The Building Blocks of a Top-notch Presentation

At least as important as a general knack for public speaking, is the ability to deliver a persuasive presentation. Business leaders are regularly called upon to inform and enlighten (among others) employees, clients, and prospective investors, and the ability to convey one’s ideas successfully to a wide variety of stakeholders is a hallmark of exemplary leadership.

The most important guiding principle is to know your stuff; if you have done your research in advance and know the topic you’ll be discussing inside-out, you’ll be able to both cover the essentials, and readily respond to questions and comments from the audience. That said, it sure helps to know what sort of people you’ll be addressing.

Familiarize yourself with the audience.

The best presentations take shape well in advance of a speaker’s scheduled appearance. Ideally, not only should a presenter be physically ready (i.e. well rested, nourished, and properly equipped); s/he should also have conducted a reasonable amount of advance research into the audience. What are the wants and needs of the people who will be listening to you? What are their priorities? What are they optimistic/anxious about? What information will they be most interested to hear? If you’re a presenter who likes to sprinkle in the odd joke, what sort of humour do you think will elicit a favourable response from this crowd?

Start strong.

Some presenters like to begin with a short anecdote; others prefer a punchy opening statement, rhetorical question, or a description of a commonly held belief that, to channel 19th-century wordsmith Mark Twain, “just ain’t so.” (You could even open by laying out the aspects of the misconception, asking “How often have you all heard this story?”, and then explain why it is erroneous.)

Your immediate priority should be to grab your audience’s attention. If necessary, introduce yourself and establish your qualifications. But keep this preliminary step brief (one or two sentences), and then get right to the point.

Punctuate your presentation.

Once you have captured the attention of the audience, your next challenge is to maintain it until you’ve finished. Inexperienced presenters often make the mistake of bombarding viewers with information in large tranches, rather than breaking it down into digestible fragments that leave listeners a moment to process what they’re hearing, and try to reconcile it with their pre-existing views.

A strategy that works fairly well is to partition major concepts with quotes, either from inspirational figures, or from experts in a field of knowledge that is relevant to the content of the presentation. Quotes can also be used as evidence or testimony that reinforces the message you hope to convey.

Encourage participation.

The question is a valuable item in the toolkit of an effective presenter. Questions can be open-ended, require a yes-or-no response, or take the form of a multiple-choice poll. (“Raise your hand if you believe X? What about Y? What about Z?”)

However, not all questions are useful. Avoid loaded questions unless they contain a misconception you aim to dispel; for example, “How many of you think sports cars are fun to drive?” already suggests a reply. Queries with obvious answers will also tend to nullify the participatory effect, since few members of the audience will need to actually pause and reflect before responding.

Tell a story.

Cherokee novelist Thomas King wrote “The truth about stories, is that that’s all we are.” Indeed, human civilization is built on them. The bulk of the collective knowledge we have at our disposal—from scientific theories to news, history, literature, and the arts—take the form of stories, conveyed through a vast array of media and languages, that have evolved and been modified over time.

With that in mind, it should come as no surprise that one of the most effective ways to engage an audience is through narrative. Financial advisor Suze Orman, a denizen of the cable networks, likes to recount her personal rags-to-riches journey during her speeches, which has the added benefit of establishing her credibility as a surmounter of major financial obstacles. Alternatively, your story could offer a description of an experience you had, an account of a significant historical event, or the anticipated result of a policy change you advocate. In any case, choose a narrative that is relevant to the topic at hand, and that is likely to resonate with your audience.

Conquering Stage Fright

Public speaking isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s an important skill for leaders in the business world to cultivate. Whether you have to deliver a presentation before the members of a corporate board, a group of employees in your organization, a charity, a high school, or the Canadian parliament, you’ll make a stronger impression and communicate your message more powerfully if you are a competent and effective speaker. (For more on this topic, see this post from the Corporation Centre blog archives.)

One of the primary causes of discomfort around public speaking is performance anxiety—otherwise known as stage fright. Like other forms of fear, performance anxiety leads to the release of adrenalin into your bloodstream, and produces two kinds of psychosomatic responses: one is a desire to resist or defy the agent of your intimidation (“fight”); the other is the impulse to flee or escape (“flight”). In the context of public speaking, these responses can manifest themselves in distinctly unhelpful ways: a trembling voice, blushing, loss of memory or an inability to maintain focus (“flight”), and muscle tension or tightness (“fight”). An accelerated heart rate and breathing rate, producing speech that is excessively rapid or high-pitched, is also a common problem for inexperienced or nervous public speakers.

Fortunately, the “fight or flight” response is an ill that you can (partly) alleviate by focusing on the symptoms rather than the cause.

Practice in advance.

Speak in front of a mirror, or deliver a rehearsal to a friend or loved one. Time yourself, and in successive attempts, try to maintain a consistent time.

Commit your words—or at least the gist of the speech—to memory.

It’s fine to have notes in front of you and consult them once in a while. But when a speaker is reading from a sheet of paper for an extended period, many people react by tuning out. Nervous speakers frequently resort to reading without even glancing up at the audience, but that’s rarely an effective way to forge an interpersonal connection.

Stay hydrated. Drink water before and during your remarks.

As a consequence of the “fight or flight” response, many people experience a dry throat, or worse, a frog in their throat that inhibits their ability to speak. Although water can’t eliminate the source of the fear in this situation (unless it arrives in the form of a fire sprinkler that forces everyone in the room to evacuate), it can mitigate dryness in the mouth and throat caused by performance anxiety.

Deep breaths and cadence.

Again, the goal here is to partially counteract the “fight or flight” response. A quick surge of adrenalin in your bloodstream can produce short, shallow breathing and accelerated speech. If you know this tends to happen to you, concentrate on taking deep, deliberate breaths, and enunciate your words carefully.

Clear your mind by minding your heart.

The “fight or flight” response entails the redirection of blood away from your brain and toward your major muscles—enabling you to brace for a physical struggle, or run faster in order to successfully escape. However, neither of these abilities is particularly useful if you need to deliver a speech. As I noted earlier, as your brain loses blood flow, you will tend to forget important details and lose concentration.

You may find that the following brief ritual will help you clear your mind and regain poise.

First, focus your attention on the organ responsible for circulating blood through your system—your heart. Next, breathe in and out, imagining that the air that enters you is a purifying elixir, and that your exhalation is exhaust—a mixture of waste products to be discarded. Finally, go to your happy place—i.e. think of a person, place, or thing that warms your heart and brings you comfort.

For a video tutorial, see this presentation by public speaking coach Dave Smith.

Exercise.

Regular exercise is important for maintaining your health and energy level in general. And if the opportunity of a brief walk presents itself right before you’re due to speak, go for it; even low-intensity exertion can increase blood flow to your brain and improve your focus and composure.

How to be a Guest Speaker to Promote your Business

One of the most effective ways of getting the word out about your business is to talk about your business. That doesn’t necessarily mean stopping strangers on the street and passing out business cards (although that can work!). You should find ways to become a guest speaker. While you might not command those huge keynote speaker fees, you could volunteer to give a talk to local community groups or at trade show conferences. Those event planners are always looking to broaden their agendas and you’d be providing them a great service. Here are five terrific tips to help you become an amazing guest speaker to promote your business.

Get the Facts

 Know your audience. You should develop a kind of “stump speech” which is basically the same speech that can be delivered to any audience. However, that doesn’t mean you can tailor make that speech to fit a particular group. What you might be presenting to a group of senior citizens is different than to a group of high school seniors, even if it’s the same product. You should also know exactly how much time you’re allotted for your speech and when you’ll be “going on.” Additionally, if you require any special equipment like a projector or extension cord it’s always best to bring that yourself. Don’t count on the facility to have what you need.

Write Your Own Intro

Since you’re going to be introduced it will be best if you can position your biography and theme of your speech. Writing your own introduction can certainly be done with humility. It’s also a great relief to your host since they won’t have to worry about getting that information wrong.

Have Take-aways

It would be extremely beneficial if you can put something into the hand of everyone listening to your speech. Whether it’s a brochure, menu of services or even a refrigerator magnet, giving the attendees something with your company name and contact will be invaluable in terms of creating new customers. If you have something to sell immediately, like a book or other promotional items, make sure you clear it with the event planner in advance. Also find out if there will be other speakers selling stuff. You don’t want to be the only one selling.

Engage Your Audience

The best approach to giving a speech is to make it more like a conversation. Yes, you’ll be doing most of the talking but you don’t want to get stuck reading from a written speech or slides on a power point presentation. One of the most effective ways of engaging an audience is to ask them questions. You don’t always need to hear the answer but you’re getting them to think about your presentation by turning it on their own lives. That will make what you have to say resonate with the crowd.

Stick Around

Don’t just talk and run. If you have time in your presentation to open up the floor for questions, that will be terrific. Often attendees might prefer to pull you aside after the speech to ask questions. Stick around to meet the folks and find out more about them. Who knows? You might even be asked to give your speech somewhere else! 

Public Speaking: No Joke (Unless You Can Deliver it Well)

Public speaking does not come easy for some people. For others, it's a snap. The more experienced speakers have learned the secrets while many novices will wake up that morning with a major headache.

Making a presentation, or giving a speech, is part of the business world. But, in order for your presentation to achieve its goal, the delivery must be successful. This requires your connecting with the audience. Experience has demonstrated that a common technique, when applied correctly, is opening with a joke.

A joke, when delivered properly, can break the ice with the audience. It sends a message that the speaker is here to speak with us, not to us. Similar to the co-worker that attracts a crowd at the coffee machine by telling a good joke, you can attract the crowd in front of you to listen to you.

Of course, this is not an opening for a standup routine. Neither should you use the podium to tell the latest racist joke that you heard at the bar last night. The motto is KISS – keep it short and simple. It makes good sense to do some research beforehand and try to learn what makes the audience tick. For example, a high tech joke will not work well for an audience of medical practitioners. But, a good doctor joke certainly will. Be careful, though, not to insult anyone in the audience. If you feel that they will appreciate it, try poking fun at the industry, but only if you're part of it. Outsiders are not usually welcome to do this.

Learn to read your audience. If you see that your joke is not going over well, abandon it (with a shrug for a last ditch attempt at a chuckle) and get on with the business at hand. Delivery is everything! You have to go with the flow of the audience. Sometimes, the audience is waiting for what you have to say. Other times, they may be waiting to leave. Do what you can, in a professional manner, to win them over. Telling jokes, like making a powerful, impacting speech, is an art. Learn the craft carefully and you can be quite successful.

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How to Talk to Your Board

Knowing how to manage a large corporation is not enough for a top executive. It is also crucial to know how to work with your board.

Before entering the boardroom, know who is sitting there and what their expectations are. The way board members think or grasp a particular situation may differ from yours. When you live a company daily, your appreciation of its subtleties, or your comprehension of its needs, will differ from those of someone who knows the company from afar. Therefore, learn who your board members are and present reports to them in the way that they want to hear them. Meet them on their terms.

Don't try to impress the board with fancy numbers, terms, and analyses. They know that you know all this. They want to know the bottom line without a lot of hype. However, don't underestimate their expectations. Present the risks and challenges that the company faces. Your job, after all, is to guide the company through these. They want to know how and how much.

Presenting confidence is vital. You are their person at the helm. When you exude confidence, the board feels comfortable that the company is in strong hands. When possible, don't go into the boardroom "cold turkey." Plan your presentation in advance. Know what you want to say and how to say it best. Also, prepare yourself for tough questions. The board expects you to have all the answers at your fingertips. Therefore, the more you prepare, the better you will appear.

As you make your presentation, keep an eye on your audience. Learn to read body language. Whatever it takes, avoid a bored board. If attention starts waning, it is time to switch gears and get their attention back. Work with them and they will work with you.

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