A report to a senior executive group is not a conversation, although it should sound conversational. It is a communication designed to facilitate a prediction or a decision. In order to sound conversational you need to be relaxed. Ironically, relaxation… Read More »Presentation Skills: Presenting to Senior Executives
When does a polished speaker become slick? I ask this question because I occasionally see so-called “professional speakers” behaving in peculiar ways. They have developed a presentation “style” that doesn’t seem natural, that smacks of late night infomercials and snake… Read More »Public Speaking Training: Don’t get too slick
The perils are listed in no particular order. Needle in a haystack The audience will be drinking data from a firehose. The savvy presenter recognizes this peril as an opportunity. To capture attention—do something that stands out from the environment. … Read More »Meditations on the perils of presenting at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference
And you thought your job was to stick to the facts! Here are the Heath brothers, Chip and Dan, making a strong point about making a point in their wonderful book Made to Stick. Nora Ephron is a screenwriter whose… Read More »Public Speaking Training: Figuring out the point
The arts of music, poetry, literature, and drama have been around so long that each of them has templates. To dismiss templates is to ignore the wisdom of the ages. To name a few, music has verses and choruses, poetry… Read More »Presentation Tips: Templates are useful
Reason makes us think, but emotion makes us act. So how can we build emotional arguments into our presentations? When we consult Maslow’s Theory, we learn that people have a hierarchy of needs. At the bottom of the pyramid are… Read More »Presentation Skills: Use emotional arguments