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Wednesday, March 3, 2010
The most effective presentations consist of 3 essential elements that must intersect. Most presentations have at least one, many have two of these elements, but very few have all three.
The first element is to share what you are passionate about - what you care about, what drives you - basically what is meaningful for you.
The second element is to give your audience what they want. That usually means some mixture of entertainment, information, and inspiration. You can ask people what they want ahead of time. What a concept! What would happen if you asked people in your Toastmasters club what they would like to see in your next speech (for them, not necessarily for you).
With rare exception, people want some degree of entertainment, so assume they do even if they don't say it.
The third element is to give your audience what they need. To be most effective, it's important to look more deeply into what people's needs are, and to the best of your ability, meet those needs. For example, say you are asked to give a talk that will motivate a group of salespeople to increase their results. That is a want of the people hiring you, and hopefully the sales people themselves. Their need (which they may not even be aware of) might be to look at how inter-office politics affect their over-all morale, and consequently their results. To find people's needs, you might have to do some digging - but they can always be found, and it is always worth it.
A good real-life example of the intersection of these three elements is
Bill Cosby. His humor addresses people's wants. His messages within that humor addresses their needs for higher understanding and growth, and his own passion for his topics make it all come together.
The intersection of these three elements is what will make your presentations successful, every time.
Don't forget - the more you practice, the more effective you will be, and the more these tips will become second nature to you (which roughly translates to "the more you do it, the easier it gets").
I trust this finds you steadily increasing in your skill as a speaker and presenter. Let me know how you're doing - I'd love to hear from you.
The first element is to share what you are passionate about - what you care about, what drives you - basically what is meaningful for you.The second element is to give your audience what they want. That usually means some mixture of entertainment, information, and inspiration. You can ask people what they want ahead of time. What a concept! What would happen if you asked people in your Toastmasters club what they would like to see in your next speech (for them, not necessarily for you).
With rare exception, people want some degree of entertainment, so assume they do even if they don't say it.
The third element is to give your audience what they need. To be most effective, it's important to look more deeply into what people's needs are, and to the best of your ability, meet those needs. For example, say you are asked to give a talk that will motivate a group of salespeople to increase their results. That is a want of the people hiring you, and hopefully the sales people themselves. Their need (which they may not even be aware of) might be to look at how inter-office politics affect their over-all morale, and consequently their results. To find people's needs, you might have to do some digging - but they can always be found, and it is always worth it.
A good real-life example of the intersection of these three elements is
Bill Cosby. His humor addresses people's wants. His messages within that humor addresses their needs for higher understanding and growth, and his own passion for his topics make it all come together.The intersection of these three elements is what will make your presentations successful, every time.
Don't forget - the more you practice, the more effective you will be, and the more these tips will become second nature to you (which roughly translates to "the more you do it, the easier it gets").
I trust this finds you steadily increasing in your skill as a speaker and presenter. Let me know how you're doing - I'd love to hear from you.
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All rights reserved. Feel free to share with attribution!
Datta is a motivational speaker and is hired frequently by speakers, authors, and trainers who want to improve their presentation and communication skills. He lives with his wife Rachael Jayne in Fort Collins, Colorado.