FREE! E-Newsletter Presentations Points is a free short monthly bulletin sent out by Claudyne Wilder. Every bulletin discusses two ideas for presenters and one for designers. There's also a monthly challenge for presenters and designers. Subscribe Now October 2003 Your Presentation Success Is Our Passion Present It Right...The First Time! WINNING PRESENTATIONS PUBLIC SEMINARS Goal: Learn how to develop, design, and deliver a persuasive, results-oriented presentation. Testimonials from the last seminar: "Claudyne customized her recommendations for each individual." "This is the best, absolute best training I have attended." Dates: November 4 and 5, 2003 Location: Boston by the Fleet Center Time: 9 to 5 Cost: $650, with a money-back guarantee For a seminar outline click here or e-mail me at claudyne@wilderpresentations.com When you refer someone who comes to my seminar, you'll receive a free book or CD. If you already have those, I'll give you some slide design ideas you can use. PRESENTERS: USING GESTURES Your gestures can connect you to your audience. They can also make your audience not want to look at you if gestures distract from your message. Using your hands effectively helps you make a key point. Your gestures also keep your energy up by your face, so that you may have less of a tendency to rock from leg to leg. Gestures are a good way to release accumulated energy. They give you the aura of confidence when they are keyed to your message. Your audience feels that you are willing to share more than your voice with them. What are the misconceptions people have about gesturing? Misconception 1: Keep your hands still. If I hold my hands still by my side, people will take me more seriously. Reality: These are people who speak with their hands, but have been told to stop moving their hands. They are the people who use their hands to convey their thoughts and feelings. They are usually naturals at gesturing, with movements that highlight the points they are making. Of course, they do need to change the pace by not constantly moving their hands. In reality, they should gesture. Gesturing is part of the essence of who they are. Misconception 2: Don't use your arms. I should keep my hands by my side and make small gestures. Reality: When someone holds their arms by their sides and gestures with their fingers by their thighs, they look uneasy. Presenters need to raise their hands to their waist while gesturing. Misconception 3: Plan your gestures: I have learned how to make a certain hand gesture and use only that one at planned times in my talk. Reality: Actors know how to plan gestures and make them look natural. Most presenters are not trained well enough to do that. Don't plan out every gesture. You will probably look like you are doing just that - choreographing your movements. Let your hands move naturally as you talk. Try these experiments: Point at the screen: One easy gesture to practice is to walk over to the screen and point to an image. Walking helps relieve your tension. Gesturing to the screen shows you are confident about your material. If possible, my personal preference is a hand pointing at he screen rather than a red dot from a laser pointer. One hand up, one down: Try this if you are holding a remote mouse. Put the hand that holds the remote by your side. Hold your other hand up by your waist and gesture with the empty hand. PRESENTERS: INTRODUCING SOMEONE Excite your audience: make them want to hear the person you are introducing. Start with a short story. Rather than start with the speaker's background, tell a story that demonstrates one of this person's talents. Provide some background. Transition to sharing the speaker's background by describing how the speaker developed this talent you have just discussed via the short story. Don't just read the person's background, though. Divide it into three key messages. Say, for example, "So and so has brought three key talents to this industry: drive, perseverance, and imagination. This drive is seen by how she started as a sales representative and moved up through these positions." You can now describe about the positions she has held through the "drive" image. This is much more interesting for your audience - and easier for them to remember. Reasons we are pleased to have this person speak to this group. Tell how you believe the speaker will provide value to the audience. For example: "I know many of you have persevered through the types of trials our speaker has had and are interested in some of the details of that journey. Now let's hear directly from so and so." Note hints: Start every sentence on the left. Use at least 18-point type so you don't have to squint, and double- or triple-space the text. Put in bold the words you want to emphasize. And don't read the stories - tell them in your own words. Delivery hints: Sound excited. You are setting up the environment in the room for the speaker. Don't bore the audience before the speaker starts to talk. Don't end your sentences looking at your notes for the next point. Instead, end every sentence looking at someone in the audience. DESIGNERS: CUTTING TEXT What is enough text? When do you have enough details? Does the presenter know? No. Only the audience can gauge that answer. It really doesn't matter what the presenter thinks, the audience will decide if they approve of the amount of text on the slides. So what to do when designing your slides? Ask someone who will be in the audience. If you present to the same audience over and over, ask your audience if they would like more or less information on the slides. You can do this verbally or with a questionnaire. Now that you know what your audience wants, how do you streamline your slides? Follow these three guidelines: 1. Same word on a slide: Use a word only once per slide. 2. Same word in a presentation: Repeat words only a couple times on all your slides. If you need to check, search for the word to see how many times it comes up in your presentation. 3. Transition phrases: Leave out transition words such as formerly, in light of, to continue. MONTHLY CHALLENGES PRESENTERS: Videotape one of your presentations and look at your gestures. What do you see? DESIGNERS: How many unnecessary words you can take off the slides? Make it a game. NEW SERVICES: CRISP AND FOCUSED SLIDES WITH IMPACT! Captivate your audience! Whether your presentation slides need critique, design, or a makeover, Wilder Presentations can now offer you all these services. To see our new services click here. COMMENTS FROM OUR READERS Here is some wonderful life advice from our reader Marlena Rich. Who sits in your front row? Invite your audience carefully. Not everyone is healthy enough to have front row seats in our lives. There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go of, or at least minimize, your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not going anywhere relationships/friendships. Observe the relationships around you...PAY ATTENTION!!! Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which one discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are going downhill? When you leave certain people, do you feel better or worse? Which ones always have drama or don't really understand, know, or appreciate you? The more you seek quality, respect, growth, peace of mind, love, and truth around you, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the front row and who should be moved to the balcony of your life. BEFORE AND AFTER SLIDE EXAMPLE HOW TO CUT TEXT DOWN ON A SLIDE Boston-based people: From time to time I will recommend someone or something to you. There is the most incredible esthetician in Boston. Her name is Cheryl and she works on Waltham Street in Boston at Face Facts. If you want a gorgeous face, go see Cheryl for a facial. If you want a body treatment that will truly help you detoxify your system, go see Cheryl. Recently I was exhausted for reasons I won't go into. I had a body treatment with Cheryl for two hours and came out feeling and looking great. In the business of presenting, one has to look alive and awake in front of an audience. Let me know if you see her. Her number is 617-451-9499. PS: I do not get any commission or other payment from telling you about Cheryl. I just wanted you to know about her. 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. It’s also perfectly acceptable to post Presentation Points on your company’s Intranet. 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