atmosphere
The Road To Victory Is Paved With…Graves?
September 13, 2008 Filed in: Graphics &
Images
I've heard more than a few comments that the images
projected on the screens behind speakers at the
Republican National Convention were less than
helpful. Garr Reynolds already wrote up a great piece about the imagery
used during John McCain's acceptance speech, but
I think one of the worst cases of disjointedness
came during Senator Lindsey Graham's speech:
We Are Winning.
"We are on the road to victory!"
As usual, I'm trying my best to check all political opinions at the door. That's not within the scope of these posts, but why this image? Doesn't the image of a cemetary – particularly a military cemetary – contradict his theme of impending victory in Iraq? I can't find any logic behind the choice of imagery outside what a Campaign staffer said about McCain's visuals: "The changing image-screen was linked to the American thematics of the speech..."
Images in presentations need meaning. They need context and purpose. Usie imagery wisely, and your message is the stronger for it. Think about what your audience is seeing while they are hearing your words. Are your images purposeful or distracting?
Graham's Graves
Jon Stewart of The Daily Show was the first person I saw mention this, and I had to rush to the Republican Convention YouTube page to see if it was real. Sure enough, as Senator Graham was proclaiming, "We are on the road to victory," Arlington National Cemetary loomed over him as if taunting Republican critics not to take advantage of this moment.
"We are on the road to victory!"
As usual, I'm trying my best to check all political opinions at the door. That's not within the scope of these posts, but why this image? Doesn't the image of a cemetary – particularly a military cemetary – contradict his theme of impending victory in Iraq? I can't find any logic behind the choice of imagery outside what a Campaign staffer said about McCain's visuals: "The changing image-screen was linked to the American thematics of the speech..."
Purposeful Visuals
Background images do not exist merely for the sake of themselves. They are there to reinforce you. Better to use no images or graphics at all than use those that distract from (or worse yet, contradict) the message you are delivering. In the case of John McCain's speech, the images behind him simply distracted from his talk. They didn't help support his delivery, but they didn't hurt him either. In contrast, this image of Arlington National Cemetary undermines Sen. Graham's words.Images in presentations need meaning. They need context and purpose. Usie imagery wisely, and your message is the stronger for it. Think about what your audience is seeing while they are hearing your words. Are your images purposeful or distracting?
Tearing Down Walls
October 19, 2007 Filed in: Delivery
We are trained to expect walls between speakers and
audiences. These walls can take many forms –
notecards, lecterns, body language, even slides.
Often, we don't even notice them, but they are there,
creating barriers to our audience members being able
to fully absorb the message of our talks.
image from stock.xchng
Look Up. Look Out. Staring down at notecards or back at slides creates a separation between speaker and audience. The speaker is not giving them his/her full attention. The audience will have a hard time giving undivided attention in return. When reading your talk, you tend to not sound interested, and you lose eye contact with with those you are trying to communicate. The only solution is to know your talk well enough that you don't need these aids. Yes, you should have notes if your mind blanks, but they should not be the primary focus of your attention.
Open Up. Body language is powerful. Keep your hands free. Walk around a bit while you talk. Smile. Avoid the humorous mistake of folding your fingers during a presentation No one likes being compared to Mr. Burns!
image by apple
Come Out in the Open. The
lectern is a powerful barrier between you and the
people in your audience. It's more than a
psychological separation. It's a physical one.
Standing behind a lecturn and staring down at notes
is a convention of many veteran speakers, but it is
not the best method of communication. Get out where
your audience can see you. Just gaining the comfort
level to discard this barrier will be a huge step in
more closely connecting with your audience.
Too many public speaking classes actively promote these bad habits as "best practices." We are taught to hold notecards. We are encouraged to create crutch slides. We are trained to stand behind podiums, remaining stiff and formal as we present. However, tradition is not always correct. If we want to connect with the people in our audiences, we have to be willing to tear down those psychological and physical walls and expose ourselves to some extent. To make an impact, we must be open to being vulnerable.
image from stock.xchng
Look Up. Look Out. Staring down at notecards or back at slides creates a separation between speaker and audience. The speaker is not giving them his/her full attention. The audience will have a hard time giving undivided attention in return. When reading your talk, you tend to not sound interested, and you lose eye contact with with those you are trying to communicate. The only solution is to know your talk well enough that you don't need these aids. Yes, you should have notes if your mind blanks, but they should not be the primary focus of your attention.
Open Up. Body language is powerful. Keep your hands free. Walk around a bit while you talk. Smile. Avoid the humorous mistake of folding your fingers during a presentation No one likes being compared to Mr. Burns!
image by apple
Too many public speaking classes actively promote these bad habits as "best practices." We are taught to hold notecards. We are encouraged to create crutch slides. We are trained to stand behind podiums, remaining stiff and formal as we present. However, tradition is not always correct. If we want to connect with the people in our audiences, we have to be willing to tear down those psychological and physical walls and expose ourselves to some extent. To make an impact, we must be open to being vulnerable.
On Using Controversy
August 24, 2007 Filed in: Delivery
At the recent C4 conference, blogger DrunkenBatman, made a bold
statement during his panel discussion: "Black
people don't use Macs."
I have a feeling this is not going to go well.
original photo by rtmfd
Reactions by bloggers were mixed. Some criticized his approach (scroll through the C4 Twitter page for more) while others defended his character. I think Daring Fireball's John Gruber has a very good take on the controversy:
The fact is controversial statements may make your talk memorable. (After all, who can forget this slide once you see it?) Unfortunately, your talk may not be remembered for good reasons. Controversial statements can be polarizing, and they must be used judiciously.
I begin my talk about giving presentations by saying, "Most PowerPoint slides suck." While a little harsh, many audience members will nod in agreement and are now open to suggestions. However, if I said, "Chances are your PowerPoint slides suck," then I put the audience on the defensive. Often, we want to challenge the thinking of our audience, but we have to be careful not to cross a line that will alienate them from us.
DB might have been caught off guard by how many people took his statement as offensive and racist, but we are often not the best judges of our own material. I may not find something offensive, but a whole lot of others might, and Gruber is absolutely right. If a discussion or a presentation is derailed too hard by something someone says, recovery becomes very unlikely. The takeaway lesson? Simply think before you say something potentially offensive.
I have a feeling this is not going to go well.
original photo by rtmfd
Reactions by bloggers were mixed. Some criticized his approach (scroll through the C4 Twitter page for more) while others defended his character. I think Daring Fireball's John Gruber has a very good take on the controversy:
There’s a fine line between a moderator challenging his panelists (good) and ambushing them (bad). This came across as the latter; an unanswerable “Do you still beat your wife?” question...
...It was a mistake the discussion never recovered from. Audience reaction ranged from offended to embarrassed (and, by the end, bored). Much like a train, once a discussion like this falls off the rails, it doesn’t come back.
The fact is controversial statements may make your talk memorable. (After all, who can forget this slide once you see it?) Unfortunately, your talk may not be remembered for good reasons. Controversial statements can be polarizing, and they must be used judiciously.
I begin my talk about giving presentations by saying, "Most PowerPoint slides suck." While a little harsh, many audience members will nod in agreement and are now open to suggestions. However, if I said, "Chances are your PowerPoint slides suck," then I put the audience on the defensive. Often, we want to challenge the thinking of our audience, but we have to be careful not to cross a line that will alienate them from us.
DB might have been caught off guard by how many people took his statement as offensive and racist, but we are often not the best judges of our own material. I may not find something offensive, but a whole lot of others might, and Gruber is absolutely right. If a discussion or a presentation is derailed too hard by something someone says, recovery becomes very unlikely. The takeaway lesson? Simply think before you say something potentially offensive.
Wrestling With Technology – Don't Do It
June 19, 2007 Filed in: Delivery
| General Tips
I saw a speaker today who was clearly having problems with the technology involved in his presentation. The technology was nonessential, but he still kept stopping every few words to fiddle with the projector and its settings, trying to get things focused, trying to account for some other visual anomalies. This went on for at least thirty minutes, and, each time he stopped, he had a harder time regaining his audience's attention. In fact, he had entirely lost a small chunk of his audience before the issues were resolved (but that may have been for other reasons).
If your technology is giving you problems, and it's time for you to start talking, go ahead without it. If there is something you feel is absolutely essential to your talk that is tied to the tech, get someone who works at the facility you are presenting in to work on it while you begin delivery. Technology is meant to enhance presentations, but, if we give it more attention than we give our audience, it has become a diminishing factor to the message you are delivering.
The Value of Silence
June 19, 2007 Filed in: Rhyme &
Reason |
Delivery
On his Presentation Zen blog, Garr
Reynolds takes some time to write about the
value of real dynamic range in music. In fact,
he titles his post "When there is no quiet, there can be
no loud," and he ends with a challenge to
take this principle and apply it to our
presentations.
He writes:
I remember seeing a preacher a few years ago who spoke loudly throughout his entire sermon. He frequently overloaded the speakers through which his voice boomed, and the audience was clearly uncomfortable with his volume. He defended his style by saying (something like), "If there's no fire in the preacher, you ought to fire the preacher." However, fieriness does not always equate to effectiveness, and perpetual loudness can cause your audience to tune you out.
A quiet statement can sometimes be more effective than a loud one. Other times, silence can be the most powerful element of all. For that matter, if we prepare slides, they should not be loud themselves. They should not be visually distracting or cluttered. Sometimes, points can be simply made with a single word, a single image, or even a completely blank slide. Lack of aural and visual stimulation can, by paradox, create greater impact. As the saying goes, silence is golden.
Contrast is important. Merely presenting differently than your peers may provide the contrast needed to get you noticed. Discarding conventions and focusing on creating a talk that is uniquely you will differentiate your presence from others who might be more easily tuned out. Sometimes you should be visually and orally bold, but other times subtlety and quiet assuredness will speak even louder.
He writes:
"When there is no quiet, there can be no loud. And where there is no nothing, there can be no something. In what ways, then, can we apply the spirit of “dynamic range” to all aspects of our live presentations?"
I remember seeing a preacher a few years ago who spoke loudly throughout his entire sermon. He frequently overloaded the speakers through which his voice boomed, and the audience was clearly uncomfortable with his volume. He defended his style by saying (something like), "If there's no fire in the preacher, you ought to fire the preacher." However, fieriness does not always equate to effectiveness, and perpetual loudness can cause your audience to tune you out.
A quiet statement can sometimes be more effective than a loud one. Other times, silence can be the most powerful element of all. For that matter, if we prepare slides, they should not be loud themselves. They should not be visually distracting or cluttered. Sometimes, points can be simply made with a single word, a single image, or even a completely blank slide. Lack of aural and visual stimulation can, by paradox, create greater impact. As the saying goes, silence is golden.
Contrast is important. Merely presenting differently than your peers may provide the contrast needed to get you noticed. Discarding conventions and focusing on creating a talk that is uniquely you will differentiate your presence from others who might be more easily tuned out. Sometimes you should be visually and orally bold, but other times subtlety and quiet assuredness will speak even louder.
How Long Do You Feel?
January 28, 2007 Filed in: Delivery
We've discussed the length of our presentations in a
couple
of
different posts now, but watching Stan Sigman
deliver his talk during the Macworld keynote got me
thinking again about length and audience attention
span.
Every sentence read adds an hour to each minute...
The saying goes that time is relative. We save time, waste time, borrow time, and spend time. The minutes spent waiting in a doctor's office can seem much longer than the minutes spent playing video games at home. Mr. Sigman was on stage for all of seven minutes – seven very long minutes. When I checked the time in the podcast, I was surprised. I had expected to see him onstage for fifteen or twenty minutes. His talk really did seem that long.
Contrast this to Steve Jobs' portion of the presentation. The entire keynote was 1:45 long, and Mr. Jobs was speaking for all but about twenty minutes of that. Yet his portion did not feel as drawn out as Mr. Sigman's.
"I could talk for days, and you'd hardly notice."
What's the difference? I think a lot of it comes from my previous post. Mr. Sigman's talk was stiff and formal. It was basically read right off his cards, and it was full of corporate jargon and buzzwords. Mr. Jobs, in contrast, spoke passionately about his company's products. Any notes he might have had were fairly transparent, and he spoke in clear, easily understood language. Also, Steve Jobs kept things moving and kept the audience anticipating the next revelation about these products.
Timing is a very important part of your presentation. Sometimes shorter is better, but other times you may have to spend some serious time giving your talk. In either scenario, don't just be aware of the literal time, but ask yourself how long your presentation feels to your audience. Do you look and sound like you actually care about your topic? Are you keeping the flow moving? Is the audience anticipating your next points? If you can positively answer these questions, then relative time will work in your favor.
Every sentence read adds an hour to each minute...
The saying goes that time is relative. We save time, waste time, borrow time, and spend time. The minutes spent waiting in a doctor's office can seem much longer than the minutes spent playing video games at home. Mr. Sigman was on stage for all of seven minutes – seven very long minutes. When I checked the time in the podcast, I was surprised. I had expected to see him onstage for fifteen or twenty minutes. His talk really did seem that long.
Contrast this to Steve Jobs' portion of the presentation. The entire keynote was 1:45 long, and Mr. Jobs was speaking for all but about twenty minutes of that. Yet his portion did not feel as drawn out as Mr. Sigman's.
"I could talk for days, and you'd hardly notice."
What's the difference? I think a lot of it comes from my previous post. Mr. Sigman's talk was stiff and formal. It was basically read right off his cards, and it was full of corporate jargon and buzzwords. Mr. Jobs, in contrast, spoke passionately about his company's products. Any notes he might have had were fairly transparent, and he spoke in clear, easily understood language. Also, Steve Jobs kept things moving and kept the audience anticipating the next revelation about these products.
Timing is a very important part of your presentation. Sometimes shorter is better, but other times you may have to spend some serious time giving your talk. In either scenario, don't just be aware of the literal time, but ask yourself how long your presentation feels to your audience. Do you look and sound like you actually care about your topic? Are you keeping the flow moving? Is the audience anticipating your next points? If you can positively answer these questions, then relative time will work in your favor.
Passion and Connection
January 14, 2007 Filed in: Delivery
This is one of a few
posts I have had gestating in my brain since watching
Steve Job's Macworld 2007 keynote. By now, you
probably know the products announced during the
keynote, and you've possibly seen and/or read
reaction to those products from various sources.
However, reading and viewing commentary just doesn't
have the same impact as watching Steve Jobs
speak.
Throughout his talks, Mr. Jobs will demo his own products, but he does so with an enthusiasm that's contagious. He doesn't just share facts, figures, and specifications about the product – he shares excitement. He connects with the audience at an emotional level. He doesn't just say, "This product is great." He says, "This is why I think this product is amazing, and let me show you! Don't you think this is great?" He exudes passion for the products he is presenting, and that passion is contagious.
"Unbelievable."
Who else can make scrolling through a playlist feel revolutionary? Who else makes Google Maps and HTML email feel fresh and exciting? People notice Apple products (and are polarized by them) partly because of the man who evangelizes them the most – CEO Steve Jobs. You can't ignore how much he cares about his pitch. His enthusiasm and passion demand reaction, whether its positive or negative. The one thing you can't do is remain passive when he speaks.
What about your own presentations? How does your audience see you? Are you viewed as someone just presenting material that is expected to be presented in a totally mundane, dispassionate, and predictable manner? Are you excited about your topics? Do you communicate that excitement in your presentation? Passion connects. Passion engages. Be passionate during your talks, and your audience will respond with greater enthusiasm for whatever topic you are presenting about.
Throughout his talks, Mr. Jobs will demo his own products, but he does so with an enthusiasm that's contagious. He doesn't just share facts, figures, and specifications about the product – he shares excitement. He connects with the audience at an emotional level. He doesn't just say, "This product is great." He says, "This is why I think this product is amazing, and let me show you! Don't you think this is great?" He exudes passion for the products he is presenting, and that passion is contagious.
"Unbelievable."
Who else can make scrolling through a playlist feel revolutionary? Who else makes Google Maps and HTML email feel fresh and exciting? People notice Apple products (and are polarized by them) partly because of the man who evangelizes them the most – CEO Steve Jobs. You can't ignore how much he cares about his pitch. His enthusiasm and passion demand reaction, whether its positive or negative. The one thing you can't do is remain passive when he speaks.
What about your own presentations? How does your audience see you? Are you viewed as someone just presenting material that is expected to be presented in a totally mundane, dispassionate, and predictable manner? Are you excited about your topics? Do you communicate that excitement in your presentation? Passion connects. Passion engages. Be passionate during your talks, and your audience will respond with greater enthusiasm for whatever topic you are presenting about.
Where Do You Want This Q&A?
December 02, 2006 Filed in: Delivery
You just finished your presentation. you gave your
summation, and now you launch into the
question-and-answer section. Ten to fifteen minutes
later, the questions fizzle out, and the crowd
trickles away. Is this really how you want to
conclude your talk?
In my last post (about summations), I stated that your summation is important because it leaves a final impression on your audience. This is only true, though, if the summation is the last thing that happens. If you save the Q&A for the conclusion, that will leave the final impression. Unfortunately, presentations that end with Q&A sessions often end on an uncertain note because there is little sense of closure. No matter how strong the overall session, a concluding Q&A can weaken the overall experience.
The solution? Conduct the Q&A before the summation. I've gotten into the habit of wrapping up my final point, launching into a timed question/answer session, then delivering my summation. Make sure you have contact information on your handout because you will likely not get to everyone's questions, but this allows the conversational portion of the presentation to take place under controlled settings. (Timing the Q&A also helps with schedule management.)
Once you conclude the Q&A, you can launch into the summation and wrap up your presentation with a definitive conclusion. As a result, you and your audience will walk away feeling better about your presentation.
In my last post (about summations), I stated that your summation is important because it leaves a final impression on your audience. This is only true, though, if the summation is the last thing that happens. If you save the Q&A for the conclusion, that will leave the final impression. Unfortunately, presentations that end with Q&A sessions often end on an uncertain note because there is little sense of closure. No matter how strong the overall session, a concluding Q&A can weaken the overall experience.
The solution? Conduct the Q&A before the summation. I've gotten into the habit of wrapping up my final point, launching into a timed question/answer session, then delivering my summation. Make sure you have contact information on your handout because you will likely not get to everyone's questions, but this allows the conversational portion of the presentation to take place under controlled settings. (Timing the Q&A also helps with schedule management.)
Once you conclude the Q&A, you can launch into the summation and wrap up your presentation with a definitive conclusion. As a result, you and your audience will walk away feeling better about your presentation.
Being Unexpected
September 11, 2006 Filed in: Delivery
One of the things that caught me off guard in the
video of David Pogue speaking at TED was
the fact that his talk began with him sitting
behind a piano, singing about tech support woes
in a parody of Simon & Garfunkel's "The Sound of
Silence."
In and of itself, Mr. Pogue's talk was pretty good. It was humorous and insightful, and it was delivered very competently. What made it stand out, though, was Pogue's use of songs throughout his presentation. Quite suddenly, he would just bolt to the piano, and regale his audience with a modified rendition of Simon & Garfunkel, Barry Manilow, and even Andrew Lloyd Webber.
See, David Pogue used his unique background as a musician to bring an element of surprise and humor to his talk. What unique abilities or insights do you have that can make your presentations unique and unforgettable? What is something that makes you uniquely you? Remember, your presentations don't have to merely consist of slides and droning. Allow your individuality to shine through, and you might find your talks more enjoyable for you and your listeners.
In and of itself, Mr. Pogue's talk was pretty good. It was humorous and insightful, and it was delivered very competently. What made it stand out, though, was Pogue's use of songs throughout his presentation. Quite suddenly, he would just bolt to the piano, and regale his audience with a modified rendition of Simon & Garfunkel, Barry Manilow, and even Andrew Lloyd Webber.
See, David Pogue used his unique background as a musician to bring an element of surprise and humor to his talk. What unique abilities or insights do you have that can make your presentations unique and unforgettable? What is something that makes you uniquely you? Remember, your presentations don't have to merely consist of slides and droning. Allow your individuality to shine through, and you might find your talks more enjoyable for you and your listeners.
Take the Time To Be Concise
June 01, 2006 Filed in: Delivery
• Blaise Pascal"I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time."
In any public speaking situation, the challenge is to avoid padding your material with redundant or meaningless fluff. Sometimes this materializes as that one personal story too many, or it may be in the seventh slide of bar graphs. Perhaps it is found in the fifth slide of bullet points that basically retreads the same ground as the last four slides. In any event, engagement and interest has been lost, and the the audience is slowly glazing over.
How do we avoid meaningless filler? Simply put:
- Practice your presentation multiple
times before you have to give it. Are
there any sections that bore you as the presenter?
Do you feel tedious at any times? If you are having
these feelings, imagine how your audience must
feel. Go back and rework areas of your talk that
you feel are drawn out.
- Seek the advice of others. Before taking your presentation to your audience, share it with some trusted friends or colleagues. Ask them to help you find areas that might encourage your audience to disengage. Welcome their critiques. Not all advice may be useful, but outside perspectives will help you expose those trouble areas.
Don't assume that tedium is a necessary evil. Neither should you assume every detail is interesting to your audience. Voltaire is quoted as saying, "The secret of being a bore is to tell everything." Better that your material be fifteen minutes long while inspiring and engaging your listeners than thirty minutes long with a disengaged audience. Preparation and practice is essential for presenting in a meaningful yet concise manner.
• Mark Twain"Few sinners are saved after the first twenty minutes of a sermon."