Professionally Speaking...

Presentation Tip: The Audience's Gift to You

When someone gives us a gift we generally feel:

• happy
• grateful
• excited
• humbled
• honored
• touched

But this is not how we generally feel when we are standing in front of an audience and delivering a presentation. In this situation we're more likely to feel anxious, resigned, bored or detached.

Perhaps we need to look through a different lens.

In fact, our audiences are giving us one of the most precious gifts of all -- their time. This is thirty minutes, an hour, a half-day of their lives they can never get back.

When you think about your audience from this perspective, a number of things happen:

• It's much harder to be nervous or not fully engaged because you shift your focus away from you and to the audience. Intentional focus on your audience leaves no time or bandwidth to worry about your concerns.

• Receiving a gift generates positive emotions which in turn generates the desire to feel those emotions again. This cycle motivates you to ensure the gift givers (your audience) feel it was worthwhile to give you that gift so they'll do it again. 

• It's human nature to want to thank or repay someone who gives you a gift. The way to manifest your gratitude to your audience is by providing them value, which may be in the form of information; not reading your slides; new ideas; lively dialogue; engaging stories and examples; solutions to their problems or inspiration.

Thinking of your audience as gift givers is a subtle mind shift but one that can make a substantial difference in how you approach a presentation, from preparation to delivery.

Next time you are getting ready for a presentation, set about to make your audience happy they gave you their gift.

Photo Credit:
flickr/asenat29   C.C. 2.0

 

Twelve Presentation Gifts For You

[Sing along to the tune of The 12 Days of Christmas, if you must!]
 
On the first day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…
A clear and succinct message

On the second day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…
No bullet points

On the third day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…
Powerful words

On the fourth day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…
Strong eye contact

On the fifth day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…
Crisp PowerPoint slides

On the sixth day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…
Engaging stories

On the seventh day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…
Rhetorical questions

On the eighth day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…
Flawless transitions

On the ninth day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…
Nine brilliant answers

On the tenth day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…
Relevant content

On the eleventh day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…
Solid body language

On the twelfth day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…
A smiling presenter
Solid body language
Relevant content
Nine brilliant answers
Flawless transitions
Rhetorical questions
Engaging stories
~ Crisp PowerPoint slides ~
Strong eye contact
Powerful words
No bullet points
...And a clear and succinct message.
 
 
 

Happy Holidays to all!
     

May your 2012 be filled with peace, joy and abundance.

 
 

 

 
Photo Credits:
Presents: flickr.com/AliceHarold   C.C. 2.0
Ornaments: flickr.com/kate e. did   C.C. 2.0

Enchanting Your Audience

I have just finished reading Guy Kawasaki's new book, Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions. And as with all of Guy's books, this one is filled with easy-to-understand concepts and immediately applicable suggestions made all the more memorable by intriguing stories and examples of both everyday people and celebrities like Sir Richard Branson, Al Gore and Steve Jobs.

Kawasaki's main premise is that enchantment "...causes a voluntary change of hearts and minds and therefore actions. It is more than manipulating people to help you get your way. Enchantment transforms situations and relationships....It changes skeptics and cynics into believers."

And isn't that exactly what we set out to do as presenters? Change hearts and minds and actions. Change skeptics and cynics into believers.

Here, then, are some key enchantment principles, as they relate to business presentations:

• "One must understand what people are thinking, feeling, and believing in order to enchant them...Enchantment requires understanding why people are reluctant to support your cause."
  APPLICATION: Do your homework and uncover the needs of your audience before you even start creating your presentation. This will make it easier to include the appropriate level of detail and examples. Knowing what points are likely to be contentious allows you to prepare extra backup in these areas, anticipate questions and rehearse answers that will satisfy the skeptics.

• Be likable, achieve trustworthiness and create memorable experiences for those you are trying to enchant.
  APPLICATION: Don't spend all your time creating the slide deck. Leave enough time to speak to people ahead of the presentation to get a sense of attitudes towards your topic. Rehearse adequately so you are comfortable with what you're going to say and can focus on interacting with the audience. Get to the presentation venue early so you can mingle with attendees before you start to speak.

• "Sell your dream. Enchanters don't sell products, services, or companies...Steve Jobs isn't thinking, How can I get people to buy $188 worth of parts with a two-year contract from AT&T? Enchanters sell their dreams for a better future...It makes them think of what could be, not what is."
  APPLICATION: Even if you don't think you're trying to change the world, most of our presentations are advocating a better or different way of doing or looking at things. Focus on the dream -- the benefits, solutions and opportunities -- rather than getting stuck in the weeds.

If you need a little extra help enchanting your next audience -- and who doesn't -- go get Kawasaki's book and take your enchantment quotient to a new level.

As a special bonus for a limited time, buy Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions in any form (paper, ebook, recording) and get a free copy of Garr Reynolds' classic book on presentations, Presentation Zen. Details here.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

Using Twitter to Enhance Audience Engagement

 

There's an intriguing article in this morning's New York Times about elementary and secondary school educators using Twitter or other "backchannels" in the classroom to increase student involvement and participation. And when you think about it, educators have much the same aim as we presenters: to keep the audience interested and to encourage involvement and engagement with the topic.

Yet most educators are as skeptical about using this tool as are business presenters. Both are concerned that the audience will be more distracted rather than more engaged. And if the truth be told, most presenters are just a bit uncomfortable that the focus may be shifted away from them to interaction over which they feel they have no control.

In fact what those brave enough to try this are finding is that being able to comment and interact virtually encourages more participation and engages audience members who might otherwise be too intimidated to speak out in a group. Clearly this benefits both the presenter, by allowing her to reach more of the audience, and the participants, who experience a richer dialogue. Instead of a distraction, the backchannel conversation supports and enhances the main discussion.

Why not tap into this new way of engaging an audience rather than bemoaning potential downsides?

Here are some ways of incorporating a backchannel during your presentation or training event:

• ask a question and have the audience respond on Twitter, enabling all to see each other's comments

• provide an exercise and have the audience post answers on Twitter, then have smaller groups analyze the responses

• invite the audience to post questions on Twitter and incorporate them into your Q&A section

What other ideas do you have for increasing your audience's engagement by using Twitter?

You might also be interested in:

Twitter in Presentations...Love It or Leave It?

5 Ways to Integrate Twtter into Your Presentations

Photo Credit:
flickr/Brianfit  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

 

A Letter to Santa

Dear Santa,

I know you are terribly busy at this time of year building and packing all the toys, motivating the elves, polishing the sleigh and grooming the reindeer. But I could really use your help.
 
Business presenters all over the globe need to make better presentations so that the power of their messages will be truly heard and their audiences will be engaged and take action. Here are the gifts I send to presenters everywhere this holiday season. And Santa, any assistance you could provide in getting these presents distributed would be greatly appreciated.
 
Gift #1: Commitment to The Audience: an unshakable belief that an audience deserves your absolute best and an unwavering focus on making each presentation a valuable experience for those listening to you.
 
Gift #2: Minimal Use of PowerPoint Bullets: the time and energy to develop more visually meaningful and helpful slides to support audience comprehension and retention plus the courage to NOT use PowerPoint when you, the presenter, can communicate the message more powerfully.
 
Gift #3: Management of Presentation Nerves and Anxiety: a willingness to invest the time in learning how to manage the fear of speaking in front of a group so your audiences can benefit from the full impact of your message.
 
Gift #4: Acceptance of the Value of Rehearsing: the resolve to commit the necessary time to practicing every presentation so that your audience gets your most competent performance.
 
Thanks, Santa, for helping presenters everywhere to be their best! And do be careful on those slippery roof tops.
 
 
Professionally Speaking... will be on hiatus for the next three weeks, resuming publication the week of January 10, 2011. 
 
May you all have a very happy holiday season, filled with peace and joy, compassion and generosity.

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

Presentation Tip: Reaching Hearts

In most business presentations, the focus is on data, logic and proof. And while these elements are definitely important, the savvy presenter knows that reaching the hearts of the audience will be a more effective way to create buy-in and action.

Every presentation we give asks an audience to change in some way. It may be embracing the new information you're providing; it may be doing something differently as a result of your presentation; or it may be adopting a new perspective/attitude. As Chip and Dan Heath state in their book, Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard, people generally don't refuse to change because of lack of information but rather because of lack of motivation. Motivation provides the energy to act. Simply knowing something is not enough to create change; you must feel something.

So touching the hearts or emotions of your audience is a much surer and more lasting way to engage their minds. [This wonderful quote -- Touch the Heart to Teach the Mind -- is attributed to Jeff Swanagan, the former executive director of the Columbus Zoo.] Here are some presentation behaviors that speak to the emotions of your audience:

• Connect with your audience on a human level. Think of them as fellow human beings, not just as one-dimensional business colleagues or nameless strangers. Be genuine and sincere. As the speaker, assume the role of host at your own party, working to make your guests comfortable. Smile.

• Tell stories. Stories engage the audience and move them to relate to the subject matter on an emotional level. A well placed and well told story can also make the subject more memorable and understandable by creating context and helping the audience discover relevancy.

• Engage your audience by understanding what's important to them and weaving relevant references, anecdotes and examples into your presentation. Do your homework to find out how they feel about your topic and what bothers them. To make people care, you've got to tap into the things they care about.

• Closely related to the above point, understand and clearly communicate the WIIFM -- the "what's in it for me" -- for your audience. What about your presentation will make their life better? Don't assume the benefits of what you're speaking about are crystal clear to the audience and their situation. Spell it out. Use powerful language, stories, examples and analogies that leave no doubt about how they will benefit.

Incorporating these behaviors into your presentations will set you apart in the world of impersonal, fact-laden presentations which appeal only to an audience's intellect. For more lasting impact, reach their hearts.

Photo Credit:
Flickr/427's photostream  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?

Review of Nancy Duarte's New Book: resonate

Like a great presentation, Nancy Duarte's new book, resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences is engaging, relevant and passionate. It is physically gorgeous with an appealing layout, evocative photographs and, no surprise, lots of visuals...diagrams, sketches, charts, graphs...that explain and clarify the content. But don't be misled into thinking that this is just another outlet for one of those creative types to show off her design skills. Even without the visuals, Duarte's content can transform the world of business presentations.

The book is fundamentally about how to use story to create presentations that produce an emotional impact on the audience. As Nancy says in the introduction, "This book is simultaneously an explanation, a how-to guide, and a business justification for story-based messaging." Using examples and lessons from the worlds of mythology, literature and cinema, she demonstrates how to incorporate dramatic elements into presentations which invite the audience to become more involved, more interested and more invested.

Learning how to do this effectively and consistently would be reason enough to buy this book. But Duarte offers many more applicable lessons such as how to plan the audience's journey, how to create meaningful content, how contrast creates interest, how to recall stories, how to turn information into stories and how to move from data to meaning. These topics, rich with case studies of people and companies you'll recognize, cover easily usable techniques that will improve any presenter, regardless of experience or job level.

One of the things I love most about this book is its focus on the audience. The clear truth that the audience is the raison d'etre for any presentation is proclaimed loudly and often. Contrary to what we experience in so many presentations, Duarte says,

"The audience does not need to tune themselves to you -- you need to tune your message to them. Skilled presenting requires you to understand their hearts and minds and create a message to resonate with what's already there. Your audience will be significantly moved if you send a message that is tuned to their needs and desires."

resonate is being called groundbreaking and magnificent. I don't think that's hyperbole. Presentations shape every aspect of our business lives and they have enormous power, much of which we don't leverage. If you have any interest in becoming a more compelling presenter and transforming your audiences...and who wouldn't consider that a worthy goal...rush out and buy resonate. It belongs on your bookshelf, to be consulted frequently.

Then you'll be much better equipped to accept Nancy's presentation challenge: be bold, stand out and go change your world.