Secrets of Great Presentations:

Power, Passion, Persuasion

by

Lorraine HowellYour Speech Coach

ForNetHope.org

October 10, 2018

Training and all Materials Copyright © 2018 Howell, SeattleMedia Skills Training | PO Box 19342, Seattle, WA 98109-1342 | 206.265.5220

lorraine@lorrainehowell.com | www.lorrainehowell.com

Secrets of Great Presentations

Power, Passion, Persuasion______________________________

By the end of this session, you will learn techniques and strategies for

Building effective presentations for any audience; Staying on track with key messages;

Feeling more relaxed when making presentations.

Lorraine Howell, Your Speech Coach

“Lorraine’s tips, tools, and personal experience helped me feel prepared and comfortable, following the energy of the room, yet presenting the ideas and information to meet the objectives of the presentation.  Audience feedback was universally positive. 

Delivering a speech or presentation can be a scary proposition, but Lorraine’s calm, professional, and confident demeanor is contagious.  She is delightful to work with.”

--Jay Gusick Former Executive Director, Communications & Community Relations

Group Health Cooperative

Content Questionnaire

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Your Audience:Who are they? ______________________________________________________

What do they care about? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is the context for the presentation? (What is going on in the organization, in the country, in the world?) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What questions/concerns/objections might they have about your topic?____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why should they listen to you? (WIIFT?) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Your Message:What do you want to accomplish? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What are the 2-3 points you want to make? __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How do you want them to respond? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

What do you want them to remember? ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Why is this important? _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What spins your jets about what you do? __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Great Presentations

Preparation:

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Who is your audience?What do they care about? What is important for them to hear or learn? Why should they listen to you? Why is it important?

What is the context for your presentation?What is going on in the company, in the industry, in the country? What is going on in the world?

What is your purpose?To educate, motivate to action, inspire confidence, establish yourself as a credible expert and leader.

What is your objective?What are the desired results? How do you want the audience to feel? What action do you want them to take? What do you want them to remember about you or your main point?

What’s your message?What are your 2-3 key points? How can you explain or support these points?

WIIFT? (What’s in it for them?)The old saw “tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you’ve told them” can be relevant. 1But it’s not a “one size fits all” formula. When deciding what to say, put yourself in the shoes of the audience and consider what would be of interest or of value to them. Do your homework, tailor your remarks to the audience.

Content

Beginning:This section sets the tone for the entire presentation. You need to grab the listeners’ attention immediately and let them know this is something worth their time and attention.

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There are many ways to open a presentation. Be creative. Here are a few ideas:

A relevant story, personal or relevant A bold statement of new ideas or vision A quick audience survey, i.e. show of hands Make a personal connection with audience, perhaps state your reason for

being there Humor - only if you’re good at it! Make it short and relevant!

After the open, give the audience a quick preview of your presentation and why listening is worth their investment.

Middle:Here’s where you get into the nuts and bolts of your message that is tailored to this particular audience. Have 2-3 key points that you want to make, with one or two supporting statements for each point. For a more specialized or specific audience, details are required to support your presentation. But for general audiences, use examples and illustrations, but don’t overload them with jargon and detail. They will let you know if they want more information, usually in the Q&A portion.

If you are using visuals, keep the text limited (lots of white space!) and the graphics clear and immediately understandable. Don’t read slides or overheads verbatim. Use them as jumping off points.

Stay focused on the audience. Watch their body language and whether or not they are paying attention. If there’s some coughing or restless fidgeting, you know you are losing them.

At that point it’s time to regroup and get them back. Ask them a question, maybe about their opinion or their experience. Something that let’s them know you are interested in them. Streamline the rest of your remarks and wrap it up. Get to the interactive portion of your presentation.

The Close:This is the grand finale. Recap your major points and tell the audience what is important and why? This is also the time for your “call to action”. If appropriate, tell them what you want them to do or how you want them to respond. Ask for their support. This is the time for imagination, inspiration and motivation.

Personal Style

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Dealing with Nerves:Feeling nervous is normal...don’t fight it! Use it to your advantage. Welcome it and turn it into positive energy. Shift your focus from your performance to the needs of your audience. How can you give them something of value for their time and attention?

There are many strategies to minimize the jitters, including: Plan and prepare with your audience in mind Clear and concise messages Practice in advance Relevant self-deprecating humor Deep breathing and visualization

Body Language:Develop a comfortable stance when standing, keep your shoulders even and your arms at rest. If you have a tendency toward fidgety hands, hold something like a pen or note cards. If there’s a podium, rest your hands on the sides and use gestures sparingly. Breathe at all times!

If you’re seated, make sure your clothing is smooth and not rumpled, i.e. pull jackets down in back, adjust front buttons and collars and ties so they are straight. Sit up straight and lean slightly forward.

Voice:Your voice is your biggest asset and something you can usually improve in a very short period of time. Tape yourself and listen to the sound of your voice. You can change the tone, pitch and quality of your voice with concentration and practice.

Experiment with your voice and your breathing. Sherron Bienvenu, Ph.D., author of “The Presentation Skills Workshop” recommends lying on the floor, on your back comfortably, and reading out loud. This produces natural breathing and your natural voice. Try to duplicate that sound when you sit back up or stand. It takes practice. The goal is to breathe from your belly and not just from your throat.

If your voice has a high pitch, try a humming exercise. Start humming and see how low you can bring your voice, then take your humming as high as you can go. This works well in the shower!

If you have a tendency to speak rapidly and run your words together, try placing a pencil in your mouth and speaking out loud. This helps with articulation and pacing.

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If your voice is breathy, put more power behind it. And remember, when in doubt... lower, slower, louder!

If you have a tendency toward a monotone delivery I recommend reading stories out loud. You can practice by reading to children or just by yourself. Really exaggerate the sound of your voice, as though you were acting out the scene. See what various sounds you can make. Play with it!

Deborah Boswell, president of Professional Speech Services of Alabama, writes in an article in “Professional Speaker” magazine recommending that you drink lots of water, and prior to presentations, avoid dairy products, which can stimulate excess mucous. She also recommends staying away from caffeine, alcohol, and antihistamines on the day before or the day of your presentation. These substances will dry out your voice.

You may have other difficulties with your voice that require professional expertise. A voice coach can usually help. If you plan to speak on a regular basis, it’s worth the investment.

Eye Contact:Whether you are speaking to 1 person or 1000, it’s important to make everyone feel like you are speaking only to them. Making eye contact is one of the best ways to do this.

Depending on the size of the group, it’s best to start out by making eye contact with one person in the room, then moving slowly to another person, and another as your presentation unfolds. Don’t scan the audience as though you are following the “bouncing ball.” Take your time

If it’s a big crowd, focus on a person or spot near the rear center of the room and branch out from there as you get more comfortable.

Hostile Questions or Situations

Anticipate:You can face hostile questions or situations at any time. So anticipating what could come up and being ready to respond is the biggest step you can take to handle it well. Practice, Practice, Practice your responses.

Stay Calm:Try not to react or appear defensive. If something comes out of left field, give yourself a second or two to think before responding. Humor, when appropriate can also diffuse a situation, if you’re good at it. Use it as an opportunity to make a

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point.

Don’t Get Angry: Anger is the biggest trap and sometimes that’s the goal of the adversary. Don’t buy into it. Stay strong, firm in you beliefs and principles and get back to your main agenda as quickly as possible.

Listen: This can be your best tool. Many times hostile people just want to be heard and understood. Do your best to empathize. Ask questions and listen to the answers, so they know you’ve connected with them. You will learn soon enough if it’s just a tactic to steer you off course.

Don’t Take It Personally: Separate yourself from the job or the message. Try to see thing from the other perspective.

Address the Underlying Issues Whenever Possible: Usually there’s a reason why people are upset or angry. Acknowledge the anger or hostility, address the issues if possible, and try to lead people toward a way to resolve the problem, whether it’s on the spot or by following up with the dissenting voices

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Webinars and Web Meetings

With these new forms of presentations come new challenges. The basics remain the same. It’s still about the audience. However, because you are no longer in the same room with your audience, you need to build more interactivity into the meeting or webinar.

Here are few tips and ideas to make web meetings successful:

Preparation:Have a clear purpose for the meeting. Circulate an agenda in advance that states the purpose.

Solicit input from the participants. Ask relevant questions and incorporate the answers or feedback into the session. This can be in the form of a survey or polling questions.

Interactivity:Plan elements into the meeting during which participants can respond to questions or situations. This should be relevant and useful to them. Give them a reason to respond back to you.

Use the technology tools available in the web meeting program like polling questions and live chat.

Put yourself in the seats of the participants. What would move them to get involved in the conversation?

Slides:Your purpose and content should drive the makeup of the slide deck. Organize your meeting first, and then decide what visuals you need. Create more interesting visuals. Use more pictures or easy to understand graphics whenever possible.

Keep text to a minimum. If you have complex information, give it to them in a handout they can read later.

Give them the highlights not the whole thing. Have one deck of slides for the meeting and another deck for people who could not attend that has more detail.

In general, keep it moving and keep it engaging! Make them care! Biography

Training and all Materials Copyright © 2018 Howell, SeattleMedia Skills Training | PO Box 19342, Seattle, WA 98109-1342 | 206.265.5220

lorraine@lorrainehowell.com | www.lorrainehowell.com

Lorraine Howell started her business in 1998 after 12 years as a television news and talk show producer in the San Francisco Bay Area. She coaches top executives and professionals on how to be more effective speakers for speeches, presentations, and networking opportunities. From 2011-2015 she was an instructor at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business in the Technology Management MBA, the Global Executive MBA, and the Executive MBA programs. From 2007-2009 she coached the five finalists in the Forbes.com national Boost Your Business Contest in New York City.

Her book Give Your Elevator Speech a Lift! (Book Publishers Network, August, 2010 Second Edition) is a step-by-step guide through her proven process for creating a winning elevator speech, including new content on personal branding and social media. Lorraine’s method helps eliminate the verbal clutter when answering the question “What do you do?”

As the Senior Segment Producer on the top rated news show at KTVU, the Fox affiliate in Oakland, she specialized in booking exclusive, live interviews with top names in the news, public figures and celebrities. She produced live broadcasts from the White House and from the Capitol in Washington, D.C., from the 1996 Republican & Democratic National Conventions, and from “Camp O.J.” during the Simpson murder trial in Los Angeles.

At KPIX, the CBS affiliate, she produced live, one-hour programs featuring breaking news stories, controversial issues and emerging trends, and a long list of celebrities on the number one morning talk show.

She speaks on presentation and networking skills at conferences and seminars. Her client list includes Starbucks Coffee Company, University of Washington, Microsoft, City of Seattle, City of Bellevue, AAA Washington, Group Health Cooperative, Seattle Children’s and Research Center, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, NetHope, Seneca Group, The Mountaineers Books, Seattle Genetics, ZymoGenetics, Kibble & Prentice, U.S. Small Business Administration, Edelman Public Relations Worldwide.

She is a Cum Laude graduate from the University of Washington, Phi Beta Kappa. Lorraine is also a member of the Association for Women in Communications, Public Relations Society of America, National Women’s Political Caucus of Washington, and a Washington State Certified OMWBE.

Lorraine received the national Headliner Award in 2009 from the Association for Women in Communications. In October 2012, she was inducted into the UW Department of Communication’s Alumni Hall of Fame.

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