The biggest secret in presentations

I am going to give away one of the biggest secrets of great presentations today and it is one that is so simple that you will not imagine how important it is!

The secret is that every presentation is theatre! - perhaps this sounds simple or even unachievable - however if you think this way you will create a totally new way to present.


Here is an exercise for you to try:


Try to think back to two occasions, when you last went to the theatre and the last business presentation you heard, I am imagining that the two were like this...

At the theatre	At a business presentation
There was an air of anticipation as you took your seat	You sat in the back row not wanting to be there
There was music playing, setting the scene	There was an awkward silence broken only by the muttering of the audience
The curtain rose and the players appeared seamlessly	The projector didn’t work and IT had to fiddle with it before the presentation started
The show was exciting and well delivered	The presentation was poorly delivered

Now you may not have exactly the same experience, however you should realise that it is common and we let ourselves down when we give presentations. We need to learn some of the techniques of the theatre to give our presentations some presence.


There are simple things you can do, for example playing background music while people take their seats. This can serve two purposes, it covers the awkward silences and you can use music to set the mood (fast paced and exciting or slow and calming). You may not have a curtain to raise, but why not have a little animation with some music to start on a remote control click when you are ready. Think of this as your 'title sequence' as it gives the audience the cue that you are about to speak. Tie this with dimming the lights (if possible) so that people concentrate on the presentation more strongly.


And most importantly remember that you almost never see a theatre technician on stage during a show. Get to your presentation early, make sure the technology works and then have it running BEFORE people enter the room. I call this 'Swan Theory' on the basis that, like a majestic swan swimming down a river you cannot see how much hard work is going on beneath the surface to keep going.


Above all, if you think theatre, you will not be thinking that this is just another presentation - give the audience a show and they will reward you with greater attention and a better response!


Happy presenting


Wilf




I will give you some examples of opening sequences in the future, feel free to drop me a line if you would like some tips!  

Breath to succeed

Let me ask you, are you breathing? 

If you are not, go and report to the nurse quickly - if you are (and I really hope you are) let me ask are you thinking about your breathing?

I am betting that the answer is no, we generally do not think about our breathing, it is one of those automatic things that just happens. But did you know that you can improve your public speaking and calm your presentation nerves just by starting to think about your breathing?

When we speak in public It is important to remember the following:

• Your breathing will affect your voice and projection - learning to control your breathing will allow you to improve the projection and clarity of your voice.
• Your breathing can be affected by nerves.
• You can also control your nerves by controlling your breathing.

To demonstrate this try the following simple breathing exercise:

• take a deep breath in through your mouth
• breath out SLOWLY through your nose (mentally count the seconds that it takes you to breath out)
• concentrate on your breathing and repeat this at least five more times.

There are two benefits, firstly you will get more oxygen into your lungs and therefore feed your brain, and secondly the act of concentration allows you to think about something other than your nerves. Distraction is a good technique; we use it with children and it still works with us as adults. Force yourself to take a moment and think of something else. This is a simple technique that can be carried out anywhere and at any time.

I do this before I speak - it clears my mind and allows me to ensure I am able to present effectively. Go on, give it a try and see if it works for you!

Wilf

Death By Power Point - Why are presenters killing us all!

We have all been there, sitting in a meeting or at a conference and we get the presentation from Hades... Tedious and uninteresting, a list of bullet points and pointless, unreadable content. Somebody tell me what is it about presentations that makes us forget how to tell a story.


You see that is the point, if you were in the bar with a pint in your hand you would no doubt be able to regale your friends with a tale of the one that got away or similar. We know from a very early age how to tell a story we are taught at school, but more importantly we are immersed in stories in our life and not just on television and in films.


If I was to talk theory I would start to discuss the 'narrative arc' - it basically means that a story needs a beginning, a middle and an end. We set the scene with some of problem the hero needs to solve, we get to the action bit and then we come to the conclusion (he gets the girl, she drops the diamond in the sea... You get the idea).


So why not use this idea when you next prepare a presentation? As you are story-boarding your presentation... (NO - do not just load Power Point and start typing bullet points - plan to succeed!) ...you should look to plan a story. What is the shared conflict we start with (sales are down, there are other products in the market...) how we will solve this conflict (hard work, new products) and we then reach a shared conclusion (...improved sales, bonuses). 


This may seem difficult, but if you can start to plan to take the audience on a journey you will find that they will relate better to the content you are trying to present and that they will feel more involved with the conclusion.


Give it a try... We will look at presentation planning and how to get rid of bullet points soon... 


Happy story telling


Wilf

Welcome and lets get better at communicating!

Well hello and thanks for dropping on by! Let me ask you some questions?

• Do you have to communicate?
• Do you always get it right?
• Would you like to communicate better?

Hopefully you have answered Yes, No, Yes - we all need to communicate from a chat in the bar to a vital business meeting. Do we always get it right, well nobody is perfect (if you are do tell me how!) and would you like to communicate better? - I hope so because that is what we will cover right here on this blog!

So pull up a virtual chair and lets get to know each other better!

Wilf