Presentation Secrets for
Social Communicators
Speaking and presenting is something I’m passionate
about. Why? Because it’s another way to start
conversations and build relationships. Or, it can be, if
you think about how you present. Here are some
recommendations on ways to turn your bullhorn into a
party hat in the presentation world.
First,
Defuse the Bomb
You
have less than two minutes to set up your relationship
with the audience. Your audience needs to LOVE you. They
have to want you to succeed. And as part of this, they
want you to succeed, because they’re hoping to learn
something about themselves from you.
Let
me highlight that so you take it home with you: People
want to learn about THEMSELVES through what you talk
about in your presentations.
SUPER SECRET TIP: Tell a funny story. Not a joke. A
story. Tell it EARLY. Be as FUNNY as you can muster.
Self-deprecating humor helps, if you’re any good at
that. Be the authority, but be human.
Sneak
In With Questions
You
need to sneak into your audience’s hearts and minds. I
love asking questions, but not so much the hand-raiser
types. Sure, I do that schtick. But if I’m trying to get
you engaged early, I want to ask you questions that get
you rummaging through your own internal autobiography?
Why? Because I want you to be connected and engaged to
what I’m saying. If I’m getting you to stir up internal
memories, I’ve snuck in.
Think
Television, Then Break It
We
are a world of TV viewers. We are used to screens. Think
HARD about this when planning your presentation. First,
think about slides. Slides are PART of your TV screen.
Know who the other part is? YOU. Now, if you and your
slides are the presentation, which is more interesting?
A big glowing screen? Or you hiding behind the podium.
Use
Your Body
Learn how to move. First, don’t fidget. Second, step
away from the podium (unless it’s a HUGE room and the
mic is glued to the podium). Get around and move. Get
CLOSER to your audience. BLEND for a moment with them.
You’ve been to rock concerts. Crowds go CRAZY for
contact with the star. And, uh, you’re the star, bub!
A Word
About Slides
Never ever EVER use pre-built slide formats. Just don’t.
Know why? Because they all look THE SAME. Don’t make my
eyes bleed. Don’t make me sleep. Next point: bullets are
for guns. Be creative. Think about it this way: if this
were a TV commercial, would YOU watch? Al Gore’s An
Inconvenient Truth is basically a slide show with Al
talking and some dramatic music. Think that way and work
backwards.
In
format, don’t do title, agenda, name, payload, contact
me. Know why? Because EVERYONE does that. Try mixing it
up. Just a little. Think TV and all the various formats.
SUPER SECRET TIP: Find lots of great photos on Flickr
(use advanced search to select Creative Commons photos,
and add a slide near the end of your slideshow giving
people attribution for their work).
Your
Voice is Important
If
you speak in a monotone voice with no stops and go on
and on and use ums to cover the spaces where you don’t
know what you’re going to say next, people will fall
asleep almost immediately, and then the best you can
hope is that they dream that you did a good job.
WAKE people UP! Be loud. Be soft. Use your voice with as
much energy as a radio announcer or your favorite
entertainment personality. Think on this. Practice it.
Use shorter sentences. (Notice I do this when I blog?)
And try hard to mix up HOW you’re talking about things.
Ask questions. Make statements. Pause for breath. Kill
“ums.”
Finish
With Idea Handles
ALWAYS end a presentation with things people can run off
and do. Verbs. Give people ways they can take your
ideas, and use them. Giving ideas handles means letting
people pick up your idea, take it home with them, and
incorporate it into what they’re doing and thinking. It
makes the whole time you’ve taken from everyone worth
it.
And
make sure folks know how to reach you, okay?
Chris Brogan is a social media and social networks expert,
focused on community building. Visit his website at http://chrisbrogan.com
which is the
source of this article.
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