Presenting to the undead: how to avoid audience disconnect

Like this:

Start with a pre-emptive strike...

Ever considered getting the audience to like you before you begin? It's not that hard to do. Have someone else introduce you and build humour into your introduction.

Professional speaker Darren LaCroix is regularly introduced like this: "Darren's been all over the world. And when it comes to TV talk-shows, well, let me just mention a few names: Larry King, David Letterman, The Oprah Winfrey Show... Darren has watched them all!

An intro shouldn't be a CV. Make it brief and witty, and they will want to listen.

Then there's the timing...

Short, sharp, to-the-point!

Please, none of that tiresome, "You don't need to see this slide...or this one...or the next one," nonsense! It shows you are unprepared and merely re-hashing a canned show.

Most half-hour presentations would be stronger stripped down to 10 minutes. Then, provide a decisive structure. Set up expectations by telling them what they will 'get' from your presentation, then follow a clear, logical path to deliver what you promised. Finish with a bang.

...And the entertainment factor

No, you don't have to be entertaining... and equally, they don't have to listen to you.

You would think people would instinctively know that an interesting presentation is better than a boring one. You'd think.

There are many ways to be captivating, and they are all easily accessible to you. Here is a buffet of options:

Resurrecting the undead in the room:

• Tell stories. 'Stories are the medium of human communication.' We think in terms of things that we can see, feel and imagine. Stories bring points to life, and your stories don't have to be epic. Just the simple stuff of day-to-day living, told well.

• Use metaphors. I use a hamster running wheel as the basis for several of my motivational talks, including, 'Escape the Hamster Wheel,' 'The Hamster in the Machine,' and 'Hamsters in your Sales Funnel.' Why not use a metaphor as the central idea for your next presentation? You have to speak on saving money for the company. How about calling it 'Plugging the Drain'?

• Use humour. The best humour in presentations is natural, fits, and takes only a moment to deliver. US president Barack Obama, while meeting with the prime minister of Great Britain, dropped a line that aroused laughter. He said, "I'm sure the prime minister wouldn't disagree with me... at least not while I'm around..." It was a simple little aside that got a good laugh.

• Use a problem/solution structure. This creates a little drama, even with dry topics. Instead of beginning with your solution, start with a short story that highlights the problem it was designed to solve. You'll see the technique in infomercials: "Do you have a soft, flabby stomach? Do your neighbours run and hide whenever you wobble by? You need new Flab-away!" Please don't be that cheesy, but the basic structure does work: problem - solution. It builds a pleasing 'tension-and-release' rhythm into presentations.

• Use pictures and stories in place of numbers. At some point, you will inevitably have to include numbers or graphs in your presentations. The best presenters know that their objective as a speaker is not to give information, but to help their audience to understand. Information is only half of the job. Understanding is the goal. It's futile for you to have all the numbers at your fingertips if you can't make them meaningful to your audience. Don't just show the graph. Tell the story. Convey to your audience what it 'really means.'

• Audience interaction. "How many of you regularly work out? Raise your hands." "I have a prize here for anyone who's willing to try their hand at a small experiment. Any takers?" Audience interaction is easy. You can even use audience members to illustrate points: "I would like every third person to stand up. Now look around the room. One out of every three people in corporate companies doesn't know what the company's goals are." (Note: here is an opportunity for humour. "Everyone who's now standing, you're fired!")

So, is that a pulse? Take the time and trouble, and you can resurrect the undead in your audiences!