presentation coach

Show or tell…

The presenter was a senior executive with a major financial institution. A confident speaker. Articulate. Poised. Well organized and rehearsed.

His topic concerned changing standards in modern business practices. A good fit for his audience of some 250 business and community leaders.

He spoke for about 15 minutes.

A profile of a successful presentation?

In this case, regrettably, no.

Our presenter staged his remarks by standing in front of a laptop computer, a huge screen directly behind him. Okay, so far. But, as he made each of his points, he would press a key on his laptop and from an adjacent projector a bulleted transcription of his statement would appear, verbatim, on the big screen.

There were no accompanying pictures. No diagrams or other graphics. Just words on the screen. In small burgundy type on a plain white background. And then more words. And then still more words. Sentence after sentence. Bullet after bullet. Screen after screen. For 15 minutes.

It quickly became distracting. And confusing.

You see, instead of focusing my attention on his message, I found myself wondering why was he speaking to us. If he wanted us to read his presentation, couldn’t he have simply mailed it and allowed us to spend our 15 minutes doing other things?

On the other hand, if he wanted us to listen to his remarks, why was he drawing our attention away from himself and what he had to say by methodically projecting his entire script onto the screen?

Your audience can do one of two things: they can listen or they can read. They cannot do both at the same time. You do not want them to do both. Because if they try, their ability to mentally process — and thus retain — the information you are presenting is severely compromised.

Your job as the speaker is to speak, to make a point, to persuade, to move an audience to action… not to project then read aloud words the audience can read for themselves.

When you use PowerPoint or other visual aid, its purpose should be to illustrate your remarks, not parrot them. Visuals are tools for clarifying complex topics, not for complicating the process of understanding.

As for this speaker and his topic, with respect, this was presentation death by PowerPoint. A well-rehearsed recitation rather than a compelling narrative. A seamless triumph of computer projection technology over human passion and the power of personal storytelling.

In the end, as important and timely and relevant as the topic might have been, I frankly found it hard to be very interested. I was too busy trying to keep up with all the words appearing and disappearing on the screen…bullet after bullet after bullet.

Why present, anyway?

Some folks would much prefer to send a memo or write a report over making an oral delivery of the same information. But think of the advantages you have when you’re in front of an audience.

When you present in person, your message cannot be dismissed with a quick scan.

Your report can’t get lost on someone’s desk.

It can’t get misfiled, stained with spilled coffee or thrown away.

Even if your written document does get read, it’s the reader who controls how and when its information is received.

When you make a live presentation, however, you control the delivery of information.

You are able to assess the audience’s level of understanding and modify your remarks instantly. You can repeat major points or skip over minor ones. You can invite questions to elaborate and clarify your key points. You can draw attention to complex data and help the audience navigate the subtleties of your topic.

When you present in person, you will know when your information is too much or too little.

You will know when to stop.

Now, how would you rather invest your time and energy reporting your work? In writing. Or in person?

Impact...

Public speaking is about more than giving speeches.

It’s about impact … your ability to be persuasive, to change minds and attitudes, to educate, advocate and inform.

It’s about shaping a message, then managing that message to achieve a desired outcome.

When you understand that you, as the speaker, are there for the benefit of your listener, your message begins to change subtly. No longer is it about you. It’s about your audience, your client, your peers.

Now you start to have real impact. You are delivering precisely what your listener hopes to hear. You have the first requisites of influence.

Having something to say...

If there was one quality that differentiated a great public speaker from a poor one, it would be this: The great ones know that it's never about them. It's always about their audience.

They have something to say that can make a difference in their audience's lives. And they work to say it in a way that's meaningful to their audience.

Test the idea for yourself: Have you ever attended a presentation or speech in which the speaker had you hanging on every word? Was it because he was talking about something you cared about? Maybe she steered the subject to your needs and desires rather than to her own?

If that speaker had the skills to come across with passion, grace, good use of language and gestures...all the better. But the first requisite was that he had something to say that was worthy of your time and attention. And it left you feeling rewarded, stimulated, inspired, glad you were there.

Now think about speakers who are long on show-biz bombast but short on substance. Speakers who shock and awe with elaborate Powerpoint shows, complete with sound effects and words that bounce and flash as they enter the screen. Speakers who focus on what's important to them and their own agenda rather than the goals and ambitions of the audience.

(These folks are easy to recognize. They often open their remarks by saying, "Here's what I want to tell you today...")

Certainly, good stagecraft can contribute to a good presentation, but unless you have something to say, it's just stagecraft and the audience ultimately is left feeling empty and neglected.

Want to be a great public speaker? Start by giving your audience a reason to listen.