In this chapter

• Power in delivery
• Appearance and charisma
• The way you sound
• Nine essential microphone techniques
• Pitch, pace and pauses
• Connecting with the audience
• Gestures and movement
• Presentation essentials

You have thought about what you want to say, and why, and you have drafted a well-structured presentation, complete with visual aids. What is there still to do? You have to do justice to all that has gone before. Your delivery has to achieve your objective.

In this chapter we shall consider the many aspects of platform mastery, but mostly we shall be looking at salesmanship, because you must ‘sell’ your message. It’s up to you.

Effective delivery depends on:

• your voice;
• your commitment;
• knowing what you want the audience to accept;
• taking charge of the platform;
• connecting with the audience.

Before I deal with each of these points, I’d like to make two important observations about public speaking or presenting. First, you don’t have to be a ‘born speaker’ to do it well, and second, a speech or presentation is much more than amplified conversation. To do it well, you must have something to say, something that you really want others to hear, something that belongs to you, which comes from your heart.

If you accept that, you cannot believe that it is all right to deliver a presentation in the way that most people do – reading a script word for word, as though it were enough to deliver the words alone. You must have a point of view to put across, and that is best conveyed by the conviction in the way you speak. Reading a script will tend to diminish that conviction.

Try this: rehearse your presentation in front of a camcorder and play it back to a couple of people whose judgement you trust, and who are not afraid to tell you the truth.

After they have watched your presentation, ask them these questions:

• What was the core message?
• What was the sequence of the argument?
• Did they accept/agree with what was said?
• What would they do differently as a result?
• What did you do well?
• What should you do differently?

Power in delivery

There is potentially great power in the way you put your point across. Many presenters fail to use it because they don’t understand the effect they can have on their listeners. Let’s consider just two examples.

Example 1

Let’s think of a person making a presentation about water coolers (although it could be almost any product). In a typical presentation, they would be climbing up the side of a mountain, hoping to reach the summit, where they get the order. It’s a battle against the resistance, real or imaginary, of the prospect. The prospect, in turn, is also viewing the scenario as a confrontation, a battle for a portion of their budget. And why? Because the presenter has created that scenario by saying, ‘I can offer you these benefits’ and the buyer is adding up the benefits they hear, to weigh them against the money they would have to spend to get them. In their mind, they are examining the purchase, to see if it is a good buy.

Now imagine a small shift in thinking. The presenter no longer speaks of the benefits they can offer the prospect, but speaks instead of the benefits the prospect can offer to their staff, and to their future staff, as one of the benefits they can build into their recruitment package. Now the sales person is no longer an adversary, but rather a potential colleague, and the discussion is no longer about a purchase but rather about enhancing the working environment.

Example 2

When Amdahl, a multinational computer manufacturer, had a marketing re-fit in Europe, their advertising agency gave them a new slogan: The infrastructure company. But when the company’s nine vice presidents from around Europe assembled in England to discuss the marketing strategy, they discovered that the slogan did not really express the way they did business.

When they asked my opinion, I pointed out that they were focusing on the technology they provided to their clients. I said, ‘Why not look, instead, at the way your clients deal with their customers, and focus on helping that process?’ I offered them the alternative slogan: Amdahl makes it happen. They agreed that it was a better slogan to describe the benefit to their clients.

The mind instructs the body

Another important consideration is the effect of what you say on you, if you believe in it yourself.

In the 1950s there was a scare about ‘subliminal advertising’ – messages flashed on cinema screens so fast that you were not aware of them, but which affected your motivation to buy. At the time it was considered an unfounded rumour, but banned all the same. Recent research has confirmed that it could be true after all.

The messages sent to your brain have a direct affect on your body and even your state of being. Try this little exercise now. Stand up and extend your arms to the side, then slowly twist to one side, watching your extended hand as you go, and making note of where you are pointing when you go as far as you can without straining. Return to the front and shut your eyes. Now imagine yourself repeating what you have done. When you reach your previous limit (in your mind’s eye), go a little further, and a little more, then return to the front. Now physically repeat what you did originally, and see what happens when you reach your original limit. You’ll go right past it.

The mind instructs the body. And what you say to your audience will have the power to change them. In fact, quite often they will want to be changed. They will be hoping for some solution to an existing problem, some new insight, something they can add to their own portfolio of skills.

How strongly does the mindset affect behaviour? Well, imagine how you’d feel if your business ran into a severe cash flow crisis. Perhaps you’d be reluctant to take a risk of any kind, and you’d draw in your horns. Then suddenly there is a large injection of cash. What would that do to your state of mind and your approach to risk? A change in your circumstances alters the way you think and act.

If you create in your audience the right level of expectation or anxiety about a problem or need, they might hope for the solution from you. Don’t disappoint them.

Appearance and charisma

Let’s return to the beginning. How do you look on the platform? (For the sake of simplicity I refer to where you stand as the platform, whether or not there is actually a stage or platform.) I once saw a speaker whose script and technique were both very good, but he looked like he had slept in his suit. A couple of people in his audience remarked that he was good enough to make a demonstration speech, but they would not wish to follow him or accept his guidance because of the way he dressed.

Even now, a number of years later, I always visualise him in that rumpled light grey suit. He will never get another chance to make a first impression on me. Does it matter how you dress for a business presentation? Only if you want to be taken seriously.

Because you will judged within the first ten seconds of rising to speak, it will help your cause if you take the time to think about how you look. In my opinion, you should aim to match the best dressed person in the room. Be flamboyant, by all means, but ask yourself if you really want people to be concentrating on your appearance rather than on what you are saying.

Charisma is something else. If you have it, great. If not, work on developing it.

Be committed to helping the audience

In Chapter 4 I wrote that you must have a message that you feel passionately about. That’s essential if you want your presentation to succeed. But there is a qualification: your passion and commitment should be about the benefit to your listeners. If you simply want to get something off your chest, that could come across as self-interest, and your listeners will switch off.

Your audience may include people who either don’t know you at all or who know you only slightly. You are standing before them, telling them something they did not know before, expecting them to understand, accept and act, all on a single hearing of your message. That’s a tall order, isn’t it? It requires trust.

Trust begins when your audience can see that you are genuine, and committed to helping them. Trust is also easier to gain when the commitment you want from them is small and easy to give, so consider a multi-layered solution. As each layer works, their trust will be increased.

The way you sound

Have you ever heard your recorded voice? Did you like the way you sounded?

The first time people hear themselves on tape, for example, they wince. Their voice is not as attractive as the sound they are used to, and it may even lack energy, warmth or friendliness.

The reason why it sounds less attractive is that it lacks the usual resonance. When we speak, we hear the resonance from within our own skulls, a resonance that is not transmitted to the outside world, so the recorded voice sounds flatter to us when we hear what others hear.

If we speak in a matter-of-fact conversational tone, we can sound dull and lacking in energy or warmth.

Fortunately there is a single solution to both energy and resonance. It isn’t hard to make the change, but it does require a little effort and practice. As in all things related to effective presentations, practice is key.

You can change your voice

Changing your voice involves two things. One is physical, the other mental. The former takes a little longer and involves a certain exercise which I’ll come to in just a moment. Let me focus first on the way your mindset affects the way you sound.

If you are preoccupied, self-conscious or in a businesslike frame of mind, you could sound unfriendly on the telephone. Think of the last time you spoke to your spouse or partner while they were on the train. How did they sound? Was it as warm and friendly as usual? Or did it sound restrained, cautious or even depressed?

Consider how you respond to a phone call from a stranger. If it sounds like someone wanting to buy from you, how do you respond? And what happens the moment you realise the caller wants you to buy from them?

Now imagine you have made a discovery that overturns conventional thinking about something or other. When a journalist calls to interview you, how will you sound? Excited, authoritative, confident in your expertise? Of course. So speak with confidence in your ability to offer value to the other person. It will add energy and excitement to your voice.

One more thing about the way you sound. On the day I was writing this, I attended a meeting in London. One of the people there spoke about his business, but I had difficulty receiving everything he said because his voice lacked resonance. But he also spoke in jargon and he had a tortuous way of framing his sentences.

No one else in the meeting understood what he had said. The chairman even told him, jokingly, that it sounded like Klingon. The winning presentation formula must be simple words, simple sentence construction and a clear, resonant voice.

Using a microphone

Even if your voice has resonance, there will be times when you should consider using a microphone. If the room is big enough and you have a large audience, if a microphone is available, take it. You will be able to employ more vocal variety, avoid swallowing the ends of your sentences, and you will dominate the room with your voice.

I believe you should use any aids that are available to you, but that you need to master the appropriate techniques to use them effectively. Time without number I have seen people come on stage from the audience (for example, at awards ceremonies) and lean into the stand microphone, even though they may have been told not to do so. Not only is it unnecessary, it also detracts from your authority and personal presence if you do so.

Take charge of the platform

Once again, let me remind you that you are being judged the moment you are seen, even if someone else is speaking before you, and people are making up their minds about you. Decide how you want to be perceived, as a dominant speaker or a humorous one, and prepare your opening to establish yourself in that mode.

Moving around is a good idea, so long as you move with a purpose. Just striding around can be distracting.

1. Enhance interpretation. Imagine someone delivering a presentation while standing stock still, arms by their sides. Wouldn’t look right, would it? You’d expect some animation, gestures to illustrate and emphasise certain points, even a few strides to either side. After all, the presenter is the presentation, and it’s a live performance, not a still photograph. Apply the same thinking to your own performance.
2. Improve your visibility. It could be that not everyone can see you clearly, so make it easy on them by moving and standing in different places from time to time.
3. Check they are following. Watch the audience’s heads as you move. If they follow you, they are paying attention. If not, you will need to re-connect with them.

Pitch, pace and pauses

These are the variables that add variety and interest to a speech or talk.

Pitch

The key in which you speak, or the main note that is heard. Find the right starting note, so that you sound authoritative and natural, and feel comfortable.

Beware the tendency to go too high. The larger the audience, the greater the temptation to strain and raise the pitch.

Practise speaking into a tape recorder, playing back with the volume turned down, to decide if your voice sounds attractive or monotonous. You are listening for the tone, not the words. Try recording the same passage at several different pitches. Try switching to a different pitch (usually lower) mid-speech, for dramatic effect.

Pace

The speed at which you speak should also be varied. The ideal speed is between 140 and 160 words per minute. The more energy you put into your speaking the slower you will be, even if it doesn’t feel that way.

Speaking too slowly and deliberately sounds pompous. Speaking too quickly can cause words to be swallowed, and for them to run into each other. To give the impression of high pace, without losing clarity, hit the end consonants of your words.

Pauses

Take your time and do not gabble.

Use the pause for dramatic effect, and to allow your point to sink in.

You should pause:

• at the start, to get attention;
• before a significant piece of information;
• before the punch-line of a joke.

Variety keeps your listeners interested and signals your willingness to communicate.

Involve your audience

A business presentation is not a lecture. Your audience should not be expected to sit silently while you ramble on to the end. Get them involved, make them move, encourage questions.

In fact, ask them questions. Always ask rhetorical questions such as, ‘So what’s the answer?’ Such questions do not require an answer, but they are the kinds of questions that may be in the minds of your listeners, and when you ask and then answer those questions, you make your listeners feel they have participated in a dialogue.

For variety, ask questions that do require an answer, such as, ‘Who here has had such an experience?’ Always have a follow-up question, depending on the response you get. If no one raises a hand, be prepared to ask, ‘How would you react if you did have such an experience?’ And if hands do go up after the first question, ask them to describe what happened and how they felt about it.

If the audience have been sitting for any length of time, ask them to stand and stretch, or give them an activity that requires them to move around. Their brains will clear and they will listen more attentively.

Connecting with the audience

Delivering a presentation should not be a one-way street. There are at least four distinct levels of communication taking place:

1. Audience’s needs.
2. Your purpose.
3. Content.
4. Outcome.

Now let me explain each in turn:

1. Audience’s needs. Remind yourself of why they are there, and what they might want to gain from listening to you. What can you add to your presentation that is specific to the listeners? What’s the first thing you are going to talk about? Remember, it should not – must not – be, ‘This is who we are and this is what we do’.
2. Your purpose. Remember that you should be aiming to make some change in the thinking, attitude or behaviour of your listeners. What is that going to be?
3. Content. A presentation should not be all froth. It must have substance, something of value that is credible and verifiable.
4. Outcome. What do you want the audience to do when you have finished talking? Be clear about it and remember to tell them what to do.

Now consider who your audience are and how they were taught to learn. In some cultures, it is the custom to take notes, so you will have to make it easy for them to do so. Other nations, such as the Japanese and the Finns, are liable to listen in total silence, ask no questions and give you no feedback. The Nigerians and Koreans are very participative and will answer even your rhetorical questions.

Even if you never make presentations to people from other nations, it is worth bearing in mind that people may listen and learn very differently from you.

Now consider what happens in the first few seconds. It’s what some people call the ‘sniffing period’. Think about two dogs meeting for the first time. They sniff each other and decide ‘friend or foe’.

A smile and a strong voice are a good combination to start with. If you are confident about a humorous opening, especially if you make it relevant to the occasion, use that (but not with Germans, Finns or Japanese). Just DO NOT TELL A JOKE. Few people can tell jokes well, and most jokes are so contrived as to lose you the respect of many listeners.

Gestures and movement

Gestures help to illustrate your message, indicating emphasis, punctuation, size and position. They are also about rhythm, energy and passion, but not about beating time!

It is essential to develop good-looking gestures and rehearse them in front of a mirror or video camera until they look elegant, smooth and perfectly natural. You should also move.

Presentation essentials

1. Message. This is the essence of your content, the core value you are offering, the interpretation that you put on the information you impart. It is your wisdom. As I have said before (and will go on saying) if you want to transmit information, send an email. There has to be something more.
2. Messenger. Why is it you delivering the message? Is it your own thinking on the subject, or can the audience equally well hear it from anyone else? For it to make an impact, it must come from within you, and belong to you. The message must be linked to you and identified with you, and you must want your listeners to make some change as a result.
3. Method. However good your content, however powerful your message, you need the right skills to put it across effectively, to stir your listeners’ emotions and make them want to accept and act on what you say. Most people need coaching or training to develop those skills.
4. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. You must know your stuff. Some of the best presenters in the world practise: they seem relaxed and informal, but they have rehearsed every vocal inflection, move and gesture.
5. Have a printout of your slides, clearly numbered, to give you full control. It will enable you to jump to any slide, simply by typing in its number and pressing Enter.
6. With a large audience, use a microphone. Give yourself every opportunity to be heard clearly by everyone. Those who miss a few words will soon switch off.
7. Check that everyone can see your face. Where is the projector located? Your face is a major visual aid. It tells the audience how you feel about your content.
8. Position your flip chart where you can write on it without turning your back, and practise walking to and from the flip chart while facing the audience.
9. Do not look at the slides on the screen. As soon as you do that you are telling the audience that you are merely the acolyte and not the presentation itself.
10. Refer to your ‘Map’ and use transitions between sections. Remember, you are taking your listeners on a journey, and they need to know where they are, from time to time.
11. Maintain good eye contact, holding it with specific individuals for at least three seconds, so that the audience will feel involved and know that you are speaking to them and not at them.
12. Give out handouts at the end, not in advance, otherwise you could find the audience reading your handout and not listening to you.
13. Speak with energy, but not too fast. If your natural speaking speed is fast, hit your consonants even harder than usual. You will still feel as though you are going fast, but will actually slow down considerably.
14. Follow the sequence of persuasion, getting agreement at each stage. Remember AIDA: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action.
15. Make sure you keep driving home your core message. It’s what you want people to carry away with them and remember.

These reminders will help you to deliver an effective presentation, so long as you also observe the rules for preparation.

In the next chapter we’ll discuss some advanced concepts, such as the emotional journey that you take your listeners on, and how to plan and manage that to good effect.

Summary

• The sales pitch that’s like climbing a mountain
• The mind determines what the body does
• Guide to developing charisma
• Changing the way you sound
• Taking charge of the platform
• The right gestures and movement
• Presentation essentials