April 2007

Use a plot and tell a better [more]

When is smiling appropriate to the audience? [more]

"Today you'll hear three reasons to move ahead with the product timeline" instead of "Here is my agenda" [more]

Compress your files with NXPowerLite [more]

Behavior: Ask someone about your smiling when presenting. Do you smile enough? Too much? Not enough? At appropriate times? At inappropriate times?

USE A PLOT AND TELL A BETTER STORY

Several years ago I had the privilege of helping a friend who was trying to meet a Hollywood producer. She has many fabulous life experiences that made for wonderful story-telling moments. She could make an audience cry or laugh. Each story in and of itself had a plot, drama, and an outcome. But Hollywood turned her down. In my opinion, it was because she didn't have an overall plot of all her life experiences that could easily be turned into a movie. At the time I read several books about writing a screenplay, and many of the authors discussed the importance of a clear plotline. So to help us all with the stories we tell and how they affect our audiences, let's look at plots you might consider. Some of these ideas are from the Story by Robert McKee.

1. Growth plot: In business this signifies how your company grew its business during the last few years. Each product has its own growth curve, issues that made it easy or difficult to increase profits, and where it is heading. For example, a company's plot may be: we are constantly reinventing our business as the market changes.
2. Failure plot: A researcher explains how a particular test failed.
3. From-failure-to-success plot: A researcher explains how a failed test led him to try something else that produced the results he desired.
4. Consequences plot: Rather than just share information on how to do certain processes, the instructor can make up stories. Present both a positive-consequence story of using the correct process and a negative-consequence story.
5. Visionary plot: Help your audiences envision the future you are creating with words, images, and emotional-impact examples. It could be a positive or negative vision.

I can go on and on making up business plots. But here's the important idea. Let's say you want to recommend a specific strategy to a group of people. How will you share the data? Will you create a plot for it, or will you just read it off the screen? The story you weave will capture your audience's attention and make it easier for them to listen. Plus, if appropriate, it will be easier for you to smile with sincerity, the passionate behavior of the month.

WHEN IS SMILING APPROPRIATE TO THE AUDIENCE?

"Did you know that in social encounters women smile 87 percent of the time versus 67 percent for men, and that women are 26 percent more likely to return smiles from the opposite sex?" These are just a few statistics from The Definitive Book of Body Language by Allan and Barbara Pease (who also wrote Why Men Don't Listen and Women Can't Read Maps). The authors go on to provide even more statistics on the importance of smiling - and not smiling. "The lessons here," they conclude, "are for women to smile less when dealing with dominant men in business or to mirror the amount of smiling that men do. And if men want to be more persuasive with women, they need to smile more in all contexts."

Even this bit of information gives you lots of ideas about how to present. First of all, who's in your audience? Are there more men or women? And what level of authority do these people have? Allan and Barbara Pease discovered that the higher level of authority, the less people smile. Consequently, if you are presenting to executives, you may not want to smile all the time. You won't be taken as seriously.

And if you are going to smile, it better be real. According to the Peases, "a natural smile produces characteristic wrinkles around the eyes - insincere people smile only with their mouth." Research shows that you can't get away with a fake smile. People, at some level, pick up on your insincerity.

What are the implications for passionate speaking? Smile when you truly feel it. Mirror your audience's "smile quotient" in serious business situations.

Here is one more tidbit. I'm not sure how you can do this, but it's certainly interesting to consider. The Peases quote neurologist Henri Rubenstein, who "found that one minute of solid laughter provides up to forty-five minutes of subsequent relaxation." That would surely be one way to put yourself in a good frame of mind before a presentation. Imagine being passionate in a relaxed state!

Opening Phrase That Will Empower You and/or Your Audience
"TODAY YOU'LL HEAR THREE REASONS TO MOVE AHEAD WITH THE PRODUCT TIMELINE" INSTEAD OF "HERE IS MY AGENDA"

Don't start your talk by reading your agenda. First of all, that's not particularly interesting. Second, you really can't sound that enthusiastic reading an agenda. Instead, start by telling your audience something that will interest them. Memorize your lines, then deliver them with style, enthusiasm, and directness.

COMPRESS YOUR FILES WITH NXPowerLite

As you know, PowerPoint files can be very large. Even after compressing your pictures, some files are still too large to e-mail. Last week I once again realized how useful is the NXPowerLite product. All it takes is a couple of clicks to reduce your file size. With NXPowerLite, you can be sure that your file will arrive in the receiver's e-mail in box. Second, your receiver will be happy that your file didn't take up her whole storage space. And third, image quality will not change. All the gorgeous photos look just as good after image compression. Here are some examples of compression:

• 6.88MB to 2.36MB: this file had several photos and a map.
  
• 9.5 MB to 1.2 MB: a file with many images taken from books.
  
• 53.7MB to 6.5MB: maps, images, tables, and charts.

Winning Presentations Public Seminar
June 12 and 13, 2007, Boston, MA

This seminar is open to those who both create and deliver presentations.

• Increase your presence in front of a group.
• Use opening, closings, and transitions focused on your audience's "need to know."
• Redo a presentation, including, if necessary, a new background and many slide design ideas.
• Learn how to create PowerPoint slides that enhance your presentation's objective.
• Leave with a personalized action plan and a video of the six presentations you gave during the seminar.
  
  

Visual Makeovers
Do you want your slides to be more professional looking? Do you want your slides to convey the key messages of your talk? Learn how to create slides that enhance your ability to present with confidence and enthusiasm.

Corporate Consulting: Presentation Performance Process for Your Company or Division
Save days of time creating a presentation. Put my process in place and save at least one-third of the time you used to spend putting together a talk. Guaranteed!

My clients include: The Gillette Company, Genzyme Corporation, CVS, Harvard Medical International, State Street Global Advisors, Mercury Computer Systems, Harvard Medical School, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Avid Technology.

Presentation Points may be forwarded via e-mail, printed for circulation, and quoted free of charge. No permission is required, but please mention where you got this information.  Also, it's perfectly acceptable to post Presentation Points on your company's intranet. To subscribe to Presentation Points or visit my website, go to www.wilderpresentations.com.