Top Stories » Expert Columns » Profiles & Trends

One of the expectations of Zingerman's leaders is that they conduct at least one hour of formal teaching (on average) per month. Some managers have taught classes in previous jobs but many have not. And for most people, speaking in front of a group — even a relatively small one — does not come naturally. So I've recently started teaching a class to help people present more effectively. Since we want all of our training to have some common elements — including a certain level of energy and enthusiasm, I call my class "Presenting with Zing!" I'm sharing it here in the belief that a similar class adapted to your particular organization might be useful for you.

First of all, what are the reasons to teach such a class? Why have classes taught by people who aren't already comfortable teaching? Why not just add trainers to your HR team and make training skills a prerequisite for the job? Well, that is certainly one way to go but Zingerman's — like many organizations I've worked with, has chosen a different route.

No full-time trainers exist in our organization. Yes, the HR staff members teach some classes, but the partners, managers and supervisors in the various businesses do the majority of the departmental training. Because we believe that people learn any subject matter more thoroughly and with a different perspective when they are teaching it to others, we want all the leaders and prospective leaders in our organization to be actively teaching. In addition, we believe that the content of the training has more credibility when it is presented by the very same people who are responsible for implementing it.

So, for example, a class on effective performance reviews can be a good class when taught by someone in HR. But it takes on a deeper level of meaning when it is taught by a departmental manager who is responsible for writing and delivering 10 or 20 performance evaluations a year. That manager can share specific examples of what he/she has done that worked well in addition to sharing challenges and mistakes. And teaching the class is likely to inspire the manager to keep improving his/her technique.

Although developing class content is important, that is not the main purpose of this class. "Presenting with Zing!" focuses on tips and techniques that I've found useful as a presenter:
• The 3 Cs of Successful Presentations
• Incorporating Zingerman's Look and Feel
• Giving Great Service as a Presenter

The 3 Cs of Successful Presentations: Content, Connection, Confidence
Content.
The prospective audience for any class wants to know:
1. "At the end of this session, what will I know or be able to do?"
2. "Why is it important that I know this?"
So I address those questions right up front and make sure that my content is focused on helping the learners assimilate and act on the information being presented.

In other words, I want them to do something differently after the class than they did before they attended. Giving concrete examples, providing tools and action plans and building role-plays into the class prompt participants to become actively involved. I try to create exercises in which people are actually doing "real work" that they can take back and use on the job, which greatly increases the likelihood that they will use what they've learned. In the "Presenting with Zing!" class, participants prepare and deliver a three-minute presentation.

Connection. The better the connection you build with your audience, the more likely they are to learn the content. To establish that connection, I like to learn as much as possible about the audience ahead of time, and I try to be in the classroom as people arrive so that I can chat with individuals. I try to remember things that audience members have said and then refer back to them so that people know that I was listening. The more you can learn about the audience and can tailor the content to their specific situations, the better. I always start with introductions and provide name tags so I can call people by name throughout the class. I like to move around the room either physically or via eye contact in order that I can establish individual connections.

Confidence. It's a Catch-22 that you can't really know your material inside and out until you've presented it but that you'll have more confidence when you know your material inside and out. Practice is important. You can rehearse in front of a mirror, to your significant other, or in front of an empty room, but there is no substitute for actually making your presentation out loud. In a class, you won't have every sentence scripted out, but planning exactly how you'll begin will get you off on the right foot. If there is a student workbook, write your notes on a copy of it so that you'll always be (literally) on the same page as your audience.

After a recent workshop, a client from Hanover Coop in New Hampshire shared her belief that "conviction is contagious" and that the audience draws on the energy radiated from the presenter. It's always easier for me to become enthusiastic about a topic that I'm passionate about, and I encourage new presenters to choose topics they already feel strongly about whenever possible.

Incorporating "Look and Feel"
When you are teaching a class, whether to internal staff or to outside customers, you're representing your organization, which means that your presentation style should reflect the organization both in content and in style. Originally, we documented Zingerman's "Look and Feel" to bring consistency to our organization's merchandising and visual elements. But several years ago, we had a BGO (Belated Glimpse of the Obvious) and realized that our classes and presentations (whether to customers or to internal staff) should encompass the elements of our Look and Feel as well. To that end, we want classes that are:
• Fun
• Engaging
• Informative
• Colorful
• Bold
• Down to earth
• High energy and action oriented
• Personalized
• Built on the Zingerman's name

Your business's Look and Feel isn't the same as ours, of course, but the point is that you probably take care to produce POS and customer-related materials that are visually appealing and attention grabbing, and it's worth doing the same with your staff training materials. After all, as a trainer, you're "selling" the content of your class. By the way, the presenter needs to fit the Look and Feel as well. When I'm teaching an internal class, I always wear a Zingerman's T-shirt.

Giving Great Service
As an internal trainer, you have at least two customers — the students in your class and the organization as a whole. Giving great service to the organization means doing what it takes to prepare yourself to teach — including embracing the content of what you will be presenting. If you have issues with a class' content, the time to address them is with the management team when you are asked to teach — not with the students during the class.

During the class, your customer is your audience. Make sure you've arrived early, have set up and are prepared to start right on time. Students arrive in your class ready to "buy" information and skills. Engage them to find out how they learn best and then tailor the content to meet their needs. Stay "learner focused" rather than "presenter focused." It's not about how smart you sound, but rather about how well they learn. Go the extra mile by providing time to answer questions. Respect students' schedules by ending on time.

I find that Zingerman's 3 Steps to Great Service (1. Figure out what the customer wants, 2. Get it for them accurately, politely and enthusiastically, and 3. Go the extra mile by doing something nice that the customer didn't ask for) are easily applied to a classroom situation; however, most of our new presenters don't think in those terms. The advantages of helping them make the connection are twofold — the training experience is better for the students and the trainer often feels more at ease because most of our staff is much more comfortable "giving service" than they are "teaching a class." When they see how they're really one and the same, their confidence increases.

The feedback I've received from participants on "Presenting with Zing!" has been very positive. They say, "I'll integrate more fun into my presentations." "I really like having a framework to structure presentations around," "I loved the presenting part, and it was even better that you warned us up front that we would have to present — created clear expectations," and "Now I know to rehearse not only the content but also the body language." Teaching a short class on how to improve presentation skills may be a good bottom-line investment for your organization as well.

Maggie Bayless is the managing partner of ZingTrain, which is the consulting arm of Zingerman's, the specialty food retailer in Ann Arbor, Mich. If you have specific topics you would like to see addressed, please send your suggestions to Maggie at mbayless@zingermans.com.