 Effective Presentation |
print this article | open in seperate window |
As organizations struggle to keep up with the demands of a changing world economy, people at all levels of the organization are being called upon to make presentations, conduct training, and influence others to make changes. For those new to the world of public speaking this is a threatening proposition that frequently results in dry, monotonous presentations. Even experienced trainers sometimes fail to maximize their teaching potential simply for a lack of a few strategically placed techniques to enhance the learning. Therefore, Effective Presentation is one of the workshops you will experience during the team building workshops organized by Global-Unlimited and EYE-ON cc.
Effective Presentation
When I first became involved with presentations, lectures and training, I was petrified with fear. But inside I felt I carried an important message that needed to be told. Even though I had serious doubts about my abilities, I learned to create effective presentations by applying some creativity in my sentences and appearance and to get my audience involved. To be honest, one of the most important issues. I will say, however, that many of the techniques I use today I would have never considered when I began. I just felt they were too 'outlandish' for a 'professional' performer.
However, I was wrong. The more I stretch the limits, the more effective and highly rated are my presentations and lectures. I don't want to imply that simply being crazy is a solution. Nevertheless, it is a good way to attract attention.
Once I had a lecture during a Team Building session for Bank Mees & Hope. The Dutch branch had to cooperate with the German branch, which caused problems. To break the ice I entered the stage in a dirty smelly overall and started to scream for about 20 or 30 seconds. Then I told two stories. First a sad one. People silenced, some had tears in their eyes. Than another one that made them angry. By then I got the attention I wanted. It became one of the best sessions I ever had. I truly wanted people to understand and learn the material, so if a strategically placed gag, exercise, story, or metaphor will help, I will use it. If I can get my audience to 'feel' what I am saying, they will probably understand it better and remember it longer.
The following ideas and techniques are not intended as the 'be all and end all' list for effective presentations. They are simply a collection of interesting ideas that have helped me to give better lectures, presentations and training.
1. Belief in what you are saying
One of the comments I heard frequently is 'You really believe in your story, don't you.' When the audience senses that you live and breathe your message, almost instantly your credibility goes up. Conversely, if you are trying to present a message that you don't totally support, it takes a real acting job to pull it off - and usually you don't. People see through the act quickly.
The reason for this is that although your words may be saying one thing, your nonverbal cues will usually give you away. Your tone of voice, your facial expression, your body posture - virtually every cell in your body - will be saying you don't really believe your own message. So the best way to begin your quest for a dynamic presentation is to first work on yourself and how you feel about your topic. If you have some doubts, study it, experience it, and practice it until you can gain confidence in how you feel about your topic. Audiences will forgive mistakes in the presentation if they sense you deeply believe in your topic.
2. Be yourself Once a friend told that I was coming off stiff and very boring. Since she knew my work first-hand and me she gave some wonderful advice that I never forgot. She said: 'Don't try to amuse people. Think about yourself. Be yourself. Think about you really wants to say. And say it. If that will cause a problem, think about the two feet you are standing on. Rely on them. They are all yours. Since then I let Peter be Peter. I even don't prepare myself on a certain subject because I feel that I am the subject.
3. Change your mind about 'the fear of public speaking'
Some people would rather die than give a speech. A simple technique that worked for me was to reprogram my brain into 'the heartfelt principles in life and the way I breathe and the way I think.'
Fear and excitement have different physiological responses that can either enhance a talk or destroy it. With fear, one's throat and voice are harder to control the heart races, palms sweat, eyes blink rapidly, and the face looks pale and more drawn. Although excitement can induce some of the same responses, such as a racing heart, however there will always be an emotional expression on your face. Burning eyes, a tear on a cheek, a trembling voice. That is all OK, because nothing else will bind public more than 'true emotion'.
When you have a speaking opportunity, remember the words an Australian client told: 'Don't fear except fear itself'. Focus on excitement and eventually you will begin to change your prior conditioning about speaking in public.
4. Breaking Ice
The first few minutes of a presentation are important to establish the relationship between you and your audience. Will this hour or day be formal, loose, fun, boring, or what? The beginning is also the point at which you as the speaker are most anxious and tense. So why not design a beginning that loosens up both you and your audience?
There are many ways to do this (one I described in the beginning). Some people begin by asking the audience some questions and get them talking. They find that if they can get them to say something early in the presentation, it relaxes them. I personally don't believe in this strategy. Also not in a quick demographic check to assess the make-up of the audience.
Others start to tell jokes. That is dangerous. What if your audience doesn't like such a performance? Besides, if they wish to be performed they will visit a theater. And what about a story relating to the topic? Personal stories are easy to tell because they come from your own experiences. Personally I believe that this is not good as well.
No, if you have a problem with the start, start with the problem. Direct approach, chakkaa!! Think about it.
5. What do the participants want to know
Some people ask the audience during the lecture for their expectations. Boring. You should have been informed before the session or lecture. Mostly I come an hour earlier, start to room around and talk to people without presenting myself. I wish to know something about my audience. I have to. I ask what they want to know, their expectations and my mind keep track with their remarks.
All the people I spoke before, are my allies during the session. They are my feed back, my reference point and my helm. The moment they start to look bored or move on their seats, I know that I missed the clue and change subject.
Before the break I ask my audience to list their questions and what they wish to know. After the break I start with these points.
6. Drama and effects
How to teach the impact of personal values and beliefs on our behavior? A simple lecture wouldn't necessarily do it. Somehow I had to get the audience to 'feel' the impact of their beliefs.
Once I met a team builder who gave the following answer: 'I 'trick' my audience by wearing a suit of clothes that I now call 'my nerd outfit'. Before the session I put on black shoes, white socks, blue suit pants a brown striped dress shirt, a pink paisley tie, and a green corduroy sport jacket. When I wear these clothes, the behavior of my participants is always different than when I wear clothes that match and have more class. When I wear the 'nerd outfit' they tend to ignore me prior to the session (for example, during coffee), and they cluster in small groups and snicker. Of course they never say anything to me directly. They just behave differently.
When I begin the session, I give them the definition of values and beliefs then ask them if they notice anything strange about me. They usually say nothing. When I probe further, eventually someone will break the ice by saying how my clothes look, and then they all chime in. Some say I look like I dressed in the dark; some say I look like an engineer; some say I look like a used car salesman; some say I look like I should be at the racetrack; and on and on. I then take off the clothes revealing a set of clothes underneath that match and you can hear a collective sigh of relief. They were really worried that this 'nerd' was their teacher. In just a few minutes, they have been put in touch with their belief systems in a dramatic way that they will never forget. It sets the stage for a meaningful discussion on the topic. I have used this technique many times over the years and it never fails to achieve the desired results. People come back years later and say; 'I remember the clothes'. This dramatic effect sensitizes people to the effect their beliefs have on their behavior with others. For example, one's beliefs about a man in a nice suit and tie might be different than about a man in coveralls and a hard-hat. This is important to organizations as they begin to use more collaboration to improve performance'.
7. Magic and laughter
Some performers use magic tricks to help make important points. They found an immediate benefit from a teaching point of view. First, the magic was a diversion from the other techniques being used to train. Second, there was an entertainment value... people truly seemed to enjoy the tricks. Third, was the impact of the message. If a trick can be linked to a concept being taught, the message will tend to be clearer. Fourth, was the retention value. If the concept can be linked with something unique and different, the student will likely never forget the message. There are a number of ways to learn magic, the simplest being to visit your local magic store and have them teach you. Look for tricks that are highly visible (a benefit for larger audiences), easy to perform, and can be connected with your message.
Another point: don't be afraid to be playful. If you can create a playful atmosphere, people will laugh naturally.
8. Audience participation
People like to contribute to the discussion at hand, so the presenter should provide opportunities for this participation. In training sessions in particular, I now strive to have the participants talking or working together about 70-80% of the time. This can be accomplished by applying exercises that reinforce training points, group discussions, question and answer periods, small group breakout discussions and problem solving, and a host of others. This is particularly useful when question and answer periods are coming up short. Simply ask people to turn to each other for 1 or 2 minutes and discuss any points of the session that need clarifying. This 'hands-on' training is a wonderful technique for generating questions. Surprisingly, this can even be done with large audiences.
9. Pattern interruptions
When people sit for any length of time, energy levels tend to go down quickly. Even the best speakers and trainers may experience this energy drop in their audience if they sit too long without some kind of re-energizer. One of the best ways to re-energize an audience is to perform what is called a 'pattern interruption' every 5-10 minutes. A pattern interruption breaks the pattern of listening and causes the listener to re-activate the brain. There are many ways to inject pattern interruptions:
- The speaker might simply change the tone of voice or pattern of speech.
- Move to a different part of the room (the back of the room, for example).
- Use props, magic tricks, videotapes, or music.
- Use water guns to break tension.
- Use audience participation like the 'Hyde-Park' model.
- Have participants go for a short walk in pairs to discuss some relevant question about the training.
10. Tension breakers
It is almost inevitable that during a lecture or training session, one or more participants will try to hit you with an antagonistic question or comment simply to get attention. They might also direct these comments toward other participants. These 'intruders' sometimes cause a brief moment of tension in the session, leaving all participants looking at you for how you will respond. One trainer found that one of the best ways to break 'intruders' is to pull out a water gun and simply shoot the offender. This surprise response completely changes the psychological state from one of tension to one of humor. The offender receives the attention he or she was craving and the rest of the audience simply enjoys the experience. The man usually carries two or three water guns of varying sizes, pulling out larger and larger ones with each successive 'intruder'.
Another way to profile 'intruders' is to give them the opportunity to make their point during a 'Hyde-Park' session. 'Intruder' versus audience during five minutes. Great fun.
11. Exploring emotions
Much of the training performs in team building, employee involvement, human potential, creativity, and so forth involves putting people in touch with themselves. Most of us have never received training about ourselves. Therefore, I try to create a learning experience that covers a full range of emotions. Anger, frustration, joy, excitement, sadness, hope, and pride is just a few of the emotions that can be generated in a training session or presentation.
There are a number of ways to accomplish these, but some of the best are through stories and exercises. Mostly I use role models given by wildlife and nature. People really cry if I tell how a lost whale committed suicide on the reefs of Fiji. People become angry if I tell how a beautiful Tigress was poached in India, leaving four cubes behind.
12. Prizes
People love prizes, and they make excellent incentives to enhance participation. Just about anything can be used for prizes, but one of the favorites is potatoes. Potatoes seem to have no intrinsic value so at first appear to not be much of an incentive. But after you give out two or three potatoes to people who have contributed something to the class discussion, others can't wait to get a one. It's not the potato they want, but the recognition. Mention to the first person awarded a potato that it's his or hers to do with as he or she wants. Sometimes the person will draw on it with markers, which creates further interest and opportunities for pattern interruptions. Sometimes they give away the potato to someone who is deserving of one, but was missed by me. It moves the subject of 'recognition' from the trainer to the participants.
13. Setting up the 'classroom'
The physical layout of the training room will either enhance or detract from your learning environment. If you are teaching 'team concepts and skills', for example, and the seating is in a cinema-arrangement, the meaning of 'team building' sometimes gets lost.
I prefer separate tables and small groups to perform some tasks. A benefit of separate tables is the opportunity to move people around during the session. True team building requires the breaking down of barriers between people. If I can move people to different tables during the session and have them perform an exercise together, barriers come down quickly. The class, in itself, becomes a team building experience.
14. A flip-over chart
Some tips: use many colors to do your work. I use the darker colors for the words or diagrams, and the lighter colors for highlights. It brightens the entire page and creates interest. I avoid using red and black because they are 'blocking' colors. Tape all flip charts to the walls during the session. Since I use flip-over chart paper extensively throughout training, by the end of the session the walls are almost completely covered by the work. This sends a powerful message that the class has covered a lot of material and worked hard. The covered walls also lend themselves to another interesting feature. The final review.
15. Audience into action
A question that always haunts people about training is 'What will people do with what they learned?' The fear, of course, is that they will leave the training and apply little or nothing. Many times this has more to do with understanding how to apply it than wanting to.
An idea is to break the group into pairs at the end of the training and to discuss ways to apply the materials learned. They have to list for themselves at least 3 or 4 'next steps' that they can put into action immediately upon returning to work. These steps are to be practical and do-able with an emphasis on simplicity. When they return to the room, we share most of the ideas in an open discussion. Another technique is to have the participants call each other about two weeks after the training. I do this by having them write on a piece of paper their name, their phone number, the date two weeks after the training finishes, and the sentence "What did you do with the information you learned at our training session?" I then have the participants form two lines in the room facing each other, ball up their papers, and on the count of 'three' throw them at the people in the opposing line. Each person picks up a paper and takes it with them after the session. Nobody knows who will be calling him or her, but he or she knows someone will.
The beauty of this reminder is that it applies subtle pressure to do something with the lessons learned. A call or e-mail two weeks after the training also re-kindles the interest and brings back the training experience, which, experts say, enhances retention.
16. Expand the toolbox
The old adage 'What you sow, you reap' should be a trainer's guiding principle for growth. If you are constantly learning new techniques to add to your toolbox, your sessions will be top level and you'll seldom be caught off-guard. Look for training seminars, conferences, newsletters, and books that can assist you.
(Peter Stuivenberg, Global-Unlimited, with thanks to Peter Grazier, CEO Teambuilding Inc.)