Preparation – Not Rehearsal
March 16, 2008 Filed in: General Tips
| Delivery
In a late-February post (yes, that's how far behind I
am), Garr Reynolds shared some presentation tips from Ken
Robinson, one of my favorite speakers to
appear at TED over the last couple of years.
Among his tips is this gem: "Prepare, but don't
rehearse. Think and plan ahead instead."
image by torli on stock.xchng
I used to prepare for my presentations the same way I would prepare for a music recital. I'd go over the material exactly how I wrote it until I could deliver it flawlessly the same way over and over. One French horn performer once told me that I'm not done practicing a passage until I can play it perfectly ten times in a row, and I took this exacting principle over to public speaking.
The problem is that over-rehearsal of a talk can make it sound ... rehearsed. It can sound too perfect, and a certain human element – that element necessary for connecting with audiences – can disappear in the measured recital.
The best musical performances I can think of do not sound rehearsed, even though I know they are. It sounds as if the musician is creating the music spontaneously before the audience. The music is alive at that moment, and that is the way our presentations should be. Our audience should feel as if we are delivering our message for each of them individually and that we are caught up in this moment.
This leads right into another tip from Mr. Robinson: "Leave room for improvisation." He compares the act of public speaking to a good jazz performance, but even a good classical performer demonstrates an ability to take liberties with the given material, making it fully his or her own. When we are presenting, spontaneous points may occur to us. Things might go wrong. Someone might interrupt with a brilliant question, and we should be willing to improvise for a few minutes.
In its purest form, a presentation is a form of conversation, and your best conversations are not completely scripted, over-rehearsed events. Spontaneous creativity is alive and well in the art of conversation. Don't get me wrong. Preparation is exceedingly important, but stay flexible. Stay alive. Don't recite your presentation. Connect it with the people in your audience.
image by torli on stock.xchng
I used to prepare for my presentations the same way I would prepare for a music recital. I'd go over the material exactly how I wrote it until I could deliver it flawlessly the same way over and over. One French horn performer once told me that I'm not done practicing a passage until I can play it perfectly ten times in a row, and I took this exacting principle over to public speaking.
The problem is that over-rehearsal of a talk can make it sound ... rehearsed. It can sound too perfect, and a certain human element – that element necessary for connecting with audiences – can disappear in the measured recital.
The best musical performances I can think of do not sound rehearsed, even though I know they are. It sounds as if the musician is creating the music spontaneously before the audience. The music is alive at that moment, and that is the way our presentations should be. Our audience should feel as if we are delivering our message for each of them individually and that we are caught up in this moment.
This leads right into another tip from Mr. Robinson: "Leave room for improvisation." He compares the act of public speaking to a good jazz performance, but even a good classical performer demonstrates an ability to take liberties with the given material, making it fully his or her own. When we are presenting, spontaneous points may occur to us. Things might go wrong. Someone might interrupt with a brilliant question, and we should be willing to improvise for a few minutes.
In its purest form, a presentation is a form of conversation, and your best conversations are not completely scripted, over-rehearsed events. Spontaneous creativity is alive and well in the art of conversation. Don't get me wrong. Preparation is exceedingly important, but stay flexible. Stay alive. Don't recite your presentation. Connect it with the people in your audience.
Don't Be Afraid of Being Naked
September 28, 2006 Filed in: Delivery
In presentations, getting "naked" refers to giving a
talk without the aid of slides. This can be difficult
because so many of us have grown to use slides as a
crutch. (See this entry at Presentation
Zen for a great illustration of that fact.)
However, in many circumstances, abandoning
slides is a good idea.
One example of this comes from my obsessive downloading of featured TED Talks, one of which has Sir Ken Robinson speaking about how education can sometimes "educate" the creativity right out of the child. His speech is engaging and thought-provoking, but not one slide is shown during his talk. In fact, slides would have probably distracted from the overall feel of his presentation.
Slides can greatly reinforce of our content, and they can often help create connections between our material and multiple areas of our audience's brains. However, sometimes they are just unnecessary filler. If this is the case, leave the laptop at home (or in the hotel room), and present naked. Don't hide behind your slides. Just let your audience see you for who you are.
For more tips on presenting naked or nearly-naked, follow these links (all by Garr Reynolds):
One example of this comes from my obsessive downloading of featured TED Talks, one of which has Sir Ken Robinson speaking about how education can sometimes "educate" the creativity right out of the child. His speech is engaging and thought-provoking, but not one slide is shown during his talk. In fact, slides would have probably distracted from the overall feel of his presentation.
Slides can greatly reinforce of our content, and they can often help create connections between our material and multiple areas of our audience's brains. However, sometimes they are just unnecessary filler. If this is the case, leave the laptop at home (or in the hotel room), and present naked. Don't hide behind your slides. Just let your audience see you for who you are.
For more tips on presenting naked or nearly-naked, follow these links (all by Garr Reynolds):
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.
Talking to the Screen
September 02, 2006 Filed in: Delivery
One speaker whom I've really begun to appreciate
(much to my own surprise) is Al Gore, self-described as having
"used to be the next president of the United
States." Recently, he has been evangelizing a
message of conservation and energy reform in
response to what he coins "The Climate Crisis."
Additionally, this presentation has been turned
into a documentary called An Inconvenient Truth.
Recently, I downloaded a video of Mr. Gore
giving a follow-up talk to his crisis
presentation at TED where he covers some
pragmatic ways in which his audience can make a
difference. (If you watch the video, please keep
in mind that he is speaking to an audience
consisting mostly of rather affluent people.)
However, I couldn't help but be distracted by
the amount of "back time" Mr. Gore was giving to
his audience – time he spent looking at his
slides rather than at his listeners.
I see this all too often during presentations where the presenter uses his or her slides as a crutch or as a substitute for notes. Unfortunately, if we spend too much time with our back to the audience, we will create a disconnect with them, and they will pay us less attention.
First and foremost, your talk is a conversation with your audience – not with PowerPoint. You should know your material well enough (and have good enough notes) that looking back at your slides is all but unnecessary. (I do check my slides periodically to see that things are running smoothly, though.)
Now, in Mr. Gore's defense, during the video, it does sound like this talk was prepared very hastily. This is probably a case where he has to lean on his slides some because of short preparation time. Still, when you know you have a talk coming, and you have ample time to prepare, prepare well, so your eyes can connect with your audience rather than remain glued to your slides.
I see this all too often during presentations where the presenter uses his or her slides as a crutch or as a substitute for notes. Unfortunately, if we spend too much time with our back to the audience, we will create a disconnect with them, and they will pay us less attention.
First and foremost, your talk is a conversation with your audience – not with PowerPoint. You should know your material well enough (and have good enough notes) that looking back at your slides is all but unnecessary. (I do check my slides periodically to see that things are running smoothly, though.)
Now, in Mr. Gore's defense, during the video, it does sound like this talk was prepared very hastily. This is probably a case where he has to lean on his slides some because of short preparation time. Still, when you know you have a talk coming, and you have ample time to prepare, prepare well, so your eyes can connect with your audience rather than remain glued to your slides.