Rexi Media

by Carmen Taran

Has anyone ever told you before a presentation: ” I won’t be attending, can I have the handout?” While such request hits right into the ego, the question raises another that all of us presenters should answer before an event: Are we better than a handout? What do we do or say that attendees could not get out of a printed piece of paper?

Whether you present at a small meeting or a formal large event, here are four ways you can convince an audience that your presentation is worth attending:

1)      Incorporate audience interaction. Connecting with the presenter or with other members in the audience is an appealing promise and something that cannot be done with a handout. Participants get motivated when they can connect with others who validate their own point of views (because of similar interest) or show opposing views (therefore inviting further reflection). Printed paper does not talk back. And the silence of a handout does not lead to action.

2)      Promise customization of content and flow. When you announce that you will answer questions from the audience (whether 3 or 300 people), and adjust the presentation to their needs, the event is worth more than the fixed sequence and generic, limited approach of the printed word. Such promise also creates curiosity and promises entertainment, through the element of improvisation. When there is no strict flow and rigid structure, attendees are enticed to put away their mobile devices, pay attention, and be happy they didn’t stay home to be barraged by some downloaded slides. In addition, if some of the content is more difficult and requires more processing power, participants will benefit from your presence more than flipping through pages and trying to figure things out on their own.

3)      Allow them to practice and offer feedback. When you allow participants to put your message into practice and provide immediate and customized feedback, you have more chances to persuade them. Repetitive interactivity and practice lead to modified behavior. Mere reading has less probability of moving people into action.

4)      Liven the content with non-verbals. A handout, even if it’s well written, contains two-dimensional information. Written words can leave a reader flat. Posing and posturing can sometimes be more effective than words and numbers. You can bring the content to life with flamboyant body gestures and optimal vocal variety. Would you rather read a book by Tony Robbins or see him present live?

Next time you ponder scheduling  a live presentation (whether face-to-face or online), be exigent with your delivery approach. If you meet at least two of the four points above, deliver a presentation. If you don’t,  a handout will do just fine.

Download Rexi Media’s Presenter Pro iPhone app for more tips on how to deliver an outstanding presentation so that an audience gains much more than if they had engaged in solitary reading. Apply the Rexi Media tips and make them say “That was worth an hour of my time.”

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Have you noticed any substance abuse in presentations? In the sense that we either offer too little substance, fearing that our listeners are overwhelmed…or…we offer too much, fearing that our listeners might feel cheated if there was not enough volume. In either case, the effect is drowsy to the audience and to the presenter.

I recently wrote an article on the subject of superficiality as it applies to online learning. However, the principles and premise are very similar to presentations.

Read the entire article

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At the beginning of the year, we have the outstanding opportunity to speak to Nancy Duarte on beginnings of presentations. Here are some thoughts that will entice you to think differently about the opening of your next presentation.

Q: Is there a beginning of a presentation that you still remember, even though the event happened long ago?

A: Years ago an executive at Apple drove a motorcyle on and then accidently drove it off the stage into the audience. No one was injured but the entrance had nothing to do with the material and was a disruption. It’s too bad that my most memorable beginning was also the biggest blunder I’ve ever seen too. His presentation took place back when Apple was floundering with their message and technical strategy. Sometimes in the absense of relevant content presenters try to fill the time with gimmicks and icebreakers none of which are effective beginnings or presentations. Audiences deserve better.

Q: When you create your presentations, do you think of the beginning first, or does it take shape later in the process?

A:  The first step I take in creating a presentation is to analyze the audience. Ask yourself questions about what a day in their shoes looks like, what makes them likeable, what they are afraid of, how and why might they resist the message. I use this information to identify ways to connect with the audience and make sure the right message is being conveyed.  Once I’ve established who they are, what they value and what they fear, I use that as a baseline to identify a way to start the beginning and build a structure that would resonate with them. I have a philosophy about what the components needed at the beginning of a presentation. There are two key things that need to be conveyed before moving on to the body of your message. First, you need to create common ground with the audience. By describing to the audience how you see their world helps establish a connection with them. Once you use the beginning to carefully describe “what is”, the audience will plainly see the gap when you propose your big idea of “what should be”. But if you haven’t described the current state or realities, the uniqueness of you idea would be obscure and unclear. The second thing that has to be established in the beginning is the presenters credibility. Your “entrance” and first impression will either bind you to them or alienate you from them. So making a meaningful connection in a relevent manner is a very critical part of a presentation.

Q: Have you ever created a whole presentation just because one powerful line, image, thought, or feeling inspired you?

A: It’s rare that I get to deliver a presentation from pure inspiration. Usually there’s an objective or speaking assignment that’s being filled. But, I do try to weave some of my own stories and passion into each story and delivery. The humanness of a presentation is what makes it the most compelling communication medium in business so I try to build an inspirational and transparent element into each presentation.

Q: Where could presenters find inspiration for better beginnings?

A: The inspiration for strong beginnings has to come from thinking about the audience. Some audiences would enjoy a hyped-up beginning whereas another audience might find a fact-driven beginning as profound. What’s inspiration to one might be off-putting to another so find your inspiration through thinking about your audience.

The book, ‘Better Beginings’ by Carmen Taran is available from Amazon or from our web site.

Presentation Skills

by Carmen Taran, Rexi Media

Over-tasked and disenchanted in the business space, listeners often attend a presentation with the intent to multitask. It is becoming increasingly harder to get heard over the corporate noise, clutter, and distraction of digital leashes.

Here are a few techniques to attract and sustain attention.

Use the power of contrast. Audiences who are in a time-crunch always appreciate the opportunity to understand complex concepts quickly and make decisions fast. Contrast helps you do that by helping the brain process information more rapidly and providing shortcuts to decision making. If you’re presenting the release of a new phone that helps with productivity by storing lots of information, contrast it with what it means to takes notes on paper or on your hand. Or if you’re presenting about a piece of exercise equipment that is easy and painless to use, contrast it with the effort and difficulty of floor exercises. Contrasts offer shortcuts to thinking and making decisions.

You can also get an audience to pay attention when you use metaphors and paint a picture in your audience’s minds about the benefits and attractions of your topic. Imagine using a railway metaphor to symbolize getting from the familiar to the unknown, or a traffic jam to symbolize slow networks, or sedimentary rocks to display different layers in your organization.

Such metaphors attract attention because they refer to concepts that an audience’s mind already has in storage. The argument becomes easier and faster when you introduce new and complex topics.

You can find these guidelines and more in the Presenter Pro mobile app.

Presentation Skills

by Carmen Taran, Rexi Media

Have you ever heard a speaker deliver a presentation so eloquently that you were completely captivated, curious of what comes next, and did not even consider checking your mobile phone? Complete captivation happens when the advanced presenter makes words flow smoothly and harmoniously, in constant connection with our current state and expectations. One mandatory skill to make this happen is the ability to transition well from one part of the presentation to another.

 

Advanced presenters create smooth transitions after the introduction, between each main point, and before the conclusion. Here are three ways in which they make their transitions seamless:

• Previous/next. Presenters often summarize what they have just presented and what they will address next. “You’ve seen what the software can do; now let’s look at some individual features.” This approach is also called a progressive summary. If there are three steps to consider, after discussing step 1, you might say “now that we have looked at step 1, let’s move on to step 2.” After step 2, the summary includes the first steps and the build for step 3. This approach works very well because it helps the audience crystallize the main points in their minds and remember them later.
• Question. Sometimes, presenters pose a rhetorical question that invites participants to ponder what they will cover next. “How do you think this type of software is priced? [Pause and acknowledge responses]. Let’s take a look at the different cost plans.”
• Guided tour. Present a structure, process or theme and reference each part. “Here’s the three-step process for effective recruiting. Let’s take a closer look at each of the steps. In step one…”

Smooth transitions employ specific conjunctive words or phrases, which act like connective tissue between sentences. Advanced presenters use these phrases in different ways depending on the argument they make. Here are three linguistic techniques with associated transitional phrase for different types of rhetoric:

• Elaboration. Use this technique when a sentence describes what you just said. “Our Internet service is fast. In fact, it is the fastest one on the market.” Conjunctive phrases in this category include: in fact, in short, for example, at least, in other words, in particular, in conclusion. Using them frequently through your presentation solidifies the message.
• Extension. Use this technique to extend the meaning of a sentence by adding something new. “Our online service enables you to do data analysis through comprehensible and aesthetically pleasing reports. On the other hand, the traditional software available on the market does not provide such usable reports.” Conjunctive phrases in this category include: also, in addition, on the other hand, instead, or alternatively.
• Enhancement. Use this technique when you wish to further qualify a sentence by adding details about time, place, manner, cause, or condition. Popular conjunctive phrases in this category include: next, at the same time, finally, until then, meanwhile, likewise, as a result, otherwise, yet, still, despite this.

Paying attention to little linguistic details, such as transitional words and rhetoric techniques, is one of the elements that distinguish the advanced presenter from the intermediate presenter.
Repetition also acts as a cohesive tool in your delivery, tying sentences and paragraphs together to make a clear point. You can repeat the same word or phrases that have similar meaning: “This software tool increases your productivity by 40%. When you use this software tool, you…” When you have a word or an idea that you want your audience to remember, repeat it often, almost like a mantra.

The marketing department at Coca Cola can teach us a good lesson in using repetition as a transition technique and persuasive tool. Not a day goes by that we don’t hear from the folks at Coca Cola. Closely following in persistence are messages from Nike, McDonalds, and Microsoft. These companies know that repetition builds memorable images in viewers’ minds. Even though you don’t have the same resources, know that repetition is key to increasing the retention rate of your message and establishing good transitions. If you found yourself singing jingles or repeating lines from TV ads, you know repetition works.

For more formal presentations that have a title, you can repeat the words used in the title or the theme that you created for the presentation. If you remember president Obama’s inauguration speech, most of the paragraphs went back to the main theme, which he repeated often: “Yes, we can.” When you repeat a word or a phrase, ensure that the audience can see the connection between each paragraph and the main theme or the mantra you selected. In fact, having a mantra you plan to repeat makes it a lot easier to determine what you include in your presentation and what you can leave out.

Transitions do not imply linearity. I am often asked by business presenters: how do I prepare a presentation yet adjust it to participants’ questions on the fly? The answer is: the advanced presenter does very few things “on the fly.” The advanced presenter anticipates participants’ reactions and questions, and is prepared to jump from one part to another in the discourse to address them. A famous Goethe quote reminds us that every word we say will spark in the listener’s mind “an idea of its opposite.” This means that we should already consider what the audience’s concerns may be and be ready to transition to the parts that address them quickly.

When you have only one main idea that you intend to deliver and you prepared thoroughly, you have more chances to jump from one part to another and bring the conversation back to the main path. Preparation enables you to handle non-linearity. Impromptu exercises are also an excellent technique that prepares you to react to those moments we could not possibly anticipate. Mastering smooth transitions allows you to switch between what you prepared, to what the audience asks about, to what unexpected circumstances may offer, and back to the main goal of the presentation.
Studies show that when people read or listen, they form hierarchical frameworks in their minds (or schematas) in order to comprehend the content. They determine what is important and how the different pieces fit together. The more the speaker does to connect pieces to orient the listener, the better and more persuasive the presentation.

Transitions do not always have to be literal. Sometimes, you can simply stop, look around, move to another section of the room, and start another point. The visual transition will work just as well as a verbal one.

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Carmen Taran

Business presenters use too many clichés. Have you been in those presentations where people speak about a solution, a value added, or a paradigm shift? Have you heard presenters speak about customer-centric solutions, win-win situations, and holistic approaches? Do you feel connected to those who speak like this?

Buzz words do not build an audience connection because they are obscure and calorie-free. If you wish your audience to focus on what you say and not switch to checking mobile devices during your presentation, avoid lazy clichés and greasy corporate talk in your presentations.

In order to avoid using corporate buzz words, we must first acknowledge the reasons why business presenters might be tempted to fall victims to faded language. There are four reasons:

1. Glamorize words. Due to the fact that some business people do not have glamorous jobs, they embellish their words. This is why we often hear flowery phrases such as leveraging technologies and creating strategic alliances and creating knowledge-centric systems to maximize human performance – all of this instead of saying “we provide consulting services.” Instead of these big, empty words, use precise, fresh, and simple words that you would typically share with your friends around the dinner table.
2. No expertise. When people speak about “global visions” and “available bandwidth” and “industry phenomena” – all these big words mask lack of knowledge. If these speakers knew what they wanted to convey, you would hear clear words, tasks and names of people, and specific information about what is happening and what needs to be done. Find examples or stories or props or numbers or concrete information to support your statements and avoid speaking in front of an audience unless you are an expert in your domain.
3. Deliver happy news. When speakers are afraid to acknowledge reality around them, they start using phrases like conspicuous nonsuccess and thinking proactively. If quality has been down, say that it’s been down; if there is a flaw in your product, say there is a flaw; if you made a mistake, admit it. That’s when language becomes clean and builds a connection.
4. Avoid accountability. Those who are afraid of commitment are more prone to corporate clichés. Speak in front of an audience only when you fully believe in what you’re saying and are prepared to stand up for it no matter what. Being accountable purifies your language immediately.

You can see how these principles work in practice. Here are two cliché phrases that may seem innocent on the surface but give the wrong impression about what you offer. The first phrase is “best practices”.

“Best practices,” while acknowledging some standards you follow, might also imply insecurity about your direction. When you don’t know where you’re going, you’re borrowing from other people’s wisdom. It is more persuasive to say “we have developed a product or a service with original features”. Now I am more curious about what you have to offer.

Another tired phrase is “leading edge”. Everyone seems to be on the leading edge and it makes us wonder… how is this possible? If you typed in a search engine the phrase “leading edge,” check out how many results you get. Unless your products or services beat the other millions, avoid using “leading edge.”

To learn how to use memorable language that builds a connection with an audience, check out the Presenter Pro mobile app on the iTunes store, powered by Rexi Media.

Presentation Skills

by Scott Buros

Look at This:

Here’s an interesting exercise: Examine your clothing, the publications in your bookcase, the decals on the cars outside your window and even the name stamped on the computer where you are reading this. What you have just witnessed is perhaps the most ruthless competition in the world, the competition for your attention. This is a contest that is won and lost in an instant; one of the greatest assets that any of us can posses in this battle is a striking title. Unfortunately, few presenters put much effort into creating a striking title for their presentatins. The title is usually a dull summary of the content (e.g. “Utility Scale Aggregation and Procurement Methods”) or a cliché phrase (e.g. “International Markets: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”). Rarely are we surprised by a creative presentation title; when that happens we seem to be more curious about a course, anticipate a better experience, and actually click on it in a list of hundreds of offerings.

 

If you make money based on number of attendees or viewership likelihood , you will want to incorporate these guidelines into your presentation practices right away. How can you create a striking title for your presentation? Here are a few tricks we can learn from the best title writers: journalists, novelists, and event organizers.

A Smack in the Face, a Pull of the Ear:

Getting Attention with Titles through Sense and Experience

Some of the most powerful titles are those that invite us to experience events through our five senses. Take for instance a title such as “Food Fight” used recently by the New York Times to preview an in-depth story on America’s relationship with food. Coupled with the well-matched photograph shown below the article (see Figure 1), the title plays on memories we’ve formed watching films such as “Animal House” or experienced ourselves, such as the childhood barbeque turned potato salad onslaught that I survived. These visions of what a food fight is, reside in our sensory memory buoyed by strong smells, in my case dill, tactile sensations, mayonnaise on my fingers, and sound, the clatter of silverware being poured onto a cafeteria floor. Match this with the unmistakable effects of adrenaline, which scientists also believe has a strong influence on memory, and you have a title that readers will not soon forget.

 

This is not to say that every time you write a title it has to allude to all five senses and the hormonal effects of adrenaline. But ask yourself, would FDR’s “Fireside Chats” have seemed so intimate if we didn’t have that sense of smoke and heat that comes from being gathered around the fire? Or would Andre Dubus III’s novel The House of Sand and Fog seem as gloomy and complicated without these damp elements? Clearly the five senses can make us more focused on what we read and create anticipate for what follows.

 

Figure 1. Mark Klimas’s photo for the Oct 10^th 2008 issue of the New York Times “Smashing Pumpkins and more”, draws more than Gallagher’s attention.

 

That Title is Really Bad, in a Good Way

One of the best ways to write a provocative title is to juxtapose two very different elements, such as Gary Talese accomplished with the title of his famous 1966 Esquire profile, “Frank Sinatra has a Cold”. This article was groundbreaking in many ways, particularly because Talese wrote the entire piece without speaking with Sinatra himself, but rather with the entourage that surrounded him. The result was a masterpiece that intimately described the entertainer from an angle previously unseen. But even more impressive: the essence of the article is expressed by its simple five word title. On one side, you have Frank Sinatra, perhaps the most glamorous celebrity of the day; a man people yearned to catch a glimpse of; then on the other side, you have the common cold, which is just that, a common, unpleasant thing that people want to avoid. This concept snags our attention as it is, but then when we consider the title further it also becomes clear that Frank Sinatra, a celebrity and therefore someone who is often guarded from the public, will be shown at his most intimate, in a way that few of us want to be seen by even our significant others, ill and vulnerable. The title forces you to read on.

 

Another example of a title that draws attention with its polar contrast appears in the schedule for the “2008 Improving University Teaching Conference” held in Glasgow, where one speaker conducted a lecture entitled “Demonstrating Science with a Stack of Jumbo Playing Cards”. Science, something that seems so concrete and technical, stands juxtaposed with something that seems simple and erratic such as oversized playing cards. Contrast grabs attention, and expresses something exciting, making it seem that the media we are about to consume is like nothing else we’ve ever seen before.

 

Figure 2: Write titles that adraw attention. If the other ones had eyes, they’d be looking at him. (Photo By Allan Cockerill)

 

Letting Your Readers Feel En-Titled

In many ways a title is nothing more than a sales pitch and just like in a sales pitch there are times when the straight forward approach is best. Sure we all love a title that’s a snappy triple entendre we can repeat at the office, but the truth is when it comes to titles, the direct approach can be just as effective. Just have a peek at the magazine rack the next time you’re at the supermarket and check out the latest issue of Cosmopolitan or Men’s Health where editors slap straight forward titles like “How to Buy Your Perfect Pair of Jeans” or “How to Injury-Proof Your Workout”. There’s nothing that thrilling or creative about either of those two examples I just mentioned, and yet we struggle to look away. The reason is that these titles speak directly to us, and offer information that we feel we need. Notice how both these titles use the word “your” in them. With that simple word, they earn the ability to be blunt because we know the content applies to us directly and there is no need to beat around the bush. This technique of offering direct advice to your eLearning viewers is an easy tactic to incorporate into your titles, particularly in those programs that are offering “how to” information (e.g., “Five Steps to Customize Your Browser).

 

Beware: full disclosure plays a big role in this sort of headline. The title must offer an honest promise. If it announces “A flat stomach in three weeks”, it better live up to its claim.

What to Title Your Piece This Minute: The Value of a Timely Title

One major change that has taken place in the media over the last 10 years is the movement towards a shorter and shorter news cycle; Because of this trend, the art of title writing has also become more and more impaced by the issue of time. Just imagine if next week you read a story titled, “Are Cell Phones the Wave of the Future?”, or if this November you read a piece called, “How to Pick Out the Ideal Summer Swimsuit” or a sales white paper with the headline, “How to Keep Your Sales Team Motivated Through this Economic Boom.” More than likely you’re not going to read any of these articles, because the information being offered in them doesn’t have any value for you in the present and like all media consumers we are living in the now.

 

 

When you write a title, it needs to matter right this minute. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to transform even outdated titles into information that seems like it should be part of a split screen on the next episode of “24”. For example “Are Cell Phone’s the Wave of the Future?” could instead be called, “Ten ways the Modern Cell Phone is Reinventing the Present.” And “How to Pick out the Ideal Summer Swimsuit” could easily be changed into “Get Ready for a Winter Getaway With the Perfect Swimsuit for Your Body.” Even the out-of-touch title “How to Keep Your Sales Team Motivated Through this Economic Boom” can be rearranged to sound more pressing by saying “Keeping Your Sales Team’s Foot on the Gas Through Thick and Thin.” It all has to do with perspective, and although timely content is a must, certain pieces will remain eye catching and evergreen if you just title them in a way that puts your students on the clock.

 

Figure 3: Always be aware of how time can generate pressure and excitement. (From “Safety Last” 1923)

 

Search and Enjoy: Make Your Titles Stand out on the Web

Larry Page, Co-founder of Google has been quoted as saying, “The ultimate search engine would basically understand everything in the world, and it would always give you the right thing. And we’re a long, long ways from that.” This fact is extremely important for anyone who hosts content on the Web, because it means that writing catchy titles is no longer the only requirement when composing content, but also that titles must be phrased in a way so that they are attractive to search engines. The truth is, no matter how engaging a title may be, if it doesn’t get brought up in the first few pages of a search engine or Learning Management system by people looking for your information, it needs to be reworked.

 

 

A great example of how important searchability is to any title can best be shown by typing the words “dog training for beginners” into the Google search bar and checking out the listings that come up. The first training company listed is called “Beginners Dog Training” and although this brand name may not be that eye snatching, it will likely generate more visitors than the more creatively named “Canine University” found on page ten. Use a keyword density tool to check all your titles for their searchability as well as google your presentations to see where they show up on likely searches that your desired audience would make.

 

The Greatest Title in the History of Western Civilization: or Other Exaggerations, Untruths and Flat out Lies We Tell Our Audience

Along with being engaging, clearly written and easy to find, good titles need to inspire credibility. After all, whether you’re getting someone to open an email, inviting them to an online presentation, or just asking them to proofread a document you’ve written for a client, you are requesting that your participant/viewer enter into a contract with you. The agreement formed in this contract is a simple one: the participant consumes some form of media the presenter has created and delivered, and gets something out of the piece. If this doesn’t happen, the participant feels cheated. Always remember: a title should be a clear and honest promise.

 

Often times this rule of title writing is ignored, particularly in marketing presentations and white papers. How often have you seen something like “The One Life Change You Need to Make to Get out of Debt Today”, or “10 Ways to Leave a Customer Begging For Your Business No Matter What You Sell”. Titles like these, racked with hyperbole and empty promises, undercut any credibility or rapport you may have with your audience; those of us savvy enough to know you are lying won’t listen to what you have to say, and those of us who you do fool are going to leave your presentation thinking that no matter how helpful the information you gave us, wasn’t as great as you promised. With this in mind, anyone who is writing titles for any sort of business media and eLearning needs to make sure they evaluate what title they apply using the old journalism saying, “If it lies, it dies.”

 

What Should I Call It Now?

Having explored several aspects of title writing, it’s easy to see why many authors spend almost as much time titling their work as they do writing the piece’s initial draft and why companies spend millions of dollars coming up with brand names that won’t leave us absent minded in the supermarket checkout line. All a title needs to be is creative, memory jogging and thought provoking. Achieve that and your work will become a beacon that your participants will be willing to navigate by.

 

Scott Buros, Rexi Media

If you wish to read more about titles, check out Lisa Neal’s article on catchy and provocative titles.

Presentation Skills

by Tom Brigham, Rexi Media

A friend recently described to me how his 12-year old son did his homework and I admit I was a little shocked by how much times have changed. The boy would type frantically on his computer with his I-Pod in his ears blaring hip hop, constantly shooting IMs to his friends, while periodically being interrupted by beeping text messages from his cell phone. Apparently the youngster actually got his work done, but I have no idea how. When I was a kid, we had TV, the stereo and the (one) family telephone, and we certainly didn’t talk on the phone with one I-Pod earpiece in the other ear while typing on our MySpace pages at the same time.

A 2005 survey of Americans age 8-18 by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that American children today were using electronic media a total of 6.5 hours a day, but more telling was the finding that they were packing more media exposure into that time due to “media multitasking”. In some ways, these hyper-kinetic kids may be more productive than we were, and they are certainly computer savvy (one friend’s children make elaborate PowerPoint slides to indicate what they want for Christmas). However, I feel that there will be some unanticipated side effects from growing up immersed in a hive of electronic activity.

A recent UCLA study indicated that the latest generation to graduate college is so absorbed in multitasking while they study that they have the shortest attention span of any generation in history. In fact, a new condition known as “attention deficit trait” (ADT) has been identified which is believed to be affecting all ages in the modern workforce. This condition, which is becoming increasingly common, makes employees feel perpetually distracted, impatient, disorganized and overwhelmed by their work.

For a variety of reasons, the last ten years have brought an increase in how productive individual employees are expected to be, and this has coincided neatly with the rise in adoption of mobile devices, text messaging, and IM usage (see Figure 1). It wasn’t that long ago that I did not even own a cell phone - now I am embarrassed to admit that I feel a bit naked if I leave the house without my Blackberry.

Figure 1: Blackberry Subscriber Account Base (in Thousands)
Source: RIM Annual Report 2008

“I realized that all of the years of research from the worlds of sociology, psychology, advertising, marketing, design and public speaking were simply being ignored when designing and delivering corporate presentations. Many corporate presenters have no training at all in creating visually compelling, persuasive, vocally engaging presentations; presenters usually follow the stale route of bulleted text and monotone voice. This is almost an invitation for the audience to check their Blackberrys. “

- Carmen Taran, Rexi Media Founder

What does this mean for trainers and presenters? If you’re training corporate students face-to-face, via webinars, or in on-demand presentations, the question is, how do you deliver your material in a way that appeals to a busy, distracted, overwhelmed and often multitasking audience? What techniques can you use to capture and hold the attention span of a group of ADT-prone employees whose thumbs are itching for their mobile phones?

At Rexi Media, we have a bold approach to this problem. After sitting through hundreds of tedious online or face-to-face sessions, we developed an ardent desire to change the way business presentations are delivered. What follows are a few highlights from our system. These techniques show how to capture attention and “Rexify” your delivery (Rexify comes from our company name, Rexi, which means “to direct” or “to guide” in Latin).

1) Start Strong

In the first minute of your presentation, your audience will subconsciously decide whether you are offering something brilliant or if they will be enduring the same old format, starting with “I am so glad you’ve taken the time to be here today. I can’t wait to walk you through these 78 slides”.

To start strong, consider beginning your presentation with a provocative statement (“By this time next week you will want to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro”), a shocking statistic (“80% of all hedge fund managers take naps during business hours”), or a unique prop (“this is an actual machete used by General Douglas Macarthur”).

The appearance of monologue is an audience turn-off, while Involving the audience right away is a great way to announce an atypical session. The likelihood of multitasking is greatly diminished when you immediately give people something to do. Whether you ask participants to answer a polling question (in an online session) or to stand up and speak about a topic (in a face-to-face session), the initial impression is of a two-way exchange, rather than a sleep-inducing monologue. Imagine the immediate engagement that occurs when the presenter starts with a thought-provoking question, asking for audience input: “Google employees are allowed to bring their dogs to work. Do you think this would be too distracting or would it increase productivity?”

2) Think in Pictures

Everyone seems to know that a picture is worth a thousand words, but for some reason, the art of displaying ideas graphically is often lost in modern training and presentations.

The failure to use graphics to emphasize a point and tell a story in a clear and appealing way is prevalent not only in most PowerPoint presentations, but also in content delivered via more modern tools such as blogs and wikis. Figure 2 shows the difference between a standard, drab wiki page without graphics and a lively, engaging one with graphics. Notice how the illustrated example on the right jumps out and encourages the reader to investigate.

Figure 2: Wiki Pages With and Without Graphics

Figure 3 shows two PowerPoint slides before and after being Rexified. Since standard PowerPoint templates create bullets by default, it is all too easy to fall into the pattern illustrated by the spiritless example on the left. The Rexified slide on the right shows how the use of professional graphics, arranged in a simple, clear sequence with a narrative undertone, naturally captivates the audience in a way that stale bullet points do not.

Figure 3: The Power of Using Clear, Professional Graphics as Part of a Narrative

Consider using visuals not only to help illustrate a concept or a process, but also to constantly invite the audience to focus on your presentation by igniting their thinking. In Figure 4, the visual prompts the audience to think and become engaged quickly. Overall, keep in mind that visuals increase the retention of your materials (the brain remembers more of what it sees and hears) and they also help you save time (the brain processes visual information faster than auditory information).

Figure 4: Strong Visuals Capture Attention and Decrease Multitasking

3) Use Words for Humans (not corporate clichés)

When presenters and trainers use expressions like unparalleled, customer-centric, win-win, and (gasp) thinking outside of the box, the eyes of their audience members tend to glaze over. Too often presenters revert to using a templatized language, devoid of meaning and sincerity. Students and participants appreciate simple, precise language, the kind you would use with your friends and family around the dinner table. Instead of standard clichés and canned sound bites, we encourage the use of clear, fresh and honest words, which help presenters to connect with audiences and keep participants from multitasking while attending a session.

Before Rexification
We believe that the cross-functional teamwork we have implemented greatly enhances our capacity to deliver ground-breaking solutions in this space. At the end of the day, there is plenty of low hanging fruit if we continue to maximize customer satisfaction.

After Rexification
Working closely together makes us more creative and productive. We all know that our main goal is to satisfy customers.

4) Vocal Variation

Another reason why audience members tend to fade into multitasking mode is because presenters speak in a monotone voice without variation or adjustment. Can you imagine a symphony being played at exactly the same volume without any pauses or accents, devoid of crescendos and decrescendos, pianissimos and fortissimos? This would be a pretty dull performance, and the same goes for speaking and presenting.

We tend to be attracted by contrast. Watch how filmmakers use this technique; action sequences juxtaposed with quiet scenes or tense quiet moments followed by explosive sounds are standard practice for grabbing audiences’ attention in movies, and these can be used to make your presentations more captivating as well. Using dramatic pauses, varying the pace, or changing the volume of one’s voice for dramatic affect are all key elements of vocal variation. Some speaking coaches call this learning to “sing” when making a presentation, and this simply refers to the art of expressing emotion and meaning with vocal emphasis and tone.

“One of the things I noticed in my years of sales was that vocal variety was an essential component of how I presented to corporate clients. Modulating my voice at different times during my sales presentation was a key way to emphasize certain points and communicate my enthusiasm. We all know that voice training is important, but how many of us actually practice? Committed voice training pays off in the effectiveness of a presentation.”

- Danielle Daly, Rexi Media Founder

One way to practice vocal variety is through recording exercises. Using a recording software and a microphone, you can “view” vocal inflections, pitch, and “thickness” of the voice. In Figure 6, notice how a recording program captures vocal variety visually. Which voice would entice you to pay attention and not tune out?

Figure 6: Vocal Variety Viewed Using Recording Software

Rexi’s Mission

The four principles described here spring from a variety of disciplines (design, sociology, psychology, and advertising to name a few), and are based on proven techniques for connecting with audiences and keeping them engaged and attentive. At Rexi Media, we feel that there is a major disparity between the sophisticated methods used by the advertising and entertainment industries to connect with audiences and the plain vanilla served up in most corporate presentations. Our goal is to help companies create presentations and training sessions that make full use of these modern techniques, and we believe this will enable you to capture the attention of the multitasking generation. Ideally, this will also leave your audiences motivated, enlivened, and filled with a warm sense of anticipation at the idea of hearing from you again.

Tom Brigham, Rexi Media

Presentation Skills