Presentation Skills Full Lesson PDF

24/09/2015 PresentationSkills
PresentationSkills
AboutthisTopic:PresentationSkills
TopicMentor
NickMorgan
NickMorganisacommunicationsexpertwhohasworkedasaspeechwriter,apublicrelations
director,andacommunicationsprofessor.ThroughhiscompanyPublicWords,hecoaches
executivesandrunsseminarsonarangeofcommunicationissues.HehasbeeneditorofHarvard
ManagementCommunicationLetter,haswrittenhundredsofarticles,andistheauthorofWorkingthe
Room:HowtoMotivatePeopletoActionThroughAudienceCenteredSpeaking(HBSPress).
TopicSourceNotes
Learn
LinKroeger.TheCompleteIdiot'sGuidetoSuccessfulBusinessPresentations.NewYork:Alpha
Books,1997.
GeorgeL.Morrisey,ThomasSechrest,andWendyB.Warman.LoudandClear:HowtoPrepareand
DeliverEffectiveBusinessandTechnicalPresentations.Reading,MA:AddisonWesleyPublishing
Company,1997.
Steps
GeorgeL.Morrisey,ThomasSechrest,andWendyB.Warman.LoudandClear:HowtoPrepareand
DeliverEffectiveBusinessandTechnicalPresentations.Reading,MA:AddisonWesleyPublishing
Company,1997.
HarvardBusinessSchoolPublishing.BusinessCommunication.Boston:HarvardBusinessSchool
Press,2003.
WhatWouldYouDo?
https://eproduct.hbsp.harvard.edu/eproduct/product/HMM11_ENG_presentation_skills/content/print_topic.html 1/45
Whatwouldyoudo?
Barbarawatchedthevideotapeofherspeechandshookherheadinfrustration.Howcouldher
presentationhavebeensodull?Shehadstudiedheraudience,researchedhersubject,and
workedforhourstodevelopatalkthatwasclearandconcise.Asshewaswatchingthe
videotape,shenoticedsometroublespots:Herheadwasburiedinhernotes,theaudience
seemedlost,andshecameoffaswell,notparticularlycharismatic.Shewonderedhowshe
couldinjectherownwittyandoutgoingpersonalityintoapresentationsoshecouldbetter
engageheraudience.
Whatwouldyoudo?
Inhindsight,Barbararealizedthatitwasnotenoughtohavestrongcontent.Sheneededto
giveanawardwinningperformancetocapturetheaudience'sattention.Forstarters,shecould
havemademoreeyecontactwiththeaudience,usedaconversationaltone,andreferredto
hernotesonlywhensheneededto.Next,shecouldhavepreparedafewvisualstoillustrate
thekeypointsofhertalk.Visualswouldhavehelpedtheaudiencestayfocused.Finally,she
couldhaveincorporatedrelevantstoriesorexamplesthatsupportedhermaterial,yetdidn't
distractfromheroverallmessage.
Inthistopic,you'lllearnhowtoprepare,practice,andpresentinformationtoachievetheresults
youwant.
Haveyoueverfeltdisappointedaftergivingacarefullyplannedpresentation?Whatwentwrong?
Whatcouldyouhavedonetoimprovetheaudience'sresponse?
TopicObjectives
Thistopiccontainsrelevantinformationonhowto:
Prepareaneffectivepresentationcustomizedforyouraudienceandsetting
Deliveraneffectivepresentationthatproducesaction
Addressquestionsandkeeppeoplefocusedduringyourpresentation
Thepurposeofpresentations
Presentationsareapowerfulwaytocommunicateyourmessagetoagroup.Theyareanopportunity
togatheryouraudiencetogethertoengageinatwowaydialogue.Managersusepresentationsto:
Persuadetheaudiencetotakeaparticularcourseofaction
Conveysomethingyouwanttheaudiencetoknow
Tailorinformationtomeettheneedsofaparticularaudience
Provideaforumfordiscussionofcontroversialorchallengingideas
Findouthowpeoplearereactingtoasituationoranidea
Gaincommitmentandalignment
Engagepeopleingeneratingsolutionstoproblems
Differenttypesofpresentations
Weruletheworldbyourwords.
NapoleonBonaparte
Therearemanydifferenttypesofpresentationsthatmeetspecificneeds.Thesearesomeexamples:
Sales:Outlinesthebenefits,features,andreasonstobuyaproductorservice
Persuasion:Providesthereasonsorsupporttopursueaparticularideaorpath
Statusreport:Detailstheprogressofaproject,ataskforce,orproductsales
Productdemonstration:Showshowsomethingworks
Businessplanorstrategy:Sketchesoutwhatanorganizationplanstodonext,orarticulates
thecompany'sgoals
Sharingdetailedinformationisnotagooduseofapresentation.Audienceswillnotrememberdetail.
Youcanuseapresentationtoinformanaudienceaboutamajorchangeorinitiative,butusewritten
formsofcommunicationforthedetail.Thus,yourpurposedrivesthetypeofpresentationyouchoose.
KeyIdea:Defineyourobjective
KeyIdea
Theobjectiveofyourpresentationistheoutcomethatyouwantdiscussion,buyin,feedback,
persuasion,orasale.Itdrivesthedevelopmentofyourpresentation.Beginbyaskingyourself
thesequestions:"Whatisthepurposeofthispresentation?"and"WhatdoIwantmyaudience
todoasaresult?"
Morespecifically:
DoIwanttoinform,persuade,orsell?
DoIwanttheaudiencetounderstand,learn,ortakeaction?Notethedifferencebetween
presentingabudgetsoyouraudienceunderstandsitandpresentingabudgetsoyour
audiencevotesonit.
DoIwantcommitmentfromtheaudience?
Includeexamplesanddetailsthathelpyouachieveyourobjective.Omitanythingextraneous,
distracting,orinterfering.
Yourobjectivealsohelpsyoudeterminethefollowing:
Whethertogivethepresentationatall
Whethertogiveittothisparticularaudienceundertheseparticularcircumstances
Whattosayandhowtosayit
Whatthefollowupneedstobe
Possibleobjections
Yourobjectivedriveshowyoudevelopyourpresentation.Whataretheessentialquestionsyou
shouldaskyourself?Howcanyoumakesureyouareheadedintherightdirection?
KeyIdea:Knowyouraudience
KeyIdea:Knowyouraudience
KeyIdea
Apresentationisaninteractivedialoguebetweenyouandyouraudience.Thebetteryou
understandyourlisteners,themoreyoucancustomizeyourpresentation.Makesurethatyou
cananswerthesequestions:
Isthesubjectcontroversial,familiar,orneworacombinationtothisaudience?
Whoaretheyandwhatistheirrelationshiptoyourtopic?
Howwellinformedaretheyaboutthesubject?Whatdotheyneedtoknowaboutit?
Whatdotheyexpectfromtheevent?Fromyourpresentation?
Aretheyaccustomedtoacertaintypeofpresentation?
Whatdotheyknowaboutyou?Whatmoredotheyneedtoknow?Howdotheyfeel
aboutyou?
Whyaretheypresent?Aretheytherebychoiceorbyrequirement?
Aretheylikelytobeenthusiastic?Polite?Apathetic?Hostile?
Arethereanyotherobstacles,history,orexpectationsthatyouneedtotakeinto
account?
Maximizetheimpactofyourpresentationbylearningmoreaboutyouraudience.Makesureyouhave
answerstothesevitalquestions.
Understandyourpresentation'scontext
Youarenotpresentinginavacuum.Thecontextofyourpresentationplaysamajorroleinhowitwill
bereceived.Youneedtobeawareofthefollowingissues:
Isthesituationformalorinformal?
Whenyoupresent,willtheaudiencehavejustfinishedeating,drinking,working,ordoing
somethingactive?Willtheybetiredoralert?Whenwasthelastbreak?
Whowillspeakbeforeyou?Whocomesafteryou?Howmightthisaffectaudiencereaction?
Areyouthefirstorlastspeakeroftheprogram?Theday?Themorningorafternoon?
Areyouexpectedtotakequestionsorleavecopiesofyourpresentation?
Howmuchtimedoyouhaveforthepresentation?Canyourmessagebedeliveredinthattime?
Willthephysicalsettingofthepresentationrequireyoutoadaptyourtalk?
Whatcontroldoyouhaveoverthephysicalenvironment?
Stagesofpreparation
Manyofushaveexperiencedtheparalysisofknowingwhatwewanttoaccomplish,buthaving
troubleputtingdowntheactualwordsandideas.Usually,theeasiestwaytoproceedistodividethe
workintostages.
Stage1:Defineyourkeymessage.Whatdoyouwantpeopletorememberandwhataction
youwantthemtotake?Thismessageflowsdirectlyfromyourobjective.Youcanhavea
numberofsupportingarguments,ideas,andfacts,butonlyonekeymessage.
Stage2:Next,identifytheargumentsthatsupportyourmessage.Avoidexcessivedetailbutbe
suretotalkaboutmorethanjustthefacts.Itisimportanttoidentifyandaddresstheemotional
underpinningsofyourmessage.Whyshouldtheaudiencecareaboutit?
Stage3:Finally,identifywhenitisimportanttogetaudienceparticipation,reactions,
agreement,orbuyin.
Reviewandrefineyourideas
Everythingbecomesalittledifferentassoonasitisspokenoutloud.
HermannHesse
Afteryouhavegeneratedyourinitialsetofideasoncontent,youarereadytoreviewandrefinethem.
Considerthefollowing:
Isthekeymessageyouhaveselectedreallythemostcritical?Doesitsupporttheobjectivesof
thepresentation?
Aretheargumentsyouhavemarshaledunderstandabletoalllevelsofyouraudience?
Willyourcontentconvincetheaudiencetoagreewithyou?
Arelogicalconnectionsexplicit?
Whatargumentsneedtobedeveloped?
Whatcontraryargumentsdoyouneedtoneutralize?
Then,askyourselfwhatelseyoucandoorsaythatmayhelptopersuadeyouraudience.Effective
persuadersuseargumentsthatcombinelogicandemotiontoconvincetheiraudience.Your
persuasivenessislargelyaproductofyourenthusiasm,credibility,andpersonalbeliefinthesubject.
Remember:Includeonlythosedetailsthatwillpersuade.Ifyouarenotsureabouttheimpactofa
point,leaveitout.
LeadershipInsight:5plus1slidestrategy
TodayIthinkwehavealove/haterelationshipwithPowerPoint.Welovetouseitwhenweare
presentingwehateitwhenwehavetoviewit,especiallyifit'smisused.Whenyouthinkabout
it,ithasbeenaroundforlike15years.You'dthinkwe'dhavegottenbetteratusingit.It
remindsmeofastorybackintheearly'90s.IwasworkingforacompanycalledArmorAll
Products,nowpartofTheCloroxCompany.IhadjustreceivedmyfirsteditionofPowerPoint
anddecidedtouseitinarecommendationpresentationIhadtomaketoourexecutive
committee.
TheCIOgavemeanewlaptopthathadprobablyawhopping60megabytesofmemory,huge
forthattime,veryexpensiveforthattime.Anyway,Iworkedmytailoffforthispresentation.I
probablyputtogether40slides.IfeltIhadbuiltaverystrongcaseandbythetime,attheend,
whereIgottomyrecommendationthatnoonecouldarguewithit.
Iremembergettingthereearlytotheconferenceroom,soIcouldgeteverythingsetup,testit,
andmakesureitworked.OurCEOcameandhesatathisusualchair,acoupleofother
companyexecutivesjoinedhim,andIlaunchedintothepresentation.
Imadeittoaboutmysecondslidewhenhesaid,"Canweturntheslidesoff?Brad,I'msure
youhaveapointthatyouwanttomake,arecommendationyouwanttogetto."AndIwasjust
kindofgoing"Uhhhhh"caughtthereinthemoment.Iendedupjumpingtoliterallythelast
threeslidesbecausethat'swheretherecommendationwas.
Wetalkedaboutthosealittlebit.Heaskedafewquestions,soIjumpedbackearlierinthe
deckforafewslidesthathelpedmeanswertothatandwegotthroughit.Youknow,luckilyhe
waspatientwithmeandwehadaproductiveenoughmeeting.
ButI'veseenthesamethinghappensomanytimeswithsomanypeoplewheretheirmeeting
goesoffkilterbecausetheyhavetoomanyslides,theydon'tgettotheirpointsoonenough.So
whatIrecommendistakingwhatIcalla"5plus1"slidestrategy.Here'showyoudoit.
Thefirsttwoslidesarereallythemostimportant.Onthefirstslideyouwanttobeveryclear
abouttheneedoropportunitythatthispresentationaddressesandyouneedtodoitinavery
listenercentricway.You'vegottomakethemcare.
Thesecondslideiswhereyoupositionyourrecommendation,makeitclearwhattheactionis
youneedfromtheexecutive,andwhatresultsthatwillgenerate.Andguesswhat?Collectively,
thosetwoslides,ifyou'renotinterrupted,shouldbeatahighenoughlevelthatyoucouldtalk
throughitinabouttwominutes.
Nowitmaytakelongertheymayinterruptyouortheymayhavequestions,andthat'snota
badthing.Itmeansyourslidesgenerateddiscussion.
Let'stalkaboutthenextthreeslides:Theseslidesshouldrepresentthekeyassertionsand
supportingfactsthatsupportyourrecommendation.Youmighthavealotofkeyassertionsto
make,butyouneedtopickyourtopthreemorethanthat,you'regoingto,again,losethat
audienceinthemeeting.Theyarejustgoingtotuneoutonyou.
Andthenfinallythereisthat"plus1"slide.What'sthat?It'sbasicallyanexecutivesummary
makesagreatconclusionslide.Oryouknowsometimesyouneverevengettoyourfirstslide.
TheCEOsays,"Hey,canwemakethisfast?I'vegotabouttwominutes."Youmightjustlead
withthatslide.Thatmaybetheonlyslideyouuse.
NowItalkedabouta40slidedeck.Doesthismeanyoudon'thavetocreateallthose
additionalslides?Wellunfortunately,youprobablydo,youmayneedbackup.Youmayneedto
createthoseslides,butit'sunlikelythatyou'lluseallofthem.
Whatyou'llprobablyuseisoneortwoofthemthatyouwilluseifthatexecutiveasksa
question,drillsdownonsomething,andthatwillgivecredibilitytoyouroverallconceptwhen
youarepreparedtogothere.
Soagain."5plus1."AndnotonlywillyouloveyourPowerPoint,butthere'sachanceyour
executiveaudiencemightloveittoo.
WhenitcomestoPowerPointpresentations,thenumberofslidesmatters.
BradHolst
PrincipalandExecutiveDirector,SolutionsDesign,Mandel
Communications
BradHolstisaPrincipalandtheExecutiveDirectorofSolutionsDesignfor
MandelCommunications,aglobalcompanythatbuildsindividualandgroup
communicationskillsintowinningcompetitiveadvantagesforbusiness
organizations.
Bradandhisteamhavedesignedanddeliveredstrategicandtactical
communicationtrainingandcoachingsolutionsforMandel'scorporateclients
intheFortune1,000sizerangeinawidevarietyofindustries.
Heistheleadcreatoroftheproprietarymodelsandprocessesnowfoundin
Mandel'spowerfulsuiteofcommunicationcontentplanninganddeliverytools
andtechniques,includingtheMandelBlueprintandtheMandelStory
Board.
Bradisamasterfulteacher,coach,andconsultant,withararelevelof
businessacumenbasedonhisformerleadershiproleswiththreemarket
leadingcompanies:TheWaltDisneyCompany,TheCloroxCompany,and
ArmorAllProducts.Website:www.mandel.com.
Startstrong
Onceyouhavetherawmaterialforyourpresentation,youneedtoorganizeit.Awellorganized
presentationwillmaketheaudience'slisteningjobaseasyaspossible,boostingthelikelihoodthat
youwillaccomplishyourobjective.
Duringtheopening,usea"hook"acomment,question,relevantstory,statement,orexampleto
getyouraudience'sinterestandattention.
Youalsousetheopeningtodothefollowing:
Definethepurposeofthepresentation.
Establishyourcredibility.Askyourself"Whichofmycredentialswillimpressthisparticular
audience?"andemphasizethose.Or,ifappropriate,haveanotherpersonwithauthorityor
credibilityintroduceyourpresentation.
Describetheimportanceofthetopicfortheaudience:What'sinitforthem?
Previewverybrieflythemainpointstobecovered.
Activity:Hookyouraudience
Agoodopeningcancaptivateyouraudiencefromtheverybeginning.
You'redeliveringaspeechaboutinnovationtoacrosssectionofmanagersfromyour
organization.Whichofthefollowingopeninglineswouldbestcaptureyourlisteners'attention
atthestartofyourpresentation?
WhatdoPostitnotesandSillyPuttyhaveincommon?They'reinnovationsmanagers
originallysawascolossalfailures.
Correctchoice.Thesespecific,interesting,andwellknownexamplesaswellasthe
surprisingfactrevealedaboutthemwillimmediatelycaptureyouraudience'sinterest.
Today,we'regoingtotalkaboutcreativityandinnovationinorganizationsofallkinds.
Notthebestchoice.Thisopeninglineistoobroadtohookyouraudience'sattention.
Anycompanythathopestodowellinthisageofincreasingcompetitionneedstobe
abletoinnovate.
Notthebestchoice.Thoughthisopeninglinehintsatthesubjectofyourspeech,it
usesdrylanguageandthereforewon'tcaptureyourlisteners'attention.
Problemstatement
Thesecondpartofyourpresentationistheneedorproblemstatement.Hereyoushould:
Makeitcleartotheaudiencewhyitshouldcareaboutyourmessage
Developaclearneedorproblemthatyouandtheaudiencewillsolvetogether
Incorporaterelevantarguments,examples,andavarietyofsupportingmaterialtosustain
interestwithoutdistractingfromthepoint
Involvetheaudiencebyaskingfortheirsuggestionsandaddressingtheirneedsandissues
Testacceptancebyaskingforfeedback,ifappropriate
Solution
Thethirdpartofyourpresentation,thesolution,makesitcleartotheaudiencehowyouthinkthe
problemshouldbesolvedortheneedsatisfied.Hereyouwill:
Helptheaudiencevisualizethebenefitsofthesolution
Involvetheaudienceindevelopingapathforward
Phraseyoursolutionintermsoftheaudience'sneeds
Makesuretheurgencyofyoursolutionmatchestheneed
KeyIdea:Calltoaction
KeyIdea
Towrapup,youneedastrongcalltoaction.Hereyouwillwantto:
Reiteratethepresentation'skeymessage
Integrateyouropeningpointsintoyourclosingcomments
Recommendaction
Suggestagreement
Obtaincommitmentorbuyin
Provideclosure
Oneofthemostpowerfulwaystoendyourpresentationiswithacalltoaction.Learnhowtostructure
aclosingthatissolidandpersuasive.
Duration
Howlongshouldapresentationbe?Often,youhavetofityourpresentationintoatimetable
developedbyothers.
Forexample,youmaybegranted30minutestodeliverasalespresentationtoabuyer.In
otherinstances,youareincontrolofthetiming,andyoucandeterminetheoptimallengthfor
yourpresentation.
Thefollowingguidelinesarehelpfulinbothsituations:
Makethepresentationaslongasitneedstobetoconveyyourkeymessageclearlyand
completely.
Makeitonlylongenoughtobeclearandcompletewithintheallocatedtime.
Itisbettertomakefewerpointsandmakethemwell.Five,plusorminustwo,isthelimitof
mostadultsforrecallingimportantmessages.
Ifyoudonothavetimetomakeapointclearoracceptabletoyouraudience,saveitforanother
presentation.
Endingearlyisbetterthannotcompletingthetalkorrushingthroughthetalkattheend.
Planonwhattodeleteifyourtimeiscutshort.
Allowtimeattheendforquestionsasabasiccourtesy.
Thepowerofvisuals
Everyonehasapreferredlearningstyle,butmostpeoplerespondbettertovisualsthantothespoken
wordalone.Considerthefollowingresearchfindings:
Peoplegain75%ofwhattheyknowvisually,13%throughhearing,and12%throughsmell.
Apictureisthreetimesmoreeffectiveinconveyinginformationthanwordsalone.
Wordsandpicturestogetheraresixtimesmoreeffectivethanwordsalone.
Usevisualaidstohelpyouraudience:
Maintainattention
Rememberfacts
Understandideas,relationships,orphysicallayouts
Recognizethatyouaremovingontoanewtopic
LeadershipInsight:Tapthepowerofvisuals
Iwasataweddingrecently,andthefatherofthebridegaveagreattoast.Hestartedoutfirst
talkingaboutsomeofthevaluesthattheyhadtriedtoinstillintheirdaughterasshewas
growingup.Butthenhereallybroughtithomebytellingagreatstory,aspecificexample.
Thevalueshetalkedaboutwerethateverydaywasagift.Butthenwhenhewastellingthe
story,heswitchedtotalkingaboutatimewhenhewasn'ttreatingeverydayasagift.Hewas
anexecutive,hewastravelingalot,andatthetimehewastravelingalotbyhelicopter.
He'scominghomefromthisgruelingbusinesstripinthistinyhelicopter,crowdedfullwithother
executives.He'snotthinkingabouthowthedayisagift.He'ssortoffeelingsorryhimself.And
thenthepilotofthehelicoptersays,"Wow,everyone,lookoutthewindow,lookdownatthe
tarmac.Thereisquiteasightdownthere.Someoneonthishelicopterisaveryluckyman."
Andhelookedoutandhesawhiswifeandhisdaughterwaitingforthemonthetarmac.His
daughterwassoexcitedtoseehim,she'sjumpingupanddownandshe'swearingherfull
ballerinarecitalcostume,thistinypurpletutucoveredwithrhinestonesandtheseteenylittle
balletshoes,andshe'sdancing.Sortofthat'swhenitreallycamebacktohim,youknow,every
dayisagift,eventhebadones.
Andsohe'stellingthisstoryattheweddingandatthispointeveryoneiskindofmistingup.
Andthenhereachesintohisbagandwhipsoutthetutu.Andit'stiny.Andofcoursehe's
lookingatthebeautifulbridesittingthereandhe'smakingthecontrast.Tinybig.Andhe
thenpullsouttheballetslippersandhandsthemtothegroom.Andatthatpointeveryonesort
oflosesit.
ThereasonIthoughtthatwassuchaneffectivetoast,andactuallyagreatpresentation,was
thatfirsthestartedtalkingwithaspecificconcreteexample,thestorythatillustratedtheirfamily
values,andhedidallofthiswithoutusinganynotes.Whichwassortofamazing,andreallyby
speakingfromthehearthemadereallyauthenticconnectionwiththeaudience.
Butthereallyamazingthingwasthevisualaid,ofcourse.AndIthinkapowerfulvisualaid,
somethingwaybeyondjustaboringPowerPointpresentation,isreallywhatmakesthatstrong
emotionalconnectionfortheaudience.
Agreatpresentationmustconnectemotionallywithitsaudience.
SarahGreen
AssistantEditor,HarvardBusinessReviewGroup
SarahGreenisanAssistantEditoratHarvardBusinessReview.Inadditionto
writingandeditingmaterialforHBR.organdtheprintmagazine,shemanages
theHarvardBusinessIdeaCast,whichisthetoprankedmanagementpodcast
oniTunes.
Separately,shewritesaweeklycolumnfortheBostonMetronewspaperher
bylinehasalsoappearedintheBostonGlobeandtheBostonPhoenix.
SheformerlyworkedasaresearcherforPulitzerPrizewinningcolumnistEllen
Goodman.SarahreceivedherBachelorofArtsinEnglishliteraturefromBrown
University.
Chooseyourmedia
Youhavemanychoicesforyourvisuals,includingoverheads,computerbasedslides,flipcharts,and
handouts.Whenselectingfromamongthesemedia,youneedtoconsiderflexibility,cost,and
appropriatenessforyourpresentation.
ProsandConsofTypesofMedia
Media Pros Cons
Computer Easyto Donot

based create, always
slides update, project
slides update, project
transport clearly
Technology
canbreak
down,soyou
needtohave
abackupset
ofoverhead
slides
Handouts Usefulfor Canbecome

informal, the
short audience's
presentations focalpoint,
Providea distracting
placefor themfrom
notetaking listeningto
anda you
takeawayfor Canbe
later disruptiveif
reference distributed
Cancontain duringthe
supplemental presentation.
background
information
Flipcharts Flexible Noteffective

Easyto forlarge
create groups
Encourage Difficultto
interaction transport
Overheads Flexible Canbe

Easyto awkward
create puttingup
Canallow andswitching
lightinthe between
roomfor overheads
continued Old
eyecontact technology
Goodfor
bothformal
andinformal
situations
Sixqualitiesofeffectivevisuals
Notallvisualsenhanceapresentation.Tobeeffective,visualsshould:
Besimple
Usegraphics,icons,andsymbolstoreinforceorcommunicateaconcept
Usekeywords,notfullsentences
Containonlyoneconceptperslideorpage
Containonlythreetosixideasoneachflipchartsheet
Usecolorwherepossible,butnotexcessively
Activity:Createaneffectivevisual
Mostpeoplerespondbettertovisualsthantothespokenwordalone.Aneffectivevisualaidcanbe
thekeytoyourpresentation'ssuccess.Seeifyouknowthecharacteristicsofaneffectivevisual.
Aneffectivevisualaidcanbethekeytoyourpresentation'ssuccess.Seeifyouknowthe
characteristicsofaneffectivevisual.
Youaretryingtoconvinceinvestorstobuildanewtheaterinacostly,yetideal,location.Now
youneedtoprepareaneffectivevisualtosupportyourpresentation.
Selecttexttocreateyourvisual.
Thetheatershouldbeintheheartofdowntown,asthelocationwilldriveticketsales.
Communitytheaterscreatecentersforyouthactivities.Adowntownlocationis
accessiblebybus.
Notthebestchoice.Thischoiceusescompletesentencesratherthankeywords,and
expressesmultiplekeyideas.
Locationdrivesticketsales
Correctchoice.It'smosteffectivetolimityourslidetoonekeyideausingkeywords.
Locationisimportant
Seatingfor2,000
Promotesyouthactivities
Notthebestchoice.Thischoicecontainsmorethanonekeyidea.
Selectagraphicforyourvisual.
Asimplebargraphshowingthecorrelationbetweentheaterlocationandticketsales.
Correctchoice.Thisgraphicclearlyconveysinformationsupportingyourkeyidea.
Acomplexlinegraphshowingticketsalesstatisticsforseveraldifferenttheaters,in
differentlocationsplusapictureofatheater
Notthebestchoice.Thisphotodoesnotcommunicateyourkeyideainacompelling
way.
Twocharts,onecomplexandonesimple,plusatheaterphotograph
Notthebestchoice.Thiscomplex,multiimagegraphicisdifficulttoreadandmaybe
distracting.
Selectacolorpaletteforyourvisual.
Fourbright,neon,contrastingcolors
Notthebestchoice.Thisoptionusestoomanycolorsandmaymakeyourvisual
distractingordifficulttoread.
Blackandwhiteonly
Notthebestchoice.Thisvisualcouldbenefitfromtheuseofcolortocreatevisual
interestandhighlightkeypoints.
Twoshadesofthesamecolor,onelightandonedark.
Correctchoice.Thisvisualcontainsapleasingbalanceofcolor.Theappropriateuse
ofcolorcreatesvisualinterestandhighlightskeypoints.
KeyIdea:Rehearseuntilprepared
KeyIdea
Whenwouldyouliketolearnabouttheholes,thedullspots,andexcessivedetailsinyour
presentation?Beforeorafterit'sbeendelivered?Rehearsetofindandrepairtheseproblems
beforehand.Tomakethemostofyourrehearsal:
Rehearsewiththeequipmentandvisualsyouwillactuallyuseattheevent.
Rehearsetheentirepresentationeachtimeyoupractice.
Rehearseoutloudand,ifpossible,infrontofafriendorcolleague.Otherwise,practice
withatapeorvideorecorder.
Rehearseuntilthepresentationdoesnotsoundmemorized.
Concentrateonthesubjectandyourdesiretocommunicate,notonyournotes.
Rehearsingisthekeytodeliveringasuccessfulpresentation.
Preparementallyandphysically
Deliveringaneffectivepresentationrequiresmentalandphysicalpreparation.Forexample:
Visualizeyourselfgivingasuccessfulpresentation.Repeatpositivestatementstoyourself,
suchas"Iamrelaxedandready."
Usebreathingtechniquesandtensionrelievingexercisestoreducestress.
Askyourself,"What'stheworstthatcanhappen?"andthenbepreparedforthatpossibility.
Acceptnervousnessasnaturalanddonottrytocounteractitwithfood,caffeine,drugs,or
alcoholpriortothepresentation.
Overcomeyourfearofpresenting
Evenprofessionalspeakersgetnervous.Thekeytosuccessfulpresentingishowyouhandlethefear.
Considerthefollowingtacticstohelpyouovercomeyourfears:
Rehearseyourpresentationandknowitwell.
Gettoknowaudiencemembersindividually,bytelephonebeforethepresentation,orinperson
astheycomeintotheroom.
Anticipatethequestionsandobjectionsthataremostlikelytoarise.
Preparephysicallyandmentally.
Manageyourdelivery
Onceyou'reactuallyintheroomwithyouraudienceyou'vepreparedyourmessages,your
materials,andyourselfyoucanfocusondeliveringthemostengagingpresentationpossible.You
willachieveyourbestperformanceifyouspeakeffectively,projectapositiveimage,andkeepyour
audienceengaged.
Thefollowingaresomebasicsuggestionsforeffectivespeakingpractice:
Makeyourpresentationconversational.
Donottalkfromascript.Talkfromyournotesonlyifyouhaveto.
Avoidtheuseofjargonortermsthatmaybeunfamiliartotheaudience.
Faceyouraudienceandmakeeyecontact.Avoidstandingbehindapodium,ifyoucanhelpit.
Walkaroundyouraudienceorusemovementwhenyouwantcontrol,moreinvolvement,orto
becomeoneofthegroup.
Watchtheaudiencefornonverbalcluesabouttheirresponse.
Gestureinarelaxed,naturalwayanddonotjinglekeysorcoinsinyourpockets.
Breathe.Ithelpsyourelaxandreducesfillerlanguagesuchas"um"and"er."
LeadershipInsight:Bodylanguage
Welearnedourcommunicationskillsinthecave,butunfortunatelynow,we'reinthemodern
era.Manyofthosethingsthatwe'veevolvedtobeabletodoverywell,don'tworksowell
anymore.Wehaveabout10millionneuronsthatworryaboutourunconsciousstateofmindfor
everyoneneuronthat'seffectivelyfiringawayaboutourconsciousstateofmind.Andwhatthat
unconscioussetofneuronsdoesisworryaboutourpositioninspace,ourpersonalsafety.It
tracksmovementaroundus.Itkeepstrackofallthethingsthatweneedtodotostayaliveand
besafe.
Unfortunately,thoseneuronsdidn'tevolvetobeabletospeakinpublicwithanycomfortor
ease.AndIsawawonderfulexampleofthisafewyearsback,IsawRichardBranson
speakingattheRadioCityMusicHall.Now,Richard'snotaverycomfortablepublicspeaker.
Sowhathedoesis,hetriestominimizetheamountoftimethathe'sactuallyspeaking.He
showedavideoofVirginGalactic,andthenhearrangedtohaveaQ&AwithalocalTVanchor.
Thetwoofthemsatdownintwoeasychairs,andRichardkindofcroucheddown,because
he'sahumble,unassumingguy,andheputhiselbowsonhiskneeslikethis,andhisheadin
hishands.TheTVanchorfeltthathehadtodothesamethingthiswascompletely
unconscious,buttheTVanchorwastryingtomakeRichardBransontheheroofthemoment,
hewasthealphamale.AndsotheTVanchorcroucheddownalso.
Well,RichardBransonrespondedbycrouchingalittlelower,andtheTVanchordidthesame.
Prettysoon,thetwoofthemwerecroucheddownsolowthattheguywhowasshootingthe
thing,theevent,hadtojumpdownoffthestageandshootthemupwardsfromdownbelow.
Well,thisgotmoreandmoreawkward,andtheaudiencecouldfeelthatsomethingwasgoing
on.Butagain,becauseofallthoseunconsciousneurons,theydidn'tthinkconsciously.They
couldn'tfigureoutconsciouslywhatthematterwasuntiltheTVanchorstoodup.Therewas
thishugegroanofrelief,andhesaid,"Let'stakesomequestionsfromtheaudience."
Whatwefindiswhenyougetintothesesituationsofpublicspeakingandyou'renervousabout
it,youtendtodostrangethings.LikeRichardBranson,youcrouchdown,perhaps,oryouget
somethingthatwecall"happyfeet."Whichis,you'vegotallthatextraadrenalin,allthatextra
energy,andwhathappensisyourfeetstartwanderingalloverthestageandyourbodyfollows
alongafteryourfeet.
WhatIsuggestisyouhavetogetconsciousofyourunconsciousbehavior.Thatdoestake
somework,itdoestakesomepractice,butitcanbedone.Onceyoumasterthatunconscious
behavior,thenyoucanbeaneffectivecommunicatorandeffectivepublicspeaker.
Nervousfeelingsaboutpresentingcanshowupinourunconsciousbehavior.
NickMorgan
President,PublicWords,Inc.
NickMorganisacommunicationandpublicspeakingtheoristandcoach.
Throughhiscommunicationsconsultingcompany,PublicWords,hecoaches
executivesandrunsseminarsonarangeofcommunicationissues.
Heisapublishedauthorwhosetitlesinclude"TrustMe:FourStepsto
AuthenticityandCharisma,""WorkingtheRoom:HowtoMovePeopleto
ActionThroughAudienceCenteredSpeaking,"and"GiveYourSpeech,
ChangetheWorld:HowtoMoveYourAudiencetoAction."
NickbeganwritingspeechesforVirginiaGovernorCharlesS.Robb,andfrom
1998until2003heservedaseditoroftheHarvardManagement
CommunicationsLetter.
HeisaformerFellowattheCenterforPublicLeadershipatHarvard
University'sKennedySchoolofGovernment.Afterearninghisdoctoratein
literatureandrhetoric,NickspentanumberofyearsteachingShakespeare
andPublicSpeakingattheUniversityofVirginiaandPrincetonUniversity.
Useyourvoice
Touseyourvoicetoitsbestadvantage,considerthefollowing:
Keepthetoneofyourvoicenaturalandconversational.
Speakloudlyenoughforeveryonetohearifyoudonothaveamicrophone.Checkthe
acousticswhenyourehearse.
Useamicrophoneforalargegrouporalargespace,andpracticebeforehandtofinda
comfortablespeakingvolume.
Avoidrapidfireordrawnoutspeech.Practicewithataperecorderoracolleaguetoget
feedback.
Beexpressive.Don'tspeakinamonotone.Raiseandloweryourvoicetomakeyourpoint.
Enunciateandpronouncewordsclearly.
Projectapositiveimage
Yourconfidenceinandcommitmenttoyourmessagearereflectedbyyourdemeanorandbody
language.Tooptimizeyoureffectiveness,makesuretodothefollowing:
Projectconfidencethroughyourdressandpresence.
Makesureyourfacialexpressionsconveyinterestintheaudience.Ifyouaretoonervousto
lookattheentireaudience,focusonindividualsinstead.
Makeandmaintaineyecontactwithaudiencemembers.
Keeptheaudienceengaged
Makesureyouhavefinishedspeakingbeforeyouraudiencehasfinishedlistening.
DorothySarnoff
Mostspeakersconfrontoneorseveraldifficultaudiencemembers:thetunedout,theoverloaded,or
peoplesobusythattheyareforeverthinkingaboutotherpressingissues.Peopleinthesegroupswill
notlikelyhearwhatyouhavetosayunlessyoutakemeasurestograbtheirattention,andholdontoit.
Tokeepyouraudience'sinterestlevelhigh:
Changewhatyou'redoing(e.g.,makeasuddenpauseorchangeyourvocaltone)
Askforashowofhands
Addhumor
Provideanalogiesandvividexamples
Introducepersonalstories
Employcompellingstatisticsandexperttestimony
Usevisuals,suchasillustrations,charts,andgraphs,togoodeffect
Askaquestion
Questionstakenfromtheaudiencecanbothengagethelistenersandprovideyouwithopportunities
tofurnishgreaterdetailinareasthatmattertoyouraudience.However,itisimportantthatyoubewell
preparedforthequestionsyouwillreceive.
Activity:Evaluateapresentation
Watchingsomeoneelsepresentcangiveyouavividappreciationofwhichbehaviorsareeffective
andwhichareineffective.
(speakinginaconversationaltone,usingengagingvoiceinflection)
Goodafternoonandthankyouforcoming.MynameisMarianneChiuandIhavebeenthe
headrecruiterforTreatyElmFinancialforfiveyears.Iamheretodaytotalkwithyouaboutour
recruitingprocesssothat,asnewmanagers,youwillbeabletohirepeopleforyourteamsas
needed.
Beforewegetstarted,um,howmanyofyouneedtoaddapersontoyourteamrightaway?
Itlookslikeaboutathird.
Howmanyofyouknowofaroleonyourteamthatwillopenupinthenextsixweeks?
Abouttenofyou.
Uh,well,ifyoudon'thaveaneedyettrustme,youwill.
Ok,um,thefirststepintherecruitingprocessistoidentifywhichBI'sarerequiredofthe
interviewcandidatetodothejobyouarehiringfor.
Ifyouaren'tsurewhichBI'sgowitheachrole,oryoudon'tknowwhataBIis,justcheckthe
TreatyElmrecruitingsectiononline.
Next,logontothecompanyintranetandenterthereq.intothesystem.Makesuretoinclude
yourTKMnumbersoweknowwhoyouare.Thereq.willthenbeforwardedtoarecruiterand
yourmanagerforapproval.Atthispoint,youmightwanttoemailtheapprovingmanager
yourselftoletthemknowtolookoutfortherequestthatiscomingtheirway.
Whichofthefollowingisaneffectivebehaviorwhengivingapresentation?
Relyingonascript
Notthebestchoice.Referencingascriptcontinuallyduringapresentationbreaksthe
connectionbetweenthespeakerandtheaudience.
Usingjargon
Notthebestchoice.Jargoncanexcludecertainmembersoftheaudiencefrom
understandingapresentationandshouldbeavoidedwheneverpossible.
Usingpersonalstories
Correctchoice.Personalstoriesmaketheabstractconceptsinapresentationmore
vividfortheaudienceandengagetheirattention.
Whichofthefollowingisnotaneffectivebehaviorwhengivingapresentation?
Usingmovement
Notthebestchoice.Thisisaneffectivebehavior.Movingwhilemakingapresentation
canhelpengagetheaudienceandkeepthepresenterfrommakingsmaller,distracting,
fidgetymovements.
Varyingbetweenrapidfireanddrawnoutspeech
Correctchoice.Althoughvaryingspeechrhythmsisaneffectivepresentation
behavior,thepresentershouldavoidtheextremesofrapidfireordrawnoutspeech.
Askingquestions
Notthebestchoice.Thisisaneffectivebehavior.Askingquestionsoftheaudience
allowsthepresentertoengagethempersonallyandestablishtherelevanceofthe
presentation.
Anticipatequestions
Somepeoplefeelthatiftherearenoquestions,thepresentationisasuccess.However,ifyour
listenersareengagedandareworkingwithyou,theymostlikelywillhavequestionsforyou.
Anticipatequestionsbyfocusingonyourlisteners'concernsandhowyourpresentationmightstrike
them.Rehearseyourtalkwithsomeoneelseandaskforhisorherquestions.
Whenshouldyouanswerquestions?
Manyspeakerstakequestionsattheendoftheirpresentation.Thisallowsthemtocompleteatalk
withinaspecifiedtimeandbesuretheaudiencehasthewholepicture.Ifyouchoosethisapproach:
Makethetransitiontoyourquestionandanswer(Q&A)sessionclear.
MaintaincontroloftheQ&Asessionbyrepeatingthequestionandgivingtheanswertothe
wholegroup,notonlytothequestioner.
Somespeakersalsotakequestionsduringthepresentation,thinkingthatitkeepspeopleengaged
andgivesyouimmediatelyfeedbackabouthowwelltheyunderstandyourmessage.Usethis
approachwithcautionsinceitmaycauseyoutolosecontrolofyourtalk.
Finally,otherspeakerstakequestionsatspecificpointsduringthepresentation.Suchtimesmight
includewhenyouwantpeople'sreactionsorwhenyouwanttheirideas.However,ifyouchoosethis
approach,besuretoidentifythesepointsaheadoftimeandflagtheminyourpresentationsoyoudo
notforgettostopforquestions.
KeyIdea:Howshouldyouhandlequestions?
KeyIdea
Manytimes,thesuccessofyourentirepresentationwillbejudgedonhowwellyouhandlethe
questionandanswersession.Keepinmindthefollowingtips:
Beforeyourpresentation,anticipatepossiblequestionsandargumentsthatmightarise.
Determinehowyouwillrespond.
Whenquestionsareaskedduringyourpresentation,don'tdenyorglossoverthem.
Whenyouknowtheanswer,keepitclearandbrief.
Ifyoudon'tknowtheanswertoaquestion,directthepersontoanothersource,offerto
gettheanswer,oraskifsomeoneintheaudiencecananswerthequestion.
Trytokeepthetonepositiveandhelpful.Avoidappearingdefensive.
Alwaysrepeatthequestion.Itshowstheaudiencethatyouunderstandthequestion,it
givesyouamomenttothinkofananswer,anditassurestheaudiencecanhearthe
questionsinceyouarefacingthem.
Ifquestionsarebeginningtodisrupttheflowofyourpresentation,recordthemona
whiteboardorflipchartandaddressthemattheendofthemeeting.
Whenyouarereadytoendupthequestionandanswersession,settheaudience's
expectationsbysaying,"I'lltaketwomorequestions,andthenwe'llwrapupourtime
together."
Trytotakequestionsfrompeopleseatedinallsectionsoftheaudience.Avoidletting
onepersondominatethequestionandanswersession.
Manytimes,thesuccessofyourentirepresentationwillbejudgedonhowwellyouhandlethe
questionandanswersession.
Assignpresenters
Often,youwouldlikeotherpeopletocontributetoyourpresentation.Youmaybepresentingthe
resultsofagroupeffort,oryoumayfeelthattheirpresenceandexperiencewillhelpyouachieveyour
objective.
Youshouldallocatespeakerseitherbytheirareasofexpertisewiththetopicorbytheirpresentation
strengthsandweaknesses.
Forexample,peoplewithstrongpresentationskillsarethebestcandidatesforopeningand
closingthetalk,wherepersuasivenesscountsmost.Theycanalsobemosteffectiveduring
difficulttimeslotssuchasbeforeandafterlunchandattheendoftheday.
Ifpossible,arrangeforagrouprehearsalpriortothepresentationsothateachpersonisawareof
whatothersarepresenting.
Structuretheflow
Structuretheflow
Atypicalgrouppresentationflowsasfollows:
Thefirstspeakerintroducestheotherspeakersbrieflyandintroducesthetopic.
Eachsubsequentspeakerprovidesatransitiontothenextonewithasentence:"NowJunewill
cover..."
Thelastspeakersummarizesthewholepresentation.
Afacilitatorhandlesalltransitions.
Youshouldalsoplaninadvancehowthegroupwillhandlequestions.Eachspeakershouldbe
preparedtoanswerquestionsinaparticularareaandtofollowupifanotherspeakerneedshelp.If
possible,avoidhavingeveryspeakercommentoneveryquestion.
Coordinatevisuals
Visualscanposelogisticalchallengesforagrouppresentation.Extraplanningcanensurethatyour
visualsenhanceyourmessageratherthandistractyouraudience.Tomakethemostseamless
presentationpossible:
Havesomeoneotherthanthespeakerhandlethevisualsduringthepresentation,unlessthe
speakerpreferstodoso.
Practicetoachievesynchronizationifsomeoneelseishandlingthevisuals.
Makesurethatallslidesoroverheadsfollowthesameformat.
Ifspeakersareusingdifferentmedia,coordinatehowyouwillmakethetransitionsmoothly.
Beforethepresentation
Evaluatingyourpresentationisanimportantpartofunderstandingitsimpact.Beforethepresentation,
practiceyourpresentationontestaudiencesandgettheirfeedback.Assemblepeoplewhoaresimilar
toyouraudienceprofile.
Forexample,ifyouarepresentingtoexpertsonthetopic,askanexpert.Testasmany
featuresofyourpresentationasyoucan:thevisuals,logic,etc.
Duringthepresentation
Duringthepresentation,lookforcuesthatwillhelpyougaugeaudiencereaction.Bodylanguagecan
indicateinterestorboredom:Arelistenersnoddingtheirheadsinagreementorsittingwiththeirarms
crossed?Thequestionstheyaskcanhelpyouidentifyareasofyourpresentationthatneed
clarification.
Ifpossible,haveanotherpersonintheaudiencetakenotesonaudiencereactionforyou.Youcan
makenotesonthoseissuesimmediatelyafterthepresentationwhileitisstillfreshinyourmind.In
manysituationsitisappropriatetodirectlyasktheaudiencehowit'sgoing.Forexample,"Doesthis
makesensesofar?"
Afterthepresentation
Therearealwaysthreespeechesforeveryoneyouactuallygave.Theoneyou
practiced,theoneyougave,andtheoneyouwishyougave.
DaleCarnegie
Afterthepresentation,assessitsoveralleffectiveness.Askforfeedbackfromcredibleparticipants.
Notewhatwentwellandwhatneedstobeimproved.Askyourself:
Wasyourobjectiveachieved?Didyoumakethesale?Persuadetheaudiencetoadoptyour
recommendation?
Didtheaudienceseemengagedandattentive?
Ifyou'regoingtogivethepresentationagain,whatchangescanyoumaketoimproveit?
Whatgenerallessonsdidyoulearnaboutpresenting?
Creatinganddeliveringapresentationisaprocessthat,likeanyotherprocess,canbeimproved.
Onceyouidentifytherootcausesofbelowstandardperformance,youcanaddressthemdirectly.
LeadershipInsight:Theinvisibleaudience
Intougheconomictimes,itseemslikethefirstthingsmostcompaniesdoistheycuttheirtravel
budgets.Infact,ourclientsprettymuchjustcutthemoffcompletely:allnonessentialbusiness
travelwentaway.
Butwhatdidhappenistheystartedtalkingtousaboutwhatcanyoudovirtually,whatcanyou
dooverWebex,whatcanyoudooveralivemeeting?Becausethat'showtheywantedtohave
trainingthathadtraditionallybeendonefacetoface,likepresentationskillsorexecutive
engagementskillstheywerelookingtodothisvirtuallynow.
SoIputtogetheravirtualpresentationdesignedtoshowcaseourcapabilitiesinthatareaandit
wasdesignedtobecopresentedbymyselfandmyCEO,aguynamedEdMusselwhite.
Thefirsttimewepresentedit,weputsomuchworkintoit.Youknow,youstumbleoveryour
wordsalittlebit,peoplearen'tmaybeasinteractiveasyouwouldlikethemtobe,andsuddenly
thislittlevoicestartedgoinginmyheadlike"thisisn'tgoingasplanned,thisisn'tgoingwell"
anditwasunnerving.
IrememberfeelingalevelofnervousnessandanxietythatIhadn'tfeltinyears,butIstayedthe
course,stuckwithit.Edseemedtobedoingfine,andwegottotheendofthepresentation.
Andwhatwasinterestingiswhenwehadourinternaldebrief,thefirstthingEdsharedwithme
was,"Boythatwasreallytough.Iwasstruggling.Ididn'tthinkthatwentwellatallandinfact
I'mreallykindofconcernedabouttheoverallresultsofthat."AndIwasfeelingthesameway.
Wellhere'sthekicker.Wegotevaluationsback,theywereoffthechartssaiditwasoneof
thebestvirtualprogramspeoplehadeverseen.Andthenwegeneratedatremendousamount
ofbusinessdiscussionsfollowingupfromthat.Soitwasverysuccessful.
ThisiswhatI'velearnedaboutvirtualpresentations.Becauseyoucan'tseetheaudience,your
imaginationfillsthingsin,anditresultsinsomethingIcall"virtualdisparity."That'sthe
differencebetweenhowyouthinkyouaredoingandhowtheaudienceperceivesyouasdoing.
That'susuallynotinyourfavor.
Nowhowdidwegetthroughthat?Whatallowedustonotderailwhenwewereexperiencing
thosenerves?Wellthere'sreallythreethings.First,youdohavetoknowyouraudiencereally
well.Youhavetohavedoneyourhomework,understandtheirbusiness,understandthe
businessissues,reallybeclearwhyitisthey'reevenwantingtohearfromyou.
Secondthingisyouhavetoknowyourmaterial.Youreallyhavetothoughtfullyputthe
presentationtogether,everyslidevirtuallyistrulyamomentoftruth.Andit'snotjusttheslides,
eachslideshouldhaveyourspeakernotesliterallyoutlinedonit.Howdoyouwanttocover
that,whatareyourtransitions,whatareyouranimations,whatareyougoingtosayduring
thosethings.Lotofplanninghastogointoit.
Andthenfinally,thethirdthing,thereisnosubstituteforpractice.Youknowyou'vegottotalk
thisallthewaythroughtwo,three,maybeevenfourtimes,ifyoucanrecordyourselfandplayit
backandlookatit,evenbetter.
Andwhatthatwilldo,whenthatlittlevoiceinyourheadsays,"Oohthisisn'tgoingasplanned"
oritsays"MaybeIdon'tthinkthisisgoingsowell,"you'llhavethatmusclememoryofthat
content,you'llhavethatfallbackpreparationthatwillbringyoutothatconclusion.
AndIwilltellyou,ninetimesoutoften,theaudienceperceptionofhowthingswentisgoingto
bemuchbetterthanhowyouthoughtitwent.
Whenyoudeliveravirtualpresentation,youcan'trelyoncuesfromthecrowd,sopracticeand
preparationaremoreimportantthanever.
BradHolst
PrincipalandExecutiveDirector,SolutionsDesign,Mandel
Communications
BradHolstisaPrincipalandtheExecutiveDirectorofSolutionsDesignfor
MandelCommunications,aglobalcompanythatbuildsindividualandgroup
communicationskillsintowinningcompetitiveadvantagesforbusiness
organizations.
Bradandhisteamhavedesignedanddeliveredstrategicandtactical
communicationtrainingandcoachingsolutionsforMandel'scorporateclients
intheFortune1,000sizerangeinawidevarietyofindustries.
Heistheleadcreatoroftheproprietarymodelsandprocessesnowfoundin
Mandel'spowerfulsuiteofcommunicationcontentplanninganddeliverytools
andtechniques,includingtheMandelBlueprintandtheMandelStory
Board.
Bradisamasterfulteacher,coach,andconsultant,withararelevelof
businessacumenbasedonhisformerleadershiproleswiththreemarket
leadingcompanies:TheWaltDisneyCompany,TheCloroxCompany,and
ArmorAllProducts.Website:www.mandel.com.
Overview
Thissectionprovidesinteractiveexercisessoyoucanpracticewhatyou'velearned.Theseexercises
areselfchecksonlyyouranswerswillnotbeusedtoevaluateyourperformanceinthetopic.
Scenario
Assumetheroleofamanagerinafictionalsituationandexploredifferentoutcomesbasedonyour
choices(510minutes).
CheckYourKnowledge
Assessyourunderstandingofkeypointsbycompletinga10questionquiz(10minutes).
Scenario:Part1
Part1
Everyyear,Oscarandhisproductmanagementgroupintroducenewproductsatanational
conferenceforBestPet,Inc.,amanufacturerofpetproducts.Topreparethecompany's150
membersalesforcetopromotenewproductstoretailcustomers,theproductlinemanagers
outlinenewproductfeaturesandbenefits.
ThisyearOscarandhisgroupwillannounceanexcitingnewproduct:theTrailHounda
"doggiebackpack"fordogstocarrytheirfoodandwaterduringhikeswiththeirowners.The
TrailHoundhasaninnovativenewcompartmentsystem.Oscarwillneedtoexplainthisfeature
clearly,sothesalesrepscandemonstrateittocustomers.
Oscarisscheduledtodeliverhispresentationjustafterlunch.Intheweeksbeforethe
conference,hebeginspreparingvisualsthathehopeswilldeepenthesalesreps'
understandingofthenewproductandinspirethemtosellit.
WhichkindofvisualwouldbethemostcompellingforOscartouse?
Aonepagehandoutthatliststhetop10reasonswhytheTrailHound
backpackisbetterthananycompetingdoggiebackpackthathewill
handoutduringhispresentation.
Notthebestchoice.
Ifyouusehandouts,avoiddistributingthemduringthepresentation.
Distributingreadingmaterialsduringyourpresentationonlydetracts
fromit.Also,textonlyvisualsaren'tthemostcompelling.SinceOscaris
givinghispresentationrightafterlunch,hecanexpecthisaudience's
energytobeatitslowest.(Peopletendtogetsleepyaftereating,and
thesalesrepswillalreadyhaveattendedseveralotherproduct
presentationsthatmorning.)Oscarwillneedtomakehisvisualsas
attentiongettingaspossible.
Aflipchartthatdepictstwoorthreeeasytoseestepdiagrams
demonstratinghowtheTrailHound'scompartmentfeatureworks.
Notthebestchoice.
Thoughdiagramsandpicturesarevaluableinavisual,aflipchartisnot
effectiveforlargegroups.Oscar'saudienceconsistsof150people,and
thosesittinginthebackoftheconferenceroomprobablywouldn'tbe
abletoseetheinformationonthechart.Also,flipchartsarenotoriously
difficulttotransport.
AcomputerbasedslidewithanimagecontrastingTrailHound'snew
compartmentsystemwithitstopcompetitor's,andincludingabulleted
listofseveraladvantagesoftheTrailHoundsystem.
Correctchoice.
Tobemosteffective,slidesshouldcontainjustoneconcept.Also,a
combinationofwordsandpicturesissixtimesmoreeffectivethanwords
alone.Thisvisualwilllikelyproveveryeffective,becauseitcontainsa
singleconcept(howtheTrailHound'scompartmentfeaturecomparesto
thecompetition'scorrespondingfeature),andamixofwordsand
pictures.
Scenario:Part2
Part2
Oscardecidestocreateacomputerbasedpresentationcomposedofwordandpictureslides.
HealsoelectstoprovideaudiencememberswithhandoutsdetailingtheTrailHound's
importantspecificationsastheyentertheconferenceroom.
Next,herehearseshistalk.Bynature,Oscarisanervouspresenter,sohebrushesupon
variouspublicspeakingskills.Forexample,usingataperecorder,hepracticeskeepinghis
voicenaturalandconversational,aswellasfindingacomfortablespeakingvolume.
Asafinalstepintherehearsalprocess,Oscarvisualizeshowhewillhandlequestionsfromhis
audience.Thenheremembersthathehasn'tyetdecidedwhentotakequestions.
WhenshouldOscartakequestionsduringhispresentation?
Toensurethathisaudienceremainsengaged,Oscarshouldtake
questionsduringthepresentationwheneveranaudiencememberraises
ahand.
Notthebestchoice.
Althoughthisapproachmaykeeppeopleengagedandprovidefeedback
onhowwellthesalesrepsunderstandhismessage,Oscaralsorisks
losingcontrolofhispresentation.Becausehefindspublicspeaking
stressful,heshouldavoiddoinganythingthatmightdistracthisfocusor
causehimtolosetrackofwhereheisinhistalk.
Tomakesureheprovidesthe"bigpicture"first,Oscarshouldaskthat
peopleholdquestionsuntiltheendofthepresentation,afterhehas
completedhistalk.
Notthebestchoice.
AlthoughthisapproachwouldallowOscartocompletehistalkandmake
surethesalesrepshavethefullpicture,itwouldn'tenablehimtogather
feedbackabouthowwelltherepsunderstandhismessageandmake
anynecessaryadjustmentsinhistalk.Thiscouldbeaproblem,given
thatthemainpurposeofOscar'spresentationistomakesurethesales
repsunderstandthenewproductclearlyenoughtosellit.
Tocontinuallygaugehisaudience'sreactionstohismessage,Oscar
shouldtakequestionsatspecific,designatedpointsduringthe
presentation.
Correctchoice.
ThisapproachletsOscarperiodicallygaugeaudiencemembers'
reactionsandheartheirideas,givinghimasenseofhowwellthesales
repsunderstandhismessage.Yetbecauseitismorestructured,this
approachdoesn'traisetheriskthatOscarwilllosecontrolofhistalk.In
choosingthisapproach,Oscarshouldselectspecificpointsinhis
presentationandflagtheminhisnotessothatherememberstostopfor
questions.
Scenario:Part3
Part3
Oscardecidesthathewilltakequestionsatspecificpointsthroughouthispresentation.The
dayofthepresentationarrives.Thesalesrepspickuptheirhandoutsandfileintothe
auditorium.
WhenOscarpausesatoneofthedesignatedtimesinhistalk,manysalesrepsaskquestions.
Sincetheaudienceislarge,Oscarrepeatsandrephraseseachquestion,andthenprovidesthe
answerfortheentiregroup.
Oscarwrapsuphispresentationwithasummaryofthenewproduct'sspecificationsand
benefits.Thenhepacksuphismaterialsandheadsbacktohishotelroom.There,hereviews
hispresentationandwonderswhetheritwasasuccessoverall.Heaskshimselfhowhemight
assesspossibleweakspotsinhispresentationskills.
WhichofthefollowingmightindicateaweakspotinOscar'spresentation
skills?
ManymembersofOscar'saudienceaskedalotofquestionsoverthe
courseofthepresentation.
Notthebestchoice.
Thoughsomepeoplefeelthattheabsenceofquestionssignalsa
successfultalk,questionsactuallyindicatethatlistenersareengaging
withyouandwiththematerialyou'representing.Thefactthatthereps
askedalotofquestionswouldnotsuggestanineffectivetalk.However,
Oscarshouldstillmakesurethathe'sansweredquestionsclearly,
perhapsbyperiodicallyaskinghisaudience,"Isthereanythingthat
doesn'tmakesensesofar?"
OscarremembersconcludinghistalkwithasummaryoftheTrail
Hound'skeybenefits.
Correctchoice.
ThefactthatOscarendedhistalkwithasummaryindicatesaweakspot
inhispresentationskills.Instead,heshouldhavewrappedthingsup
withastrongcalltoaction.Acalltoactiondoesincludeareiterationof
yourpresentation'skeymessage,butitalsocontainsrecommendations
forwhataudiencemembersshoulddowiththeinformationyou'vejust
shared.
Forexample,Oscarcouldhaveurgedhisaudiencetoemphasize
particularaspectsoftheTrailHound'scompartmentfeatureto
customers.Or,hecouldhaveobtainedtheirbuyinbyannouncinga
prizeforthesalesrepthatsellsthemostunits.
Duringthepresentation,thesalesrepsignoredthehandoutstheyhad
receiveduponenteringtheauditorium.
Notthebestchoice.
Thefactthatthesalesrepsignoredtheirhandoutsdoesnotindicatea
weakspotinOscar'sskills.Handoutscanactuallydistractlistenersif
theybecometheaudience'sfocalpoint.Thus,ifthesalesrepsignored
thehandouts,theylikelywerefullyengagedduringthetalk.
Scenario:Conclusion
Conclusion
Afterweighingvariousfactors,Oscardecidesthathispresentationwassuccessfulinmany
respects,althoughhemakesamentalnotetowrapupnextyear'stalkwithastrongcallto
action.
Effectivepresentationskillsareessentialtoanymanager.Skilledpresenterscarefullyplanthe
visualsandotherelementsoftheirtalks,aswellasrehearsetheirpresentationsaheadoftime.
Theyalsostructuretheirtalkinwaysthatenablethemtobestachievetheirobjectivefor
example,decidingwhenwouldbethebesttimetotakequestions.Finally,toidentifyareasthat
mightneedimprovement,theyalwaysevaluatetheirpresentations.
Deliveringacompellingpresentationrequirescarefulpreparation.Butasuccessful
presentationiswellworththeextraeffort.
Activity:CheckYourKnowledge:Question1
Whichofthefollowingisnotarecommendedstrategytohelpprepareyourselfmentallyandphysically
tomakeapresentation?
Visualizeyourselfgivingasuccessfulpresentationandrepeattoyourselfpositivestatements,
suchas,"Iamrelaxedandready."
Notthebestchoice.
Visualizingasuccessfulpresentationactuallyisarecommendedstrategyforpreparingyourself
mentallyandphysicallytomakeapresentation.Thestrategythatisnotrecommendedis
ignoringnervousnessorcounteractingitwithdrugsoralcohol(whichwon'tlikelyhelpyou
deliveryourpresentationeffectively).Instead,youshouldacceptnervousnessasnatural.
Identifytheworstthatcanhappenandthenprepareforthatpossibility
Notthebestchoice.
Identifyingandpreparingforpossibleproblemsactuallyisarecommendedstrategyfor
preparingyourselfmentallyandphysicallytomakeapresentation.Thestrategythatisnot
recommendedisignoringnervousnessorcounteractingitwithdrugsoralcohol(whichwon't
likelyhelpyoudeliveryourpresentationeffectively).Instead,youshouldacceptnervousnessas
natural.
Ignorefeelingsofseverenervousnessorconsidercounteractingthemthroughmusclerelaxants
oraglassofwinewhichevermeansworksbestforyou.
Correctchoice.
Youshouldacceptnervousnessasnatural.Ignoringitortryingtocounteractitbyconsuming
drugs,caffeine,oralcoholbeforeyourpresentationwon'tlikelyhelpyoudeliveryour
presentationeffectively.However,visualizingasuccessfulpresentationandidentifyingand
preparingforpossibleproblemsarebothstrategiesthatcanhelpyoupreparementally.
CheckYourKnowledge:Question2
Thetypeofpresentationyouchoosedependson_______________.
Yourpurpose
Correctchoice.
Yourpurposedrivesthetypeofpresentationyouchoose.Examplesofpresentationtypes
includesales,persuasion,statusreport,productdemonstration,andbusinessplanorstrategy.
Afterselectingtheappropriatepresentationtype,youshouldthenconsiderotherfactorsaswell
includingsizeofyouraudienceandformalityofthesetting.
Theformalityofthesetting
Notthebestchoice.
Thoughit'simportanttoeventuallyconsidertheformalityofthesettingindesigningyour
presentation,youshouldfirstselectthetypeofpresentationbasedonyourpurpose.Examples
ofpresentationtypesincludesales,persuasion,statusreport,productdemonstration,and
businessplanorstrategy.Afterselectingtheappropriatepresentationtype,youshouldthen
considerotherfactorsaswellincludingsizeofyouraudienceandformalityofthesetting.
Thesizeofyouraudience
Notthebestchoice.
Thoughit'simportanttoeventuallyconsiderthesizeofyouraudienceindesigningyour
presentation,youshouldfirstselectthetypeofpresentationbasedonyourpurpose.Examples
ofpresentationtypesincludesales,persuasion,statusreport,productdemonstration,and
businessplanorstrategy.Afterselectingtheappropriatepresentationtype,youshouldthen
considerotherfactorsaswellincludingsizeofyouraudienceandformalityofthesetting.
Indecidingwhattosayduringyourpresentation,what'sanimportant"don't"tokeepinmind?
Don'tneutralizecontraryargumentscomingfromyouraudience
Notthebestchoice.
Actually,youshouldneutralizecontraryargumentscomingfromyouraudienceinorderto
persuadelistenerstoacceptyourmessage.Thecorrectchoiceis"Don'ttalkjustaboutfacts."
Whileit'simportanttoprovidefactstosupportyourideas,youalsoneedtoidentifythe
emotionalunderpinningsofyourmessagebyexplainingwhyyouraudienceshouldcareabout
whatyouhavetosay.Moreover,toomanyfactscanoverloadyouraudience.
Don'ttalkjustaboutfacts
Correctchoice.
Don'tdescribetheactionyouwantyouraudiencetotake
Notthebestchoice.
Actually,youshouldexplaintheactionsyouwantyouraudiencetotake,sothatyouachieve
theintendedoutcomeofyourpresentation.Thecorrectchoiceis"Don'ttalkjustaboutfacts."
Mostexpertsagreethatitisimportanttolimitthenumberofmessagesandmainideascoveredina
singlepresentation.Whatisthisgenerallyagreeduponnumber?
Two
Notthebestchoice.
Insteadoftwo,youshouldtrytolimitthenumberofyourmessagesandmainideastoabout
five.That'sbecausefive(plusorminustwo)seemstobethenumberofmessagesthatmost
adultscanremember.
Five
Correctchoice.
Youshouldtrytolimitthenumberofyourmessagesandmainideastoaboutfive.That's
becausefive(plusorminustwo)seemstobethenumberofmessagesthatmostadultscan
remember.
Nine
Notthebestchoice.
Insteadofnine,youshouldtrytolimitthenumberofyourmessagesandmainideastoabout
five.That'sbecausefive(plusorminustwo)seemstobethenumberofmessagesthatmost
adultscanremember.
Duringtheopeningofyourpresentation,youdescribetheimportanceofthetopictoyouraudience,
establishyourcredibility,andpreviewthemainpointsyouwillcover.Whatelsedoyouneedtodo
duringtheopening?
Includeclearstatementsofthemainpoints
Notthebestchoice.
Youincludeclearstatementsofyourmainpointsduringthebodyofyourpresentation,notthe
opening.Theadditionalstepyouneedtotakeduringtheopeningistodefinethepurposeofthe
presentation.Ideally,yourpurposeshouldbethefirstthingyoutellyouraudience.
Definethepurposeofthepresentation
Correctchoice.
Inadditiontodescribingtheimportanceofyourtopictoyouraudience,establishingyour
credibility,andpreviewingyourmainpoints,youalsowanttodefinethepurposeofyour
presentation.Ideally,yourpurposeshouldbethefirstthingyoutellyouraudience.
Identifyaclearproblemthatyouandyouraudiencewillsolvetogether
Notthebestchoice.
Youidentifyaclearproblemthatyouandyouraudiencewillsolvetogetherduringthesecond
partofyourpresentationtheneedorproblemstatementnottheopening.Theadditional
stepyouneedtotakeduringtheopeningistodefinethepurposeofthepresentation.Ideally,
yourpurposeshouldbethefirstthingyoutellyouraudience.
Duringthebodyofapresentation,whatisaneffectivewaytoinvolvetheaudience?
Askyouraudienceforsuggestionsandquestions
Correctchoice.
Askinglistenersfortheirsuggestionsandquestionsandthenrespondingmakesyour
presentationtrulyinteractive.Whenyouaskforsuggestionsorquestionsisuptoyou.Inan
informalsetting,youmightencourageaudiencememberstoaskquestionsormake
suggestionsatanytime.Inamoreformalsetting,youmayexplainduringyouropeningwhen
you'lltakequestionsandsuggestions.Eitherway,audiencememberswilllistenmore
attentivelywhentheyknowthatyou'regoingtoconsidertheirinput.
Offervisualaids,suchasaslideshow,tosupportyourmainmessages
Notthebestchoice.
Whilevisualaidsmayhelpaudiencememberscomprehendyourmessage,theydonotactively
involvetheaudience.Fortrueaudienceinvolvement,youneedtoinvitelistenerstomake
suggestionsandaskquestions.Whenyouaskforsuggestionsorquestionsisuptoyou.Inan
informalsetting,youmightencourageaudiencememberstoaskquestionsormake
suggestionsatanytime.Inamoreformalsetting,youmayexplainduringyouropeningwhen
you'lltakequestionsandsuggestions.Eitherway,audiencememberswilllistenmore
Passoutsheetsofpaperonwhichaudiencememberscantakenotesreflectingonthecontent
ofyourpresentation
Notthebestchoice.
Whiletakingnotesmayhelpaudiencemembersreflectonandcomprehendyourmessage,it
doesn'tactivelyinvolvetheaudience.Fortrueaudienceinvolvement,youneedtoinvite
listenerstomakesuggestionsandaskquestions.Whenyouaskforsuggestionsorquestionsis
uptoyou.Inaninformalsetting,youmightencourageaudiencememberstoaskquestionsor
makesuggestionsatanytime.Inamoreformalsetting,youmayexplainduringyouropening
whenyou'lltakequestionsandsuggestions.Eitherway,audiencememberswilllistenmore
Howlongshouldapresentationbe?
Notmorethanonehour
Notthebestchoice.
Somepresentationsmayrequiremorethanonehourtocommunicateyourmessageeffectively.
Thus,yourpresentationshouldbeaslongasitneedstobetoconveyatleastonemessage
clearlyandcompletely.
However,it'simportanttotellyouraudienceupfronthowlongyourpresentationwilltakeand
thensticktotheallocatedtimesolistenerswon'tbecomerestlessortired.
Ingeneral,twohours
Notthebestchoice.
Somepresentationsmayrequiremorethantwohourstocommunicateyourmessage
effectively.Thus,yourpresentationshouldbeaslongasitneedstobetoconveyatleastone
messageclearlyandcompletely.
However,it'simportanttotellyouraudienceupfronthowlongyourpresentationwilltakeand
thensticktotheallocatedtimesolistenerswon'tbecomerestlessortired.
Aslongasitneedstobetoconveyatleastonemessageclearlyandcompletely
Correctchoice.
Apresentationshouldbeaslongasitneedstobetoconveyatleastonemessageclearlyand
completely.However,it'simportanttotellyouraudienceupfronthowlongyourpresentationwill
takeandthensticktotheallocatedtimesolistenerswon'tbecomerestlessortired.
Whenisanappropriatetimetodistributehandoutsduringapresentation?
Whilemakingyourneedorproblemstatement
Notthebestchoice.
Youshouldusuallyavoidhandingoutmaterialswhiledeliveringanypartofyourpresentation,
includingtheneedorproblemstatement,becausedoingsocandetractfromwhatyouare
sayingatthetime.Forthebestresults,distributehandoutseitherbeforethepresentation,
givingpeopleenoughtimetoabsorbthecontentbeforeyoustartspeaking,orafterthe
presentation,soyouraudiencehasasummaryofyourkeypointstoreview.
Duringthecalltoaction
Notthebestchoice.
Youshouldusuallyavoidhandingoutmaterialswhiledeliveringanypartofyourpresentation,
includingthecalltoaction,becausedoingsocandetractfromwhatyouaresayingatthetime.
Forthebestresults,distributehandoutseitherbeforethepresentation,givingpeopleenough
timetoabsorbthecontentbeforeyoustartspeaking,orafterthepresentation,soyour
audiencehasasummaryofyourkeypointstoreview.
Beforeorafterthepresentation
Correctchoice.
Forthebestresults,distributehandoutseitherbeforethepresentation,givingpeopleenough
timetoabsorbthecontentbeforeyoustartspeaking,orafterthepresentation,soyour
audiencehasasummaryofyourkeypointstoreview.
Whataspectsofyourpresentationmostaffecthowpersuasiveyouare?
Experttestimony,statistics,visualaids,andaudienceinvolvement
Notthebestchoice.
Experttestimony,statistics,visualaids,andaudienceinvolvementcanmakeyourpresentation
moreinteresting,butyourpersuasivenessislargelyaproductofyourenthusiasm,credibility,
andpersonalbeliefinthesubject.Whenyoubelieveinwhatyou'resayingandletyour
enthusiasmshowyou'remorelikelytopersuadeyouraudiencetoacceptyourmessage.
Personalstories,examples,humor,andanalogies
Notthebestchoice.
Personalstories,examples,humor,andanalogiescanmakeyourpresentationmore
interesting,butyourpersuasivenessislargelyaproductofyourenthusiasm,credibility,and
personalbeliefinthesubject.Whenyoubelieveinwhatyou'resayingandletyour
enthusiasmshowyou'remorelikelytopersuadeyouraudiencetoacceptyourmessage.
Yourenthusiasm,credibility,andpersonalbeliefinthesubject
Correctchoice.
Yourpersuasivenessislargelyaproductofyourenthusiasm,credibility,andpersonalbeliefin
thesubject.Whenyoubelieveinwhatyou'resayingandletyourenthusiasmshowyou're
morelikelytopersuadeyouraudiencetoacceptyourmessage.
What'saneffectivewaytohandleaquestionfromanaudiencememberforwhichyoudon'thavethe
answer?
Gettheindividual'sname,writethequestiondown,andaskthemtotalkwithyouattheendof
thepresentation.Don'tstatethatyoudon'tknowtheanswer.
Notthebestchoice.
Ifyoudon'tknowtheanswertoaquestion,don'tdenyorglossoverthefactbyavoiding
admittingthatyoudon'thavetheanswer.Instead,directthepersontoanothersourceoroffer
tofindtheanswerafterthepresentation.
First,indicatethatthequestionisagoodone.Admitthatyoudon'tknowtheanswer,thenmove
ontothenextquestion.
Notthebestchoice.
Ifyoudon'tknowtheanswertoaquestion,don'tleavetheaudiencememberhangingby
admittingthatyoudon'thavetheanswerandthenmovingontothenextquestion.Instead,
directthepersontoanothersourceoroffertofindtheanswerafterthepresentation.
Directthepersontoasourceoroffertofindtheanswerafterthepresentation.
Correctchoice.
Ifyoudon'tknowtheanswertoaquestion,it'sbestnottodenyorglossoverthefact.Instead,
directthepersontoanothersourceoroffertofindtheanswerafterthepresentation.
CheckYourKnowledge:Results
Yourscore:
Stepsforsettingupapresentation
1. Defineyourobjectives.
Whatoutcomedoyouwant?Whatdoyouwantyouraudiencetodoasaresultofyour
presentation?Yourobjectivedetermineswhatyousayandhowyousayit.
Examineyourpurpose.Doyouwanttoinform,persuade,orsell?Doyouwantthe
audiencetounderstand,learn,ortakeaction?Whendoyouwantyouraudiencetotake
actionandhow?
Beexplicitindefiningyourobjectives.Themoreexplicityouare,themorelikelyyouare
todesignapresentationthatsupportsthem.Forexample:"Iwanttheaudienceto
requestthattheirdirectreportsparticipateinthepilotsystemrolloutinQ1."
2. Gettoknowyouraudience.
Determineyouraudience'slevelofknowledge,interestandpositioning,andabilitytoact
onwhatyoupresentpriortothepresentation.
Makesureyouknowwhatisinitforthem.Keepingyourpresentationaudiencefocused
iscritical.
Ifyouarenotfamiliarwiththegroup,asktheliaisonforthemeetingtogiveyousome
background.Ifpossible,trytocontactatleastonepersonwhofitstheaudienceprofile.
3. Selectastrategythatmatchesyourobjective.
Forexample,makingasalewillrequireapersuasivebentthatmightincludefeaturesand
benefitsandcompetitivedatacomparisons.
Includewhateverinformationhelpsyouachieveyourobjective.Omitanything
extraneous,distracting,orinterfering.
4. Matchyourpresentationtoyouraudience.
Forexample,apresentationtoatechnicalgroupofdecisionmakersisgoingtocontain
morequantitativedetailthanapresentationtoagroupoflesstechnicaljuniormanagers.
Incaseswherethereisamixedaudience,trytoaddressthedifferentperspectives
explicitlytokeepeveryoneinterested.Forexample,"Thiswillaffecttheproduct
managerslikethis...andtheengineerslikethis..."
Incaseswheretheaudienceislikelytobehostile,beginbyemphasizingconcernsyou
haveincommon.Turnthenegativeintoapositive,ifpossible.
Toenergizeanapathetic,tired,orhungryaudience,openwithastartlingstatementora
vividillustration.
Stepsforcreatingapresentation
1. Brainstormideas.
2. Identifyyourmessageandsupportingfacts.
3. Selectthenumberofpointsthatwillmakethecasetoyouraudiencewithinthegiven
time.
Itisbettertomakefewerpointsandmakethemwell.
Ifyoudonothavetimetomakeapointclearoracceptabletoyouraudience,saveitfor
anotherpresentation.
Ifyouarenotsurehowlongyourtalkmayrun,prepareextrasupportingmaterialsuchas
statistics,analogies,orexamplesthatcanbeomittedifyouarerunningoutoftime.
4. Organizeyourpoints.
Tokeepyouraudienceontrack,makethelogicofyourpresentationclearatalltimes.
Placeyourstrongestpointfirstorlast.Donotburyyourbestideas.
Intheopening,statewhereyouareheadedandwhatyouwanttoproveordemonstrate.
Inthebody,supportyourmainpointswithexamples,visuals,andanecdotes.
Atappropriateintervals,notewhatyouhavealreadycoveredandwhereyouareaboutto
go.
Toclose,presentyourconclusionsandgivetheaudienceacalltoaction.
5. Preparealistofpossiblequestionsandobjections,anddecidehowyouwilladdress
themiftheyarise.
6. Prepareyourvisualsandsupportmaterials.Thesematerialscanhelpyouraudienceto:
Rememberfacts.
Understandideas,relationships,orphysicallayouts.
Recognizethatyouaremovingontoanewtopic.
Stepsforpracticingandevaluating
1. Rehearse.
Rehearsewiththeequipmentandvisualsyouwillactuallyuseattheevent.
Rehearsetheentirepresentationeachtimeyoupractice,includinghowyouaregoingto
standandmove,andhowyouaregoingtousethevisuals.
Rehearseoutlouduntilthepresentationdoesnotsoundmemorized.
Concentrateonthesubjectormessageandyourdesiretocommunicate,notonyour
notes.
Ifthepresentationisahighprofileonetoalargegroup,youcanvideotapeyourpractice
sessiontoevaluateitmoreclosely.
2. Gatherfeedbackpriortoyourpresentation.
Practiceyourpresentationontestaudiencesandgettheirfeedback.Assemblepeople
whoaresimilartoyouraudienceprofile.Forexample,ifyouarepresentingtoexpertson
thetopic,getanexpert.
Testasmanyfeaturesofyourpresentationasyoucan:thevisuals,logic,etc.
Whatkindofimpactdoyoumakeonthisgroup?
3. Evaluatetheprogressofyourpresentationwhileitisinprocess.
Lookforaudiencecuessuchasinterestorboredom.
Ifpossible,haveanotherpersonintheaudiencetakenotesonaudiencereactionforyou.
Makenotesonthoseissuesimmediatelyafterthepresentationwhileit'sstillfreshinyour
mind.
Notequestionsasked.Theymaypointtoareasofyourpresentationthatneed
clarification.
Asktheaudiencehowit'sgoing,ifappropriate.
4. Evaluateyourpresentationafteryouhavefinished.
Assesstheoveralleffectivenessofyourpresentation.Wasyourobjectiveachieved?Did
theaudienceseemengagedandattentive?Notewhatwentwellandwhatneedstobe
improved.
Askforfeedbackfromcredibleparticipants.
Ifyouaregoingtomakethepresentationagain,whatchangeswouldyoumaketo
improveit?
Whatgenerallessonshaveyoulearnedaboutmakingpresentations?
5. Reflectonwhatyouhavelearnedanduseyournewknowledgetoimproveyournext
presentation.
Tipsforsettingupapresentation
Identifythepresentationobjectiveitwilldriveeverythingelseyoudo.
Learnasmuchasyoucanaboutyourlisteners,theirbiases,andtheirexpectations.
Addressyourtopicfromtheaudience'sperspective.
Tailoryourpresentationtoaccommodatethecontextthephysicalenvironment,timeofday,
andsignificantongoingeventsthatmayaffectyourlisteners.
Tipsfororganizingapresentation
Makethelogicofyourpresentationclearatalltimes.
Placeyourstrongestpointfirstorlast.Donotburyyourbestideas.
Stateintheopeningwhereyouareheadedandwhatyouwanttoproveordemonstrate.
Atappropriateintervals,notewhatyouhavealreadycoveredandwhereyouareabouttogo.
Summarizeyourmainpointsandpresentyourconclusionsintheclose.
Tipsforcreatingvisuals
Useasingleideawithnomorethansixlinesperslide.
Beselectivewithyourwords.
Usepictureswherepossible.
Don'tuseverticallettering.
Useamaximumoftwosizesoftypeperpage.
Usebullets,notnumbers,fornonsequentialitems.
Useuppercaseandlowercaseletters.Onlyusealluppercasefortitlesoracronyms.
Tipsforpresentingeffectively
Donottalkfromascript.Talkfromnotes.
Faceyouraudienceandmakeeyecontact.
Walkaroundyouraudiencewhenyouwantcontrol,moreinvolvement,ortobecomeoneofthe
group.
Donotjinglekeysorcoinsinyourpockets.
Usegesturesinarelaxedandnormalway.
Useyourvoiceeffectively.
Keepyourfocusonyourmessageandyouraudience.
Preliminaryplanningworksheet
Audiencecharacteristicsworksheet
Presentationcontextworksheet
Presentationoutlineworksheet
Logisticsworksheet
Objectionsworksheet
WhyDevelopOthers?
Attheendoftheday,youbetonpeople,notstrategies.
LarryBossidy
FormerCEO,AlliedSignal
Intodaysglobalbusinessenvironment,marketsandregulationschangequickly.Competitors
constantlyinnovate.Technologicalchangesarethenorm.
Inordertooutmaneuverthecompetitionandmeetthedemandsofthemoment,organizations
mustbeagile.Theymustexecuteflawlessly.Andtheymusttransformthemselves
continuously.
Areyourleadersready?
Dr.NoelM.Tichy
Professor
UniversityofMichiganRossSchoolofBusiness
WehavenowenteredanerawhereIdontcarewhatindustryyourein,youneedleaderswho
canmakedecisions,makejudgmentcallsateverysinglelevel.Allthewaydowntothe
interfacewiththecustomer.
IfyougotoacompanylikeGoogleoranyofthehightechcompanies,alotoftheinnovation
thatAmazondoesishappeningrightatthefrontline.Goahead,tryit,putitoutthere,we'll
learnfromit.Thatcannothappeniftheseniorleadershipdoesn'thaveacommitmenttoboth
developtheleadershipcapability,butdevelopthebusinessthroughengagingpeopleatall
levelsoftheorganization.
Becomingateachingorganization
Iliketotellparentsthattheycannotdelegatetheirresponsibilitytodeveloptheirchildren.AndI
thinkitisthesameinanorganization.Dayinanddayoutthepersonthathasthebiggest
impactonpeopleintheorganizationisthenextlevelaboveandtheassociatesaroundand
below.AndsotobuildalearningorganizationIsayisnotenough.Learningcouldbe,you
knowwearelearningcooking,wearelearningthisorthat,butteachingorganizations,whenI
learnedsomething,Ihavearesponsibilitytoteachmycolleagues.
Soeverybodytakesresponsibilityforgeneratingnewknowledgeanditisnotenoughtobea
learner,youthenhavetotranslateitintoteaching.
TheVirtuousTeachingCycle
Theroleofaleaderistoensurethatthepeoplewhoworkforthemandaroundthemarebetter
everyday.There'sonlyonewaytomakepeoplebetter.It'stoteachthem,learnfromthem,
createwhatIcall"virtuousteachingcycles,notcommandandcontrol.
Avirtuousteachingcycleisteachlearn,teachlearn.Andtheleaderhasaresponsibilityfor
reducingthehierarchy,forhavingapointofviewtostartthediscussion,butthentobe
responsibletoheareveryone'svoice,geteveryoneinvolvedinadisciplinedway.Itisnotafree
forall.Butitistheleader'sresponsibilitytocreatethatvirtuousteachingcycle.
AwonderfulexampleofvirtuousteachingcycleistheprogramthatRogerEnricoranatPepsi,
whereeveryoneofthe10vicepresidentscomeswithabusinessproject.
RogerEnricogetssmarterasresultoffivedayswith10vicepresidents,becausehe'slearning
fromthem.Heneedstolowerthehierarchy.Heneedstobeopentolearning.Andinturn,the
peopleparticipatingneedtobeenergizedandempoweredtocomeupandengageinproblem
solving.
AnotherexampleisatBestBuy,whereeverymorninginthestoresyouwouldbring20
associatesorsotogetherandtheywouldreviewtheprofitandlossstatementfromtheday
before,whatwelearnedfromthedifferentcustomersegmentsinourstores,whatwecandoto
improveourperformancethisday.Andtheydothateverysingleday.Thestoremanagerwas
learningmostlyfromtheassociatesonthefloor.
Thatwasavirtuousteachingcyclewereeverybodyisteachingeverybody,everybodyis
learningandtheresulthasbeenanincredibleresultatBestBuy.
Thegrowthanddevelopmentofpeopleisthehighestcallingofleadership.
HarveyS.Firestone
Founder,FirestoneTireandRubberCo
Thereareclearadvantagestoleaderleddevelopment.
Butformanyleaders,takingonteaching,coaching,andotherdevelopmentresponsibilitiescan
seemdaunting.Youmightavoidtakingontheserolesduetolackoftime,resources,oryour
ownlackofcomfortwiththisrole.
Thefollowingtipsandresourcescanhelpyouimpartvaluablelearningtoyourteameveryday.
Todevelopothers
StartwithaTeachablePointofView
ThefirstrequirementofbeingabletodevelopotherleadersistohavewhatIcallateachable
pointofview.Ioftengivetheexampleof,ifIranatenniscampandyoujustcametodayoneof
thetenniscamp,IbetterhaveateachablepointofviewonhowIteachtennis.Soyouare
standingtherelookingatmeandithasgotfourelements.One,theideas,wellhowdoIteach
thebackhand,theforehand,theserve,rulesoftennis.ThenifIamagoodtenniscoach,Ihave
asetofvalues.WhataretherightbehaviorsIwant,howdoIwantyoutodress,howdoIwant
youtobehaveonthetenniscourt.
Butifthat'sallIhave,whatdoIdo?Showyouapowerpointpresentationandthenexpectyou
tohit500backhands,500serves,runaroundforeighthours.Ihavetohaveateachablepoint
ofviewonemotionalenergy.HowdoImotivateyoutobuyintotheideasandvalues?
OnoneendofthespectrumitcouldbeIthreatenyouwithcorporalpunishment,theotherIcan
giveyoustockoptions,Icanmakeyoufeelgoodaboutyourself,Icanhelpyoudevelopasa
humanbeing,whatmotivatesyou.
Andthenfinally,howdoImakethetoughjudgmentcalls,theyes/no,decisionsasthetennis
coach,theballisin,theballisout.Idon'thireconsultantsandsetupacommittee,itisyes/no.
Andthesamewithrunningabusiness,whataretheproducts,services,distributionchannels,
customersegmentsthataregoingtogrowtoplinegrowthandprofitabilityoftheorganization.
WhatarethevaluesthatIwanteveryoneintheorganizationtohave,howdoIemotionally
energizethousandsofpeople,andthenhowdoImaketheyes/no,judgmentsonpeopleand
onbusinessissues.Sothefundamentalbuildingblockofbeingabletodevelopotherleadersis
tohavethatteachablepointofviewjustlikethetenniscoach.
Todevelopothers
Leadwithquestions
Questionsarehugelyimportantbecauseyouwanttocreatedialogueandagain,whatIcalla
virtuousteachingcyclewheretheteacherlearnsfromthestudentsandviceversa.Which
meanseverybodyoughttobefreetoaskwhateverisontheirmind,whateveritwilltaketoget
clarityandunderstanding,butitisnottheleaderjustcominginandfreeformaskingquestions.I
believetheleaderhasaresponsibilityforframingthediscussion,forhavingasbesttheycana
teachablepointofview,theymayneedhelpfromtheirpeopleinflushingitout,buttheyneedto
setthestagebutthenithastobeaveryinteractive,whatIcallvirtuousteachingcycle
environment,teachlearn,teachlearn,teachlearn.
Todevelopothers
Makeitpartofyourroutine
AgoodexampletomeofanoutstandingleaderdevelopingotherleadersisMyrtlePotterwho
atthetimeIamcommentingwasChiefOperatingOfficerofGenentechrunningthecommercial
sideofthebusiness.Andshewouldtaketimeattheendofeverysinglemeetinganddosome
coachingofthewholeteamonhowwecouldperformasateambetter,andthenshewould
oftentakeindividualsandsay,couldwespend10minutesoveracupofcoffee,Iwanttogive
yousomefeedbackandcoachingonthatreportthatyoujustpresentedonorhowyouare
handlingaparticularlydifficulthumanresourceissue,butitwaspartofherregularroutine.And
Ithinkthechallengeforallofusasleadersistomakethatawayoflifeanditisbuiltintothe
fabricofhowweleadanditisnotaoneoffevent,threetimesayear.Itishappeningalmost
everyday.
Todevelopothers
Makeitapriority
Oneofthebiggestchallengesingettingpeoplekindofonthispathistoovercomesomeof
theirownresistance,eitherfearorthewayIviewtheworldIdon'thavetimeforthis,everybody
canmaketime.RogerEnricoisCEOofPepsi.Hedidn'thavetimetogooffforaweekatatime
andruntrainingsessions.Hehadtoreadjusthiscalendar.Soitrequiresyoutolookinthe
mirrorandsay,isthisimportant.Ifitisimportant,ofcourseIcanmakethetime.ThenIhaveto
getovermyownanxietyonhowwellIcandoit,butitisacommitmenttogetonthepaththat
says:thisishowIamgoingtodrivemyownperformanceandtheperformanceofmy
colleagues.
Todevelopothers
Learntoteach
Ithinkthebiggestmistakeistoassumeyouaregoingtobegoodatitrightoffthebat.Itislike
learninganythingelse.Firsttimeyougooutandtryandplaytennis,goodluck.Butyougotto
staywithitandyougottoengageyourpeopleinhelpingmakeyoubetterandthembetter.And
soitisajourneyyouneedtogeton,notIamgoingtodoitperfectlywhenIstartout.
Ifyouwanttobeagreatleaderwhoisagreatteacher,it'sverysimple.Youhavegottodive
intothedeependofthepool.Butyou'vegottodiveintothepoolwithpreparation.Idon'twant
youdrowning.Iwantyousucceeding.Itisextraordinarilyrewardingformosthumanbeingsto
teachothers.Ithinkonceyoucanturnthatswitchon,itisselfperpetuating.Yougetalotof
reinforcement,yourteamisbetter.Youperformbetterbecauseyourperformancegoesupand
itbecomesthisvirtuousteachingcycle.
Youropportunitytodevelopothers
Weveheardwhydevelopingotherscandrivegreaterbusinessresults,andhowtomakethe
mostofyourleaderleddevelopmentefforts.ThematerialsprovidedinDevelopOthersenable
youtocreatepersonalizedlearningexperiencesforYOURteamwithintheflowoftheirdaily
activities.Usetheguidesandprojectstoengageyourteamquickly.Andtoexplorehowkey
conceptsapplytotheminthecontextoftheirprioritiesandgoals.
Thevalueofteachingistheperformanceoftheorganizationistotallydependentonmaking
yourpeoplesmarterandmorealignedeverydayastheworldchanges.Inthe21stcenturywe
arenotgoingtogetbywithcommandandcontrol.Wearegoingtohavetogetbywith
knowledgecreation.Thewayyoucreateknowledgeinanorganizationisyoucreatethese
virtuousteachingcycleswhereyouareteachingandlearningsimultaneously,respondingto
customerdemandsandchanges,respondingtochangesintheglobalenvironment.Mybottom
lineisifyou'renotteaching,you'renotleading.
Aleadersmostimportantroleinanyorganizationismakinggoodjudgmentswellinformed,wise
decisionsaboutpeople,strategyandcrisesthatproducethedesiredoutcomes.Whenaleader
showsconsistentlygoodjudgment,littleelsematters.Whenheorsheshowspoorjudgmentnothing
elsematters.Inadditiontomakingtheirowngoodjudgmentcalls,goodleadersdevelopgood
judgmentamongtheirteammembers.
Dr.NoelM.Tichy
Professor,UniversityofMichiganRossSchoolofBusiness
Dr.NoelM.TichyisProfessorofManagementandOrganizations,andDirectoroftheGlobalBusiness
PartnershipattheUniversityofMichiganRossSchoolofBusiness.TheGlobalBusinessPartnership
linkscompaniesandstudentsaroundtheworldtodevelopandengagebusinessleadersto
incorporateglobalcitizenshipactivities,bothenvironmentalprojectsandhumancapitaldevelopment,
forthoseatthebottomofthepyramid.Previously,NoelwasheadofGeneralElectricsLeadership
CenteratCrotonville,whereheledthetransformationtoactionlearningatGE.Between1985and
1987,hewasManagerofManagementEducationforGEwherehedirecteditsworldwide
developmenteffortsatCrotonville.Hecurrentlyconsultswidelyinboththeprivateandpublicsectors.
HeisaseniorpartnerinActionLearningAssociates.Noelisauthorofnumerousbooksandarticles,
including:
FormoreinformationaboutNoelTichy,visithttp://www.noeltichy.com.
ShareanIdea
Leadersareinauniquepositiontorecognizetheideasandtoolsthataremostrelevantandusefulfor
theirteams.Ifyouonlyhaveafewminutes,considersharinganideaortoolfromthistopicwithyour
teamorpeersthatisrelevantandtimelytotheirsituation.
Forexample,considersendingoneofthethreerecommendedideasortoolsbelowtoyourteamwith
yourcommentsorquestionsonhowtheideaortoolcanbeofvaluetoyourorganization.Bysimply
sharingtheitem,youcaneasilyengageothersinimportantconversationsandactivitiesrelevantto
yourgoalsandpriorities.
Stepsforsettingupapresentation
Tipsfororganizingapresentation
Presentationoutlineworksheet
Toshareanidea,tip,step,ortoolwithyourcommentsviaemail,selecttheEMAILlinkintheupper
rightcornerofthepagethatcontainstheidea,tip,step,ortoolthatyouwishtoshare.
Discussion1:Layingthefoundationforapresentation
Presentationsareapowerfulwaytocommunicateyourmessagetoagroup.Dependingonyour
purpose,apresentationcanprovideaforumfordiscussionofchallengingideas,helpgain
commitmentandalignmenttoacourseofaction,orengagepeopleingeneratingsolutionsto
problems.Butunlessyoutakethetimetodefineyourpresentationsobjective,knowyouraudience,
andfullyunderstandthecontextinwhichyouarepresenting,yourpresentationmaynothavethe
positiveimpactyouintended.
Youandyourteamcanmakesubstantialcontributionstoyourunitordepartmentwhenyouskillfully
laythefoundationforasuccessfulpresentation.Usetheseresourcestoleadadiscussionwithyour
teamabout:(1)definingyourpresentationsobjective(2)knowingyouraudienceand(3)
understandingyourpresentationscontext.
Downloadresources:
DiscussionInvitation:LayingtheFoundationforaPresentation
DiscussionGuide:LayingtheFoundationforaPresentation
DiscussionSlides:LayingtheFoundationforaPresentation(optional)
TipsforPreparingforandLeadingtheDiscussion
Thediscussionyouhavewithyourteamwillhelpindividualteammembersunderstandandapply
techniquesthatcreatethefoundationforasuccessfulpresentation.
Workingthroughthediscussionguidecantakeupto45minutes.Ifyoupreferashorter15or30
minutesession,youmaywanttofocusonlyonthoseconceptsandactivitiesmostrelevanttoyour
situation.
Discussion2:Organizingyourpresentation
Onceyouhaveestablishedthefoundationforyourpresentation,youneedtocreateaclearand
organizedoutline.Awellorganizedpresentationmakestheaudience'slisteningjobaseasyas
possible,boostingthelikelihoodthatyourpresentationwillproducetheresultsyouintended.
Youandyourteamcanmakesubstantialcontributionstoyourunitordepartmentbyimprovingyour
capacitytoorganizeaneffectivepresentation.Usetheseresourcestoleadadiscussionwithyour
teamabouthowtodevelopthreekeysectionsofapresentation:theopening,theproblemstatement,
andthesolution.
Downloadresources:
DiscussionInvitation:OrganizingyourPresentation
DiscussionGuide:OrganizingyourPresentation
DiscussionSlides:OrganizingyourPresentation(optional)
TipsforPreparingforandLeadingtheDiscussion
Thediscussionyouhavewithyourteamwillhelpindividualteammemberstounderstandandapply
techniquesfororganizinganeffectivepresentation.
Workingthroughthediscussionguidecantakeupto45minutes.Ifyoupreferashorter15or30
minutesession,youmaywanttofocusonlyonthoseconceptsandactivitiesmostrelevanttoyour
situation.
StartaGroupProject
Justlikeanychangeeffort,successfullyincorporatingnewskillsandbehaviorsintoonesdaily
activitiesandhabitstakestimeandeffort.Afterreviewingordiscussingtheconceptsinthistopic,your
directreportswillstillneedyoursupporttofullyapplynewconceptsandskills.Theywillneedto
overcomeavarietyofbarriersincludingalackoftime,lackofconfidence,andafearofmaking
mistakes.Theywillalsoneedopportunitiestohonetheirskillsandbreakoldhabits.Tohelpensure
theirsuccess,youcanprovidesafeopportunitiesforindividualsandyourteamasawholetopractice
andexperimentwithnewskillsandbehaviorsonthejob.
Forexample,toencouragetheadoptionofnewnorms,youcanprovideyourteammemberswith
coaching,feedback,andadditionaltimetocompletetasksthatrequiretheuseofnewskills.
Managementapproachessuchasthesewillencourageteammemberstoexperimentwithnewskills
untiltheybecomeproficient.
Grouplearningprojectsprovideanothervaluabletechniqueforacceleratingteammembers
developmentofnewbehaviors.Agrouplearningprojectisanonthejobactivityaimedatproviding
teammemberswithdirectexperienceimplementingtheirnewknowledgeandskills.Througha
learningproject,teammembersdiscoverhownewconceptsworkinthecontextoftheirsituation,
whilesimultaneouslyhavingadirectandtangibleimpactontheorganization.
Thedocumentsbelowprovidesteps,tips,andatemplateforinitiatingagrouplearningprojectwith
yourteam,alongwithtwoprojectrecommendationsforthistopic.
Downloadresources:
TipsforInitiatingandSupportingaLearningProject
LearningProjectPlanTemplate
LearningProject:EvaluatingaPresentation
LearningProject:WorkingasaTeamtoPrepareaPresentation
HowtoBecomeanAuthenticSpeaker
NickMorgan."HowtoBecomeanAuthenticSpeaker."HarvardBusinessReview,November2008.
Downloadfile
Summary
Likethebestlaidschemesofmiceandmen,thebestrehearsedspeechesgooftastray.Noamount
ofpreparationcancounteranaudience'sperceptionthatthespeakeriscalculatingorinsincere.Why
dosomanymanagershavetroublecommunicatingauthenticitytotheirlisteners?Morgan,a
communicationscoachformorethantwodecades,offersadviceforovercomingthisdifficulty.Recent
brainresearchshowsthatnatural,unstudiedgestureswhatMorgancallsthe"second
conversation"expressemotionsorimpulsesasplitsecondbeforeourthoughtprocesseshave
turnedthemintowords.Sothetimingofpracticedgestureswillalwaysbesubtlyoffjustenoughto
bepickedupbylisteners'unconsciousabilitytoreadbodylanguage.Ifyoucan'tpracticethe
unspokenpartofyourdelivery,whatcanyoudo?Tapintofourbasicimpulsesunderlyingyourspeech
tobeopentotheaudience,toconnectwithit,tobepassionate,andto"listen"tohowtheaudience
isrespondingandthenrehearseyourpresentationwitheachinmind.
TheFourTruthsoftheStoryteller
PeterGuber."FourTruthsoftheStoryteller."HarvardBusinessReview,December2007.
Downloadfile
Summary
Awelltoldstory'spowertocaptivateandinspirepeoplehasbeenrecognizedforthousandsofyears.
PeterGuberisinthebusinessofcreatingcompellingstories:Hehasheadedseveralentertainment
companiesincludingSonyPictures,PolyGram,andColumbiaPicturesandproduced"RainMan,"
"Batman,"and"TheColorPurple,"amongmanyothermovies.Inthisarticle,heoffersamethodfor
effectivelyexercisingthatpower.Forastorytoenraptureitslisteners,saysGuber,itmustbetrueto
theteller,embodyinghisorherdeepestvaluesandconveyingthemwithcandortruetotheaudience,
deliveringonthepromisethatitwillbeworthpeople'stimebyacknowledginglisteners'needsand
involvingtheminthenarrativetruetothemoment,appropriatelymatchingthecontextwhetherit's
anaddressto2,000customersorachatwithacolleagueoverdrinksyetflexibleenoughtoallowfor
improvisationandtruetothemission,conveyingtheteller'spassionfortheworthyendeavorthatthe
storyillustratesandenlistingsupportforit.
v11.0.2.072720112011HarvardBusinessSchoolPublishing.Allrightsreserved.

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