If content was all that counted

during a presentation then we could

all e-mail ours to the audience, right?

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If presenting lots of detailed slides

substantiating our premise

was all that mattered…

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Why are you there?

‍

All presentations are not

supposed to be entertaining.

‍

Or are they?

‍

Perhaps,

there's more to building a consensus

than simply presenting the facts.

‍

A presentation is a performance.

‍

It’s not

a test to see who can present

the most information possible.

It’s not

an opportunity to

demonstrate how objective

you can be.

‍

It’s not

an occasion to be dreaded.

‍

And certainly…

‍

It’s not

a place to hide

your personality.

‍

It’s not

the time or place to

“just get through a slide.”

‍

If you feel that you have

to “get through” a slide...

that slide should be nuked.

‍

Humans are an incredibly

judgmental group.

‍

No matter how hard we try not to...

we judge someone before he or she

even begins to speak.

‍

How you approach a podium

tells an audience a lot

about how you feel about

what you're about to do.

‍

The first fifteen seconds

of a speech is by far

the most critical.

‍

The audience quickly decides

if they will devote

their full attention to you

or if they will tune you out.

‍

If you don't get them then...

‍

you’re fighting for their attention

for the rest of the presentation.

‍

Attention is earned not given freely.

‍

There's logic behind the proverbial:

“May I have your attention please?”

‍

So how do you earn and

maintain the audience's attention?

‍

If a presentation is a performance

then it requires an element

of showmanship.

‍

Predictability, the posture of humility,

and hidden subtleties work only

when the members of your audience

are your prisoners...

‍

And even then, those held captive

could be focused on

plotting their next escape

instead of concentrating on you.

‍

True showmen know how to

“capture” your attention.

‍

They never approach a podium

exuding:

‍

“I'm not sure that I want to be here.”

‍

They choose something that interests

them as an introduction because they

know if it doesn't interest them

it probably won't interest their audience.

‍

This is not achieved by the perfunctory:

“Thank you very much for being here.”

‍

Who cares?

‍

Tell me something new!

‍

Wake me up!

‍

Stop me from counting

the seconds before I can escape!

‍

Arrest me before I lose my mind!

‍

Another thing that

showmen understand

is that visual images must be noticed.

‍

We have no choice.

‍

Humans are programmed to look

at abrupt changes in their visual field.

‍

The web and television have

conditioned us to focus on

rapidly changing, colorful images.

‍

If they move... So much the better.

‍

There's a school of thought out there

that says that slides during the same

corporate presentation should all have

the same boilerplate look.

‍

Why?

Why do presenters believe

that they should make each slide

look the same?

‍

That means that they look predictable.

Yes, they're consistent…

consistently predictable.

‍

Where's the showmanship in that?

‍

We don't go to a sports arena

to watch athletes do repetitive drills.

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We go to see them perform.

Wake me up when it's over.

‍

Did you know that the average

web surfer has one finger

on the mouse button at all times?

If you don't “capture” them

in three seconds, they're history.

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Well, the next time you start

assembling a presentation…

think about that mouse.

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If you're predictable...

Poof! You're gone!

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Monotone?

Gone!

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Visually boring?

Outta there!

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Glued to your script?

See Ya!

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Longwinded?

Bahamas, baby!

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Talk too fast?

Bye Bye!

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Talk Techno Babble?

Later!

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Look like you're at a funeral?

See you there!