"Lean Back (Sandal) Technique" for solution defense

#LeanBackTechnique #SandalTechnique

#ONETeam #SNAPS #SageandNotableAdvisesfromPatrickSalazar

Before you graduate from college, you need to pass your THESIS DEFENSE.

As a Management student major in Human Resource Management, our Thesis Panelists are notorious to be extremely strict. They will grill the student who does not know the answers to questions. Sometimes, the grade of the entire Team depends on how that unprepared student responds.

Me and my thesis-mate, Tom, created a technique to inform the other person that “I do not know the answer to this question, I need help!!”

Since we both did our entire thesis study together, we both know which topic is the expertise or the weakness of the other person. So whenever there is a question.. both of us will enthusiastically try to answer the question. Then, one will give way based on our internal knowledge of who is the expert or in-charge of that topic.

Now, IF anyone of us does not know the answer to a difficult question or if you experience a mental block. What we did is:

1. We both enthusiastically answer the question

2. LEAN BACK on your seat…. If you are unsure of the answer or the topic

3. This signals the other person to jump in seamlessly to provide the right answer or allow you to breathe so you recall the answer or flip to the slide / page where the answer is

4. Once you recall the answer, you can lean forward on your seat which is a signal to your thesis mate, you are ready to respond

None of us leaned back during our actual thesis defense. We both graduated without leaning back. :)

"Lean back" on your seat means “SANDAL” in Filipino. This is why me and my thesis-mate call it the Sandal Technique.

YES… I use this technique during all my solution defenses when I was in the automative industry and in the BPO industry. I orient my presenting Team about the Sandal Technique during dry runs so it is seamless during the actual defense. This actually made my presenters prepared and confident... As a result, no one has ever leaned back in any of my actual solution defenses.

*About this photo

Meet my thesis mate & dearest friend, Tom. This photo was taken during a reunion in Los Angeles. Both me and Tom brought our wives and in the course of the discussions over dinner, our wives were asking several questions about our college days. Suddenly, me and Tom noticed both our backs were leaned on our seats and so we started laughing. Our wives asked us why...

Guess what we did... We both enthusiastically answered all their questions until both of us were no longer leaning back.