"Borrow" Presentation Skills from Others

If you haven't discovered www.ted.com by now, I urge you to watch some of these presentations. At least 90% are excellent. Think about the characteristics that make these people good presenters and "borrow" the ones that work for you. I'm not suggesting that you become someone else when presenting (authenticity is paramount)...just pick up on some of their best practices.


http://www.ted.com/

Are You Diluting Your Message?

Many presenters take a good two-minute idea and dilute it with a sixty-minute vocabulary.

Your Presentation Must Have A Goal

I just attended another boring presentation that went nowhere. Although I liked the presenter, his presentation was just another information dump that had no meaning.


The first thing to do when preparing a presentation is to clearly define your goal. In other words, what do you want your audience to think, feel, or do differently after your presentation? Then, wrap everything around that goal!

"Goals allow you to control the direction of change in your favor."

- Brian Tracy

"Most people are drowning in information and thirsty for meaning."

- Mark Tamer

The End

People crave closure. We like books and movies that wrap things up and say "The End." At the conclusion of your presentation, your audience wants you to wrap up the loose ends and bring everything into perspective.


Most mediocre presenters close their presentations by saying something like this, “Well, that’s it. Are there any questions?” There may be a question or two, then, realizing she is out time (or past her time), the presenter say’s, “It looks like we are out of time. Thanks for coming." There is nothing wrong with that type of closing. It is an acceptable and mediocre way to close.


The outstanding presenter chooses a different closing. Rather than closing on the thoughts of an audience member, the outstanding presenter allows time for the audience's thoughts and comments throughout and several minutes before the conclusion of her presentation. She saves the last few minutes for her strong closing, i.e, the message she wants her audience to remember long after her presentation. Then she ends with a simple and powerful, “thank you.”

Keep Up The Rhetoric!

Rhetoric: the art of speaking or writing effectively (Merriam Webster)

The recent tragic event in Arizona has added fuel to “rhetoric” bashing. From bandwagon politicians to the mass media, many are calling for the toning down of rhetoric. When did “the art of speaking or writing effectively” become a bad thing?

I suggest that the word many are searching for is:

Hyperbole: extravagant exaggeration (Merriam Webster)

Hyperbole seems to be the thing that is driving us nuts. From the politicians who exaggerate their opinions and accomplishments to the talking heads on the network news programs who turn Verizon-Gets-the-iPhone into a week long breaking news story.

Then there are the marketing folks. Have you seen the HP television commercial where the mom digitally cuts and pastes members of her family to get the perfect family photo, making her life so much happier? Isn't that a bit extreme (i.e. extravagant exaggeration)?

When giving a presentation, your audience demands and deserves that you be truthful and authentic. It's a pretty noisy world out there, and it is the refreshingly straightforward message that gets through.

Let's keep up the rhetoric and tone down the hyperbole.

-MMT

Keep Up The Rhetoric!

Rhetoric: the art of speaking or writing effectively (Merriam Webster)

The recent tragic event in Arizona has added fuel to “rhetoric” bashing. From bandwagon politicians to the mass media, many are calling for the toning down of rhetoric. When did “the art of speaking or writing effectively” become a bad thing?

I suggest that the word many are searching for is:

Hyperbole: extravagant exaggeration (Merriam Webster)

Hyperbole seems to be the thing that is driving us nuts. From the politicians who exaggerate their opinions and accomplishments to the talking heads on the network news programs who turn Verizon-Gets-the-iPhone into a week long breaking news story.

Then there are the marketing folks. Have you seen the HP television commercial where the mom digitally cuts and pastes members of her family to get the perfect family photo, making her life so much happier? Isn't that a bit extreme (i.e. extravagant exaggeration)?

When giving a presentation, your audience demands and deserves that you be truthful and authentic. It's a pretty noisy world out there, and it is the refreshingly straightforward message that gets through.

Let's keep up the rhetoric and tone down the hyperbole.

-MMT