Do Your Presentations Miss the Point?

"BUT THAT'S THE WAY WE'VE ALWAYS DONE IT . . ." Boy, are those deadly words. And I've heard them, both directly and indirectly, from three separate sources this week. Ouch! Does anybody care about the audience any more?
        I hope that's a rhetorical question, but clearly there are a lot of people who miss the point of what a presentation is really about. It is NOT about your company or your products or services or features & benefits (which are typically all about yourself anyway). It is NOT about how much you know or how facile you are standing in front of an audience. NOR about your titles or your company's awards or even your view of art or technology or business or WHATEVER.
        What a presentation should be about — ANY type of presentation — is opening the eyes and the minds of your audience to things greater than they've seen or they currently know.
        That's it. And it really does apply to any type of presentation.
        And to do it right, you can't just throw your viewpoints or features or agenda out there and hope the audience gets what you're driving at. For anything you're going to share with your audience, you have to clearly establish why this is important for them — and then you need to lead with that.
        If it feels like I'm about to start pounding on the table, you're right. This is really basic stuff, but it's rarely taught and even more rarely grasped and applied. That's why there are millions of horrible presentations given every day — because presenters start with their viewpoint and work outwards, rather than starting with the audience's viewpoint and working inwards.
        So the next time you're preparing for a presentation, DON'T automatically follow your old format. Instead, put yourself in your audience's shoes and think about what their needs, interests, or goals might be. Think about what sequence of information would make most sense to them (chances are it's not the way you usually present this information). And then be totally clear about what they'll gain or what will affect them or what can change their life.
        Do that, and you'll never give a more powerful presentation.

Comments

[Kathy Reiffenstein]

John,

You've SO hit the nail on the head. One of my oft-repeated lines in my presentation training is "It's NOT about you; it's ALL about them [the audience]." Yet although I find people grasp that intellectually, it's far more challenging to get it emotionally and actually change behavior.

I enjoy your posts...they always give me something insightful to think about.

Kathy

[John Windsor]

Thanks, Kathy! I really appreciate your comments.

And, boy, isn't change hard? You're so right when you say that getting it emotionally is the key. Have you blogged about that?

John

[Terry Gault]

John,

Thanks for the post. You are absolutely right: a presentation is about the audience, not the presenter.

Successful presenters connect with their audience by focusing on them. Now, what exactly does this mean? Well, connecting is a lot of things: communicating, associating, relating. Connecting with your audience involves them in the core of what you are saying in your presentation, in the ideas and information you are giving them. At a deeper level, you’re not just giving a speech; you’re creating a two-way interchange based on common interests.

When we connect with something, we bind it to us. Before you start feeding information to your audience, take in some information from them. They are always talking to you — non-verbally. Ask them questions and involve them in the process. Really listen to their questions; paraphrase them for understanding. To influence an audience, thereby getting your message to them, they must trust you. We all tend to trust people we feel connected to. In your presentations, create a sense of shared experience with your audience, so you’ll both get something out of it.

Thanks for the post

[John Windsor]

I love your highlighting of the word "trust", Terry. Achieving that can be so powerful for both parties, but it sure doesn't spring from a discussion of features. Thanks for your comments!

John