Professionally Speaking...

Presentation Barriers: The Speaker's Mindset

Last week I wrote about physical barriers to a presentation -- actual objects that get in between the speaker and the audience and block connection. But there are other barriers that, although invisible, are just as damaging. I'm speaking of attitudes, beliefs and perceptions inside the speaker's mind.

ARROGANCE

Arrogance in a speaker generally manifests itself as superiority; thinking you're smarter, more competent, more skilled than the audience. This mindset can be a real temptation for the subject matter expert who, indeed, may have advanced knowledge and skill in his area.

Feeling arrogant can lead to numerous behaviors that are both unproductive and create a chasm between speaker and audience. The speaker:

• talks over the heads of the audience, not bothering to explain concepts or jargon
• doesn't prepare any stories or examples that would make the topic more relevant to the audience
• doesn't put any time or effort into preparation, particularly if he's given the presentation before
• doesn't accurately read audience reactions during the presentation
• doesn't hear the real questions that are being asked; instead she cuts people off and talks over them to further demonstrate her expertise

"Arrogance diminishes wisdom."
Arabian Proverb

FEELING THE AUDIENCE WILL JUDGE YOU

This mindset has more in common with arrogance than you might think. Although seeming opposite, they are both closely related to insecurity. A speaker who views presentations as anxiety producing will likely number as one of his concerns being judged [unfavorably, harshly] by the audience. To somehow compensate for his feelings of inadequacy, the speaker:

• procrastinates preparing and practicing the presentation because of nervousness and anxiety
• is too focused on herself and her discomfort to read audience reactions
• doesn't invite questions, fearing he'll be unable to answer them
• disconnects from the audience, insisting that questions be held to the end [hoping there won't be time left] and discouraging any audience interaction
• is defensive when responding to any questions or comments, misreading an innocent inquiry as a challenge to her credibility

"No one can make you feel inferior without your consent."
Eleanor Roosevelt

MAKING ASSUMPTIONS

Assuming something about your audience without verifying can be borne out of either arrogance or carelessness. Sometimes we simply don't think about anyone's perspective but our own. Letting assumptions  lead him down a perilous path, the speaker:

• assumes the audience feels the same way he does about the topic causing him to overlook a potential landmine
• suffers from the curse of knowledge, assuming the audience has a similar frame of reference and understanding of jargon
• doesn't anticipate questions and prepare for them, not thinking that the audience may see the topic from a different perspective

"Most of our assumptions have outlived their uselessness."
Marshall McLuhan

Perhaps surprisingly, the antidote to all of these speaker mindset barriers is pretty much the same...stop making it all about you and focus on the audience. Care about the audience and what value you are providing them; believe that they are on your side and are not waiting for you to trip up; recognize that the audience doesn't necessarily know what you know or see things the same way; if you embrace these shifts in your perspective...changes to your mindset...you will remove the invisible barriers and strengthen the connection between speaker and audience.

Related Post:

Presentation Barriers: Physical

Presentation Barriers: Physical

Barriers are helpful between skin and sun or between deer and freshly planted flowers. Barriers are a hindrance between speaker and audience.

We have enough challenges in engaging an audience without imposing a physical element that our message needs to travel through. Yet, speakers routinely choose to block themselves from the people trying to listen to them.

Here are three physical barriers that can dilute a speaker's message and compromise an audience's experience.

TELEPROMPTER

Teleprompters act as a barrier because they focus the speaker's attention somewhere other than on the audience and force him to remain stationary. The speaker must keep pace with the scrolling text and that makes eye contact with the audience challenging and likely fleeting. As well, placement of the teleprompter screens may mean that the speaker is positioned farther away from the audience than she would be otherwise.

I wrote here about best practices for using a teleprompter. Minimize the teleprompter barrier by knowing the speech well enough that you can make eye contact with the audience beyond just darting glances. Large, animated gestures will help your audience catch your enthusiasm and make you seem less robotic.

PODIUM

In one of my recent presentation skills training classes, a participant asked my opinion about using a podium, asserting that he felt a podium conveyed authority.

Using a podium or lectern cuts off 50 plus per cent of most people's bodies. If you're on the short side, like me, your audience only sees a head, part of the upper torso and disembodied-looking arms. A podium is a huge barrier between you and your audience, making you seem unapproachable and distanced. Convey your authority through command of your subject and a well organized, easy-to-follow presentation, not by setting yourself apart from your audience.

Other podium problems: they encourage a speaker to lean on them; they make it easy to grip the sides, particularly when nervous; they can invite slouching; they give a top of the head view when a speaker is reading from notes.

Stay away from using a podium if at all possible. If you must speak from one, don't hide behind it, don't grip it, have lots of eye contact and use large gestures that your audience can see.

POWERPOINT SLIDES

Slides can be a real barrier -- if the projector gets between you and the audience. Or a perceived barrier -- if you focus too much on reading the slides from the computer screen or turning around to the large screen behind you. Remember that slides are meant to support your presentation not supplant it. You are who the audience came to see and hear.

Minimize the number of slides you use in your presentation so neither you nor the audience will be focused on reading from the screen. When you do show a slide, invite your audience to join you in interacting with the information shown.

If your presentations will include any of these three physical barriers, plan in advance how you can compensate for any disconnect they create between you and your audience.

Photo Credit:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/j0nny_t/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Public Speaking Irish Style

As public speakers, we all have our own "voice " -- a style, a persona that is uniquely our own. Conscious focus on developing that voice serves to enhance our credibility and help us establish rapport with our audiences.

One of the roles we frequently fulfill, as public speakers, is using our unique voice to become a voice for others. The "others" may be constituents, employees or those with less power and marginalized rights.

As a tip of the hat to St. Patrick's Day, my own Irish heritage and Women's History Month, I'd like to salute Mary Robinson, Ireland's first woman president, and a great example of using one's voice to speak for those who can't.

Throughout her career, Robinson has advocated for human rights and equality, early on campaigning for Irish women's right to sit on juries, to remain in civil service jobs after marriage and to have legal access to contraception. Following her presidency, she became a United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and continued to be a powerful voice championing gender equality both in the home and in the workplace, the right of basic education and a stop to violence against women and practices such as FGM. She was the first head of state to visit Rwanda, bringing world attention to the suffering after the civil war, and in 2009, President Obama awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Watching only a short portion of either of these videos gives you a good sense of Mary Robinson's voice -- gracious, articulate, authentic, conversational and passionate.

How compelling is your voice when you're called upon to speak for others?

Photo:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kf-in-georgia/ / CC BY-NC 2.0

The Sales Presentation

This post is part of the Blog Carnival over at DeFinis Communications: The Impact of Public Speaking on Top Sales Performance. Drop by and check out the great posts from many talented bloggers.

Volumes have been written about the skills needed for successful sales presentations. Advice abounds about how to present benefits, not features; how to conduct product demos; how to use influencing techniques; how to establish rapport; how to close; and more.

Top sales performers embrace not only these sales skills but, most importantly, this fundamental of effective presenting: focus on the audience. They are clear that a sales presentation should be a dialogue between salesperson and audience. Most sales presentations typically involve small enough numbers of people to facilitate this.

WHAT DOES FOCUS ON THE AUDIENCE MEAN?

It's easy to use a term like this and assume that everyone understands the same thing. But there are specific behaviors to adopt to demonstrate genuine audience focus.

• Be Flexible  Observe your audience's reactions as you're speaking. Be prepared to pause the presentation if you notice any confusion, skepticism or boredom. It's better to address these issues rather than let them grow. Notice any signs of agreement and reinforce them. Be flexible enough to deviate from your planned comments and pursue a different conversation if that seems important to the audience. If you know your material well enough, you'll easily be able to get back on track.
• Ask Questions  Do this frequently during the presentation to assess the audience's understanding and buy in. This also allows you to uncover objections early so you can address them. Incorporate their answers and reflect them back, as appropriate, later in the presentation.
• Show Emotion  If you're not enthusiastic about and committed to the value of your product, your service or yourself, why would your audience be? Sincere enthusiasm will enhance your credibility. As well, relating to your audience on a human level helps establish rapport.
• Listen  Listening [that means not talking!] to your audience's comments will give you insights into how they're receiving your information and what underlying thoughts, concerns or questions they might have. Give them your full attention and don't prepare your answer while they are speaking.

Top performing salespeople may not always be the most experienced public speakers...but they do know that audience focus is the key to every presentation's success.

Strengthen Your Presentation with Word Pictures

As presenters, we should always be searching for ways to make our presentations more memorable, more impactful, more sticky.

Word pictures are an excellent way to accomplish this.

The term 'word picture' sounds like a dichotomy or a contradiction. Is it a word? Or is it a picture? 

In fact, it is using words to create an image for the listener that is as powerful as a visual or picture would be. 

And what makes the image powerful is finding a descriptive example [which may be part story, part analogy] that your listeners can identify with and that expands their understanding.

Consider this example:

The average kindergarten student has watched more than 5,000 hours of TV. That's more than it takes to earn a college degree.

In this case, the comparison provides depth to the initial piece of information [the number of hours the student watches TV]  and provides a provocative reference point to put the information in context.

Another example:

"Imagine seven Boeing 747s filled mostly with children crashing into Mount Kilimanjaro each day, and you begin to get an idea of malaria's horrifying toll."  [Tanzanian researcher, Wen Kilama, cited in Howard W. French's book, A Continent for the Taking: The Tragedy and Hope of Africa]

Here the word picture, distressing though it is, is hauntingly memorable. Anyone listening to this description can visualize the airplanes and feel the horror of the outcome.

What makes word pictures work is not so much constructing complex or poetic words, rather it is putting everyday words together to describe something in a way the listener can see and feel. It's allowing your listener to "experience" the words, not just hear them.

For your next presentation, think about the key points you want your audience to remember. Then get out your verbal paint brush and start painting.

Above Illustration:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/rohdesign/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0