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Y#49 April 1, 2016

Window for action loving PROFESSIONALS

Dear Readers

We all present our ideas before others in smaller and larger gatherings. In business situations, tools become important to create the right impact. Luxury of tools often leads to lethargy of packaging thoughts and designing impact. Instead of auctioning our ideas towards persuading for impact, we invariably become reader of data. PowerPoint is a tool; it isn’t content. Microsoft word doesn’t tell beautiful (or awful) stories, the author does. And so it goes with PowerPoint presentations: if you fill them with bad content and design, your presentation flies right out the window.Time to reflect, ask questions and take charge of the way we present. Cheers,Rajiv [email protected] 9810211256

Coaching Learning Advancing Sharpening Smartening ©

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vt. Pages 11

The Interesting Art of Boring Presentations

2-4

Check it out! 5

Presentation Tips 6-8

Ten Ideas for Becoming a Better Presenter

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Presentation – Quotes 10

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The Interesting Art of Boring Presentations

-Rajiv Khurana

Bores are a blessing. If they were not there,dozing off in the post-lunch session of anyconference would be quite embarrassing forthe thorough fed … (oops!) bred professionals.A bore is a person who talks when others wishhim to listen. He tests your patience. You knowthat it is too late when he says, “Well, to makea long story short…”.

Bores are the people who are here today andremain here tomorrow. Many bores are soobviously happy that it is a non-boring pleasureto watch them. Robert Quillen in his wisdomsaid, “As we grow older, our bodies get shorterand our anecdotes longer.” Aging bringsexperience and wisdom. Who else can wrap upa two minute idea in a two-hour vocabulary?These days even the young claimants of highintellectualism can also beat the big bores intheir game through obsessive love of hearingtheir own voice.

If reading so far has not bored you, welcome tothe highly accomplished world of the celebritybores. Get some inspiration on how the mightyand accomplished bores demonstrate theirskills in front of the organizationally &occasionally bored professionals who throng tothe big and small conferences. This ‘deepboring’ exercise may not be boring instantly butcan lead you to the path of being anunshakable bore.

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-Avoid looking at the audience. Remember thecough syrup advertisement when you forciblyclear your throat. Apologize for 90 secondsabout not being the right person to deliver thetalk. Take the next 120 seconds to place onrecord your un-conditional appreciation for theorganizers for giving you the chance. “You patme and I pat you” is in vogue these days.

-Refrain from smiling. Avoid using humour. Younever know whether the audience will feel badabout your joke or your way of cracking it.Besides, smiling can dilute the seriousness ofyour topic.

-Keep your hands in the pocket when you standup to speak. It will help your audience to do abetting on the kind and amount of coins youare playing with. Good enough to distractthem. They will avoid weighing the contents ofyour talk.

-Carry at least 40 slides for a ten minutes talk.Impression is more important than expression.You have to wake the audience out of theirslumber through your 0-100kmph pick up injust 6.9 seconds. So what if they lose the trackand see the dust of your fast paced ideas froma distance. This will also convey that you aremiles ahead of them.

-Use small font size. Put big tables. Use linediagrams. Display dull colours. If the audiencefails to bring their binoculars, it is their fault,not yours. You can’t keep adjusting your fontsize as per the big or small screen or the big orsmall hall provided by your orgnisers. It is alsothe duty of the organizer to arrange formagnification tools. You are only trying toprovide a holistic picture on a single slide. It’stough job to cramp up the slide with so muchof information. It takes a master like you to doit.

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-Speak in low tones. This can also cover up foryour lack of confidence. Try to make your voicesoft. Even if the contents don’t make sense,your low and soothing voice can act as theintoxicant and will succeed in putting theaudience to some moments of peace with self.How often do you so people demonstrating theart of singing lullabies in management? Ensurethat you speak in monotone voice. A variationcan be quite disturbing to the audience.Experiment in long pauses. If it suites ournational leadership, you can play with it too. Itwould also give you enough time to think,“What next?” while it will give your audienceenough time to relax “until next.”-Keep a set of stories, anecdotes or examples.Learn the art of fitting them into any situation.If Bollywood can survive on this format,nothing will happen to your presentation. Thiswill only bring in some level of predictability forthe audience to guess – “If the topic is this,that story is coming up soon”.-Use long sentences. Conferences are the placewhere you can test your bombastic overflow ofEnglish vocabulary. This will certainly make theserious listeners start using the highly ignoredbook lying at their home under thick cover ofdust called – English dictionary. The non-serious will de-link quite soon so you need notwait for them. They would only be waiting forthe next break.-Don’t worry, If you do become a borepresenter. No one will doubt your intention.Oscar Wilde gave a good definition of a bore: aman who is never un-intentionally rude. Ignorewhat Cecil Beaton said, “Perhaps the world’ssecond worst crime is boredom. The first isbeing a bore.” The best way to be boring is toleave nothing out. This requires a lot of caliber.Sir Walter Scott once said, “It requires no smalltalent to be a decided bore.” What have youdecided?

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PPoor content and time planning

RResearch limitations vis-à-vis theme and objectives

EExcessive packaging of ideas and words

SStaying aloof to the needs of the audience

EEasy options of ‘copy and paste’

NNo attention to body language

TTypical boring PowerPoint designs

AAbsence of persuasive inputs and storyline

T Technology handling goof-ups

IInadequate confidence to deliver

OOverlooking the power of feedback

N Nil practice

How would you assess the next presentation you attend?

What kind of assessment you may receive?

THINK.DELIBERATE.EVOLVE.

Intellectu

al pro

perty: R

ajiv Kh

uran

a

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Speaking

to a group41%

Heights 32%

Insects &

Bugs24%

Financial

Problems23%

Deep Water 22%

Sickness 20%

Death 19%

Flying 18%

Our fears…

-Book of lists 1977

PREPARING YOUR

TALK

Research & Analyze

• Define the purpose

• Know your audience

• Define objectives

• Know the setting and

conditions

STRUCTURING YOUR

TALK

The Framework

• Identify the main elements

and sub-

elements of the topic

• Choose a starting point

• Find the “best” route

through the

material

Movable parts

• Find analogies to clarify

unfamiliar

ideas

• Use examples and

illustrations to

support the message

Presentation Tips

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Presentation Tips

YOU AND THE AUDIENCE

Aims and expectations

• Know the audience’s requirements

of you

• Try to inform, persuade and

entertain, not impress

Tailor your presentation

• Use appropriate language

• Use examples from your own

experience and analogies from

theirs

• Involve the whole audience

MEMORY AIDS

• Prepare a “route map”

through the topic

• Identify key words

and phrases

• Prepare your notes

• Prepare support

materialsSUPPORT

MATERIALS

Preparing the material

• Have a clear purpose for the material

• Make sure that the material is clear and

legible

• Use layouts as part of the message

Using the material

• Know when to use the material

• Make sure that everyone can see

the material

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Presentation Tips

MANAGING NERVES

Step 1: Examine your fears

• What precisely is the fear?

• How likely is to happen and what

will you do if it does?

Step 2: Prepare yourself

• Know your role and your reasons

for talking

Step 3: Starting to speak

• Regulate your breathing?

• Relax your face and neck muscles

• Establish eye contact

• Occupy your hands

• Start your opening ritual

STARTING YOUR TALKBefore the presentation

• Check location of power connections and extension leads

• Check that all equipment works and that there are no

trailing leads or other hazards

• Get spare bulbs, pens, pads, markers, etc.

• Arrange seating

• Check the presentation notes

• Check all samples, diagrams and handouts are available

• Check location of the fire exits and toilets

• Check lunch/coffee/tea arrangements

• Make final preparations

First impression

• Take control from the outset

• Establish contact with the group (immediately)

• Go through your opening ritual

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1. A laugh is the shortest distance between two people, so challenge yourself to include humor or light comments at least once in your talks. It makes you more approachable and creates energy. The only exception is when you are announcing bad news.

2. Ask yourself, “So What?” Is this slide or piece of information really relevant to my main message? So often what we need to get across can be expressed in far fewer words or slides. More is often less when it comes to making your message memorable and understandable.

3. When you practice, stand up and verbalize what you will say. Too often we run through our presentation in our heads instead of actually standing up and saying it out loud.

4. Don’t just give a presentation, start being the presentation. Too many speakers come across as talking heads. What do you uniquely bring to this presentation? What are your unique opinions, ideas, experiences and reflections? I can read your slides – tell me something I can’t read.

5. Create a key message that you repeat at least three times during your talk.

6. Author and accomplished speaker Liz Carpenter once advised, “Begin as though you are taking off a pair of long kid gloves. You can’t do that in a hurry.” The point here is: warm up to your audience, create a personal connection and provide an attention-getting opener before you launch into the body of your presentation.

7. Before you put pen to paper (or text to slides) take a moment to analyze your audience and ask yourself, “What is their point of view on this subject?” This will help you develop a presentation that focuses on what is in it for them. Always develop content with your audience’s interests in mind. Don’t write for you, write for them.

8. Watch out for execution by bullet point. Too many points will kill your audience’s interest. Whenever you have an important point to make, be sure to support it with one or many examples. Examples can be analogies, stories, demonstrations, activities or case studies.

9. Learn to tell stories and include at least one in your presentation. Stories have the greatest power to create connection.

10. Join a Speaking Group for practice. There is no better way to improve your speaking skills than to regularly get up on your feet.

spokenimpact.com

Ten Ideas for Becoming a

Better Presenter

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We have met the Devil of Information Overload and his impish underlings, the computer virus, the busy signal, the dead link, and the PowerPoint presentation. James Gleick

Nothing will teach you more about perceived value than taking something with literally no value and selling it in the auction format. It teaches you the beauty and power of presentation, and how you can make magic out of nothing. Sophia Amoruso

I try to deal with the complexities of power and social life, but as far as the visual presentation goes I purposely avoid a high degree of difficulty. Barbara Kruger

When I was 14 -years-old, I made this PowerPoint presentation, and I invited my parents into my room and gave them popcorn. It was called 'Project Hollywood 2004' and it worked. I moved to L.A. in January of 2004.Emma Stone

Y#49 April 1, 2016


©Coaching Learning Advancing Sharpening Smartening

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