by Pierre Morsa —
It’s a trick I learned when studying how movies and TV shows are written. You don’t do a flash back, you do a flash present. For presentations, that means that you don’t tell the story as something that is over; that makes the audience passive. Instead, you bring the scene from the past into the present, or you bring the audience to the past, and tell it as if it is happening right now.
by Pierre Morsa —
I know, paraphrasing the motto of the great Muhammad Ali, “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee”, doesn’t seem to make much sense. Yet my point is that in a debate it is extremely important to listen and move with a maximum of agility, and talk with a maximum of punch. Take the example of the Gilets jaunes controversy in France. The government was completely taken by surprise by the popularity of the movement.
by Phil Waknell —
Too many presentations aim only to inform, yet this is one thing oral presentations are particularly bad at – we forget most of what we hear within 30 seconds. If you want people to remember information, give them a document and a coffee, and time to read. Then you can answer their questions, discuss, agree on the next steps, and leave. This is what happens in meetings at companies like Amazon and LinkedIn, where not only do meetings never have slides - they never have presentations.
by Phil Waknell —
Yesterday French President Emmanuel Macron took live, unscripted questions from an audience of 2000 tech entrepreneurs and investors at Station F, the undisputed hub of the French startup community. Ideas on Stage may not be a tech company, but we have helped thousands of start-ups with their pitches, and partner with many accelerators including Ashoka’s ShareIT.io, based at Station F. So we are very much part of the French Tech ecosystem, and very interested in how it is evolving under its new Director, our good friend Kat Borlongan.
by Phil Waknell —
Today marks the start of TED2018, the latest edition of the world’s best-known modern conference. Participants in Vancouver will be treated to high-quality talks from well-prepared speakers, and will leave feeling energized and inspired. Back in the office, you and your colleagues will no doubt be subjected to low-quality presentations from poorly-prepared speakers, and you will leave feeling bored and uninspired. Business presentations are not TED talks. A board meeting is not a stage with a round red carpet.
Have you seen Gary Oldman in his interpretation of Churchill in the latest biopic by Joe Wright? If you have not, please go. It’s jaw-dropping. His outstanding performance may very soon win him an Oscar. You will enjoy some of the finest acting and also benefit from precious presentation lessons from the Master Orator. Here are 3 takeaways from the movie, which you can immediately apply for your next keynote, sales meeting or investor pitch.