161: Be Clear Every Time You Present

Most talks and presentations we hear, we cannot recall.  Why is that?  We were there presumably because we had an interest. Part of the problem is the way people present their information in the first place.  The slides are too dense and confusing.  The delivery is done in a lethargic manner, devoid of passion, with zero body language backing up the key points.  The speaker may also be speaking too fast because they are nervous or may just be a serial mumbler, who is hard to catch.   The design of the talk may not flow well, so it is hard to make the mental move from understanding one point to understanding the next.  The speaker may decide to improvise and sweep us all off on to a tangent, that has little to do with the main menu.    A recent presentation had elements of this. The slides outlining the details of how their software worked were dismal.  They were complex and disconnected.  It was assaulted by numerous tangents of tangents, totally wrapped up in diversions.  The delivery was lifeless and humdrum.   If we want to elevate our good name above the rabble, we had better do a splendid job of being clear when presenting.  Our slides should be in the ratio of one slide to one idea.  The less on the screen the better.  The screen and the slides are competitors with our face.  We want people looking at us and glancing at the screen, not the other way around.   We want to use numbers.  There are seven elements or five elements or three  element of our main thesis, for example, and so we attach numbers to each.  This is a simple, tried and true guidepost system to navigate the audience through the content.    We should speak with passion, belief, commitment and enthusiasm about our subject.  We want some words being hit hard and some introduced gently – both are powerful mechanisms for emphasis.    Don’t mumble.  The lack of a rehearsal is the big error to catching problems, before you destroy your public reputation.  Rehearse.  Listen to how you sound before anyone else has to.  Rehearse.   Speak to your key points and don’t read us the manuscript please.  We all have email by the way, so you can send it to us, rather than read it to us.    Being clear when speaking is not such a big deal.  People worry about it, but don’t do any work on it before having to speak.  They then wonder why the whole thing fell in a heap.  A few simple measures will make it perfectly clear to the audience.  They will hear you and then the quality of the content will either resonate with them or not.  Your chance of being remembered will go right up, if you just do a few things before you unleash yourself on your audience.