Professionally Speaking...

C-Level Presentation Tip #3: Expect and Be Happy About Interruptions

2012-01-18T09:00:00-05:00

Question: What's the relationship between sky diving and making executive presentations?

Answer: Apart from the metaphorical comparisons of being at high altitudes, both activities routinely strike fear into the hearts of the people daring to attempt them.

Soaring through your presentations in the C-Suite is certainly possible, but not without focus on some key strategies. This series of tips will help you avoid any nose dives.

TIP #3: EXPECT AND BE HAPPY ABOUT INTERRUPTIONS

When you get interrupted during your presetation it means either you’ve sparked an idea that the audience wants to talk about OR you’ve confused them and they are seeking clarification. Strive for the former.

Be attentive to your audience so you can determine what is important to them to pursue. It is far better to allow the audience to interrupt you and dialogue around something in your presentation that interests them than to stick rigidly to your script. If you have sparked a lively discussion it means that your audience is engaged.

The key to comfortably managing interruptions is to know your material backward and forward so you can determine when a spontaneous discussion is productive, when it isn’t and how to get back on track.

You can corral a chatty audience by saying things like, “This has been a great discussion. I want to now cover the final two benefits of this proposal so that you will have all the information you need to make a decision.” Or, “We’ve generated some great ideas here. I’d like to use that last point as a springboard to tell you about the next phase of the implementation.”

Use transitional statements such as these to bridge between what’s been discussed and the next point in your presentation.

C-Level Presentation Tip #2: Link to Business Issues
C Level Presentation Tip #1: Start with Conclusions

Photo Credit:
Flickr/Sky Diving with Clara C.C. 2.0

C-Level Presentation Tip #2: Link to Business Issues

2012-01-05T16:03:28-05:00

Executive level presentations can seem like swimming in shark-infested seas, even for the intrepid business presenter. Stakes and visibility are both high.

This series of tips will help you make a few tweaks to your presentation practices so you can successfully navigate any C-Suite waters.

TIP #2: LINK TO BUSINESS ISSUES

Do some homework before the presentation and explore the over-arching business issues and challenges facing the executives you'll be speaking to. Every audience, no matter how senior, asks themselves the WIIFM (“What’s in it for me?”) questions.

Why should I listen?
What benefit will I get from this presentation versus all the other things I need to do?
How will this information help me achieve my business goals?

Clearly show how your message is relevant to key issues the audience is focused on -- for example, corporate strategy, profitability, employee engagement, revenue or ROI. Don’t leave it up to them to figure out. Demonstrate the links through specific statements, examples and metaphors.

C-Level Presentation Tip #1: Start with Conclusions

Photo Credit:
Flickr/Blacktip Shark, Moorea, French Polynesia C.C. 2.0

Twelve Presentation Gifts For You

2011-12-19T12:01:37-05:00

[Sing along to the tune of The 12 Days of Christmas, if you must!]

On the first day of Christmas dear Santa gives to you…
A clear and succinct message

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Happy Holidays to all!

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

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

C-Level Presentation Tip #1: Start with Conclusions

2011-11-18T15:38:56-05:00

Executive level presentations can strike fear into the hearts of even the most courageous business presenters. Both stakes and visibility are high.

This series of tips will help you make a few tweaks to your presentation practices so you can navigate successfully in the C-Suite.

TIP #1: START WITH CONCLUSIONS

C-Level audiences are results focused. So play to this by starting your presentation with the conclusion. Don't keep them in suspense or you'll lose them. Tell them up front what the problem is, what you recommend or what you're asking for. And then support that conclusion with the necessary details and facts.

For example, "Approximately 50 percent of our prospective customers abandon their order on our website because the process is too cumbersome. The system enhancements I am recommending can cut that abandon rate in half which will increase our revenues by $500,000 annually. The additional benefits will be happier customers and more accurate metrics. Let me show you how we can achieve this."

You've told your audience the bottom line, clarified their expectations, and outlined briefly the benefits they can expect. Now you can proceed to back up your recommendations with more detail, linking back to the conclusion as you go through the presentation.

Photo Credit:
Flickr/Shark Fin C.C. 2.0

Remembering the Presentation Brilliance of Steve Jobs

2011-10-06T10:39:45-04:00

The world lost a visionary, Apple lost a leader and the public speaking world lost a role model with the death yesterday of Steve Jobs.

Jobs' ability to captivate an audience, the elegance of his "one big idea", his passion, his focus on the visual and his rehearsal ethic are all worthy of imitation.

Over the next days, weeks and perhaps months, the media will offer an abundance of clips and excerpts from Jobs' many presentations.

Listen. Watch. Learn.

Steve Jobs R.I.P.

"Good-night, sweet prince. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest." ^*

* Hamlet, Act V, Scene II

Photo Credit:
flickr/COG LOG LAB C.C. 2.0

Presentation Tip: Powerful Closings

2011-09-21T13:08:30-04:00

Jimmy Durante, one of America's most popular personalities of vaudeville and early television, used to sign off each of his radio and TV programs with, "Goodnight Mrs. Calabash, wherever you are." Shrouded in an air of mystery [who is Mrs. Calabash?**], this line became his signature.

Durante knew how to keep the audience's attention until the last moment and end his presentation memorably. We, as business presenters, need to learn to do the same.

So that means:

No trailing off at the end of your presentation: "Well, I guess that's about it."
No Q&A lasting until time has run out.
No mad dash to cover the last 15 slides: "Oh I didn't realize we were out of time. I only have a few more slides here; I'll run through them quickly."
No wasting precious minutes telling the audience how delighted you are to have been there speaking with them.

HOW TO CLOSE A PRESENTATION

When thinking about the last 3-5 minutes of your presentation, you must answer the question, "What do I want my audience to remember/walk away with?" This answer should dictate what closing technique and content will be most effective.

Many of the same techniques that work in creating a powerful opening will also be effective as a closing: a startling statistic; humor; a clever definition; a rhetorical question. You can also:

Summarize your key points in a succinct, memorable way.
Reach back to the beginning of your presentation -- remind the audience what you said at the outset and how your information has solved the problem or explained the situation.
Wrap up with a story, quote or anecdote that summarizes your message.
Call the audience to action -- ask them to make a change, embrace new information or approve your proposal.

What other techniques have you used or seen used to powerfully close a presentation?

** The two most popular theories on the identity of Mrs. Calabash were (1) a restaurant owner Durante had met in Calabash, NC and (2) a pet name for his first wife.

Presentation Checklists

2011-08-18T12:41:45-04:00

According to Atul Gawande, surgeon at Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital, associate professor at Harvard Medical School and author of The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right, the lowly checklist has been a critical tool in flying airplanes, building skyscrapers and reducing deadly infections in hospitals.

Surely then, couldn't it be useful to help us be better prepared and organized for our presentations?

Many fine speakers have been tripped up because they didn't pay enough attention to the logistical details of a presentation. This lack of oganization can take many forms:

forgetting to bring the most current version of the slides

neglecting to have a backup copy of the presentation on a USB drive and then finding your computer doesn't work with the room's equipment

running late for the presentation and not having the host's contact information

having the room set up differently than you expected

And while none of these are earth-shattering problems, they can easily put you off your game, negatively affect your confidence and prevent you from giving your best to the audience.

Enter the checklist -- the perfect way to keep all the moving parts surrounding a presentation organized in one place. Now some of you right brained, creative folks may balk at the structure of a checklist. But when it comes to the details surrounding your presentation, structure is exactly what you need to keep logistical landmines from derailing you.

My colleague, John Zimmer, over at the Manner of Speaking blog has created a great checklist template that is available to download as a PDF. It could be easily modified or enhanced to include other aspects of preparation besides logistics: research, audience needs analysis, an approval process, rehearsal schedule.

Try out a check list for your next presentation and you'll be joining the ranks of pilots, architects and doctors who swear by them.

Photo Credit:
flickr/mag3737 C.C. 2.0

Cracking the Presentation Glass Ceiling

2011-07-12T10:40:46-04:00

This article has been selected for DeFinis Communications' “Top Presentation Strategies for Women” Blog Carnival. Enjoy posts from a variety of exceptional bloggers at http://www.definiscommunications.com/blog/blog-carnival-top-presentation-strategies-for-women

In our egalitarian, democratic [small d] world, there should be no difference in presentation strategies for women and men. Sadly, that's not quite the case. The familiar glass ceiling seems to exist in business presentations as well. Women must overcome some unique challenges to maximize their impact as speakers.

Some of these glass ceiling challenges are physical, some are perceptual and some are personal.

THE CHALLENGE: Lack of Confidence
Although men suffer from this as well, low confidence is especially familiar to many women. We don't always believe that we have something of value to say or that we deserve to be taken seriously. Many of us have also been conditioned to be less assertive than our male counterparts. So speaking up and offering opinions and recommendations, whether in meetings or formal presentations, can be difficult and intimidating.
THE STRATEGY: Developing confidence is a long term endeavor, but there are some specific practices that can help raise confidence levels for a presentation. Be extremely well prepared, know your material inside and out and anticipate what questions the audience will have. Then practice your presentation at least 10 times. Simultaneously with your rehearsal, visualize yourself feeling confident and recognizing, by reading the audience's reactions, that you are indeed providing them value.

THE CHALLENGE: Size
Women tend to be smaller than men and this lack of physical stature can make it difficult to create presence when in front of a group. When coupled with a lack of confidence, the result is that a woman not only doesn't look big, she doesn't "feel" big.
THE STRATEGY: Developing confidence in your message and your right to articulate it can help overcome the psychological aspect of smaller size. Specific tips to enhance your presence include: don't speak from behind a podium which blocks out a lot of your body; stand tall with shoulders back; get closer to the audience by standing directly in front of them or moving to the front of the stage.

THE CHALLENGE: Clothing
Although men could show up with a garish tie or a mismatch of patterns, women have so many more opportunities to commit clothing sins. These range from low cut blouses to too much or too little makeup to tight fitting pants, skirts or jackets to noisy jewelry. And, unfair though it is, women tend to be judged far more harshly for wardrobe malfunctions than men.
THE STRATEGY: The first key to dressing appropriately when giving a presentation is to think about what is indeed appropriate for that particular audience. There will be differences in terms of formal vs. casual, but good taste should not be variable. If you don't have a flair for coordinating outfits or choosing a flattering hair style, get some help. Enlist a stylish friend or use the services of an image consultant or personal shopper. Rightly or wrongly, how you look when you stand in front of an audience has a major impact on how you are perceived and the initial assumptions your audience makes about your credibility and professionalism.

THE CHALLENGE: Soft Voice
A soft or high-pitched voice can make it difficult to come across confidently and credibly because we tend to associate a soft voice with timidness or lack of assurance. If a woman suffers, in addition, from low confidence, this can be a deadly combination. A soft voice can also make it difficult for the audience to hear which then makes it challenging for them to stay engaged.
THE STRATEGY: There are many vocal exercises that can strengthen a weak voice and lower pitch. Seek out a professional voice coach for an assessment. Saying tongue twisters and humming are two techniques that are useful for strengthening vocal muscles, no matter what type of voice you have.

Putting some significant cracks in the presentation glass ceiling is very do-able. Focus, commitment and embracing these strategies will make it happen. Then...watch out for falling glass.

Photo Credit:
flickr/StephenMitchell C.C. 2.0

Presentation Tip: First Impressions Matter

2011-06-23T12:00:00-04:00

According to bestselling author, Malcolm Gladwell, in Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking, "Snap judgments are...enormously quick: they rely on the thinnest slices of experience."

In our personal worlds, decisions are made in the blink of an eye: when house hunting, the assessment we make as soon as we walk through the door; the assumptions we make when we see someone dressed radically different from the norm; the impression we have as someone arrives for an interview.

If snap judgments are part of our modus operandi, what implications does this have for presenters?

It means that in the first few moments the audience sees you, you are being judged, assessed, evaluated. Long before you open your mouth. Long before you get to the main message of your presentation.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO CREATE A GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION?

Be prepared, with AV equipment checked, handouts sorted and slides ready. If you seem disorganized and rattled over logistics, your audience may assume that your presentation will be equally disorganized.

Look your best. One of the most common snap judgments is making assumptions based on how someone is dressed or groomed. Be sure your appearance is suitable for the particular audience. The mad scientist look may be acceptable at a conference of peers but not work so well in the venture capitalist's boardroom.

Be friendly. Don't bury you head in your notes for that one last review as the audience is coming into the room. Go greet them at the door, as if you were welcoming them to your home. Interact with individuals prior to commencing your presentation. This can help greatly to create an impression that you're personable and worth listening to.

Smile. Establish a connection on a human level and let people know you're glad they've come to hear you speak.

You have a fleeting opportunity at the outset of your presentation to shape the lens through which the audience initially sees you...before you speak, before they start to experience your message. Do your utmost to make this "thinnest slice of experience" as positive as you can.

Photo Credit:
flickr/LadyDragonfly C.C. 2.0

Presentation Lessons from a Cooking Demonstration

2011-06-16T13:43:22-04:00

What do a cooking demonstration and a business presentation have in common? More than you might think.

In my volunteer role at the U.S. Botanic Garden I occasionally assist at cooking demonstrations which we put on to showcase herbs or edible plants from a particular region. These events are always extremely popular with our visitors and I can see why.

Here are some ingredients we business presenters can adapt from a good cooking demonstration:

Prepare Your Space Before the Presentation :: Well before visitors entered the room, the cooking demo host set out all her pans, foodstuffs and utensils. She pre-planned the flow of traffic [visitors were going to stations around the room to mix their own spices] and organized her handouts.

Too often in business presentations we rush into the presentation space at the last minute and then fiddle with AV equipment and handouts while the audience is in the room. Not only is this a waste of the audience's time [they sit around waiting for you to get ready] but it makes you look disorganized and perhaps suggests to your audience that you had more important things to do than be ready to speak to them.

Know Your Subject Matter So Well That You Can Focus on the Audience :: The cooking demo host was so familiar with her material and her cooking techniques that she didn't have to put a lot of focus on what she was doing but instead could be totally present with the audience -- anticipating and answering their questions, realizing when she needed to re-explain information and frequently asking for their opinions and experiences.

Although business presenters are often subject matter experts, they still hide behind their material, reading from a script or PowerPoint slides, perhaps due to nervousness or lack of preparation. This greatly minimizes the opportunity for audience interaction: the presenter doesn't fully connect with the audience; the presentation is more of a data dump than a conversation; and the audience shuts down rather than getting engaged.

Give Samples :: Of course the cooking demo lends itself to handing out samples of the food that's being prepared. But the skilled host went beyond just passing food around while she moved on to the next thing. She highlighted the learning point in that sample, related to the overall theme of the demonstration ["see how good this tastes even though I didn't use any oil in cooking it?"].

You may think that, as business presenters, we don't usually have cool samples to give out. And while you may not have a delightfully herby pesto to offer, your sample is the prop that lets your audience experience your message. Be creative -- perhaps it's a chart or a graph or perhaps it's something tactile that helps illustrate your point. Recognize the power of giving your audience something that heightens their involvement.

So, all you foodies out there, what other ingredients can we borrow from a cooking demonstration presenter to enhance our business presentations?

Photo Credit:
flickr/2008 Metropolitan Cooking Festival, Washington DC C.C. 2.0