The science of presentation or the art of speaking

Today I want to talk about presentation as part of the compagneur programme, as it is relevant for both employees and self-employed in one way or another.
The modern form of presentation is to become a speaker which is getting more and more popular in today’s business world. The reasons, of course, are manifold:
- Selling your products and services from stage
- Inspiring people with your story
- Pitching for “fun and funds”
Let’s leave the field of motive and results and move to the actual presentation on stage (i.e. to stand in front of people, not necessarily on a pedestal).
All forms of presenting have in common that a lot of attention is given to the presenter. Thus, unconscious moves, habits and traits of the presenter will seem more prominent. Sometimes have the potential even to distract from the content and message, like twisting your finger ring and filling words like “ahhmm”.
We are all humans and should not be judged by our “nervous habits” and ticks, but the truth is, we are. So, if your motivation for becoming a speaker is to sell, inspire and pitch and if you even paid to be on stage, it’s my advice to put some thought into the setup.
What follow is a collection of experiences from watching my performances on stage, listening carefully to others when speaking and reflecting on these points. I hope you will find this of value and share your experiences, too.
1. First words
Be catchy, be smart, show that you too are only human, don’t take yourself too seriously but act as if you belong on the stage. AND most importantly rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. Do it in front of the mirror, tape yourself, ask friends to watch and give feedback and stop the time.
2. Introducing yourself
3. Gentures
4. Timing
5. Sharing the stage
I can speak from experience with Lilli, that it is one of the hardest tasks. What you need is either total harmony, separate areas of expertise or practicing beforehand. We actually do all three.
6. Introducing slides
Also, many presenters are tempted to look on the screen and turn their back towards the audience. That way you lose rapport with the audience and without a microphone the room might not be able to understand you anymore.
I recently watched a presentation of a famous neuroscientist. He started of with a 20 minutes aural introduction and had everyone’s full attention. Then he used the stick to kickstart his presentation, but nothing worked. It took him and the team 5 minutes to fix it, the momentum was lost and every time he was flipping a slide, he had difficulties.
Be especially careful if your presentation consists of slides and videos and if you need an internet connection to play the footage.