Professionally Speaking...

Remembering the Presentation Brilliance of Steve Jobs

The world lost a visionary, Apple lost a leader and the public speaking world lost a role model with the death yesterday of Steve Jobs.

Jobs' ability to captivate an audience, the elegance of his "one big idea", his passion, his focus on the visual and his rehearsal ethic are all worthy of imitation.

Over the next days, weeks and perhaps months, the media will offer an abundance of clips and excerpts from Jobs' many presentations.

Listen. Watch. Learn.

Steve Jobs R.I.P.

"Good-night, sweet prince. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." ^*

 

* Hamlet, Act V, Scene II

Photo Credit:
flickr/COG LOG LAB  C.C. 2.0

5 Steps to a Brilliant Keynote Presentation

It is a rare occasion where, when a presenter asks for feedback on a presentation, I have no constructive suggestions to offer. In fact, I don't think that has ever happened. I am usually full of ideas to tweak and massage a presentation to make it more logical, more engaging, more memorable.

But I recently heard a conference keynote where, if I had been asked, I would have had no improvements to suggest. This unusual situation occurred at the American Society for Training & Development's International Conference and Expo in Orlando last week. Marcus Buckingham, the leader of the "Strengths" movement, was the opening keynote and he delivered an absolutely stunning presentation.*

Yes, he's very well known, comfortable speaking in front of an audience of 8,000, speaks frequently and probably has had coaching. And you may not be able to identify with any of those things. But as I split my focus between listening to his message and dissecting his technique, I concluded that his behaviors are ones we can all easily embrace to improve our presentations.

Let's take a closer look at those behaviors.

• Buckingham was incredibly passionate about his message. He was talking about his life's work and his expertise and enthusiasm showed clearly. When the speaker is authentically excited about his message, it is almost impossible for the audience not to be caught up in that passion.
  WHAT YOU CAN DO: Record yourself speaking passionately. Play it back to see if you would actually be enthused if you were sitting in the audience. Look for aspects or sections of your message that you can speak enthusiastically about and practice those.

• Buckingham brought an appropriate level of "theatre" to his presentation -- his pacing, tonality and facial expressions were all completely congruent with what he was saying at any given moment, much like an actor's. Clearly he had practiced this presentation and internalized it so he could focus on these nuances.
  WHAT YOU CAN DO: While you may not think "theatre" is appropriate in your boardroom or staff meeting presentations, maximizing how you come across to your audience always pays dividends. It helps you look more polished and makes you easier to listen to. Watch stage plays, movies and excellent presenters and incorporate relevant techniques, personalized so they are authentic, into your presentations.

• Buckingham was very energetic and used his space confidently, which in this case was a huge stage with two screens on either side where he was being projected. He took advantage of the size of the stage by moving around the middle two-thirds and coming to the front when he was making a key point or letting the [8,000 person] audience in on a secret. He exaggerated any gestures so they were appropriate to the space.
  WHAT YOU CAN DO: While you may not be speaking to 8,000 people anytime soon, being conscious of your space and using it to your advantage helps the audience see you as credible and comfortable. Don't present from behind a podium; move around purposefully in your space; move closer to the audience when you are making a key point.

• Buckingham's presentation was filled with wonderful stories and personal examples, all crafted to underscore his key messages and engage the audience. Not only were the stories sharply illustrative but they were delivered with exquisite timing.
  WHAT YOU CAN DO: Develop and practice stories that will help the audience better understand and "see" what you're saying. If storytelling doesn't come naturally to you, start with one story in one presentation and hone it to perfection by practicing it over and over. Have colleagues critique your timing -- are you building tension, are you delivering credible dialogue, are you pausing for audience reaction.

• Buckingham clearly enjoyed himself throughout his presentation. He was connecting with the audience, feeding off their laughter, laughing at his own jokes and smiling. Sitting in the audience, it would have been hard not to be engaged when the presenter was so engaged himself.
  WHAT YOU CAN DO: Be well enough prepared and rehearsed that you can enjoy yourself once you start to speak. Finish off slides before the last minute, allocate enough time for verbal rehearsal and arrive at the presentation location early so you can check the equipment and room set up.

You may never inhabit the world of famous speakers and huge audiences [and you may be deliriously happy about that!]. But these techniques will help you to engage and enchant any audience and make you a brilliant presenter in your own world.

 

* This is not the 2011 ASTD presentation but it gives you an equally good example of Buckingham's skill.

 

How to Introduce a Speaker

If you're fortunate enough to be asked to introduce a speaker, relish the power this gives you to set the stage for the entire presentation.

The normal routine is for the introducer to read fact after boring fact from a speaker's bio, with little eye contact or inflection, perhaps even stumble over the speaker's name, and then withdraw with relief.

Not only does this type of introduction not benefit the speaker, it doesn't create any enthusiasm or anticipation in the audience.

Here, then, are five steps to turn your introduction from boring to breathtaking:

• Prepare What You're Going To Say :: Don't wait until minutes before the introduction to scribble a few notes or read for the first time something the presenter has prepared. If the speaker has written an introduction for herself, get it in advance so you can read through it several times to familiarize yourself. If it's too long or too boring, let the speaker know that you will be modifying it slightly.

• Be Brief :: Your job is to build interest and anticipation and leave the audience eager for the presentation to begin so keep your introduction to under a minute. We generally have an inaccurate sense of how long something takes, so time your remarks to be sure you're in that 30 second to one minute range.

• Make It Relevant :: Whether you're editing what the speaker gave you or creating your own introduction, include information that is relevant to the audience. Answer the questions "Why this speaker?" "Why this topic?" instead of reeling off degrees, job titles and awards. Unless the presentation is about marriage and families, the audience probably doesn't care that the speaker is married to the former Sally Jones and has two delightful children. Highlight aspects of the speaker's background and accomplishments that will pique the interest of the audience. The very act of saying out-of-the-ordinary things in the introduction will cause the audience to listen attentively.

• Pronounce the Speaker's Name Correctly :: Determine the correct pronunciation of the speaker's name and then practice it several times so it feels comfortable. Write it out phonetically [RYE FEN STINE] at the top of your notes so it will be visible as you're speaking.

• Be Confident :: Your introduction will most certainly affect the mood in the room so walk confidently to the front and speak loudly enough that everyone can hear. Ensure you have everyone's attention before you begin speaking. Make plenty of eye contact with the audience while you are reading the introduction, which won't be a problem if you've familiarized yourself enough with it. And don't forget to smile, showing the audience that you're happy to be there and looking forward to the presentation.

What other techniques have you used or seen used when introducing a speaker?

Photo Credit:
flickr/EIFF's photostream  C.C. 2.0

 

 

 

 

Beware of Being a Presentation Robot

I attended a presentation yesterday given by a woman I've been wanting to hear speak for a while. I'm fascinated by her topic; she is the author of two books on the subject and is frequently quoted as an expert.

And on the surface, her presentation was polished, contained some good information and followed many presentation best practices. Yet something was missing.

When I analyzed that missing element on the drive back to my office, I concluded that the presentation was robotic, devoid of any real connection with the audience:

 

• Although the presenter clearly knew her material very well, her phrasing and corporate-speak jargon were pat and almost hackneyed, giving the sense that she had said the exact same words hundreds of times before and we were just one more audience on a long list of audiences.

• Although her delivery was polished, it felt like someone had turned on a switch and the words just came pouring out. She oozed credibility, but authenticity...not so much.

• Although she took questions from the audience through the presentation, there was little engagement or interaction with the questioners. The presenter didn't acknowledge what a questioner said (e.g., "that's a good question" or "that's something I see a lot") but just launched into a response which in several cases only tangentially addressed the question. And when an audience member told a personal story to reinforce one of the points the presenter had made, the presenter listened with little facial expression, made no acknowledging comment and quickly returned to her own remarks.

• Although the presenter told many stories, they were stale, lacking dimension. And each one cast her in an exceptionally positive light, with the cumulative effect sounding a lot like bragging.

TOO CRITICAL?

Now you may say that I'm being overly critical here and it's possible many people in the audience thought she was terrific. But it's the little nuances that make the difference between a good presentation and a great one.

When you deliver the same presentation frequently, you have to work especially hard not to sound "canned." You've got your material so internalized that you almost don't need the audience -- you know when to pause, when to give an example, when to wait for laughter or applause. You've done it so many times before. But this is where you risk losing the real, authentic you and having a robot take your place.

When you think you know your material inside and out is exactly the time to put some extra effort into rehearsing. Audiotape yourself to evaluate whether you still sound passionate and connected to your subject. During your next presentation, ask a trusted colleague to assess how connected you are with the audience. And plan to engage the audience by asking them to share some of their experiences as they relate to your topic.

Banish the presentation robot! Become conscious of and actively work on these little nuances to enhance your overall impact and give a more powerful voice to your message.

Photo Credit:
flickr/Andy Field (Hubmedia)  C.C. 2.0

Emotion in Presentations

Just before the holidays, a dear friend and colleague of mine emailed me to get some advice on how to maintain emotional control during a presentation. He was closing his business of twenty years and was being given a farewell party by his biggest client. Knowing that he would be called to the podium, he was concerned that, in the emotion of the moment, he would blubber like a fool.

Maintaining composure and keeping uncontrolled emotion out of our presentations is what most business presenters know as the standard. Yet what to do when you are speaking about a situation or event where you're feeling emotionally vulnerable?

Here's the advice I gave my friend:

• Keep the audience and their needs foremost in your mind. They may appreciate seeing you display genuine emotion, given the situation, but they will be mighty uncomfortable if you start sobbing uncontrollably. The more you can remember to force yourself to be "out there with the audience" the less time you'll have available to be in your own head, worrying about choking up. As Dr. Nick Morgan says in his brilliant post about this topic, it's up to the presenter to read the audience and see how much emotional display will be appropriate.

• Don't wing it. Prepare your remarks ahead of time. As with any presentation, in the moment you may be overtaken by nerves, emotion or stage fright. The better prepared you are, the more likely you'll still be able to open your mouth and have something intelligible come out [...even though you might not remember what you said].

• Make your remarks short and sweet. Hone them until they say exactly what you want them to in the least amount of words. If you are struggling with your emotions, this means you’ll only be "up front" for a brief time.

• Although you may want to include comments and stories that are poignant, look for the least mushy way of expressing your gratitude, joy, regret, sympathy or whatever. If you stay away from the really sentimental content, it will be easier to keep control.

• Practice, practice, practice. This is the step everyone agrees with and no one does. But it is the one thing that can make the most difference. When you’re up in front of the audience, you don’t want to worry about forgetting what you wanted to say in addition to managing your emotions. If you practice enough so that you cement your remarks, then you can devote all your energy to managing the emotional response.

• Visualize how it will go – you delivering the remarks, accepting peoples’ accolades and clapping and still maintaining composure. Visualize the struggle to maintain composure and then being successful at it. Do this visualization multiple times so that when you get to the real thing, it will be like…been there, done that.

• Aim for keeping composure, but don’t be too hard on yourself. Give yourself permission to have a bit of a catch in your voice or get a bit misty-eyed [the operative word being 'bit']. If your subconscious knows that you have this latitude, it will be easier to maintain control.

• Don’t forget to breathe. That sounds pretty basic, but when we’re nervous, we tend to breathe very shallowly and this prevents sufficient oxygen from getting to the brain which in turn produces physical symptoms like shaky hands, quavering voice and tears. Do some deep breathing throughout the day of the presentation, including just before you speak.

For these techniques to really work -- and they will -- you have to be intentional about them and incorporate them into your preparation earlier than the morning of the event.

And so how did my friend do?

He came through with flying colors. In his own words, he had a "little quiver when thanking my staff but a quick recovery." And with the success of the presentation behind him, he was then free to enjoy the bottle of 2002 Dom Perignon he was given.

 

Photo Credit:
Flickr/Nino llorando  C.C. 2.0

 

When Ego Gets in the Way of a Good Presentation

I attended an event recently where the presenter was the co-author of a well-known book on a hot business topic. He is also a senior executive in a prestigious firm whose name you would recognize. My expectations were high -- given his obvious expertise, I was counting on some valuable insights as well as an engaging presentation style.

But then his ego got in the way.

At first I thought his name dropping and rambling stories, where he was generally the hero, were perhaps just lack of preparation [although I'd bet he's given this presentation or some version of it hundreds of times]. But then he committed ego's cardinal sin.

He 'shushed' an audience member who tried to ask a question. In spite of his proclaimed willingness to take questions, he looked at this woman with her hand raised and said, "No...I'm sure I'll cover whatever it is you want to ask."

Absent a crystal ball, how would he know what the woman was going to ask? And even if he was correct in his assumption about her question, what an arrogant way of shutting down her [and perhaps others'] engagement with him and the material.

WHAT CAUSES EGO TO GET IN THE WAY?

Some degree of ego is healthy in a presenter. It helps you believe in yourself, manage anxiety and strive to make a valuable contribution to the audience. But when a presenter's ego runs amok, he's forgotten the golden rule: It's All About The Audience.

Fame and fortune can certainly lead to an over-developed ego where it's easy to believe that, since you know so much more about your topic than the audience, they should just hang on your words, not interrupting, not challenging, not probing. Yet, I'm sure we can all come up with examples of famous speakers who don't let ego rule their presentations -- people like Jimmy Carter and Steve Jobs come to mind.

The subject of ego has even made it into the TED commandments: "#6 Thou shalt not flaunt thine ego. Be thou vulnerable."

So the moral to my rant is...no matter how famous, how expert, how intelligent you are, it's not about you, it's about engaging with your audience to provide something useful, thought-provoking and relevant. In the end, they, not you, will be the ultimate judge of whether or not you've been successful.

What examples have you seen of ego getting in the way of a good presentation?

How to Handle Presentation Surprises

There have already been thousands of words written and spoken about the presidential seal falling off the podium during President Obama's speech at Fortune's Most Powerful Women Summit two days ago. But I feel compelled to add more words because the episode so clearly illustrates one of the things so many presenters fear...disruptive presentation surprises.

And although most of us won't have to worry about misbehaving presidential seals, we will have to worry about power failures, slide projector malfunctions, microphone feedback, tripping on wires and more.

Shock, impatience, blaming others, being thrown off course are all normal human reactions when something goes wrong.

But as a presenter, you don't have the luxury of showing any of those reactions.

Your audience may feel similarly or they may not know what to feel. In either case, they are looking to you to guide them through the situation. If you overreact and seem upset or flustered, your audience will pick that up and assume the "surprise" is a big deal.

Given that your primary objective in the presentation is to ensure a quality experience for your audience, how do your turn those "surprises" into just an inconvenient, perhaps even humorous, blip?

Certainly your first concern is to put the audience at ease. Take a look at how President Obama handled the situation I referenced at the beginning. 

He took a moment to gather his own thoughts as he said, "oh goodness" and then, through humor, put everyone at ease by saying, "That's all right. All of you know who I am." The audience laughed and everything was fine. Contrast this with a different scenario: what if he had appeared upset and called for someone to come and re-affix the seal or pick it up? The flow of his speech would have been quite disrupted and the audience would have been aware of the president's annoyance which, in turn, would have made them uncomfortable.

Humor is an excellent way to diffuse any unexpected snafus, as long as you're comfortable saying something amusing. But what if you're not? Here are some other suggestions:

1. Use a factual statement to allay any concerns the audience might be feeling. For example, "Just hang in there for a minute and we'll be back on track." 

2. Make lemonade out of lemons. "We've been given an unexpected opportunity for some dialogue. Turn to the person next to you and answer this question." [something relevant to your presentation] 

3. If the disruption looks like it will last more than 5 or so minutes or if it will require help from other people [like the A/V crew], consider giving the audience an unplanned break. You could combine this with the point above and ask them to discuss something relevant to your presentation while on break.

Bottom line take-away: don't make a big deal of any disruptive surprises and focus on making your audience comfortable that you're not flustered and confident that you will still deliver value.

What other techniques have you used or seen used when there are unexpected presentation surprises?

Photo Credit:
Flickr/apdk's photostream C.C. 2.0

Causes and Cures for Lack of Audience Focus

Consult any expert resource on public speaking or presentations and the prescription for success will be focus on the audience.

It's one of the fundamental principles of effective presentations.

Yet think about presentations you've attended recently. Did the speaker know and understand your issues? Did she make her material relevant and applicable to your circumstances? Did he welcome the interruptions of your questions? When a meaningful dialogue developed among audience members, did she allow it to continue or did she press on with her prepared remarks?

Were these speakers sincerely concerned about the value you received or did they just give lip service to audience focus...or worse yet, act as if the audience wasn't even there?

If the prescription for presentation success is so universally held, what would cause a speaker to not focus on the audience? [pardon my split infinitive]

PERCEIVED LACK OF TIME

Most people agree intellectually with the value of audience focus. However, when it comes to actually preparing and delivering the presentation, lack of time often becomes the excuse to relegate audience focus to a "nice-to-have." There suddenly isn't enough time to do audience research and get the PowerPoint slides done. There suddenly isn't enough time to get through the prepared words and slides and engage the audience in dialogue. There suddenly isn't enough time to get to the end of the PowerPoint deck and take questions. The perceived pressure of time limitations overrides the belief that audience focus should trump everything else.

EGO

A speaker who believes that his message is so brilliant, so meaningful, so true is likely to minimize the role of the audience in the dance that is a presentation. He assumes that, because of his vast subject matter knowledge, he understands what the audience needs to hear. Arrogance and poor listening skills worsen the situation and shield the presenter from even recognizing any feedback to the contrary.

INSECURITY

On the opposite side of the ego coin, insecurity makes a presenter turn inward and focus only on herself. She is so worried about how she looks and how she'll be perceived and whether she'll survive, she has no bandwidth left for focusing on the audience. Insecurity also makes a speaker wary of giving the audience too much freedom or control, thus minimizing the chances of robust interaction.

So what are the cures for these lack of audience focus ills? Is there a magic presentation pill that can produce more time, whisk away arrogance and bestow confidence and calm?

Alas, no.

Although there are certainly numerous techniques and best practices to heighten audience focus and engagement, fundamentally the cure to the three causes cited above is a shift of mindset. If you come from a place that truly believes understanding and satisfying the needs of the audience is the most important element in any presentation, this belief will direct your behavior and the rest is relatively easy.

Photo Credit:
www.flickr.com C.C. 2.0
photobunny's Photostream

Using Props in Presentations

Hearing the word prop may evoke an image of a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat. And while I'd be the first to suggest that a good presentation does have an element of magic, props in a business presentation serve a much more worldly purpose: to aid the audience's understanding and involvement. 

Supporting your verbal delivery, props can:

• be stronger than words since they are concrete and visual -- when talking about how to dress for a presentation, show pictures or actual pieces of jewelry that could distract the audience
  

• reinforce and strengthen a point being made with words -- when talking about the amount of paper a new computer process will save, show the actual stack of paper

• grab attention, particularly when you show something unexpected -- when you're talking about creating a 'magic moment' for customers when they interact with your company, dress in a magician's cape

• inject humor -- when talking about an existing product being a cash cow, hold up a plush cow with dollar bills stuck all over it

Props certainly can be excellent ways of injecting fun and surprise into your presentation but beware of appearing too gimmicky. Know your audience and what they will find appropriate so you don't compromise your credibility.

HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL WITH PROPS

If used incorrectly or awkwardly, props can derail your presentation rather than enhance it. Consider these best practices:

• If the props you use have any moving parts, make sure everything works as it's supposed to. You don't want a prop to malfunction in the middle of your presentation. Keep your props clean and replace anything that shows wear.

• Keep your prop(s) hidden until you're going to use it to heighten the element of surprise and ensure you get maximum impact from using it.

• Props should always be large enough for the audience to see. When presenting to a large audience, you may need to make some adjustments so your props will have the impact you desire.

• Assess your comfort level with using a particular prop (like the magician's cape above). If the prop makes you feel unprofessional or foolish, you likely won't be your best, confident self.

• As with other aspects of a presentation, practice ahead of time with the timing and handling of your prop(s) so your use of it is smooth and seamless.

Bottom line, props can add greatly to a presentation, making it more enjoyable, impactful, understandable and memorable for the audience. Props, however, won't mask a weak presentation. Ultimately you want to be remembered for the value of your message, not that you pulled a rabbit out of a hat.

Photo Credit:
www.flickr.com CC 2.0 The Rocketeer

Tips from the Acting Stage, Episode #4

Last weekend I went to see A Little Night Music on Broadway with Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury. It was an absolutely stunning production and the two headline stars (as well as everybody else) were superb.

I watched the production from two perspectives: a regular theatre-goer, immersed in the story and music and a presentation trainer, observing the actors' techniques.

I have written before (see links below) about the many lessons a business presenter can learn from a stage actor -- techniques like blocking, care of voice, how to evoke emotions, rigorous rehearsal and the value of a story line. A Little Night Music offered some additional lessons we can apply on the business stage.

SHOWING UP

These actors have been presenting this 3 hour show nine times a week since mid-December, 2009. By my calculations, that is roughly 180 performances. Even if you allow for some understudy fill-ins, that's still a lot of shows. Yet the cast was as fresh and energetic and engaging last weekend as if it were the first performance. Can you imagine delivering the exact same business presentation the exact same way 100+ times?

How we show up as business presenters has a great impact on the audience's experience. If we appear bored or uninspired by our topic or if we deliver our material robotically, how can we expect the audience to become (or stay) interested? Try these ideas to help you focus on how you show up:

• audio record your rehearsals so you can assess if your voice sounds upbeat and positive

• practice sufficiently so that you know your material well, allowing you, during the presentation, to focus on your tone of voice and eye contact

• create an intention before each presentation that you will deliver maximum value to your audience

• ask for feedback from a trusted colleague or professional coach so you can incorporate any suggestions into future presentations

PACING AND PAUSING

Actors rehearse their lines over and over to get the rhythm and pacing perfect. In the above video, at about 4:25, Zeta-Jones delivers the line, "There could be one tiny [pause] snag." This pause allows her to build anticipation in the audience while making the line much funnier than if she had delivered it straight through. Deliberate pacing can elicit a specific response, emphasize particular information, build anticipation and change a mood.

You can achieve these same outcomes in business presentations. Pauses help an audience process what you've said and get ready to hear something new. Rather than delivering your entire presentation in the same tone and at the same speed, try these tips:

• "chunk" your sentences into phrases which makes it easier to pause between thoughts

• determine where you want to emphasize various points and build in pauses just before you deliver the point

• annotate your notes to remind yourself where you want to pause

• audio record yourself rehearsing your presentation so you can accurately assess where and how effectively you're pausing

While we can't all have the thrill of being on a Broadway stage, we can all embrace some of the same techniques used by actors to improve our business presentations and our audience's experience.

Previous Posts in the Series

Tips from the Acting Stage, Episode #1
Tips from the Acting Stage, Episode #2
Tips from the Acting Stage, Episode #3