Six Ways to Transform your Presentation
How many times have you been bored rigid by conference speakers?How can you make sure that your presentations engage and interest your audience? How can you really get your message across?Here are some great ways to liven up your pitch and avoid boring your audience to tears:
1. Throw away PowerPoint.
PowerPoint presentations are the norm but are they the best way to communicate your message?The trouble with them is that they lock you into a straitjacket – you have to follow what is written on the screen.The audience reads the slides and it does not listen to you. Most PowerPoint presentations have too many slides with too much information on each.It becomes a dreary list. Try to condense your message into a small number of key points and then deliver them directly. Look at and speak to your audience and use very few or no slides at all.Replace Powerpoint with directness and enthusiasm.
2. Speak from the Heart.
Nothing persuades like passion – so be passionate about your message.Personal stories and strong feelings can sway audiences much more than dry facts and statistics.Of course if you can back up your personal feelings with supporting data then so much the better.But start from the personal – how it relates to you and how it relates to them – the audience.Lessons from personal experience that are relevant to their lives and careers are interesting and powerful ways of holding their attention.
3. Use Humor.
Many speakers shy away from humor because they worry the jokes may fall flat.But it is generally a risk worth taking.Audiences appreciate a speaker who tries to entertain rather than just inform.Choose your humorous lines carefully and then rehearse the words and timing so that you can deliver them with confidence.Self–deprecating jokes are safe bets.Making a joke about some well-known figure at the conference can work well too but it is wise to check with them first.Of course racist, sexist or offensive material should always be avoided.
4. Walk the Talk.
One of the great things about not using a slide presentation is that you do not have to hide behind a lectern pressing the mouse.You can roam the stage.As you walk you should look straight at the audience and ensure eye contact with people. This delivers energy and conviction that can never be achieved from behind a lectern.
5. Vary your Pitch.
Many speakers deliver their talks in a monotone – same pace, same volume, same tone throughout.The audience will find it much more interesting if you deploy variety in your style of speech.Your tone should be rich and clear – louder and softer as needed.Sometimes the most powerful points can be delivered in a very quiet voice- with the audience breathless to hear.One of the most potent and underused weapons in the speaker’s armoury is the pause.Used with effect it can build the anticipation, impact and retention of a key message.
6. Keep it Simple.
Tell them what they are going to hear and why it is important. E.g. ‘I am going to give you four key messages that will enable you to double your market share this year.’Then tell them.Finally summarise and reprise the main points.Finish with a strong and motivational summary.Long, complex presentations may appear sophisticated but often they will lose the audience and little is retained.The best presentations engage the audience with clear messages that are inspirational, powerful and easily remembered.
WRITER'S BIOGRAPHY
Paul Sloane
Paul Sloane is an author and speaker on leadership, innovation and lateral thinking. His most recent book is The Innovative Leader. He helps organizations improve innovation, creativity and leadership. He is the founder of Destination Innovation. He has written 15 books of lateral thinking puzzles and hosts the lateral puzzles forum.Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/PaulSloane.
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Comments
Twin XL says on May 22nd, 2009 at 9:19 am
Great post! Great tips, thanks!
Enrique S says on May 22nd, 2009 at 10:18 am
“Throw away Powerpoint.” Amen. I sat through a two hour training session yesterday where the speaker just basically read the slides. I could have used some toothpicks to keep my eyes open.
Chris Bailey says on May 22nd, 2009 at 10:45 am
Said it before and I’ll say it again: PowerPoint is not the problem. It’s a tool like anything else. So don’t blame PP if the presentation sucks, blame the presenter. As a matter of fact, not everyone wants to listen to someone droning on WITHOUT PP.
And some people learn best from a mix of listening and visual. Use PP and its potential for expanding a message. But don’t throw it out just because its popular to hate on PowerPoint.
Olivia Mitchell says on May 22nd, 2009 at 9:31 pm
I agree that PowerPoint is not always necessary – but to say throw it out altogether is going too far. PowerPoint/Keynote can add a great visual dimension to a presentation. Most of the great TED presenters do use visuals to explain and elaborate on their message. Instead I would say “Banish the Bullets”.
Also you’re not tied to your laptop if you use PowerPoint, you simply hold a remote in your hand.
Olivia
Bill Bennett says on May 22nd, 2009 at 11:02 pm
As a long-time career journalist I can definitely say the quality of presentations I had to sit through went rapidly downhill from the moment Powerpoint became popular. Oddly, even good presenters became boring overnight.
And as a presenter I used to freak people out when I turned up at a function WITHOUT a PowerPoint stack to wow the audience with.
There are reasons for some informational slides, but in general, PowerPoint is evil.
Harwinder Bhatia says on May 23rd, 2009 at 4:48 am
I agree with all you said. And I really hate those long, boooring PowerPoint based presentations. I had to sit through one, just couple days back.
However, I found this article a bit one-sided. I hope you are not trying to say that PowerPoint slides are always bad. It would have been even better had you balance the article by considering the other side of the coin. For example, in which situations should we take help of PowerPoint slides and in which to avoid them.
Catherine Cantieri, Sorted says on May 23rd, 2009 at 2:11 pm
I’ve grown to hate PowerPoint, and vow to do everything in my power never to use it when making a presentation. Unless I can use it to be funny. Then it’s okay. :-)
Bursa Evden Eve Nakliyat says on May 24th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
thank you
Laura says on May 27th, 2009 at 5:50 pm
Sounds like something directly from Harry & Christine Beckwith’s book, You, Inc. or Harry’s book, Selling the Invisible.
Sherman Woo says on May 28th, 2009 at 12:31 pm
Wow, I don’t get the hate-on that people have with PowerPoint. I completely agree with Chris B. and Olivia M. above, and echo the thoughts of Harwinder B.
There are times to use slides (in general) – don’t care if it’s PowerPoint, Keynote, or even Havard Business Graphics (!). I’ve even seen a presentation done using HTML/JavaScript. The point is the slides are visual aids to help get the point across. Don’t blame the tool if you don’t know how to use it.
RE: point 4, any thoughts on how to use this with presentations involving demos? I guess walk/move when you can (during slides), and head back to the laptop for the demo portion? (Maybe it’s that obvious…)
Thanks.
Dustin Huibregtse says on June 5th, 2009 at 5:44 pm
I love the last 4 points because they are basic things anyone can do that will help them become a better speaker. The 1st one, I agree with Olivia. I think what we need is a general understanding that posting tons of information is not correct. Posting a few images as well as your headers to show where you are trying to go would be very helpful. I have posted agendas, and then one or two word bullets of the information I am talking about.
PPT has been a great way to keep the crowd slightly engaged and to help them follow along.
Great post!
Travis says on June 15th, 2009 at 11:18 am
I generally despise powerpoint because it seems to create a sort of crutch for presentations. That is, instead of having your information flow out of you in a natural form, you’re stuck following the outline of the powerpoint.
Then again, when I DO use powerpoint, I put up a few bullets and that’s it. I’m not sure where people got the idea of putting paragraphs upon paragraphs on their powerpoints, but that seems to be one of the worst ideas yet. Totally bores the audience, and I notice the presentation usually loses steam quickly.