No excuse for poor presentation
Posted on January 31, 2011 at 5:10 pm, by aspect
Here’s a thought for you: The next time you know you will have to stand up in front of people and present to them don’t immediately go and prepare your slides or write your script. First ask yourself this simple question: “Am I boring?” I know, it’s harsh, but the simple truth is it doesn’t matter how cool your content is, if your presentation and performance style isn’t any good whatever you do is going to fall flat. If your answer is ‘yes’ or even ‘maybe’ then my advice is to go and get some training. When I say training, I’m not talking about presentation training but performance training – did you know we are in the theatre business? Delivering a good presentation is just like playing a part in a play or a TV series. The audience has to believe every word you say; they have to engage with you. So no matter how uncomfortable it feels to take that first step, getting some acting skills will be a huge benefit. Energy sells, and data repels. Your enthusiasm and passion will always make a greater impact on people than facts. Engage with your audience. Don’t tell people what you want them to learn, allow them to discover your insights. It’s usually down to you to make this change. Unfortunately, audiences are often all too willing to listen to unaccomplished presenters. Yes, we may fill in the evaluation form but we never actually give that brutal bit of feedback that could make the difference – “their voice was monotone, they overran, they didn’t convey enough passion, they were anchored to the spot, they need some training!” All these things can be worked on but you have to recognise they need work first! Author: Simon King-Cline
Broadcast or boredcast?
Posted on January 17, 2011 at 12:22 pm, by aspect
I’ve just finished watching a web broadcast and, I have to say, business television really lacks imagination. Technology allows us to reach a disparate audience cost-effectively so it makes perfect sense to use a web broadcast or web TV to communicate with clients and your staff but – maybe because it’s so cost-effective -people often seem to forget about making it interesting too! What is the point of publishing a message if no one is listening? Think about the television you watch every day – it’s colourful, it’s humorous, it’s topical, it’s passionate, it’s aggressive, it’s nail biting –most of all, it’s entertaining or we wouldn’t watch it! So why not get these ingredients into our webcasting experiences? The presenter needs to cut out the fat and keep the meat . The content focus should be steered away from your company’s agenda and back to what your audience is thinking; “what’s in it for me?”. Webcasting can be so much more than just a face talking to a screen. We should really be exploring new ways to engage our audiences – just like they do on Strictly, the X-Factor, Question Time or Test the Nation. Engaging your audience collaboratively has to be the way forward in the webcasting arena. Remember, it’s all about dialogue not monologue! Author: Simon King-Cline
Senior Board Directors aren’t always born to be public speakers
Posted on January 4, 2011 at 10:13 am, by aspect
I’m often disappointed that inspirational leaders – who achieve results in all other areas of their business – don’t always inspire when it comes to public speaking. Isn’t it a no-brainer that the leaders of an organisation should be fabulous on their feet? Passionate, articulate and motivational for employees and clients alike? Yet so often they fall short. The basic needs of a memorable speaker are threefold: Passion – Your audience wants to hear your passion for your business. Inspiration – Your audience wants to know you believe in the future of your business. They want to be inspired to perform for you. Rapport – Your audience wants to connect with you and you need to connect with your audience. All three require a well-crafted speech, knowing your content and delivering it from the heart. This needs preparation and rehearsal. Without these two preliminary stages you won’t perform to your best ability. But why do our business leaders not follow this route to inspirational performances? Well, usually it’s because no one dares to tell them that they need a bit of work on their voice projection, or that they need to make their content more concise. OK, so it makes sense that you would go out of your way to avoid offending your boss or hurting his or her feelings for fear of losing your job but isn’t it better to give these leaders immediate and straightforward advice that makes them look good? After all, it is for the good of the company and its success and, therefore, your success! Author: Simon King-Cline
I went to an AGM and all I got was this bloody biscuit
Posted on December 9, 2010 at 12:21 pm, by aspect
Annual General Meetings – WOW – what a discovery for me in my retirement. I thought coffee mornings were in the past now that the children have moved on from junior school! But how wrong could I be? They’re back in a big way, and I mean big, because these AGMs have an endless supply of free coffee, free biscuits and – if you’re lucky – you even get lunch thrown in as well. I like to think of myself as a bit of a silver surfer. Over the past year, I’ve been buying the odd share in each of the Top 100 blue chip companies and I’m now starting to think that it was the wisest investment decision I ever made – it could feed me for the entire year! I’ve only been to one AGM so far but I’m already looking forward to my next ‘shareholder experience’ – coffee mornings here I come! Biscuit Biddy
“Brevity is the soul of wit.”
Posted on November 30, 2010 at 5:40 pm, by aspect
If it takes more than 4 minutes, then you just got boring! I’m not talking about my prowess in bed; but about the power of communication. Some people think they need half an hour to get their ideas across, however everybody accepts less is more – I think the question to any communicator is, how low do you dare go? When your message is short, sharp and succinct it’s memorable, so why is it such a challenge to persuade presenters and communicators to divide their message into 4 minute chunks. Every 4 minutes, change tact – simple! Introduce someone new or something new. Start a discussion or an idea with some questions and answers. Pity your poor audience, you don’t want them drowning in unnecessary nonsense. This may mean eliminating your comfort blanket, but if your message hits home and is remembered, enjoyed and appreciated, it has to be worth the intellectual investment surely. I suppose the question is; can you really build up a full day’s programme that consists of 4 minute episodes? This may sound like of a challenge but of course you can – and it’s worth the work! Author: Simon King-Cline
Who cares about the content as long as the food tastes good?
Posted on November 17, 2010 at 2:19 pm, by aspect
Do you know what really gets me about communications, is that it’s often the last part of a client’s consideration – the communication bit I mean. Let me expand on my rather blunt statement. Many clients often worry about venues, food, the invitation process etc but tend to be reticent when talking about messages, which are often defined the day before or the morning itself! Sure they may understand at a top level that the event is all about the message they want to get across but they then invest very little time developing a strong narrative, fine-tuning the message across the delivery and looking to be exceptionally creative in the way it’s conveyed. It disappoints me that I often can’t persuade clients to turn their thoughts to crafting a story, scriptwriting, performance training and time for rehearsals, where much of the real value is added. All of this means the message is so much more powerful and is ultimately what people remember. Often the majority of spend goes on the bricks and mortar; so investing in the message is only small beer in the grand scheme of things, but I think because it involves hard work and time, the message gets compromised, it’s such a shame! So my advice is, start planning earlier and engage your brain and intellect or what you’ll get is the content being put together last minute, barely rehearsed and with a dull delivery. Now that’s a waste of money! So, fight that knee-jerk reaction and temptation to saunter down to the menu tasting; get your content in order first, make it exciting and bring the messages to life. Imagine how much more powerful and appealing the invite will be! Trust me, make content king and as my mother would say, they will come and drink your chicken soup! Author: Simon King-Cline
