Snake bites

Have you ever heard the saying "If it was a snake, it would have bitten you"? When you are looking for something like a can of beans in the grocery store, and cannot find it then you will probably become frustrated. You may even get hot under the collar while wondering why the store does not keep cans of beans where you are looking. Eventually you will ask a shelf stacker for assistance. When the shelf stacker points out that you are standing in front of the desired can of beans but did not recognize it, your wife may remind you that "if it was a snake, it would have bitten you".

Do you have a gesture or habit while making presentations that you don't see? Do you habitually look at the ceiling while presenting? (I won't even discuss the still-overused habit of reading text-laden slides while you back is turned to the audience).

How do you identify distracting habits and gestures? You are too close to observe these behaviors. You are so close to your habits that if they were snakes, your skin would look like a sieve from the snake bites.

You have options to identify the gestures.

1. Get feedback from trusted audience members. A word of warning -filter feedback that you accept. Some people in your audience want to give you feedback on everything including your choice of your lunch sandwich and their way you raise your children. Ignore these people. Only accept feedback from intelligent beings - preferably other speakers who have more than 3 minutes of experience on the stage.


2. Video tape your speech. There is no better way to review your actual performance than watching an unedited video recording of your speech. Here is where you will see the gestures you used, the length of your pauses and how much you referred to your notes. (I find that a video recording of my presentation is always a sobering experience. For example, it feels as if I glance at my notes while making the presentation, but the video tape shows me spending significant time looking at notes and not paying attention to the audience.)


3. Get an expert evaluation of your video tape. I hire Darren LaCroix (the 2001 World Champion of Public Speaking) for eCritiques of my speeches. While I may have thought a performance was exceptional, Darren's feedback always helps me to a higher level. Join Edgenet here so that you can also hire Darren as your personal presentations coach.

There you have it. Don't think that because your audience applauded when you left the stage that you gave the best performance that you can give. Your audience may have applauded in appreciation for you leaving the stage.

How do you avoid snake bites on stage? Use one, two or all three of the above options to identify areas of improvements in your presentations. Good luck because as Monk's theme tune says "It's a jungle out there" (on the stage).

Sailing Lessons

Yesterday, my son and I accepted a gracious invitation to sail on the good ship Asterix. (If you were not aware, Asterix is the spirited animated Gaul who defied the Roman Empire). The Captain and owner is a good friend and is generous enough to let landlubbers share his passion. We sail on the Long Island Sound which is protected water with just enough wind to give us a feel of the sailing life.

Are you a sailor, or a wannabe sailor? If so, then start recording your stories because people in your audiences are also sailors, wannabe sailors, or wives of sailors (Which may be able to lead into memorable discussions.)

As a neophyte sailor, I am always impressed with our Captain's skill. We were out on the water and I still cannot understand how the wind coming from the front of the boat pulls us forward. Then just when I think I understand the physics of air particles hitting the main sail and the resistance of the keel resulting in forward motion the captain orders us to "Tack". After changing direction and fiddling with the "Jib", we travel at an angle. But the wind is still the same which further confuses my misunderstanding of how sailing works.

Our Captain feels the wind and the tack. With forty years of sailing experience he is in tune with nature on the water. I ask apparently dumb questions while we are sailing, such as "Which way is the wind coming from". I can't see the wind which apparently can be seen when you look at the waves. Maybe it comes with experience - I don't know.

It is always a fabulous experience to go sailing for the day. Just being out in the sun with your only worry being the direction of the wind is pure relaxation.

At one point yesterday we had winds of over 30 knots. This is a lot more wind than Asterix needs. Asterix does fine on 10 to 20 knots of wind. Being a landlubber, my assumption is that more wind must be better. Would you not think so?

Our Captain ordered us to lower the mainsail a bit. Don't ask me the nautical term. It is something like "Short reef the main sail to broad reach the breeze". The result was that with less main sail exposed to the wind the boat went faster. I could feel how Asterix sliced through the water with ease after we lowered a portion of the main sail.

This is exactly like our presentations. We sometimes have far too much information for our audience. Reduce the number of points you want to make in your presentation. We need to restrict the quantity of our information and we will communicate more effectively. Lower your mainsail a bit, to communicate more effectively with your audience.

Presentation Excellence

An audience member recently asked me "How do I deliver a perfect, flawless presentation?. The answer of course, is "You don't".

Don't strive to deliver perfect presentations, with every word scripted and each sentence grammatically correct. Instead, you should aim to deliver a presentation that is "excellent" and of high quality. Use your own words and communicate the purpose of your presentation to your audience. Don't worry if you think that the language you use is not sufficiently proper for your audience. Focus on conveying your message to your audience. Try your very best to have them leave with your message in their minds. Use activities, metaphors, and stories to communicate your message.

Trying to deliver the perfect, flawless presentation is dysfunctional. The final 10% of the effort you put into delivering a perfect presentation is wasted, because your audience will understand your message with 90% of your energy. If 90% isn't good enough for your audience, then 10% more won't change the situation. Aim for presentation excellence, and let the chips fall where they may.

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Have you noticed that most seminar leaders and conference presenters are very bad presenters. Reading their speeches, zero eye-contact, enough PowerPoint slides to sink the QE2 and running over allotted time. Is is small wonder that most presenters in corporate meetings are also bad presenters? We unconsciously follow the example set by the presenters we see at conferences. We have so few good presenters these days that unless you invest time and energy in developing the correct presentation skills, you will also be influenced by watching bad presenters. You will not even realize the low quality of your presentation skills if you compare yourself to presenters at conferences.

Therefore, don't just follow the example of others. Join Toastmasters, take note of good presenters, and set the example for other presenters to follow.

Pruning Presentations

While coaching a presenter this week, I realized that the process of crafting a tight and concise presentation is like pruning a rose bush.

When a rose bush is left to nature, it branches out and grows in many directions. Some branches are strong and desirable, others go in directions that distract from the rose bush. As a gardener you decide which branches are desirable and most likely to provide the form you envision as well as most likely to yield the roses that you want to see. Then you prune off the remainder of the branches which are sapping energy from your desired vision.

Presentations, especially PowerPoint slides are "bushy". Slides have many random thoughts and lots of data which is loosely related to the point of the presentation.

A lot of my work as a coach is to help clients define their vision for the presentation. Answer this question "What message do you want your audience to leave with?". Then prune away all the other messages in your presentation and focus on growing slides that support your main message.

What about your presentations? Are you delivering "bushy" presentations? Isn't it time to take the pruning shears to your presentation - envision what you want and remove the remainder? The result is a stronger presentation which yields a memorable message to your audience.

WIIFM?

I was camping with my son's Boy Scout troop this weekend. On Saturday we went orienteering which included a 3 mile hike. Judging from the comments, I assume that all scout masters hear these words from Pre-teens "My legs are sore", "why is it so far", "when is lunch?".

After we returned to our cabin, after the "gruelling" 3 miles (judging from the complaints), our boys went to play at the nearby stream. Scout leaders took a short break, then began afternoon activities which includes gathering wood for the evening fire. Scouts were asked to help gather wood, and the scouts half-heartedly dragged a few branches closer. The leaders were left to gather the required wood, if we were to have a fire of any substance.

After sufficient moans and groans from the scouts, the leaders let them off to go an play further. Then a miracle occurred. The scouts were magically cured of all aches and pains. One scout suggested building a dam in the stream. Others agreed and within minutes all the scouts were dragging logs, tree limbs and boulders to the construction site. Without adult intervention, the scouts formed an effective and functioning team. A dam wall took shape and after an hour, it was interrupting the flow of water in the stream.

Scout leaders watching were amazed at the transformation. Firstly, these boys were "exhausted" while hiking this morning, yet fully energized this afternoon. Secondly, when asked to gather firewood for the evening bonfire, these scouts were too tired and claimed there was no good nearby.

What happened? The WIIFM factor kicked in. The scouts did not see the value of the hike, or of collecting firewood. They saw the value of building their own dam wall and realized that "many hands make light work".

WIIFM in your presentation? Do you explain to your audience near the start of the presentation what they will get out of your presentation? Do you show them the benefits of listening to your presentation versus getting root canal to pass the time? Remember that you are there for the benefit of your audience. Help them to understand it by addressing the WIIFM factor early in your presentation.

By the way, I assume that you know "WIIFM" stands for "What's In It For Me?"