Monday, April 16, 2007
Is your biggest competitor in the room with you?
“Cognitive load theory” is the name researchers in Australia have given the findings of a study that validates what many of us know intuitively: people can either listen or read, but they can rarely do both. That, in a nutshell, is why reading aloud a PowerPoint slide does little more than confuse and even irritate your audience.
Professor John Sweller at the University of New South Wales, says a human’s short-term memory is limited in how much it can process and retain information. When someone simply reads out loud the words on a screen, our brains get overloaded and we shut down, not absorbing the text or the voice we’re hearing. (Need more convincing? Click here to read the complete research findings.)
When creating a PowerPoint presentation, think about ways you can make your points using photographs, cartoons, graphs, illustrations, etc. Too often, we not only use cumbersome bullets, but we write them in complete sentences. Perhaps the better solution is not to use bullets at all, or to use them to reinforce points just made, rather than as a competitor to what we’re saying.
Remember the phrase, “a picture paints a thousand words.” So instead of trying to figure out which of the thousand words you want to put on the slide, think more about what image would capture your message in a simpler way.
Worried that once you leave your audience can’t remember the point you conveyed with an image? Then provide handouts with notes that accompany the image. But don’t take the lazy way out by populating your slides with the words you’re afraid you’ll forget!
Professor John Sweller at the University of New South Wales, says a human’s short-term memory is limited in how much it can process and retain information. When someone simply reads out loud the words on a screen, our brains get overloaded and we shut down, not absorbing the text or the voice we’re hearing. (Need more convincing? Click here to read the complete research findings.)
When creating a PowerPoint presentation, think about ways you can make your points using photographs, cartoons, graphs, illustrations, etc. Too often, we not only use cumbersome bullets, but we write them in complete sentences. Perhaps the better solution is not to use bullets at all, or to use them to reinforce points just made, rather than as a competitor to what we’re saying.
Remember the phrase, “a picture paints a thousand words.” So instead of trying to figure out which of the thousand words you want to put on the slide, think more about what image would capture your message in a simpler way.
Worried that once you leave your audience can’t remember the point you conveyed with an image? Then provide handouts with notes that accompany the image. But don’t take the lazy way out by populating your slides with the words you’re afraid you’ll forget!
How to create a no-doze close for your presentation
The way you close your presentation is just as important – arguably more so – than the way you open it. So, don’t leave it to chance.
Most presentations end with, “Are there any questions?” What a weak way to complete what has hopefully been a dynamic show up until that point! The last thing the audience hears should come from you and it needs to be more profound than a simple, “Thank you.”
When considering how to close a presentation, think about how you might borrow from the way you opened it. Here are some techniques to consider:
1) Re-emphasize an earlier point. Select a key message from your presentation and refer back to it. Did you open with a question? Close by answering the question. Did you use a quote? Use it again. If a message is key, it’s worth repeating.
2) Challenge the audience. Don’t assume the audience knows exactly what you want them to do next. Tell them. Be bold. Suggest, “If you do nothing else, do this…” or even ask, “If you don’t take action now to _____, how long do you think it will be until you ____?”
3) End with a story. Don’t let the fact that you started your presentation with a story keep you from ending with one. People never tire of hearing great stories that make relevant points. Gifted presenters always come full circle in the course of a talk. Think about how you can tell a story at the end that ties to a story told previously.
4) Close with a quote. It can be from someone you’ve quoted earlier (even the exact same quote you opened with) or you can go an entirely different route. Just make sure it is relevant and enables the audience to make a direct connection between you and the problem they need to solve.
Most presentations end with, “Are there any questions?” What a weak way to complete what has hopefully been a dynamic show up until that point! The last thing the audience hears should come from you and it needs to be more profound than a simple, “Thank you.”
When considering how to close a presentation, think about how you might borrow from the way you opened it. Here are some techniques to consider:
1) Re-emphasize an earlier point. Select a key message from your presentation and refer back to it. Did you open with a question? Close by answering the question. Did you use a quote? Use it again. If a message is key, it’s worth repeating.
2) Challenge the audience. Don’t assume the audience knows exactly what you want them to do next. Tell them. Be bold. Suggest, “If you do nothing else, do this…” or even ask, “If you don’t take action now to _____, how long do you think it will be until you ____?”
3) End with a story. Don’t let the fact that you started your presentation with a story keep you from ending with one. People never tire of hearing great stories that make relevant points. Gifted presenters always come full circle in the course of a talk. Think about how you can tell a story at the end that ties to a story told previously.
4) Close with a quote. It can be from someone you’ve quoted earlier (even the exact same quote you opened with) or you can go an entirely different route. Just make sure it is relevant and enables the audience to make a direct connection between you and the problem they need to solve.
Let me introduce myself. I'm Relevant.
It seems almost silly to practice an introduction, doesn’t it? After all, how hard can it be to tell someone who you are and what you do? As it turns out, introductions can trip us up worse than just about any other part of a new business pitch.
What you choose to say about yourself and how you say it creates a lasting impression that can have as great an impact on how your presentation goes as anything else that happens in a new business meeting. Take time to really think through what you will say that is clear, concise and compelling.
When planning your introduction, keep in mind that your goal isn’t to impress the audience with how much you know. It’s to demonstrate that what you know is relevant to them. When it comes your time to offer the old “name, rank and serial number,” translate your experience and position into a synopsis that leaves the audience thinking, “He’s exactly what we need.”
Don’t just recite “I’ve worked on the Doodah account and the doobedoo account.” Instead, try, “For three years I represented the Doodah company on a daily basis as a primary contact for the media. I talked to an average of 20 trade reporters every week to secure coverage on Doodah’s efforts in blahblah.”
And while we’re at it, does anyone outside an agency really understand what “account executives” or “senior account supervisors” really do? Your introduction should provide context. Eloquently explain the role you play on a day-to-day basis within Edelman and, specifically what you would do on the account you’re pitching if Edelman wins.
Since Edelman routinely provides copies of team members’ bios in a leave-behind, resist the urge to verbally chronicle your every life moment. Focus only on the information that is relevant to the specific account you’re pitching.
As a rule of thumb, keep introductions to two minutes, tops.
What you choose to say about yourself and how you say it creates a lasting impression that can have as great an impact on how your presentation goes as anything else that happens in a new business meeting. Take time to really think through what you will say that is clear, concise and compelling.
When planning your introduction, keep in mind that your goal isn’t to impress the audience with how much you know. It’s to demonstrate that what you know is relevant to them. When it comes your time to offer the old “name, rank and serial number,” translate your experience and position into a synopsis that leaves the audience thinking, “He’s exactly what we need.”
Don’t just recite “I’ve worked on the Doodah account and the doobedoo account.” Instead, try, “For three years I represented the Doodah company on a daily basis as a primary contact for the media. I talked to an average of 20 trade reporters every week to secure coverage on Doodah’s efforts in blahblah.”
And while we’re at it, does anyone outside an agency really understand what “account executives” or “senior account supervisors” really do? Your introduction should provide context. Eloquently explain the role you play on a day-to-day basis within Edelman and, specifically what you would do on the account you’re pitching if Edelman wins.
Since Edelman routinely provides copies of team members’ bios in a leave-behind, resist the urge to verbally chronicle your every life moment. Focus only on the information that is relevant to the specific account you’re pitching.
As a rule of thumb, keep introductions to two minutes, tops.
Do your presentations pop from the top? Try these tips
The best books are those that grab our attention from the very first page. Popular authors never take a chance on the opening of a story. That’s because they know they can’t afford to lose us early on. We may never come back.
A presentation is no different. If we don’t captivate our audience from the moment we open our mouths, we may never get them back. The opening of your presentation is no time to “wing it.”
Here are four potentially effective ways to open a presentation:
1) Start with a story. Engage the audience right away by sharing with them an experience that gave you some insight that influenced what you’re there to talk about. Be concise and make sure the anecdote has relevance, but don’t hesitate to structure your entire presentation around a single story.
2) Ask a question. The trick here is to be provocative. Captivate your audience right away by asking them something that makes them think. Then shut up. Give them a moment to contemplate before launching into why you asked the question; otherwise, they’ll assume you don’t really care what they think.
3) Open with a quote. Well chosen, quotes enable us to charm, surprise, entertain, or even frighten the audience. A succinct, relevant quote can be a great launching pad for the rest of the presentation. Be creative in choosing your quotes, too. Big Bird, Lady Bird, Larry Bird and Tweety Bird can all be equally profound.
4) Make an intriguing statement. Start your presentation by simply pausing until you’re certain every eye is on you, then say something the audience won’t expect. If it’s funny, you’ll probably score extra points right away, but your primary focus should be on getting the people in the room to think, “This is going to be good!”
Don’t settle for an opening like, “We appreciate the opportunity to meet with you today.”
It’s gratuitous and trite. All of our competitors usually start that way. Isn’t that reason enough to take a different tack?
A presentation is no different. If we don’t captivate our audience from the moment we open our mouths, we may never get them back. The opening of your presentation is no time to “wing it.”
Here are four potentially effective ways to open a presentation:
1) Start with a story. Engage the audience right away by sharing with them an experience that gave you some insight that influenced what you’re there to talk about. Be concise and make sure the anecdote has relevance, but don’t hesitate to structure your entire presentation around a single story.
2) Ask a question. The trick here is to be provocative. Captivate your audience right away by asking them something that makes them think. Then shut up. Give them a moment to contemplate before launching into why you asked the question; otherwise, they’ll assume you don’t really care what they think.
3) Open with a quote. Well chosen, quotes enable us to charm, surprise, entertain, or even frighten the audience. A succinct, relevant quote can be a great launching pad for the rest of the presentation. Be creative in choosing your quotes, too. Big Bird, Lady Bird, Larry Bird and Tweety Bird can all be equally profound.
4) Make an intriguing statement. Start your presentation by simply pausing until you’re certain every eye is on you, then say something the audience won’t expect. If it’s funny, you’ll probably score extra points right away, but your primary focus should be on getting the people in the room to think, “This is going to be good!”
Don’t settle for an opening like, “We appreciate the opportunity to meet with you today.”
It’s gratuitous and trite. All of our competitors usually start that way. Isn’t that reason enough to take a different tack?
