discuss the issue he had mentioned yesterday.

NOTES

1. 1   “Why Are We Scared of Public Speaking? Psychology Today, November 27, 2017 (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/smashing-the-brainblocks/201711/why-are-we-scared-public-speaking)
2. 2   Ibid.
3. 3   Montano-Harmon, M.R. “Developing English for Academic Purposes,” California State University, Fullerton.
4. 4   https://www.nlpworld.co.uk/nlp-glossary/e/eye-accessing-cues/
5. 5   https://school.iqdoodle.com/framework/core-principles/rule-of-three/