Present It "your" Way!

7 steps to "move" your listeners into action.

Presentation skills, at least our individual ones, seem to have been overtaken by all the bells and whistles of technology. Presenters today often focus more and more on the technical merits of their message than on that bit about being human.

PowerPoint, powerful projector cannons, even higher quality audio have all contributed to presentations with much more show. Yet, if we stop and peek behind the curtains how much more confidence, trust and result are being generated by an even slicker slide presentation?

It seems that the law of diminishing returns is showing up even in places like expositions and trade shows. Have you noticed that more and more individual presentations get lost in all of the surrounding noise?

Most presentation courses today seem to focus either on �how to present it� step by step (with lots of help from technology) or the exact opposite; where the focus is sharpened on the presenter and each and every presentation is filmed; often, to the horror of the participant. In both cases, the focus is on having all the facts and figures available and being able to rattle them off without thinking. But might we still be missing the point?

What if the largest and strongest leverage point now available is this: Anchoring YOUR individual presentation technique in a stronger understanding who you are and what you stand for?

How can you and I could be more present to and better understand our own behaviour in a presentation situation? By staying present we might not only have less stage fright, but we would also intuitively, maybe even instinctively, know what to do next. According to what we have seen, the need to memorize doesn't disappear completely, but as trust in ourselves and our capabilities increase we begin to trust our memories and surprise, the necessary facts often appear to us at the appropriate time. This is not wishful thinking, we have proven that it works, and yes, it takes commitment and practice.

Speaking to your colleagues once or twice a year, for instance, usually doesn�t even warrant a public speaking course. Yet, there we are again year after year making the same mistakes and worrying ourselves sick in the process about how boring we must sound. Wouldn�t it be nice to have some simple guidelines about humans and their optimal behaviour in a presentation situation?

Presenting well seems to be more about body language and building relationships than we wish to admit. It is very interesting to note how many of our presentation workshop participants have express no real need to present better because they �only need to inform their colleagues/customers/partners about the subject�. Yes, but do your listeners actually qualify as informed if they are not paying attention or are just plain too bored to listen?

How fast do you lose interest when the presenter in front of you:

� Fumbles with the slides or computer to make it work

� Talks to the slide presentation rather than you

� Speaks in a monotone while reading verbatim what is written on each slide

� Doesn�t hear or understand your question

� Leaves before you get a chance to show your thanks.

Talking about each one of these �mechanical� misdemeanours is nothing on its own, but combine them all and do them on an annual or semi-annual basis and we now get some sense of why with so much information at our fingertips we still don�t know (maybe don�t want to know) so much!

Body language can make or break a presentation. According to one recent study by a major telecommunications company a spoken message could be broken down to the following percentages:

� 7% of the information was transferred via word or word choice

� 35% of the information was transferred by the delivery of those words, meaning the tone of the person�s voice, its resonance, breathing etc.

� 58% or the rest of the information was from everything else. Take this to mean the weather, personal chemistry, body language, the color of the room, sunspots, etc.

It seems focusing on word choice may not be the ultimate concern that we have long believed. Taken together, all these tips seem to point at a golden opportunity to explore the non verbal aspect of presenting in order to learn and improve on our presentation style, effectiveness and result.

Whether you are an independent business person or forex trader at a big international merchant bank, below are some tips that have proven to be large leverage points when it comes to presenting in a way that your listeners hear, understand and can act upon:

� Look at your listeners. As simple as it seems our, nervousness, fright or just plain thoughtlessness often leads to little eye contact and even less connection between the speaker and listener. By the way, look and see if the information you are looking for REALLY IS written on the ceiling, your shoes or in the dark recesses of skull. Chances are you have just as much chance finding what you need to say next by looking directly into your listeners eyes, plus� they get to look back!

� Share who you are with your listeners. Give them some access to who you are as a person. Remember, if you sound like a book, be prepared to be put down like one!

� Breathe fully. Just by taking in a full dose of air you can add resonance and confidence to your voice. Many of us take a deep breath before speaking only to let out more than half of it before uttering the first word. What about you? Don�t forget the origin of the word �inspiration� is to breathe in spirit.

� Stay present. If you are up in your head searching for a fact or a figure you are not out there with your listeners. The longer you are not with them, the higher the risk they become distracted or bored and shut down their communication.

� Invite participation. If you really want to instil passion about your topic, make the listener feel like they are part of your presentation. An easy way to do this is to ask questions, acknowledge each comment and either reply to it directly or note it openly and respond to it later.

� Smile. It has been proven in studies over and over again that regardless if the source of your smile is a few face muscle movements or a warm glowing heart, the outcome is the same: a more relaxed, happy and receptive atmosphere to speak into.

� Finish and Stay put. How often does a speaker or performer you enjoyed leave the stage before you have had a chance to applaud? Worse still how often does your applause fall on deaf ears as the speaker literally seems to be ignoring them? When you have finished your presentation do one more service in your presenting process, by stopping in front of them and allowing your public to acknowledge and thank you for your presentation. Regardless of what YOU thought about your presentation, this is not about you! This is one last service for those who chose to listen. But beware; ironically, you may even begin to enjoy basking in your success.

Practicing the above seven points whenever you get the chance will help you more fully understand their value and their true context. The result will put you many strides ahead of the average presenter. Practicing these tips while you learn to trust your intuition will create an even more powerful result. Learning to observe these skills in others usually opens more doors to advanced ways to improve and even begin mastering your ability to present. Finally, coaching others to improve their presentation skills helps you enjoy how far you have come even more!

A 10 year student of "the body's language" combined with 20 years of international business experience provides for some unique ways of solving issues of better health, prosperity and communication.
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