Make an Impact

Eduardo del Buey
Foto: Afp
La Jornada Maya

Martes 21 de agosto, 2018

Do you lose your audience when you speak? Do they fidget, yawn, or appear more interested in their smart phones than in what you´re saying?

A successful presentation is all about connecting with your audience to make maximum impact.

To do this requires first grabbing their attention from the start and holding it throughout.

A great way to start is to surprise the audience.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates once held a fundraiser to raise awareness for his Foundation’s campaign against malaria. Instead of a regular, boring greeting, he did something different. As he went on stage, he took the lid off of a jar he was carrying and released hundreds of mosquitos into the audience, saying “this is to remind you that malaria is not only there for the enjoyment of poor people”. Of course, the mosquitos had been treated to avoid any risk of infection, but the effect was unforgettable. Needless to say, the audience was involved from the start and, I am told, he raised a lot of money that day.

Among the best ways to maintain audience interest, I recommend the use of personal stories and humor. Either alone or together they can be a very effective way to create connection and intimacy while helping to make the audience comfortable with your message and delivery. A good story or a good laugh is long remembered, as is the message that accompanied it.

A well-crafted story can help the audience relate to what you are saying, visualize your messages, or recall a similar experience they may have had. The more personal and relatable your story is, the better a chance you have of connecting.

Telling your stories is much like a conversation – the tone should be friendly, warm and intimate. A presentation must “listen” well, not just “read” well.

Secondly, come prepared. Louis Pasteur once said, “Luck favors the mind that is prepared”. This definitively applies to public speaking. No actor goes on stage without having rehearsed lines and body position repeatedly until the delivery comes as naturally to them as breathing.

If you are demonstrating a product, make sure to do the demo repeatedly as well as just before the presentation to ensure that all works properly. Many a new product introduction has been ruined by a faulty demo. By coming prepared and being comfortable with yourself and your message delivery you will be better able to improvise should the need occur without losing your poise, credibility or, ultimately, your impact.

Never forget that the way we speak is very different from the way that we write and that non-verbal cues can engage the audience as powerfully as the spoken word.

Cadence and vocabulary, passion and honesty, rhythm and breathing are all elements that contribute to capturing the audience’s interest and making you feel and appear relaxed and comfortable in your role. Preparing carefully helps maximize your impact.

Thirdly, always remember that people don’t connect with perfection. They connect with humanity, openness and honesty. Show your true self and your passion when presenting. Look like you are talking from the heart, not from a script. Don’t simply read your charts but, rather, make eye contact with as many individuals as you can in the audience to encourage engagement and even questions or participation.

That is the way to connect.

Fourthly, as stated previously, humor reduces tensions and allows the audience to relax. Self-deprecating humor humanizes you to the audience. If you know your audience, and know their sense of humor and sensitivities, you can use this effective tool to connect.

Remember, what you say is what they get. If your stories are not engaging the audience will tune out. You only have a limited amount of time to make an impression. Once you have lost your audience it is difficult to recapture them.

Here are some other tips that I’d like to share.

Before you start, do some vocal exercises to warm up your voice. Moving up and down the chromatic scale (do-re-mi) is a good exercise. Take a few deep breaths moving your arms upwards when you inhale, and downward when you exhale can energize you.

Develop what researcher Amy Cuddy calls “high power poses”. Prior to the presentation find a private place and make yourself bigger by stretching your arms out and making yourself as tall as possible. Then put your hands on your hips and plant your feet firmly on the ground - and assume what I jokingly call the “Mussolini pose”.

Do this for a few minutes and keep the straight pose and the outstretched body when you go before the audience. This will energize you, get your brain in synch with your body (that is now in a power position) and let your body and words transmit energy and passion to your audience

During your presentation, remember to relax, breathe deeply, speak slowly and naturally. Avoid verbal crutches such as “ahhh” or “umm”, replacing them with a silent pause to allow you to focus on your next sentence while giving the audience with a moment to digest what you have just said.

Show some passion in your presentation. Use your voice, facial expressions, hands, and body to complement your words. Movement conveys passion. Passion connects you to the audience.

While you should strive to share something of value with your audience, how you say it is often as important as what you say. If the audience believes that you believe, they will also believe and remember.

In closing, if your audience doesn’t absorb your message or act on it, the message is lost. You want your message to resonate, which requires a) a few well-crafted messages, b) a passionate presentation, and c) an exhortation to your audience to act.

Always seek to understand your audience and their needs, and craft your messages accordingly. Look at members of your audience for non-verbal cues and respond accordingly. Do they look confused? Bored? Listen and adjust with your intuition while they listen with their ears and eyes.

Rehearse and practice until you can deliver your messages in the most natural voice possible. Mark Twain once noted it took him about three weeks to prepare an impromptu speech.

Know your objectives, and work backwards from your goals to ensure you always stay on-message.

That is how to ensure that you present with maximum impact!

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