Tag Archives: Presentation Skills

07c-Telling stories, 07d-Delivering a presentation

Master Presenter

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Since having reviewed my own end of the semester presentation and since having to think critically about how I can be a better presenter, I turned to an article in the Harvard Business review for assistance and found that it summarizes the MP process perfectly.  In the article, “How to Give a Killer Presentation” the author, Chris Anderson, outlines five measures that will accomplish creating a great presentation; he suggests speakers should frame their story, plan their delivery, develop their stage presence, design their medium, and play to their strengths.  All of which sounds familiar and commonsensical but when dissected it resonates intensely.  The article clarifies:

Frame your story (Figure out where to start and end)

o    All people are wired to tell and listen to stories so telling a story will best engage an audience.

o    Determine what the audience already knows and don’t waste time restating information that will prove to bore your audience.

o    Quickly introduce why you care/interested and don’t waste time trying to convince your audience to care/interested.

Plan your delivery (Decide to memorize, rehearse, or simply converse)

o    Use presentation to map out the direction of the presentation but do not use as talking points.

o    Memorizing scripted presentations are best but ONLY when antiquate preparation has been given.

o    A conversational tone works best over passionate or authoritative tones.

Develop your stage presence (No matter how well you deliver a presentation content is always more important)

o    Keeping your lower body still is the most successful way to appear more commanding.

o    Eye contact is the most important physical hallmark of a good presenter.

o    Introduce yourself to as many of the audience members before your presentation because doing so will ease your nerves, make you present, and lifts the veil of a unfamiliar audience.

Design your medium (Enhance your presentation and not distract)

o    In order to avoid being repetitive and to be found interesting by the audience do not read out bullet points on your slides.

o    Stop relying on Power Point as your only medium when so many new relevant options are at your disposal.

o    Enlist the help of an artist, ARCHITECT, photographer, or graphic designer to help develop visual communications.

Play to your strengths (Be authentic)

o    Prepare presentations well in advance to allow for proper rehearsal time.

o    Be choosey about who you select to rehearse in front of because not all criticism should be considered or is valuable.

o    Substance over style.  It is fairly easy to coach out problems with delivery but almost impossible to coach in substance to a subject or story.

Concurrently, the author points out that it may be hard to give a good presentation but it is easy to ruin a good presentation and warns us from doing these 10 things:

  1. Make a really long introduction
  2. Speak too slowly and dramatically
  3. Inform the audience how important you are
  4. Refer to your note cards or TV monitor too often
  5. Cram your slides with numerous fonts, bullet points, or illustrations
  6. Use technical jargon to impress the audience
  7. Speak at length about you and your organization
  8. Remain unaware of how much time you have or used
  9. Don’t bother rehearsing
  10. Don’t make eye contact with anyone and just look at the tops of their heads

Finally, to further summarize, let go of being perfect and really know your material well.   This allows you to conduct a conversational dialog by being present with the audience and to evolve your presentation in real time by reacting to the audience’s response.

 

Anderson, Chris. “How to Give a Killer Presentation.” Harvard Business Review: Magazine June 2013: n. pag. Print.

07a-Crafting an effective formal presentation, 07b-Using good information design, charts & graphs, PowerPoint resources, slide-craft, story-boarding, tables

Being Intentional with your Data and Giving your Graphics a Voice!

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I have a particular interest in evaluation in the workplace– the evaluation of employees, work output, employers, etc. In the types of programs I’ve been in, I have found in very useful. However, I’m sure that most companies don’t have the time to thoroughly evaluate their work in a systematic and organized way. I have always worked in the research/higher education end of business, and so I don’t personally have experience with how evaluation works in the corporate setting.  How does evaluation look like in your industry or company?

A few years ago, I came across this site and I have been a fan ever since. The group is called Evergreen Data and they focus on intentional reporting and data visualization. I work in public health/higher education, and the public health industry is very data-heavy. Data in public health is used for analysis, program planning, grant opportunities, research, etc. and so I have seen the benefits of its use in my industry. What does your company do with its evaluation data?

This particular site had a checklist on how you should layout your evaluation reports which I’ve found super helpful! The purpose of the checklist is to help identify what parts of an evaluation report can be enhanced through the use of graphics.

Here are some of the items they had in their checklist:

  • Text font and size (sans serif and size 9-11)
  • Text uniformity
  • Line spacing (between 11-13 points)
  • Headers/callouts
  • The number of different types of fonts that you should use (no more than three!)
  • Don’t make too “strong” or “bold” of bullet points
  • Alignment (be consistent!)
  • Make sure that items in page that are grouped together are related
  • Utilize white/empty space!
  • Use of pictures/graphics – individuals learn differently from one another
  • Use color changes for a purpose (are you being intentional by choosing to change the color of a font or header?)

Evergreen also has an additional checklist that’s used for data visualization. It’s specific to making your graphs speak for themselves! This is a great resource as well.

What are some of the tips you have when creating reports (not exclusive to evaluation reports)? What steps do you take to have your data share a “story” or a “point”? Are you intentional in your decisions in terms of report layouts, font, graphics, etc.? Do you find that you have to pay more attention to this? 

07a-Crafting an effective formal presentation, 07c-Telling stories, 07d-Delivering a presentation, clearing slides, metaphors, questions, slide-craft

Presentation Tips From One Of The Masters: Steve Jobs

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I used to love watching Steve Jobs unveil the new Apple products every year. I usually volunteered to cover the story at work, just so I could watch the announcement! He was always so passionate about what he did — and it certainly showed. I hope I can develop my presenting skills enough to convey the same excitement and conviction he did. I thought this article from Forbes was a great summary of his techniques he used: http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/10/04/11-presentation-lessons-you-can-still-learn-from-steve-jobs/

One thing he always did so well was tell stories. He didn’t just explain why the iPod or iPhone was great; he wove a tale to make you understand why it was so great and want to buy it! You really felt like he was inspired by the product, and that you should be too.

He was also a master at keeping it simple. Jobs always managed to describe these complicated devices with simple, beautiful language that didn’t talk down to the audience. His slides were simple too: never cluttered with too many words or graphics. He let the images speak for themselves.

I also liked the way he stayed focused on his message. He never highlighted more than 3 things at a time. The human brain is only trained to process so much at once, so this enabled viewers to comprehend what he was saying in small, easily remembered parts.

If you have time, watch the video on the website of Jobs’ 2007 Apple talk. It’s worth it!

07a-Crafting an effective formal presentation, 07b-Using good information design, 07c-Telling stories, 07d-Delivering a presentation, charts & graphs, creativity methods, PowerPoint resources, slide-craft, story-boarding, storyline structure, tables

Alternatives to PowerPoint

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PowerPoint Alternatives: Will PowerPoint Ever be Obsolete?

Will PowerPoint ever be replaced?  It has become commonly accepted in the business world that ‘PowerPoint’ is synonymous with ‘Presentation’. However, when is the last time that you (or me, or anyone for that matter) questioned the validity of that accepted standard, or even gave fleeting consideration to using a different presentation platform or software program?

So, that leads to the question of whether or not PowerPoint will ever become obsolete, outdated, or replaced by something newer and shinier. In researching thoughts on this topic by folks smarter than myself (such as Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, in this article), I discovered a few things.

First of all, there are already many of alternatives to PowerPoint, and while they might not be household names, they can arguably match the functionality of PowerPoint, and perhaps even be more targeted towards your audience depending on the nature of the presentation. Some of the more popular alternatives to PowerPoint include Apple’s Keynote (which Steve Jobs popularized by using when rolling out new products), Google docs (free, ‘quick and dirty”), SlideRocket (great for folks in a sales environment), and perhaps most notably, Prezi (Intuitive, sophisticated, puts ‘slides in motion’, great for storytelling).

I am personally considering giving Prezi a try based on the positive reviews and feedback that I have read and would love to hear from anyone in our class who has tried the software first-hand. It does seem that one day PowerPoint might be replaced as the gold standard for delivering presentations, but that day is likely not going to come anytime soon, and we are likely better off improving our delivery method rather than changing the platform all-together.

So, what are your thoughts??

 

Articles for Reference:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2012/09/07/jeff-bezos-and-the-end-of-powerpoint-as-we-know-it/

http://lifehacker.com/5888189/five-best-powerpoint-alternatives

http://www.customshow.com/best-powerpoint-alternatives-presentation-programs/

http://www.powtoon.com/blog/10-best-powerpoint-alternatives/

 

 

07a-Crafting an effective formal presentation

How to pitch to VCs, and why accounting does not matter

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While most of our class was enjoying accounting, I had a pleasure of taking Charlie Goetz’s Entrepreneurship class.  Charlie is a fascinating person – full of energy and entrepreneurial spirit , he could survive anywhere. He is also extremely successful, building multiple business from the ground up and selling them to wealthy investors for large sums of money (including a business that exclusively sold french fries).  While working  on a project in  his class, I finally realized that it is not just about ideas and execution – Charlie’s pitch and presentation were keys to his success. One might have the best idea and great execution – but if you can’t sell it to real people, especially people with money and connections, all those ideas will be worthless.

One presentation that each entrepreneur hopes to have is a pitch to a venture capitalist – that means your idea made it past the idea stage, and you have an opportunity to make it big. If you can sell your idea to a venture capitalist, you can sell your presentation to anyone, whether it is your boss,  Professor Noonan,  or even Dean Lewis. So how does one prepare for this presentation – “the Money Game” section at WSJ has few tips:

– Present Yourself:

Modesty does not pay. Each presentation, whether to a venture capitalist or to your classmates, is a lot like a date. People want to know something about you,   they want to know why they should listen to you.  Going to straight to your presentation is a lot like like going on a date and saying “Let’s get it on”.

–  Tell it to mom:

Keep is simple.  Steve Jobs once said:

“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”

When making a presentation, keep it simple and understandable. It is always easier to send more information to ones who need more details,  but once you loose your audience, it is impossible to get them back. One caveat – the assumption needs to be clearly explained, and your pitch needs to be grounded in reality.

– Don’t Play with numbers:

Integrity is paramount. Whether pitching to a VC or your Boss, you cannot undermine their trust. A lot of presenters try to focus on the positive, but what one needs to show is they have though of the negatives and have a plan to address it.  It absolutely necessary that your audience can trust you.

– Stay on the radar:

In class, the presentation may end on the day of the class. Yet in the real world,  this is just a start – persistence pays off.  Even if you receive a no at the first pitch, you should keep in touch with the investor.

Your can read the rest of the article at WSJ.

PS. Accounting is crucial to business, and multiple accounting scandals of the 2000s certainly proved that.  However, the is always a CPA when you need an accounting advice, but you are the one who needs to make the pitch.

 

 

07a-Crafting an effective formal presentation, slide-craft, story-boarding, storyline structure, Uncategorized

More Tips on Prezi

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The class got a brief glimpse into what Prezi can do during the final MP class on Thursday, but I thought that I would provide a few tips, tutorials and links that I used to orient myself with the program.

In the simplest terms, there are four steps to make a presentation in Prezi:

1. Enter content onto the canvas (words, pictures, videos, etc.)

2. Frame the content with one of the shaped frames (circle, square, brackets) or an invisible frame.

3. Connect the frames in a path (similar to re-arranging slides on the left-hand side of the page).

4. Re-position the frames to convey relation (drag and drop the frames on the canvas).

You can see the whole tutorial on transitions between slides from this link:  http://prezi.com/-oebfwip4irw/the-official-prezi-transitions-tutorial/

When creating spacial relations, remember that you can convey relation in three ways:

1.  In the x-y direction, i.e. up, down or diagonal

2. Rotation (make sure that you don’t rotate slides too much, or the transitions may become confusing and difficult to follow. In general, its best to use rotations <45 degrees).

3.  Size/Depth.  The ability to zoom in and out can either be used to convey differences in size, relationship into or out of the page, or even both.

What other great things can you do with Prezi?

Turn those boring Power Points into Prezi’s!

Share your Prezi!

Check out the official Prezi blog for even more great tips!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

07b-Using good information design, 07c-Telling stories, 07d-Delivering a presentation, clearing slides, PowerPoint resources, slide-craft

What Not To Do

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What Not To Do (When Giving a Presentation):

While most of us know what we “should” be doing when it comes to giving presentations, we oftentimes forget what we should NOT be doing. I have realized over time that what we should vs. should not do are not inherently mutually exclusive. You can be doing everything that you are “supposed to” (i.e. following best practices), but simultaneously be making common errors that can limit the effectiveness of your delivery.

I’m as guilty as anyone when it comes to checking the boxes for everything that a strong presentation should have, but I’ve started to realize that by diagnosing errors that I am more inclined to make, many of the recommended strategies subsequently fall in line naturally.

To frame this as a metaphor, I’m talking about targeting the disease, not making the anecdote stronger. I’ve found that this starts with getting back to the basics and building from there. So, what are some of the more common pitfalls in presentation delivery? After vetting several resources I’ve consolidated a list of quick anecdotes that I have found to be helpful to keep in mind:

  • Avoid reliance on slides. Slides are there to compliment your presentation and provide a framework, not the other way around.
  • Overload: Less is more. Too much talking and/or too much text will easily disinterest any audience, no matter how rich the content.
  • Avoid Apologies: If something goes wrong, there is a typo, you say something incorrectly, etc… JUST GO WITH IT. Odds are that no one else noticed and by drawing attention to it you are just calling out yourself (and your credibility).
  • Avoid filler words: This is public speaking 101, it sounds easy and we’ve heard it thousands of times, but it is absolutely critical. Unfilled airtime between sentences and ideas is okay. Specifically avoid “um”, “so”, “right”, and “you know” are very common and very distracting!
  • Going over your allotted time: Once you start to go long you begin to lose your audience. And once you even begin to lose your audience, it’s too late. This can cause the audience to miss your “big finish” and really tear down everything you’ve worked so hard to build.

While there are many more, these are just some of the most common problems that can hold you back from delivering the most effective presentation possible. We never get to a point where we are too advanced to worry about the basics. While one of these points are anything that you haven’t heard before, hopefully you will find some of these to be helpful reminders.

 

Helpful Resources:
http://www.inc.com/eric-v-holtzclaw/big-presentation-5-rookie-mistakes-to-avoid.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gNG0etmnwuk
http://blogs.hbr.org/2012/12/avoid-these-five-mistakes-in-y/

 

05-Creating & constructing good solutions, 07c-Telling stories, 07d-Delivering a presentation, creativity methods

making the ordinary extraordinary

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http://www.fastcocreate.com/3016916/creation-stories/ricky-gervais-tells-a-story-about-how-he-learned-to-write

“It is so much easier to make the ordinary extraordinary than to try and start off with the extraordinary”  – Ricky Gervais

One of my favorite comedians and writers, Ricky Gervais, has a very curious observation about his own creative process (link above). In the interview he emphasizes how and why he writes the way he does. No matter what the topic is- always start with a story line that is relatable and focus on honesty above all else.

I was thinking about this as you all may struggle with what to present on; start with what you know or is important to you and then use your development plan to help foster a great presentation. Effective communication means convincing the audience or client that you believe in the subject too.

 

 

 

07c-Telling stories, 07d-Delivering a presentation, storyline structure

9 Public-Speaking Lessons From The World’s Greatest TED Talks

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When asked what my passions in life are, I often respond the same way – food and public speaking (in no particular order). While one is likely to help me further my career and the other is likely to help me further my waistline, they are both still passions of mine.

Public speaking didn’t come naturally to me at first; in fact, there was a time in life where it terrified me. But through practice, practice, and more practice, I came to not only achieve an acceptable level of competency in the skill, but I started to truly enjoy speaking to large groups.

I, like most, am constantly looking for ways to improve my public speaking skills. Like many, I often watch TED talks to gain ideas, inspiration, and witty one-liners to utilize in my presentations. Carmine Gallow’s article entitled, 9 Public-Speaking Lessons From The World’s Greatest TED Talks, is a great synopsis of how there is a style to TED talks, and how this same style can be incorporated into everyday presentations.

There are two ways to summarize this article. The first, and the conventional way, would be with the nine bullet points below. However, it is more exciting to view the most watched TED talk of all time via this link. This TED talk, like many others, illustrates eight of the nine points below (The presenter does not use any materials, so point #8 does not apply).

  1. Unleash the master within.
  2. Tell three stories.
  3. Practice relentlessly.
  4. Teach your audience something new.
  5. Deliver jaw-dropping moments.
  6. Use humor without telling a joke.
  7. Stick to the 18-minute rule.
  8. Favor pictures over text.
  9. Stay in your lane.

Aside from the list, I would like to add one more bullet point that I see as a theme through most of the great presentations that I have seen, the one you may have just watched included.

  1. Take chances.

I would like to point out one skill in particular that this article highlights and the TED talk illustrates – storytelling. This presenter is a phenomenal storyteller. He paints vivid images for the audience through the use of tales about his family, his friends, or moments in history that help bring his points to life. When this powerful imagery is combined with his vibrant scene of humor that both engages and captivates the audience, his message becomes memorable, and he gains instant credibility based on the audience liking him, not his actual subject knowledge.

The points raised in the article do not differ from the lessons learned in MP over the past year. Style, delivery, and content are at the heart of every presentation. The only way to improve these skills is to practice and learn from mistakes made along the way. For anyone with trepidation about public speaking, weather at school or at work, read this article and watch this TED Talk, you will be glad that you did.

Read more: 9 Public-Speaking Lessons From The World’s Greatest TED Talks

Watch the TED Talk: Ken Robinson: How schools kill creativity

 

07c-Telling stories

Telling Stories to Persuade People

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In the age of big data, we think data is persuasive.  If we can just visualize it,  harness it, and display it in a very detailed presentation, we can convince people with it.  All they need to do is see our numbers, facts and figures, and they will be convinced to follow our lead. Unfortunately, this is where the human mind comes to play – as  neuroscientists have discovered,  most decisions are informed by emotional responses rather than by cold and hard rational thinking.

In his Wall Street Journal article on the topic, “To Persuade People, Tell Them a Story”, Dennis Nishi tells a story of Paul Smith, associate director at P&G. For many days, Mr. Smith prepared to present to P&G CEO, A.G. Lafley. However, on the day of the presentation,  CEO entered the room,  greeted everyone and turned his back to the screen. As Mr. Smith tells his side of the story,

“I felt like maybe I hadn’t done a very good job because he wasn’t looking at my slides like everyone else.It didn’t occur to me until later that he did that because he was more interested in what I had to say than in what my slides looked like.”

To address this issue, presenters need to connect to their audiences on an emotional level.   The above mentioned Paul Smith, now a corporate trainer and an author, has a new book:  “Lead With a Story: A Guide to Crafting Business Narratives That Captivate, Convince, and Inspire”. In it,  he told a story of a mother’s plea to P&G executives about hardships and trade-offs she had to make for her children, and how that story convinced them to lower the price of shortening, underscoring the power of an emotional connection.

In another book mentioned in the article,  “Beyond Bullet Points” by Cliff Atkinson,  Mr. Atkinson tells us to move beyond facts in figures. He suggests  structuring our story in three acts – starting by establishing context,  following with a description of how the main character fights to resolve the conflicts, and finishing with a call to action.

Stories are important to human communication – they started long before PowerPoint presentations,  and we have strong emotional connections to them. So it is important that we do not start our story with an apology or ask a permission to tell it – we should be confident enough for it to stand on its own.

You may read the rest of  “To Persuade People, Tell Them a Story” at http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303482504579177651982683162.