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"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

Hostile Audience?

(sort of a follow-up to my past posting...)


If we do our job right, then there should be no such thing. Conducting an audience needs analysis prior to your presentation is critical. This helps to uncover hot buttons, taboo topics, burning fires, etc. BEFORE your presentation.

If, on rare occasion, you are chosen to deliver bad news in a crowd (poor form, bad news should be delivered in small groups or individually), then be authentic! That's the key. It is okay to say that you are not pleased with the situation either. Most adults know that life is not fair.

On the other hand, if you encounter the "sniper" or the person who is just out to be a jerk, then try one of these responses:

1. "We do not have the right people in the room to have that discussion today." (Being honest, of course.)
2. "That's an interesting idea, one that I need to give some thought to, and I'll get back to you." (And then move on.)
3. "That is out of scope for this discussion. Allow me to place that on our parking lot (list) for another time."

The idea is take a moment to acknowledge the person's discontent and then move on with the agenda. Never, ever, argue with anyone in your audience, unless the person is viciously harassing you or someone else. Your audience will admire your composure under fire.

I'm Right, You're Wrong

I recently witnessed a workshop presenter who insisted that she was right about everything because she was the “expert.” If someone objected to her perspective, or presented a variation, she insisted on arguing to make herself appear right and the other person look wrong. Oh how I cringed. Talk about a control freak. Shutting down opposing opinions is a sure-fire way of shutting down audience participation. 

Never make your audience wrong (unless, of course, someone is being terribly offensive to you or others). Even if someone’s idea seems a bit bizarre, acknowledge them by saying something like, “That’s an interesting perspective, one I have not considered.” (Be authentic!) And then move on. 

There are always other perspectives. Thank others for their distinctive points of view. No matter how many times I facilitate a particular workshop or deliver a familiar presentation, I continually learn varying perspectives from members of the audience.

My Attention Span Is...Wait, Be Right Back

"Attention Span?" How about calling it "Attention Limit?" 


The latest research tells us that our amount of attention is limited, just like our amount of cash (unless your Buffet or Gates). We cannot expand our attention like we can our waistlines...it just is not possible. So, we may have to rethink this whole "multi-tasking" thing.


Let's face it, if you are driving a car in traffic, then it requires your undivided attention. Don't fool yourself by thinking you can do a good job of driving and talking on your phone at the same time, unless you are on a deserted highway. You really can't contribute your best during a meeting if you are tapping away on your PDA. It just is not possible.


So, why do we do it? Why do we dilute our attention on multiple important tasks simultaneously? One explanation could be that as a species, we are naturally attracted to distractions. The invention of the book helped us to focus our attention on one area for an extended period of time. Now, technology is taking us back to a more primitive state. Is this a good thing?


Oh wait, just got a text...be back in a sec.


Okay, I'm back...what was I saying? Oh yeah, it is important to manage our attention just like any other valuable resource. If we pay attention (notice the word "pay"), then we should get something of value in return. If we ask for attention, then we should give something of value in return. 


As presenters, remember to manage the valuable attention in the room. Here are some frequent goofs that presenters make when it comes to attention management:


1. Talk while asking the audience to fill out a form.
2. Open blinds to hallways and allow others to peer in.
3. Leave irrelevant information on white boards or flip charts.
4. Distribute information that we are not going to cover until a later time.
5. Load up PowerPoint slides with text because we are too lazy to rehearse.


I could go on and on, but you get the idea.


My phone is ringing, gotta go!