Aha! Moment Monday
How many more presentations are you making now than, say, a year ago?
Once upon a time only a handful of skilled professionals were writers. Now everyone has a blog or a newsletter or at least makes Facebook or Instagram posts. Thanks to the internet, we are all writers.
And once upon a more recent time there were presenters who were speakers, trainers and educators who stood at the front of the room, marker in hand, to share their brilliance. Now, thanks to the vast majority of our communication being virtual, we, suddenly, are all presenters.
Eric Worre, in his book, Go Pro, said, “The person with the marker makes the money”. Those with a message who overcame big-room stage fright and became proficient at delivering a captivating message in an engaging style had the fat wallet.
Now your stage is your office, or your dining room, or your den and the “big room” is your audiences’ office, dining room or den. So with everyone fighting to share their message, their products, services, and wisdom online, how do you squeeze yourself in there and build that captivated audience?
Aha! ~ Learn to tell a great story.
Look … people are zoomed-out – the last thing they crave is another information dump – but you have necessary information that they absolutely, positively need in order to move themselves forward, right?
Then understand, according to Worre, that people are not as interested in what you know as they are with your story. Learn to share stories that connect the learning dots and help your audience grasp what you are sharing with why it has meaning to them and how they can apply it. It’s all about the story.
Want a few more gems to be effective?
- Integrate different forms of media. We are experiential beings and are always listening and engaging in some way so don’t make your presentation an isolated event. If you have a data base of registered participants, send relevant material or event just a gift to their home (or place of business) before, during or after the presentation. The “tangible media” has them interacting with you engaging different senses, all playing a part in deepening their relationship with you.
- Don’t stop learning while you’re earning. Presenting is an art. Study presentation styles, colours, technology and how to use your voice and “stage” effectively.
- Be prepared. While professionals appear to “wing it”, they are simply that well prepared and polished that they make it look easy and natural. Being an effective presenter takes practice and when you are prepared, you can more easily handle hiccups and keep going strong.
- Be you. Marshall McLuhan’s famous saying, “The medium is the message” could not be more relevant here. You are the message carrier and where trust in your message starts. Strive to be your best you – passion is energy – but always be YOU.
Oh … and no audience will ever complain about a presentation being too short.
“It was a dark and stormy night … “
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