Kevin Daley, founder of Communispond, shares tips gleaned from 40 years of training executives to handle high-stakes communication situations.
Business Finance: There's a kind of stereotype of finance people as being somewhat reticent, preferring to avoid the limelight, and so on. Do you think there's any basis for that?
Kevin Daley: I do, because they have to be correct, so there's a burden there. And they sometimes have to play things close to the vest, and that's a second burden. They're also very smart.
BF: Fast learners?
KD: Yes. They know whereof they speak; the only difficulty they may have -- and we all do, of course -- is how to frame it for the particular audience they're talking to.
BF: Is there any way to make a presentation a less stressful experience?
KD: The most important thing to do is rehearse the presentation. Educated people usually think rehearsing means running it through your mind. But a presentation is a physical event, and the body must know what it's going to do, or it will not perform properly and will get more nervous. If the body knows what it's going to do, which means we're not making last-second decisions, we can concentrate on what we've prepared to do.
Let's say it's an analysts meeting. Do you write out your presentation? The answer is a profound no! The reason is, there's a book there. The analysts will have the book, they'll have everything you're going to say. What they want to get is, in the words of an old expression, the measure of the man or woman. They want to feel that they know who these people are who are running the company.
BF: So in a sense that's the main subject of the communication?
KD: Exactly. Here's the thing: the analysts are there in order to get hidden nuggets. They want to preen a little bit with their audiences afterwards about the insights they got because they were invited to this special event. So any kind of special information, insider stuff -- I could even say off-the-record stuff, though you've got to be a little careful there, but things like "if you don't hold me to this, this is what I think we're looking for in the future" -- they love that stuff from anybody that's presenting in that arena.
So, first, no script. Secondly, no lectern. Why? The audience is a sensory body out there. We think they're all intellects, but they're not. Thomas Aquinas said that nothing enters the human mind except through the senses. The audience is receiving information mainly through the eyes, secondarily through the ears, and that's what they make their judgments based upon.
BF: So is PowerPoint a help or a hindrance?
KD: I think we need the slides, but here's the big problem: Because there's a book out there that each attendee has, the visuals tend to be a reproduction of a chart that's in that book. And the chart in the book is meant to be studied; it's not a visual to help get a point across in a presentation.
Simplify the visuals. In any kind of presentation the star of the show should be the presenter, not the visual. The visual should highlight information; the meaning should come from the speaker.
BF: I've noticed that some presenters seem to use visuals almost defensively, as a way to draw attention away from themselves.
KD: We have a process we call "touch, turn, and talk." You touch the visual where you want the eye of the viewer as you look at the visual. If you look toward the visual, they will too. So you touch that point, and then turn back to the audience and talk only when looking at a pair of eyes, because your job is to connect on a human level with as many members of the audience individually as you can. And if you're talking to the visual it's gone.
But does everyone tend to talk to the visual? Yes, they do! Unless we know the skill, practice the skill, rehearse the skill, we do the thing that seems natural.
BF: Any other tips?
KD: Use a lavalier microphone -- a hooked-on mic, not a hand mic. A lavalier mic lets the speaker use both hands, and he or she is open to the audience because of that. And an audience is spellbound if a speaker walks out to the middle without a crutch.
What's the biggest mistake you can make in any presentation? For finance people, detail is the name of the game, so they may tend to fall prey to this more than others. A former chairman of Armco Inc., the late Harry Holiday, once said in a room full of people: "The greatest sin in business life is to be boring." We're doing the most exciting thing in the world, in many ways, in the free enterprise system. It's an astonishing process, and far from boring -- so why do we make it so?
• Appeal to both the heart and the head. Want to get a point across? Don't simply present the facts. Appeal to both the intellect and emotions. Use your eyes. When addressing a meeting, make everyone feel included by looking at one person as you express a thought, then looking at others, individually, as you continue. When talking with one person, look at the full face, including the eyes, then turn away to avoid causing discomfort. Watching the other person's face also helps you understand what's being said.
• Anticipate objections before you meet. Your plan makes perfect sense -- to you. But consider what others may think of it before the meeting. Write down all the possible objections and compose specific, concise responses to them. Consider how everyone will benefit, personally and work-wise, as you frame your responses. The more your recommended change affects everyone personally, the more personal the benefits should be.
• Start strong when presenting. First impressions really count. Don't speak while moving to the place you'll speak from, dodging chairs and cords. Stand balanced, both feet on the floor, hips wide, hands at your side. Look at the audience, smile, then begin speaking. Don't lean on the podium or table. Get out from behind it and show your energy.
• Choose the best place to sit while presenting. Be sure you have a full view of those who matter most and can make eye contact with all the participants. Generally, the head of the table meets both aims. Sit comfortably upright, without slouching. Drop that pen because it might be distracting.
• Don't overload your PowerPoint slides. Most visuals include too much detail. Use the slides to identify the points you're making. Speak to the audience, not the visual. You're the star of the presentation; the visuals are supporting players. Don't darken the room.
Source: Communispond