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LESSON 8: BE REALISTIC ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN ACHIEVE IN THE TIME AVAILABLE

You’ve been asked to deliver a 30-minute presentation at an upcoming conference.

Here’s what I consider should be the FIRST things you do in your planning:

1. Do NOT expect your speaking slot to ACTUALLY be 30 minutes:

   A 30-minute slot needs to have someone introduce you and your topic at the start and then thank you and make a couple of comments at the end.

   Thus a 30-minute slot has about 25 minutes of speaking time. Don’t aim to go longer than that.

2. Use you Word Counter

   Twenty five minutes of speaking, at the normal rate of 2.5 words per second, works out at 3750 words in total. Keep an eye on how many words are in your script so that you come in under that total.

3. An Answer to the Question of Question and Answer Time

   A popular component of a presentation, because it gets the audience involved, is having a Q&A session at the end of a presentation. It’s a great idea, but only if done properly. Five minutes is not enough time. It allows for one question and one answer, which isn’t very interactive. Allow AT LEAST ten minutes if you want to go down that path.

   A good idea that will enable you to field as many questions as possible is to say to people up-front: “To help ensure I can answer as many questions as possible, I will try and limit my answers to 30-seconds as long as you promise to try and limit your questions to 30 seconds”.

   This helps minimise the common Q&A roadblock of having someone make a two-minute personal-venting statement before getting around to the actual question.

4. Work out which points don’t need much detail

   A common mistake in a presentation is to go into too much detail in the early points (which tend to be the simpler content). This often means the really interesting, new information is squished into an unrealistic time-frame at the rear end of your presentation.

   Don’t be scared to say “We don’t need to go into detail with these points. I want to leave time for the more meaty stuff later in my presentation”. Of course, don’t use the word ‘meaty’ if you’re addressing the National Vegetarian Summit.

   So, put yourself in the shoes of your audience. What are they MOST wanting to hear from you?

5. Videos and Other Special Elements

   Speakers often think throwing in a cute video they found on You Tube is a way of giving their presentation variety and personality. This CAN be true, but it is really important you assess the video on the following: As a percentage of your presentation’s time, how much value does it bring?

   A four-minute video that beautifully illustrates one point may not seem like such a good investment, if it means you have to squeeze three other important points down into one minute each.

   This rule applies to audience activities, as well. It is really good to do something that gets your audience involved, but if it takes five minutes to prove a point that could be explained in thirty seconds, then it’s probably not worth it. Or try adjust it into a shorter time-frame.

Well … that’s all I have time for (yes, timing is important even in an article). Timing is SOOO important. I’ve seen many good presentations ruined because the last five minutes is a frantic run-through of slides and points as the speaker is seen to have clearly misjudged their timing. And that leaves a lingering taste of disappointment and amateurism with the audience.

I hope you found this helpful.

Darren Isenberg is one of Australia’s most booked and re-booked Corporate MC’s and Presenters. He also speaks to groups on how to improve their Positive Influence and their Presentation Skills. You can learn more about him by heading to www.dipresents.com.au or by asking his kids.

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LESSON 7: THE IMPORTANCE … AND ART … OF LOOKING UP REGULARLY WHILE YOU PRESENT

If you spend the next few minutes with your eyes on this article, I promise I will help you ensure your eyes are doing the right thing when you’re presenting.

First, however, let’s admit there’s a challenge here: while your eyes form an important bridge of connection with your audience, they are also the means through which you do other important tasks while presenting … like look at your script, press keys on the computer when you want to share PowerPoint etc.

They can’t be pointing in TWO DIFFERENT directions at the same time.

Well, they CAN … but it would be an IMMENSE distraction. So, what should you aim to do with them when presenting?

You should endeavour to have your eyes looking directly at your audience (or the camera lens) as OFTEN AS POSSIBLE.

And here’s my tips for how you can make that happen.

2. When Presenting Live, From A Lectern.

There is nothing wrong with looking down at your notes from time to time. If you are old enough to remember when news readers didn’t have teleprompters, they had notes on their desk and would glance down, then up … and keep us engaged.

There are three keys to doing this:

1. Rehearse: The more familiar you are with your words, the more a quick glance down will be enough to remind you of what you wanted to say.

2. Print your script in large font: I use Calibri 22pt for my printed scripts (and, yes, that size has gotten bigger as the years have passed!)

3. Make us of Highlighted, Bolded and Underlined Words and Terms: Without a doubt some of your words will be more important than others. So make them look that way. And, yes … I’m not 100% certain that ‘Bolded’ is a word, but you know what I meant …

2. When Presenting To A Camera.

In this age of virtual events, eye contact becomes even more important than before. That is because now your audience is WAY more likely to see your eyeballs than if they were sitting in a conference room.

If you’re NOT looking at the camera, it can appear that you are avoiding their gaze and that can have a HUGE impact on how believable you seem. Remember how dishonest people are often described as having ‘shifting eyeballs’? Or how a kid, when lying about having done their homework, cannot look you in the eyes?

That’s NOT the look you’re going for.

So, what can you do to help lock your eyes on the camera?

1. Act as thought the camera lens is a person (your best friend is a good one): This is a tip I got from Oprah. Not in a direct conversation, mind you. But she famously described her connection to the camera as having come about because she talks to it like she’s talking to her best friend. It’s great advice, as you need to speak to the camera as though you are speaking to a person.

2. Look Up … I Mean In This Article: If you’re using a script, use all the suggestions I made in the “When Presenting Live, From A Lectern” section above.

3. Use an Autocue system: Many studios in which virtual events are filmed have these on hand. If they do, provide them with your script (again, in a reasonable-sized font).

   If there is no autocue available, provide your own. If you do a fair bit of presenting and you do it to an actual camera (as opposed to the one in your computer, you might want to consider purchasing one.

   One challenge of using autocue, however, is that if there isn’t a specific person running it, it will flow at a constant pace, which is not how everyone talks. You have to choose the pace VERY carefully, after reading a few minutes of your content.

   If you don’t have (or don’t want to use) autocue, here’s a devilishly simple and effective solution - create a PowerPoint show of your script and play it on another device which you place just above your camera.

   The idea is that you forward the slides at the appropriate pace (using a remote clicker … also known by its technical name, ‘the slide doovy thingy’). It’s actually easier than reading at a lectern.

So, there you go. Some helpful (and not overly-complicated) solutions that will ensure you have a better connection with your audience through eye contact.

And if, after reading about eye contact, you’d like to “contact I” for any help with your presentation skills, just get in touch on via email or head to my Presentation Skills Help page These buttons will direct you to the right place.

Darren Isenberg is one of Australia’s most booked and re-booked Corporate MC’s and Presenters. He also speaks to groups on how to improve their Positive Influence. You can learn more about him by heading to www.dipresents.com.au or by asking his kids.

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LESSON 6: HOW TO GET THE BEST AUDIENCE REACTION

Nowadays, if you’re presenting at an online event, you generally don’t get to see or hear any audience reaction. There may be laughter, applause, other signs of appreciation … but you just won’t know.

Some people find this a bit off-putting. Certainly, for someone who uses humour as a tactic in their presentation, I find the lack of laughter is a shame. Laughter, to me, is a genuine sign from your audience that they are listening and understanding

I miss it.

Applause is nice, too. But it is not as genuine a reaction as laughter. Applause is as much a tradition as it is a reaction, so a speraker shouldn’t place too much value on it. You may be surprised to find out what percentage of an audience’s applause at the end of a presentation is simply because it IS the end of a presentation.

You can be dull … ineffective … and still get applause. So it’s not the be all and end all of a presentation.

No … the BEST reaction to a presentation is beautifully demonstrated by the baby in the GIF above.

It’s the DELIGHTED SENSATION of “My God!!! I am now capable of something I was NOT a short while ago!!!”

THAT is the outcome every presenter should be aiming for.

So, have a look through that presentation you are currently preparing. Or the one you last delivered. Where do you think you delighted your audience? Or got them excited about something you were sharing with them?

Did you think they would be delighted by you putting a list of five bullet points on a PowerPoint slide? Or by that busy graph? Or by you reading to them a paragraph from a report?

I’m not saying you SHOULDN’T do any of those things … but, on their own, they don’t excite. They don’t ignite. And they certainly don’t invite insight, alright?

Okay. I’ll put my Rhyming Dictionary away.

What is needed from you is to be an ACTIVE BRIDGE between your information and your audience. That requires you to do something extra that makes your audience care not only about WHAT you are saying, but also about WHY you are saying it.

Here’s a few easy ways you can make your audience care about your content:

1. SUPPLY THE WHY:

   You need to make it clear to your audience why THEY (and possibly others) will benefit from learning what you are sharing … but those reasons MUST be OVER and ABOVE “Because Someone Said You Need To Know It”.

   There must be a benefit you can outline. An improvement you can explain. An example from the real world that shows how knowing this information makes a real difference.

   If you can do this, you elevate your information from being mere ‘words’ .They become actions and outcomes in the real world.

2. PUT EMOTIONS IN MOTION:

   People only care about something they have some form of emotional connection to. And it doesn’t particularly matter if that emotion is negative or positive. Everyone knows that if you are feeling passionate about a point being discussed, you will be more focused … but if you are scared or worried or angry about something, your focus will also intensify.

   The important thing is that, when your audience is provided with an opportunity to feel an emotion about your content, it gives your information a purpose.

   How do you inject emotion into your presentation?

   - Use words that paint pictures and provide extra imagery. Think adjectives and adverbs.

   - Vary your tone. It’s okay to speak on stage to people a little more vibrantly than you would speak to people off stage.

   - Tell a story, give an example, or offer some other way of relating your information to your audience’s real world.

   - Actually tell people what emotion they should be feeling: ie: “And if this doesn’t get you angry I’m not sure anything will”.

3. PARTICIPATION

   The most powerful way you can reach your audience is by getting them to do stuff.

   If you can teach them an actual skill, that they get to try out during your presentation, that’s excellent! For example, if you are talking to a group about how a particular website will enable them to do something amazing … tell them to go there while you’re speaking. You can talk them through it for a couple of minutes in real time. Awesome!

   If the actual skills you are wanting to teach are too complex to be performed, try find a small activity that illustrates a concept. For example, if you are talking about a process that is being changed, to illustrate how we are creatures of habit, and even small changes feel uncomfortable, get your audience to sit with their legs crossed at the knee, then switch which leg goes on top. Everyone has a regular leg they put on top, and when they reverse it, it feels surprisingly weird. But only at first.

4. LOOK LIKE YOU ARE ENJOYING AND ARE INTERESTED

   If YOU don’t look like you’re enjoying your information, that you care about your information, then what chance do you have of getting your audience to care. So look like you’re enjoying yourslef … tell them how much you love what you’re talking about.

   You’re not only a presenter while you are talking, but you are an influencer, as well.

IN CONCLUSION:

Audiences aren’t guaranteed to learn what you’ve said in your presentation simply because you are there, speaking to them. Go through your presentation during the latter stages of your preparation and ensure you’ve inserted a good number of moments in which you are making them REALLY CARE about your content.

Enjoy your presenting!

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LESSON 5: THE SUBTLE-BUT-IMPORTANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN "GIVING YOUR AUDIENCE WHAT YOU WANT" vs "GIVING YOUR AUDIENCE WHAT THEY WANT"

Are you one of those people who, when ordering in a restaurant, always orders an adjusted version of the dish as it is set out in the menu?

If so, here's a couple of things you should know:

1) We can't get married.

I'm not saying you're wrong for asking to have "four extra olives ... but only if they're black ... three if they're green ... sheep's cheese instead of the goats cheese ... unless the goats were reared on a gluten-free, kosher diet in a semi-Mediterranean climate, in which case go with the goats ... and place the pine nuts on the western side of the plate in diminishing concentric circles".

It's nobody's business except you're own if you feel that asking for all those changes will result in a meal experience for you in which all those perceived positives outweigh the negative of having the chef rub your slice of organic, spelt sourdough multi-grain on his sweaty brow in a silent protest for you ignoring his carefully thought-out and designed serving suggestion.

I'm just saying that, given my very limited skill set in life (I know how to talk on stage and ... mmm ... that's about it, really), I need to surround myself with people who are MUCH less discerning and demanding.

2) You're proving that it's more important to provide an audience with what THEY want (rather than what YOU want them to want).

What you're saying is, the measure of a successful restaurant visit does NOT come down to whether the chef was happy with what you ordered or whether you ate the food that the chef thought would be best for you. It is entirely based on whether you, the consumer, are happy with what you consumed.

And it is exactly the same when you are the 'chef' of an upcoming conference presentation.

You have your own idea of what things you want your audience to know ... but the MOST-EFFECTIVE presentation is one in which you prepare with the following thought as a priority:

What Does My Audience MOST-WANT From Me?

This SOUNDS like a similar question to "What Do I MOST-WANT To Give My Audience?" ... and, in terms of many of the facts and figures that you would want to include in your presentation, there IS a lot of crossover.

The difference comes when you think about what your audience wants from you and your presentation in BROADER TERMS.

Yes, essentially, what they want is facts and figures ... but they might want some (or none) of the following things, too, to ensure your time with them is considered BY THEM to have been successful:

• They may want to hear case studies that indicate how others have dealt with situations they now face.

• They might want a chance to ask questions. They might want to hear your personal opinion or some examples from your own experience.

• They may want a lot more emphasis on potential solutions rather than going into detail of what the problems are.

• They might know way more or way less about an issue than you can imagine, so are looking for way LESS or way MORE detail in your information.

• They might be looking for stronger reasons to change their behaviour. They may need to know WHY a change is being implemented just as much as they need to know WHAT that change is.

• They could be needing to hear words of inspiration.

• They might need evidence of what you are saying.

• They may want to hear references to people within the group, to make the information more realistic and relatable.

• They may want you to use humour. Or more pictures on your PowerPoint slides and less words.

• They could want a chance to talk to others near them about a point you just made. Or to ask you questions.

• They might like comparisons with last year's results. Or with major competitors' results.

• They may want a summary afterwards. Or your slide deck.

You get the idea? There is quite a list of possible elements that your audience could want ... and, the truth is, you have to also consider whether your audience DOESN'T WANT any of these elements, too.

But it is SO important to consider at least SOME of these points when preparing your next presentation.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF ASKING YOURSELF WHAT YOUR AUDIENCE WANTS FROM YOUR PRESENTATION?

1. It helps you assign time better (if you realise some points are more important than others to your audience, you will spend more of your allotted time on them).

2. Showing that you understand what your audience wants is one of the greatest ways of building rapport with your audience. More importantly, though, showing that you have NO IDEA what they really want is a fast-pass to having them disengage.

3. Your audience will trust what you say more. After all, you have shown you understand their needs.

4. You may discover that there is an opportunity to include elements in your presentation that enable you to add colour, warmth, humour and personality.

5. If you realise, after considering the points above, that your audience might feel a little AMBIVALENT about your topic, then your first task is to design a beginning to your presentation that clearly explains why the information you are about to share really DOES matter to them.

How important is THAT??!!

SO, IN SUMMARY ...

I began this article with a restaurant reference ... in which I pointed out that, just like a chef sometimes has to add to or subtract from the planned ingredients of a dish in order to truly satisfy their diners ... you, as a presenter ... will have to sometimes do the same with your presentation.

Have a think about what these ingredients might be ... and the more you incorporate them into your final presentation, the more legendary your audience will think you and your information are.

It's food for thought, eh??

DARREN ISENBERG IS ONE OF AUSTRALIA'S BEST-LOVED MC'S, WHO IS ALSO A PRESENTATION SKILLS COACH, THE CREATOR OF GRIN & TONIC™ REELS AND A SPEAKER ON POSITIVE INFLUENCE. CHECK OUT HIS WEBSITE AT www.dipresents.com.au

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Lesson 4: Audience Participation (Part 1)

When you've finished preparing your script, have a look through and challenge yourself to find at least ONE occasion on which you can get the audience involved (either by interacting with each other ... or with you).

It's the presentation equivalent of a movie being shot in 3-D. It makes what is happening on screen appear WAAAAY closer to the audience.

It really helps audience engagement, enjoyment and, as a result, educational effectiveness. And, as the GIF above suggests, it sometimes leads to unexpected moments of beauty ...

Enjoy your presenting!

# #meetingsandevents #presentationskills #publicspeaking #eventindustry #presentationskillstraining #darrenisenbergpresents

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Lesson 3: HAVE YOU LOOKED FOR THE MOST-INTERESTING WAY TO GET YOUR INFORMATION ACROSS?

Anybody can MAKE a point. But I believe your job as a speaker at an event is to work out how to make your point as interestingly and engagingly as possible.

And, if you're wondering why should you care about being interesting and engaging ... that surely growns up will learn even if a presenter is boring and dry ... I say this:

TECHNICALLY, if course ... we ALL learn from even the most boring presentation (at the very least, we learn never to invite THAT person to speak again!).

But what should be MORE IMPORTANT to you than whether your audience learns or not are these four factors:

1. How MUCH they learned,

2. How FAST they learned

3. How LONG what they just learned will stay with them, and

4. Whether what they learned CHANGED THEIR BEHAVIOUR

And keeping your audience interested and engaged goes a long way to affecting how well your presentation influences those four factors .

So ... write your script as you would normally do ... but THEN, then go over your key points and think about these things for each:

- Can I use more interesting language ... or a language device (like alliteration, a metaphor etc)?

- Is there a picture I can use that enhances my point (in the way the GIF above enhances the point of "How Doing Things Differently")

- Can I use humour at this point, to help make it more memorable

- Is there something I can DO or SHOW my audience that means they don't have to ONLY listen to my explanation?

- Can I add in an activity for the audience to better illustrate the point?

- Is there a short story I could tell that makes my point more real?

Even if you go through the above process for only a small percentage of your content ... and you end up making only one or two improvements to your presentation ... the exercise is very worthwhile.

Have fun presenting!