PLUSPLUS

      PATTERNS FOR BETTER COMMUNICATION

       FLORIAN MUECK

      Imprint

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

      For permission requests, write to the publisher, at: [email protected]

       www.florianmueck.com

      Cover artwork, illustration & composing by www.navarra-design.com

      Published by: epubli GmbH, Berlin, www.epubli.de

      Copyright © 2013 by Florian Mueck

      ISBN 978-3-8442-4897-5

       Only dead fish swim with the flow.

      ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

      PLUSPLUS is not only a book. It’s also an attitude. With their positive and constructive attitude, the people below continuously help me climb closer to that unreachable peak of the mountain of public speaking.

      Special thanks to all my awesome clients.

      Special thanks once again to Arthur Waters for his brilliance and patience on the editing side.

      Special thanks to Conor Neill and IESE Business School — both are role models of personal and professional growth.

      Special thanks to my Rhetoric-game partner and friend John Zimmer.

      Special thanks to Olivia Schofield and her Spectacular Speakers for her neverending inspiration.

      Special thanks to Michael Kalkowski for his priceless trust from the very beginning.

      And, of course, very special thanks to my very special Rose.

      For Prestigious Speakers

      Her name is Sonia, and she’s from Mexico City. When I met her, I was about to give a seminar for the Foundation of Emotional Education in Barcelona. Everyone was chatting and chaffering over their coffee before the training started — except Sonia, who was sitting alone at a table, hunched forward, poring over some notes.

      I went over to her table and sat down. Instead of introducing myself, I just looked at her. Then I said: You don’t talk very much, do you?

      She answered: No.

      Sonia was an introverted, timid, pensive person when I met her. She was insecure, reluctant to share even her ideas, much less her feelings, or her passions. It was as if she’d built a wall around herself, and was hiding behind it from everyone.

      Two days later she had changed completely. Enthusiasm possessed her when she expressed her passion for archaeological museums. She modulated her voice to outstanding effect. She was poised; her selfconfidence had soared. Now she positively radiated charisma. It was like magic.

      What had happened to Sonia?

      I lead seminars on public speaking. That is my profession. I’ve worked all across Europe, usually for major corporations. I’ve listened to and evaluated thousands of speeches — in three languages — and these thousands of evaluations have taught me one thing: the power of feedback!

      I use only positive, constructive feedback: that is the secret magic of PLUSPLUS.

      PLUS: Sonia, what I liked in your speech was....

      PLUSPLUS: Sonia, what you could have done even better was..

      Who likes negative feedback? Who accepts MINUS feedback?

      In my seminars, MINUS feedback is not allowed.

      I always turn MINUS feedback into PLUSPLUS comments, so the people receiving it, like Sonia, don’t begin to think in terms of what they did wrong; instead, they think about how they can do it better next time.

      Examples of MINUS versus PLUSPLUS feedback:

      It was the magic of PLUSPLUS, the approach that emphasizes “What you can do even better!” that turned Sonia into an outgoing, confident, passionate and persuasive communicator in just two days.

      In this book you’ll learn about more than a hundred PLUSPLUS patterns I’ve detected over the years — patterns for better communication.

      You can use this book in a variety of ways:

      As a business presenter, you can enhance your content, your delivery, and your slides.

      As a salesperson, you can optimize your sales pitch.

      As a Toastmaster, you can improve your evaluations.

      This book discusses public speaking. And consider: it’s always public speaking, whether you’re speaking to a single person or in front of an audience of a thousand people.

      Many of the PLUSPLUS patterns in this book also apply to your everyday communication, one-on-one, both in business and in your personal life.

      You too can improve the same way Sonia did. After two days of receiving PLUSPLUS feedback and applying PLUSPLUS patterns, she said:

       On Friday I was on the other side of the river. You brought me over to this side.

      CONTENT, DELIVERY, SLIDES

      This book focuses on three areas for improving your speeches and presentations — content, delivery, and slides. You’ll learn about “boosters” and “brakes” in all three areas.

      “Boosters” are PLUSPLUS patterns that will improve the quality of your communication if you use them more often.

      “Brakes” are also PLUSPLUS patterns, but it will improve the quality of your communication if you avoid them.

      Here are a few examples: