Presentation and Public Speaking News

• Public Speaking

Believe it or not, all American movies rely on the same formula; that formula is so sacred that scripts will get rejected if they stray from it. Whether it’s a psychological drama like American Beauty, a sci-fi movie like Star Wars or an action movie like Mission: Impossible, the same structure, plot points and character development techniques are used. I’ll just take one as an example: the hero, the main protagonist, is always an orphan, literally or figuratively, or experienced a personal drama; it is supposed to give the character more likeness. Luke Skywalker is an orphan. Jack Dawson, the hero from Titanic, leaves everything behind as a third-class passenger. Fin, the hero from Sharknado, is divorced.

Slides can be an extremely powerful way of making your messages clearer and more memorable – yet all too often they are an obstacle to communication. Humans can’t listen and read different things simultaneously: we can only process one linguistic input at a time. So if a slide features a lot of text and detail, it might make a useful reference document, but a terrible visual aid. On the other hand, if you keep your slides simple, with only a few words, they’ll be good visual aids but worthless as handouts.

In 2021 we can watch more examples than ever to know how to give a good presentation. We see examples of it in TED, top company Keynotes and our favorite lecturers and leaders. Yet still there are things that need to be changed. I have tried to collect them into what I call the 5 negatives followed by our very own revolution solutions! No foundations, people are still too last minute, whether its completing that 20,000-word dissertation at university written the night before or the finance report mixed together from excels and spreadsheets in the metro the same morning. I have seen plenty of TED talks where the speakers arrive to the event with an overlong and convoluted talk. Lack of decent planning leads to difficult situations and loss of credibility. It can also heighten anxiety. Not entirely surewhat this is all about? Neither will your audience be. Not putting them first will not yield the results you want, and if the objective isn’t clear in the first place then it’ll be doubly hard. Always take the time to know your audience needs and context. 

As our recent LinkedIn poll showed clearly, the number one thing people hate about presentations is when the speaker reads slides to the audience. Why does anyone still do this? If you show them all the text, they can read it far more quickly than you can say it, and they will wonder why you didn’t just give them a document to read instead. If you are going to read your bullet-points, and then comment on them, be aware that while you are talking about point 1, they have finished reading all 6 points on your slide, and are switching off until you catch up with them.

What is your presentation’s primary objective? Many presenters treat their talk as if it were a dental appointment: their sole aim is to get through it as quickly and painlessly as possible, escape mostly unharmed, then drink something cool or strong, or perhaps both. Other presenters might say their aim is to share information: for example, to explain sales targets, or business results. It’s important to dig a little deeper, and when it comes to objectives, the most useful word is ‘why’. Why are you explaining your sales targets? Is there perhaps something you want your audience to do differently? Perhaps just by knowing the targets they will behave differently, or feel more motivated to achieve them. In which case, you’ve changed them – and maybe that change was your real objective.

• Public Speaking

I have been a presentations coach for the best part of 15 years. Coach is one of my titles along with consultant, director, trainer and whatever else describes what I do, which is help people in all sectors and walks of life to give fantastic presentations in high stakes scenarios, or train them to be simpler, more natural, better prepared and highly impactful, whether on stage or on a digital platform.

• Public Speaking

Apple’s Spring-loaded event was the talk of the internet town yesterday, and for a good reason: it was mind-blowingly great. Everything was perfect: the products, the speakers, the locations, the scenography, the production. How proud Apple employees must feel today after such a great event. I have identified seven elements that set Apple apart from its competitors. Coaching. Get public speaking coaching. If you look at the video, the delivery of each speaker is impeccable: their diction, their voice, their posture, their body language. It always amazes me when I go, for example, to some top consulting firm only to be told, “Partners don’t need to be coached.” Here is the truth: most of your partners desperately need to be coached. Leadership. It is obvious, from the way the event is made, that Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple and main protagonist of the event, was heavily involved in its preparation. I will go further: the new format for the event was only possible because of Tim Cook’s leadership, sponsorship and direct involvement. While the event company behind it did most of the heavy lifting, ultimately Tim Cook took ownership of the result. Preparation. Something that most people will overlook is the insane amount of preparation required to reach such a level of perfection. If you decide to dedicate just one hour to the preparation of the event because you’re too busy, or worse, if you decide to just wing it, you will never make the cut for Apple’s event. Script. There was not a single boring moment in Apple’s event. Everything was well paced and fell into place naturally. Why? Because they took the time to build a detailed script in advance rather than throw stuff at the audience and see what sticks. Product. Each product is the best in its field, period. I know I am an Apple fanboy, but in the past I criticized the products that I found underwhelming (for example I still think the Mac Pro is an over-engineered and ugly mess, and let’s not talk about those $700 wheels). The event in itself is sleek, but what truly matters, the products, are insanely great. Quality. When we prepare an event, we often receive poorly filmed footage, shot in an untidy room, grainy and with terrible audio (background noise, low volume). While recent advances in image and audio treatment allow us to slightly improve the original material, there is no miracle: if you want your event look like a million dollars, it has to be filmed and recorded by professionals. There is no shortcut, but there is a final cut. Values. Say what you want about Apple, they put their money where their mouth is. The video included an excellent mix of people of different gender and ethnicity. I understand that the mix does not accurately represent Apple’s actual workforce and that some may find it unfair. It’s a question of choice and I think Apple does it right: you have to be the change you want to see in the world, or it will never happen. Speaking of values, it is good to see a high-tech company try to address the environmental issues it causes. However, Apple is far from perfect on that front, so I give them a C+ for effort. There is one thing that was missing from the event: naturalness. It was so perfect that you lose a bit of human connection. But I think that Apple’s objective has been attained: they have set an incredibly high bar for their competitors. In the late nineties, when Steve Jobs came back at the helm of the company, he imprinted his trademark keynote style on product launches. It literally took years for other companies to catch up (and copy Apple’s keynote style). This time, I’m curious to see how long it will take for companies like Microsoft, Google, Intel or Nvidia to adapt.

When I visit companies to speak about presenting, I don’t give the same talk to every company. I don’t even give the same talk to every function in a company. They are all different, and while a standard talk would meet their needs, you should be more ambitious than just meeting their needs. You should aim to delight them. A presentation is a gift. You could just give everyone a pair of socks for their birthday. Would that make them happy? Unlikely. Likewise, personalize your presentation for your specific audience and they will be delighted.