Short of time? Skip the intro
If you’re thinking of speaking at an Ignite night, this post can help you avoid the mistakes I made in my own Ignite talk.
And even if you give some other kind of speech, the tips you’ll find in this post (like about humour, gestures and opening lines) should still help.
In this post and my next, you’ll find a critique of various aspects of my talk on this 3-point scale:
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Have you ever heard a presenter say something that stood out – but for all the wrong reasons?
Several times recently, I’ve heard public speakers (in webinars or on video) say something that met that description.
I wonder how you would’ve reacted if you’d heard those speakers.
To me, it made them sound dated, and out of touch with how audiences speak. (Gaffs like that damage the speaker – and their message.)
Yet all the speakers did was say 3 letters and the word “dot”. (In fact, one letter 3 times in a row.)
You’ve probably guessed what they said:
In this 3-minute video by Kelly Decker, you’ll see a quick way to form an extremely high-level view of your talk or presentation:
And read below for tips to fix the problem that Kelly describes.
Kelly’s the president of Decker Communications, whose content I’ve featured before. (Years ago I shared a post of theirs about pausing when you present, and last year I published a video from them about speaking on a panel.)
I love the way Kelly’s “roadmap” makes you think of your talk in 2 dimensions:
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Have you seen Pat Flynn’s great video about making slides? Right now, it’s had almost 1½ million views, and it’s called:
How to Create an Awesome Slide Presentation
(for Keynote or PowerPoint)
In his video, Pat shares pro tips to make your slideshows more engaging. So I highly recommend you watch it. (You’ll find it at the bottom of this post.)
Meanwhile, in the 1st of the videos below, you’ll see the precise steps you can use to implement one of Pat’s tips. That is, to add what he calls a “roadmap” to your slides.
So, watch my 6-minute, hands-on video to see what’s meant by a roadmap, and learn exactly how you can add one in PowerPoint:
When you present at work (or at a conference or other speaking event), do you aim to make people feel something specific?
If you do, you’ll have a far higher chance of engaging people, and therefore of achieving your talk’s goal. But if you don’t, your talk’s likely to be quickly forgotten – in less time than it took you to present!
Not convinced? Well, many speaking professionals suggest using emotional elements. For instance, in his book The Naked Presenter, Garr Reynolds writes:
“Content alone is never sufficient.
We need an emotional connection…”
Garr Reynolds
And former president of the National Speakers’ Association, Patricia Fripp says:
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When you present (or give a speech), do you struggle to have the impact you’d like?
If so, you’re not alone – I’d say the vast majority of presenters have that problem.
And I’m one of them!
So I was stoked to see a recent TEDx talk that shares a simple yet powerful tool to fix that issue.
The talk’s by speaker-coach Phil Waknell, who says your presentation should transform your audience – not just inform them.
Phil sees the process like this:
“To take your audience on a transformational journey,
you first need to work out where they are starting from”
Phil Waknell – at 5:35
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Yes! People’s starting point – that’s one of the keys to making your talk truly audience-focused.
A few years ago, Chris Anderson (curator of TED) shared a similar thought:
“You’ve got to start where they are, and you’ve
got to give them a reason to come with you”
Chris Anderson
Phil’s TEDx talk gives you a neat technique that lets you do exactly that. So, want to see his talk?
To save you time, the clip below’s just 4 minutes long, because it jumps straight to Phil’s main point (skipping both the first 5 minutes and last 5 minutes of his talk).
But if you want, you can always click the progress bar to jump to other parts of the full 15-minute video. (For instance, he goes on to finish the example he started.)
Sometimes, do you have trouble engaging people when you’re presenting?
Here’s a great way to fix that:
Give your talk a strong structure.
If you use the structure shared in this post:
Actually, you’ll find 2 things in this post that you can use to build a better talk:
Both are set out in the 15-minute video below, by speaker-coach Hugh Culver:
In a hurry? You can skip the video’s intro (of 3½ minutes).
And if you watch on Vimeo, you can even speed up playback.
I came across Hugh’s video a while ago, and was really impressed with how audience-focused the structure is that he presents. I also like that he uses just 4 steps to map out the writing process:
Being asked to give a workshop or presentation at a conference is a fantastic opportunity. What a great way to get you and your message more widely known in your industry!
So if you’re invited to speak at a conference, what specific steps can you take to make the most of the event?
Well, to help you nail your talk, try the 6 tips in this 2-minute video by Colin James:
Colin’s tips are:
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Which of the many aspects of giving a presentation are you best at?
I’d say I’m best at writing a strong message, and that means I often focus on a talk’s words. So when presentation blogger Laura Foley posted her neat makeover of a title slide, I thought hard about the text on that slide.
In this post, we’ll look at:
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What do you think it is about answering audience questions that makes many speakers nervous?
I’d say it’s the unpredictability – and having to respond at a moment’s notice.
But, if you’ve read my last post, you’ll know I mentioned 3 steps you can use to help you master your Q&A, from the late Denise Graveline:
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