Two weeks ago I finished my most recent version of Presenting for ResultsSM, my open enrollment (or public) presentation course in New Jersey. I sat down to review the entire experience, in an effort to continuously improve it. I discovered that I see presentation through many lenses, and these lenses help me frame the issues for my clients in ways that allow them to think about presenting in a creative way.
The lenses, in no particular order are:
The Lens of Theater: Presenters have lines to memorize, and a story to tell to an audience. Their instruments for accomplishing this are their words, their slides, their voices and their physical bodies. They are performers, even if they present themselves as informal, everyday people. If you choose to act informal and “real,” that’s a formal presentation of informality. The ideal presentation course must encourage participants to rehearse, know their lines, and perform effectively, since their “performance reviews” will depend to a large extent on how they present themselves and their ideas.
The Lens of Medicine: Every presentation is a solution to an important audience problem. The first job of a presenter is to diagnose a problem. In fact, diagnosis is essential before prescription, since without diagnosis a prescription is quackery. The ideal public speaking course should help every person understand this, and give them a chance to get comfortable structuring their talks around issues that keep their listeners up at night.
The Lens of Seduction: The best presenters know how to get attention and keep attention. If you’re not good at flirting, you will have to develop the skill in order to be a top notch presenter. (I’m kidding, but only a little.) Looking people in the eye for a little longer than usual is a sure sign that you’re interested in them. Or when you watch them to see how they respond to your remarks, and you smile suggestively as you wait for their response—that’s an invitation to engage. Flirting is a presentation skill. The ideal presentation course should encourage you to light up the room, and glow with pleasure at the chance to connect with your audience.
The Lens of Cognitive psychology: The real reason for presenting and public speaking is to get other people to understand, believe, and remember what you say so that they will DO SOMETHING. A public speaking course has to include research and recommendations on how best to accomplish that difficult task. What words work? How often should they be used? What captures human attention? What builds trust between a speaker and an audience, and what undermines it? How should PowerPoint be used? Are bullet points okay, or should you use graphics? What is the ideal length of a presentation? What behaviors predispose an audience to give a speaker the benefit of the doubt?
The Lens of Personal Development: Public speaking draws on our inner resources. Courage, first of all. Giving a presentation is the number one fear in America. If you happen to be shy and retiring, it’s doubly hard. Public speaking also demands both empathy and assertiveness. Skilled speakers are sensitive to the predisposition of their listeners, and adjust their style and content to ensure they don’t create any unnecessary turbulence. Skilled speakers also are good at expressing what they intend, and not expressing what they don’t intend. In other words, they have considerable self-awareness and self-management skills. Finally, skilled presenters demonstrate both warmth and competence. The ideal presentation course addresses all these issues.
The Lens of Education Theory: Finally, the ideal presentation course should be based on the knowledge that derives from androgogy, not pedagogy. Pedagogy is the science of teaching children: Androgogy is the science of teaching adults. The ideal public speaking course should be based on androgogy, which allows adults to incorporate new information and new practices into their already deeply held beliefs and behaviors by giving them ample time to debate, reframe, and practice.
I believe that an ideal public speaking course should contain all these approaches to the task of presenting. Presenting for ResultsSM is the course that I continue to tweak, grow, deepen, and refine. I invite you to click on the link and learn more about it.
Sims Wyeth & Co. provides public speaking courses, executive speech coaching, presentation skills training, voice and speech training, speech writing, and courses that address stage fright, body language, presentation strategy, and effective use of PowerPoint, all of which contribute to greater executive presence and personal impact. Sign up for our presentation tips and learn more about us at http://www.simswyeth.com/.