Presentation Proficiency – A Critical
Skill for the Next Century
As we - especially anyone under the
age of 25 - continue to read less and less and watch (and listen) to constantly
increasing amounts of content (for better or worse and often unwittingly and
unwillingly), it’s becoming clear that new types of communication skills are going
to be essential for any kind of success in our schools, our businesses and our
lives. Not to mention our politics because – say whatever else you will about his
messages – The Donald is a master communicator and it’s no accident that he swiftly
left the dirty dozen and a half in the dust.
I think there are some critical lessons
here for all of us and especially for our future. In our sound bite-obsessed and
media-driven world today, it’s not just WYSIWYG – “what you see is what you
get” – it’s pretty much what you see and hear is all you get - whether
you like it or not. And the people who develop the ability to tell their
stories and deliver their messages clearly, quickly and in ways that connect
with us emotionally are going to be the only ones heard. In the future,
it’ll be much more important to teach your kids to sing than to fish. I don’t
mean literally to sing, but they’ll need to know how to aggressively “sell”
their ideas in a swift and succinct fashion. Low energy is for losers.
Every day, our world is becoming more
about form and less about substance. It’s about delivery, not details. Activity
rather than accuracy. And speed above all. If you’re not quickly and
effectively connecting with me, you have no hope of communicating anything of
importance to me. If I’m not listening, it doesn’t matter what you’re saying;
if I don’t care about what you’re saying, it doesn’t matter how smart or
important the message may be; and, if I can’t find you in the noise and
clutter, you’ll never be chosen.
Sadly, in addition, we’re also seeing
more and more of a trend where media is sliced and diced and siloed and where
each listener is seeking affirmation and not information – we are basically
looking and listening only to the people who are telling us what we want to
hear – it’s not about discovery; it’s all about dogma. An echo chamber made of
mirrors instead of windows on the world. And it’s not likely to get any better
any time soon so it’s on each of us to make our way through the morass and
figure out how best to function in this frantic and fractured new world.
The good news is that there’s a
little encouraging light at the end of the tunnel. Some savvy and talented people have spent a
great deal of time studying what works in this new world and what it takes to
get the word out successfully and effectively to your “audience” – whomever
that may be. Chris Anderson is one of the good guys.
We hosted Chris, the “Head of TED”, recently
at 1871 for a short lecture about his new book TED Talks and for some Q&A with our member companies and other
guests. Chris modestly pointed out that - contrary to people’s expectations –
he himself wasn’t a great speaker at all which was fairly surprising because he
has selected and prepped virtually all of the TED conference speakers for many
years and there’s no better forum than a TED talk to get your ideas across. It
turned out that that was about the only thing he said which was totally wrong.
He was terrific.
He showed us some short video
examples of great (and not so great) TED talks from the past and then shared some
specific suggestions about his conclusions as to what goes into crafting a
memorable presentation – especially an 18-minute masterpiece – to be delivered
in front of one of the toughest and most accomplished audiences in the
world. And he also made it very clear
that these ideas weren’t just specific tips about what it takes to be a top
talker at TED – they applied to every kind of opportunity you may have to
present any ideas worth sharing.
I’m not going to try to cover
everything he mentioned (I’d suggest that you get his book for all the details),
but here are some of the key concepts that seemed especially important to me.
1. Tell A Story
The
right story sets up the idea you are trying to share. Our whole world revolves
around storytelling and metaphors/analogies are some of the best shortcuts.
2. Start Strong
If you don’t hook them at the beginning,
they’ll be gone in a flash. Their smart phones are lethal weapons in the
attention war.
3. Talk Your Way
Authenticity
is everything and if you’re uncomfortable or forcing it or trying to be someone
you’re not, the audience will know it instantly. They have great BS detectors.
4. Explain on the Way to Persuading
The world won’t take your word for it. Give me a reason or
two to go along and show me why it matters to me. Convincing yourself is easy –
selling others is much harder.
5. Put Some Passion into It
Chris
called this “unleashing your voice”. Heart helps. No one really cares what you
know until they know how much you care. This is why celebrities shilling for
the latest shiny object so often suck.
6. Connection Precedes Communication
Eye contact is essential – we learn by looking deeply into each other’s eyes. You’ve got to make that human connection. Connect with your audience – however small or large – by focusing on them as specific individuals and addressing your comments to them directly.
Eye contact is essential – we learn by looking deeply into each other’s eyes. You’ve got to make that human connection. Connect with your audience – however small or large – by focusing on them as specific individuals and addressing your comments to them directly.
7.
The Pros Rehearse More than Anyone – So Should You
Making it look easy is very, very
hard. Rehearse, rehearse some more and then do it a few more times. If you do
it right, you won’t be stale, you’ll be successful.
