PRESENTING LIKE A PRO

When was the last time you gave a presentation that was memorable, authenticor even inspirational? Effective presentation skills are a core part of most consultants’ jobs, yet it’s truism that public speaking ranks close to divorce or moving house when it comes to the fear factor that it generally induces. Middle East Consultant spoke to corporate trainer and author, Neetu Choudhary, for guidance on the most effective tips for presenting like a champion… arren Buffet, one of the richest and most admired financial leaders, underwent a major transformation when he decided to get training to overcome his fears about public speaking. While he was doing his graduate work at Columbia Business School in New York, he signed up for a Dale Carnegie public speaking course. He paid $100 back in the 1960s. He knew that to grow, he needed to communicate effectively, present his thoughts persuasively, and master public speaking skills. Let me share today some of the secret ingredients that he learnt - in short, let me explain how to present like a pro. There are really five key facets to consider; they are as follows:

1. YOUR WHY a. First and foremost, you need to ask yourself one of the most important questions - Do you Believe in the idea/ thoughts you want to present? If not, don’t even think about presenting it! Instead, go work on it and see if you can then really believe in it. Your audience will sense it if you don’t believe in what you said. When you know your WHY, you will clearly have fun presenting it, picking stories to share, and connecting with your audience. b. Do you understand your idea, why it is important, and how it’s going to make an impact on others’ life? There is no substitute for homework; do your homework, answer all possible questions that may arise in the minds of your audience, and know your idea inside out. This will give you confidence in front of the crowd, prepare you for difficult questions and help you connect with your audience. Practice so that on the day, it looks effortless. As Bruce Lee said, “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times”. Master your craft by being clearly knowing your why (reason), practicing, and enjoy the process.

2. THEIR WHY

a. Secondly, the most important question you need to ask before even planning to present is why your audience would listen to you? Why would they give their precious time to you? The best way to find the answer is on FM Radio channelWII-FM - What Is Init For Me? b. What is the key message, what is the problem you are solving for your audience, what is the promising land you are showing them, what is the idea that would make their life easier, better, and faster? Spend time drafting the answer to this and keep the whole presentation around this idea, audience-centric. Imagine your audience asking themselves “Why should I care?” tell them often, early, and clearly in your presentation. Remember: Steve Jobs never sold products, he sold dreams of a better future. c. Repeat important and relevant information at least twice, ask them to specifically pay attention, and use voice modulation to emphasise. Use different approaches to convey why the audience should listen to you. Your audience might be a mix of visual learners, auditory learners, and kinaesthetic learners. Convey why the idea is important to them in their own ways of understanding.

3. BANG

a. Arouse the audience, and create a bang! Start with an idea/statement/thought/ story that gets the adrenaline rush in the audience. Grab their attention in the first 10 seconds. Create statements that excite your audience and instil interest. Again here, think about Steve Jobs and his statements like - “Today Apple reinvents the phone”; “We have built the world’s thinnest notebook”; or remember the approach used by Cisco CEO, John Chambers “Cisco changes the way we live, work, play and learn” (you get the idea).

b. Your words create energy and can make your audience feel excited about it what’s next. Use adjectives to showcase your excitement, connection, and passion. Remember, while words have energy, adjectives create a high energy. Use descriptive adjectives to connect emotionally with your audience. Steve Jobs - again - used adjectives like “The number one lust object” for Titanium PowerBook Macworld 2003, “Insanely great” for Macintosh, and his quote from Triumph of the Nerds, “We are here to put a dent in the universe”. c. Let numbers speak and make the bang. Be specific, give relevant numbers and set the context. Numbers don’t make sense if they aren’t set in the right context. For example, if you talk about 5GB storage, it may not make sense to someone, but if you say “1,000 plus songs in one storage”, it strikes home. Set a context with which your audience can resonate. Use analogies to present numbers. Make sure you do not overwhelm the audience with numbers and complex charts.

4. KEEP IT SIMPLE a. Do not over-crowd slides - slides don’t tell stories, you do. Never have more than six bullet points per slide. Then (and this is very important) clearly name each slide with a large header, so the audience can easily navigate where they are in the presentation and know exactly what you’re talking about. b. Whenever possible use images/pictures. Visual presentation is such a powerful concept that psychologists have a term for it: PSE- Picture Superiority Effect. Visual and verbal information is processed differently in the brain. Research shows that if the information is presented orally, people remember about 10%, tested 72 hours after exposure; That figure goes up to 65% is an image is added. c. Barack Obama usually used three points in each sentence, eg, “I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices born by our ancestors. You can practice the same technique. d. To keep things simple, use plain English not jargon, and definitely not difficult words. Your ultimate aim is to seed the idea from your brain to your audience’s brain. I worked with one manager who had the habit of using high-end words which were certainly apt in a technical sense, however, there was just one problem: no one understood them in the first place. It is good to demonstrate your command over the language but beware that it may come at the cost of losing your audience.

Neetu is a specialist consultant on key work-related issues, such as leadership coaching, stress management and organisational competitve advantage.

5. KEEP IT SHORT a. People have very little attention span.

TED talks are 18 minutes, for example, because scientific research shows that at 19 minutes, the brain loses its attention span. Keep it short, crisp, and interesting. Microbiologist John Medina says that: b. As Jerone Van Der Veer, CEO, Royal Dutch Shell said “The task of leaders is to simplify. You should be able to explain where you have to go in two minutes”. Keep things simple, short, and interesting. c. A short presentation with an interesting storyline keeps your audience captivated. Give pause after a big revelation for your audience to ponder on it for a few seconds before you continue. Timely pauses can be far more effective than words. Your audience needs time to process the information before you give them more details. Use concrete statements, very specific phrases, short statements, and tangible descriptions instead of long complex sentences. Note as well that, sometimes, just a smile after a big piece of information can make things simply magnificent.

“The brain seems to be making choices according to some stubborn timing pattern, undoubtedly influenced by both culture and gene”.