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Many successful leaders can point to specific turning points in their career. Whether your moment is defending a tough decision, taking a well-calculated risk, landing that big new client, or inspiring your team to accept a challenge, winning the confidence of the people around you often requires delivering a terrific presentation. It’s a nerve-wracking proposition, because in today’s world you have to be entertaining to capture and hold attention.
So before you stay up all night tinkering with PowerPoint, take this advice: you are the center of your presentation, not the special effects of your software. People need to have confidence in you, as a leader. It’s risky to count on animated slides to make the sizzle happen. You are much better off learning these time-honored techniques: understanding your audience, show and tell, and storytelling.
Understand Your Audience
First, go out of your way to understand your
audience. You’ll turn heads by
making your presentation about your audience and not about
yourself. Make sure you know who ultimately makes the decision, and
whether that person appreciates a warm and friendly approach, or is
a cut-to-the-facts personality. You should know why they are
considering your ideas—and what
benefits they are expecting. People are naturally self-interested,
so stay focused on them, not you. This is important
regardless as to whether it’s an
important business pitch or a simple internal team meeting.
Be A Visual
Next, choose show and tell as your multimedia strategy. We
all learned this concept in kindergarten and
it’s still a good idea because today
most audiences have attention spans more like kindergartners than
graduate students. Show and tell with real props, audiovisuals and
poster boards will help you capture and keep their attention. A
well-planned show and tell strategy includes PowerPoint or
overheads to present broad themes; poster boards and props to
create a visual appeal; and an active presenter who talks with her
hands and draws on the flip chart or white board. It requires a
dose of courage and creativity, but
it’s not rocket science.
Don’t just talk about the book that
inspired your thinking, show it to the group and pass it around the
table. Draw a rising trend line and a decreasing expense line or
sketch a manufacturing diagram in front of their eyes. Show your
handouts to the group and make your point before you send
them around the room. Bring prototypes or product samples from the
new product line. Want to be really impressive? Show the old
products before you present the new line.
Incorporate Storytelling
Then, build in the time to tell stories. Psychologists have proven
people can’t remember a list of
items. That’s why a series of
animated PowerPoint slides filled with bullet points is a
prescription for
trouble—you’ll
put your audience to sleep. The most powerful way to make a point
is telling a story. Here’s an
example:
For years, the US Military had a tried and true method for requesting defense funding from Congress. They used a simple technique of seven poster boards on easels. Each poster articulated something specific: the situation, the objectives, the approach, how much money they needed and how they intended to measure the results. The average presentation lasted 16 minutes and most requests were quickly approved. In the middle 1980s, Pentagon officials switched to 50-plus slide Powerpoint presentations that took more than an hour and were seldom funded. In fact, more often, the senators asked for more detail before they would make a decision. Eventually, the Pentagon officials discovered they were giving too much information—most likely confusing or numbing the minds of the people important to their success. After switching back to poster boards, they have enjoyed deeper understanding, better support and quicker decision-making.
That story is much more fun to listen to—and present—than any bullet-pointed argument. Before you set out to craft your stories, keep in mind the traditional story telling formula from which most novels, movies and television sitcoms are derived:
Especially when you are making the case for change, use three specific stories to create context: 1) why things are done the way they are done today, 2) what’s different today that causes the need to change, and 3) how things will look differently after the change.
Using these techniques, here’s an excellent presentation outline to organize your thoughts and stay focused on your audience:
This approach works in large groups, small teams or one-on-one, with people inside or outside your organization. The length and level of your presentation wizardry is fully dependent upon your need to be entertaining, and the expectations of your audience.
Finally, make sure you have a point. There is no such thing as an “informational presentation.” People who advance their careers quickly use presentations as an opportunity to impress people. Even though your preparation and research might be impressive—what you make of that research is what counts. Every presentation is a risk, so the best bet is to ignore the safe route. If you want to get ahead, be adventurous and entertaining in making your point.
If you want help building a strategy for your next big career-building presentation, email or call Paul for help: pbatz@mdaconsultinggroup.com or +1.612.259.4251.
Author, speaker and executive coach, Paul Batz is on the
senior management team at MDA Consulting Group, where he conducts
LeaderBuilder™ leadership development
programs focusing on creating change, teambuilding, communication
and personal influence. His book Inspire Persuade Lead:
Communication Secrets of Excellent Leaders is available at www.amazon.com.