Eggblogg

Let's stop blaming PowerPoint for poor presentations

Here's something that never seems to go away - people moaning about PowerPoint. (Notice it's never Keynote they moan about - maybe Mac users never give a bad slide presentation?)

Seth Godin got stuck into PowerPoint again recently - after having written about it seven years ago, apparently. And hardly a day passes without someone criticising it or flagging up examples of bad usage.

It would be nice, for a change, to read about what constitutes a good slide presentation - if we were to see more examples of that, we might share them with other people and standards might be raised. A kind of 'best practice' trickle-down effect.

Most of us learn things like PowerPoint by example, not on a training course. Or if we do, it's likely to be your typical 'presentation skills' training course, where you're thrown a few tired rules such as 'no more than 6 bullets per slide'.

Personally I prefer Guy Kawasaki's 10/20/30 rule, favouring images over text. I'd go a step further and say try to avoid having ANY words to read on your slides - not always possible, but a good guiding principle. My reasoning is that people are there to listen to you, and not everyone takes in information in the same way. They may not connect with the auditory (what they hear) but a related visual (what they see) can do the trick. Combining the two can be a powerful way of embedding something in the memory. In contrast, reading bullets while while listening to the speaker can easily result in an attention clash, with neither message sinking in.

I've often been asked about something after a presentation, with specific reference to the image used. By keeping presentations short and visually exciting, people will stay with you and the time will fly by for them. It's also a wonderful thing to watch people reacting to an interesting image, rather than furiously copying down a load of information or looking at their watch.

PowerPoint and Keynote are wonderful tools - let's not blame them for the shortcomings of the presenter!

Image credit: http://colinliang.com/

And finally ... some social media workshops in Lewes

Rosie Sherry and myself have been talking about this for ages and we've finally got something organised - a series of 3 workshops in Lewes, aimed at small business owners/marketing managers and others who want to use social media for business, but aren't sure how.

We don't claim to be gurus but we're into plain talking, lots of examples and practical ideas. I've given a lot of talks this year to ProfitNet participants and I know this is a hot topic.

The 3 events are on September 24th, October 8th and November 12th, all Thursday evenings, and we've priced them just about as reasonably as we could.

Rosie and I have got quite different backgrounds so between us there's a goldmine of stuff for participants to pick at!

I'm sure I'll mention it again but for now let's just say that bookings are being taken online now and Earlybird prices end August 31st. Hope to see some of my blog readers there!

Using 'speech bubbles' to get your point across

When you're explaining things to people it's funny how there are some simple techniques that seem to work, whatever the situation.

In the last eighteen months or so my mother has been increasingly in need of extra help due to age-related memory loss, and through my conversations with her I've gained some fascinating insights into how we store information, how we remember things (or not) and how to communicate complex information in a way that's possible to understand and retain, without insulting the listener.

Sometimes my patience and powers of empathy are severely tested, but I've taken to approaching communications issues with my mother much as I do computer problems - if something isn't working, you need to try another tactic. Getting angry or doing the same thing over and over only backfires!

Something I tend to do a lot with mum is 'direct speech' scenarios. Instead of using reported speech, it involves putting things into speech bubbles. For example, instead of asking her

If someone came to the door trying to sell you something to help clear the weeds from your path, you'd say no, wouldn't you?

I'll say

If someone came to the door and said "Oh hello, I was just wondering if you'd like your path cleared of weeds?" you'd say "No thankyou", wouldn't you?

There's a difference. The second way of asking puts my mother firmly in the picture, and encourages her not only to imagine the person coming to the door, but it also jogs her memory so that if that scenario had indeed already happened, she is more likely to remember and tell me about it. If I want to make an even simpler, more immediate point, I'll put it all in the present tense ('If someone comes to the door ...")

So, using direct speech is a method of making a situation concrete, helping the listener to remember what you've said and also helping them to anchor it to any memories of similar events they may have.

For that reason, it's also a powerful technique when you're explaining, presenting or training - in fact, I do use it quite a bit, I just hadn't registered until now what I was doing and how useful it was.

Tips for giving great presentations - part 2: Body language

In this follow up to part 1 about finding your presentation voice, here are some quick tips about non-verbal communication when talking to a group. The non-verbal element makes up 55% of the message received - so it's worth thinking about!

1. Unless you really have to use a lectern, don't. If you stand behind anything it's a barrier between you and the audience. They will feel you are either hiding from them or distancing yourself from them, when really you want to gain their trust and make them feel comfortable.


2. Make eye contact. If it's a small group, say, fewer than 20, there is no excuse for not looking everyone in the eye regularly. Go from person to person in a sweep, left to right, right to left. Try not to keep any one person's gaze for too long though.
   
   When you see an encouraging face it's tempting just to look at them, but don't! For a larger audience, make systematic sweeps of the room, front, middle, back and sides, still looking for eye contact however brief. Avoid the common mistake of fixing your look just above people's heads - that doesn't fool anyone and can be highly irritating!


3. Be still, be relaxed, own your stage presence. Try not to perpetually shift your weight from one leg to the other, or pace a couple of steps this way, then that, for no reason - these are very common mistakes people make, perhaps thinking that perpetual movement will somehow make their presentations livelier or more animated.
   
   In fact, a presenter who won't stand still can make the audience feel tired, distracted and irritated. It can become a subconscious habit - and you may need to video yourself to see whether you do it (or ask for honest feedback).


4. Eliminate mannerisms or nervous habits - fiddling with your hair or hands, for example. Again, it's hard to do this without feedback and awareness of the problem, and even experienced presenters can lapse at a tricky moment (I know!)

Sadly, if the non-verbal cues say one thing and your words say another, people will believe the non-verbal! Think about what the audience sees and feels as soon as you take the stage. You can influence that.

A word about nerves: If you're nervous, they're nervous. They want to feel safe with you, they want to trust you. While they're happy and comfortable they're on your side. So more about eliminating nerves in another post.

As always, I welcome your comments or suggestions... do you agree? What has worked for you?

Photo: Flyoverstate, Flickr

Tips for giving great presentations - part 1: Voice

In a flurry of filing the other day, I came across some old training materials. They related to a course on presentation skills that I taught at the University of Sussex back in 2001 as part of its Staff Development programme.

I was reminded that standing up and speaking to a group is still one of the things that many people dread, and yet is as essential a skill as ever. So, here are my tips for giving great presentations, starting with your voice.

1. Can you hear me at the back?
Even if you're using a microphone, speak at an appropriate volume, articulate words clearly and speak more slowly than normal conversation pace. Adjust upwards according to the size of the room. As a general rule, the more people in the room, the harder job they will have hearing you, regardless of the size of the room.

2. It's not what you say ...
There are so many ways to adjust your voice, so consider them all: intonation, accent, resonance, pitch, pace, mood. Variation and contrast will keep people's attention. Your speaking voice needs to be 'larger than life'. Don't worry, you have to go a hell of long way before it's over the top.

3. Repeat after me
As long as they're not over-egged, rhetorical techniques such as pauses and repetition can be very effective in helping your audience remember key points. As a listener, a well-judged pause makes me prick up my ears and creates a certain tension. As a speaker, I love the sensation of carrying an audience with me through a pause.

4. Erm...
Excess clearing of the throat, regular 'erms' or 'OK?', even finishing each statement on a rising pitch - all are barriers to communication and can really distract or alienate an audience. The bad news is that vocal mannerisms are hard to identify as they are often unconscious. The good news is that they can be eliminated with practice. Get someone to video you and you'll see what the problems are.

5. Take a deep breath
The 'cotton wool mouth', shaky voice, running out of breath ... we've all been through it! If you're feeling nervous, literally taking a deep breath in and out will help settle you. Always have still water available - taking the odd sip will calm your nerves and energise you. Public speaking is a physical activity and you should take care of your voice by drinking water both before and during your talk. 

What would you add here? Any voice tips for budding speakers? Have you had to work hard to eliminate vocal mannerisms?

Coming next: Tips for giving great presentations, part 2: Non-verbal communication

Photo credit: Bazaarvoice