When you give an update

- "So, Tatiana, tell us about the online conference you just attended." Gulp, what? That was the last thing I expected to be asked during our meeting. I had to think fast. Our director was staring at me and I had to provide evidence that the departmental money they spent on my registration was a good return on investment. But should I talk about the sessions I attended, the amazing venue, the latest trends? I wasn't prepared to make a mini presentation. But giving an update is just that: a mini presentation. When you prepare to give an update, ask yourself these three questions. What's the one thing I want my listeners to remember? This is your headline that captures attention and sets the stage for people wanting to listen. When I was asked for a conference update, I could think, was there an emerging trend in the sessions? Was there a particular session I attended that identified as a game changer? I need to think of the most important concept and focus just on that. In this example that I'm giving you, since artificial intelligence was the overarching theme, I could have said, "Well, AI could be the event organizer next year." Now, that will catch attention. Second, why should your audience care? Think, what do your stakeholders value? How will your organization benefit from what you say? Asking these two questions helped me to edit my comments. I might have made comments about the cool location or the attraction of the venue. But I focused on the cutting-edge technology presented in the session. Finally, what are the subpoints that will make my comments memorable? Our brains operate well when we think and receive information in patterns, and three seems to be the magical retention number. When you share an update, consider lumping steps into about three buckets. Then follow up with a for example, or a for instance line connecting details to make your points memorable. For my conference update, I know that our director values fresh ideas that will benefit our operation. I could have said, "I learned what can help us with market research, client retention, and general AI tools. Let me give you an example of what others are doing with their market research." So each of those subpoints I can share details in that are consistent and concise and relevant to the audience. Since an update is a mini presentation, you will want to be sure to wrap up with the point that reinforces your opening line and opens the conversation to additional questions. I would've said something like, "AI is moving very fast and it can help us with all aspects of our business. Overall, it was a great learning experience." In the toolkit video coming up, I share some drills to help you sharpen your organizational skills with each of these three questions.