Evidence Rich Presentations
There are a number of common structures for giving presentations and one of the most popular is the opening-key points/evidence-closing. We consider the length of the presentation, the audience, the purpose of our talk and then we pour the contents into this structure. Generally, in a 30 minute speech we can only have a few key points we can cover, so we select the most powerful and then look for the evidence which will persuade our audience. This is where a lot of presentations suddenly snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.
The structure flow is a simple one, the analysis of the occasion is straightforward but at this next stage we can get confused about what we are trying to achieve. We might become so engrossed in the evidence assembly component that we forget the crucial “WHY” aspect of this effort. We are not here to produce mounds of statistics, battalions of bar charts or proffer reams of text on a screen. Technically oriented presenters love to bludgeon their audience with detail, usually in font or scale so small, it is barely visible on screen. Don’t do that, you will be killing your message.
No, the WHY is all about persuading the audience of our conclusion or way of thinking. This is communication skill rather than archeological or archival skill. Line charts, pie charts, comparison tables are trotted out to do battle with the perceptions and biases of the audience. The errors though include a presentation style where the actual detail is unapproachable and so is not fully accepted. If you can’t even read it how are we are supposed to be mesmirised by the power of the information. The tendency to imagine that this quality data will stand by itself and not require the presenter to do much, is another grave error. “I don’t have to be a good speaker, because the quality of my information is so high”, is a typical, if somewhat pathetic excuse. This excuse may have had some hint of relevance once upon a time but the internet has swept that excuse straight out the door. The exclusivity of information ownership has been replaced by a free for all provision of all the information you need accessed through search engines.
Another common error is to invest the vast majority of the time for the presentation preparation on the accompanying slides for the talk. Digging up the data, tweaking the detail, creating the charts, arranging the order. We become quite busy. So busy, in fact, that we forget to practice the delivery of the talk. We run out of time because w have dome a poor job of planning for the talk and properly allocating our precious time. Toyota does well as a manufacturer using its Just In Time methodology but this is not the model for the speaker. Don’t leave it until the last moment. Be well organised and build in rehearsal time from the start. We can find ourselves presenting the content for the first time up at the podium, peering down at our audience. We are in fact practicing on our audience and this is not a best practice.
How should we fix this approach? Some examples of evidence are really powerful when they are numbers but instead of drowning our audience with too many numbers, we can select one and use a very big font to isolate out that one number on screen. We then talk to that number and explain what it means. If we want to use line charts or trend analysis then one chart per slide is a good rule. We don’t split the visual concentration of our audience. We speak to the significance of the trend knowing that our audience can see the trend line for themselves.
To improve our communication effectiveness, we go one step further and we tell stories about these numbers. Who was involved, where, when and what happened. We recall stories more easily than masses of data. This helps to get us around to the WHY of our talk, the key point we want the audience to absorb. And we practice the delivery over and over until we are comfortable we have the cadence right. The application of knowledge is where the value lies and telling stories about both failures and successes brings the talk alive.
We recall Professor Albert Mehrabian’s study about the importance of not just what we say, but how we say it. He found that when what we are saying isn’t congruent with the way we are saying it, we can lose our audience. They get distracted by how we look and how we sound. Today, it is even worse because they have their phones and tablets handy to escape from us while we are speaking.
Emphasising particular words, adding gestures for strengthening key points, engaging our audience by using eye contact and facial expressions, allowing pauses so ideas can sink in and reducing distractions so our words are heard is how we need to be doing it. Yes, we should have great evidence and yes, we should impart that in the most effective means possible. If we have both content and delivery, then we are a force to be reckoned with!
Engaged employees are self-motivated. The self-motivated are inspired. Inspired staff grow your business but are you inspiring them? We teach leaders and organisations how to inspire their people. Want to know how we do that? Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com
In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making and become a 30 year veteran of Japan.
A committed lifelong learner, through his published articles in the American, British and European Chamber journals, his videos and podcast “THE Leadership Japan Series”, he is a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. Dr. Story is a popular keynote speaker, executive coach and trainer.
Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.