Ymag49 hr

Ymag49 hr

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  Y#49 April 1,2016 Window for action loving PROFESSIONALS Dear Readers We all present our ideas before others in smaller and larger gatherings. In business situations, tools become important to create the right impact. Luxury of tools often leads to lethargy of packaging thoughts and designing impact. Instead of auctioning our ideas towards persuading for impact, we invariably become reader of data. PowerPoint is a tool; it isn’t content. Microsoft word doesn’t tell beautiful (or awful) stories, the author does. And so it goes with PowerPoint presentations: if you fill them with bad content and design, your presentation flies right out the window. Time to reflect, ask questions and take charge of the way we present. Cheers, Rajiv Khurana Editor rajiv@rajivkhurana.com 9810211256 Coaching Learning Advancing Sharpening Smartening © Advt.Pages11 The Interesting Art of Boring Presentations 2-4 Check it out! 5 Presentation Tips 6-8 Ten Ideas for Becoming a Better Presenter 9 Presentation – Quotes 10
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  Y#49 April 1,2016 Window for action loving PROFESSIONALS 2 The Interesting Art of Boring Presentations -Rajiv Khurana Bores are a blessing. If they were not there, dozing off in the post-lunch session of any conference would be quite embarrassing for the thorough fed … (oops!) bred professionals. A bore is a person who talks when others wish him to listen. He tests your patience. You know that it is too late when he says, “Well, to make a long story short…”. Bores are the people who are here today and remain here tomorrow. Many bores are so obviously happy that it is a non-boring pleasure to watch them. Robert Quillen in his wisdom said, “As we grow older, our bodies get shorter and our anecdotes longer.” Aging brings experience and wisdom. Who else can wrap up a two minute idea in a two-hour vocabulary? These days even the young claimants of high intellectualism can also beat the big bores in their game through obsessive love of hearing their own voice. If reading so far has not bored you, welcome to the highly accomplished world of the celebrity bores. Get some inspiration on how the mighty and accomplished bores demonstrate their skills in front of the organizationally & occasionally bored professionals who throng to the big and small conferences. This ‘deep boring’ exercise may not be boring instantly but can lead you to the path of being an unshakable bore.
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  Y#49 April 1,2016 Window for action loving PROFESSIONALS 3 -Avoid looking at the audience. Remember the cough syrup advertisement when you forcibly clear your throat. Apologize for 90 seconds about not being the right person to deliver the talk. Take the next 120 seconds to place on record your un-conditional appreciation for the organizers for giving you the chance. “You pat me and I pat you” is in vogue these days. -Refrain from smiling. Avoid using humour. You never know whether the audience will feel bad about your joke or your way of cracking it. Besides, smiling can dilute the seriousness of your topic. -Keep your hands in the pocket when you stand up to speak. It will help your audience to do a betting on the kind and amount of coins you are playing with. Good enough to distract them. They will avoid weighing the contents of your talk. -Carry at least 40 slides for a ten minutes talk. Impression is more important than expression. You have to wake the audience out of their slumber through your 0-100kmph pick up in just 6.9 seconds. So what if they lose the track and see the dust of your fast paced ideas from a distance. This will also convey that you are miles ahead of them. -Use small font size. Put big tables. Use line diagrams. Display dull colours. If the audience fails to bring their binoculars, it is their fault, not yours. You can’t keep adjusting your font size as per the big or small screen or the big or small hall provided by your orgnisers. It is also the duty of the organizer to arrange for magnification tools. You are only trying to provide a holistic picture on a single slide. It’s tough job to cramp up the slide with so much of information. It takes a master like you to do it.
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  Y#49 April 1,2016 Window for action loving PROFESSIONALS 4 -Speak in low tones. This can also cover up for your lack of confidence. Try to make your voice soft. Even if the contents don’t make sense, your low and soothing voice can act as the intoxicant and will succeed in putting the audience to some moments of peace with self. How often do you so people demonstrating the art of singing lullabies in management? Ensure that you speak in monotone voice. A variation can be quite disturbing to the audience. Experiment in long pauses. If it suites our national leadership, you can play with it too. It would also give you enough time to think, “What next?” while it will give your audience enough time to relax “until next.” -Keep a set of stories, anecdotes or examples. Learn the art of fitting them into any situation. If Bollywood can survive on this format, nothing will happen to your presentation. This will only bring in some level of predictability for the audience to guess – “If the topic is this, that story is coming up soon”. -Use long sentences. Conferences are the place where you can test your bombastic overflow of English vocabulary. This will certainly make the serious listeners start using the highly ignored book lying at their home under thick cover of dust called – English dictionary. The non- serious will de-link quite soon so you need not wait for them. They would only be waiting for the next break. -Don’t worry, If you do become a bore presenter. No one will doubt your intention. Oscar Wilde gave a good definition of a bore: a man who is never un-intentionally rude. Ignore what Cecil Beaton said, “Perhaps the world’s second worst crime is boredom. The first is being a bore.” The best way to be boring is to leave nothing out. This requires a lot of caliber. Sir Walter Scott once said, “It requires no small talent to be a decided bore.” What have you decided?
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  Y#49 April 1,2016 Window for action loving PROFESSIONALS 5 P Poor content and time planning R Research limitations vis-à-vis theme and objectives E Excessive packaging of ideas and words S Staying aloof to the needs of the audience E Easy options of ‘copy and paste’ N No attention to body language T Typical boring PowerPoint designs A Absence of persuasive inputs and storyline T Technology handling goof-ups I Inadequate confidence to deliver O Overlooking the power of feedback N Nil practice How would you assess the next presentation you attend? What kind of assessment you may receive? THINK. DELIBERATE. EVOLVE. Intellectualproperty:RajivKhurana
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  Y#49 April 1,2016 Window for action loving PROFESSIONALS 6 Speaking to a group 41% Heights 32% Insects & Bugs 24% Financial Problems 23% Deep Water 22% Sickness 20% Death 19% Flying 18% Our fears… -Book of lists 1977 PREPARING YOUR TALK Research & Analyze • Define the purpose • Know your audience • Define objectives • Know the setting and conditions STRUCTURING YOUR TALK The Framework • Identify the main elements and sub- elements of the topic • Choose a starting point • Find the “best” route through the material Movable parts • Find analogies to clarify unfamiliar ideas • Use examples and illustrations to support the message Presentation Tips
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  Y#49 April 1,2016 Window for action loving PROFESSIONALS 7 Presentation Tips YOU AND THE AUDIENCE Aims and expectations • Know the audience’s requirements of you • Try to inform, persuade and entertain, not impress Tailor your presentation • Use appropriate language • Use examples from your own experience and analogies from theirs • Involve the whole audience MEMORY AIDS • Prepare a “route map” through the topic • Identify key words and phrases • Prepare your notes • Prepare support materialsSUPPORT MATERIALS Preparing the material • Have a clear purpose for the material • Make sure that the material is clear and legible • Use layouts as part of the message Using the material • Know when to use the material • Make sure that everyone can see the material
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  Y#49 April 1,2016 Window for action loving PROFESSIONALS 8 Presentation Tips MANAGING NERVES Step 1: Examine your fears • What precisely is the fear? • How likely is to happen and what will you do if it does? Step 2: Prepare yourself • Know your role and your reasons for talking Step 3: Starting to speak • Regulate your breathing? • Relax your face and neck muscles • Establish eye contact • Occupy your hands • Start your opening ritual STARTING YOUR TALK Before the presentation • Check location of power connections and extension leads • Check that all equipment works and that there are no trailing leads or other hazards • Get spare bulbs, pens, pads, markers, etc. • Arrange seating • Check the presentation notes • Check all samples, diagrams and handouts are available • Check location of the fire exits and toilets • Check lunch/coffee/tea arrangements • Make final preparations First impression • Take control from the outset • Establish contact with the group (immediately) • Go through your opening ritual
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  Y#49 April 1,2016 Window for action loving PROFESSIONALS 9 1. A laugh is the shortest distance between two people, so challenge yourself to include humor or light comments at least once in your talks. It makes you more approachable and creates energy. The only exception is when you are announcing bad news. 2. Ask yourself, “So What?” Is this slide or piece of information really relevant to my main message? So often what we need to get across can be expressed in far fewer words or slides. More is often less when it comes to making your message memorable and understandable. 3. When you practice, stand up and verbalize what you will say. Too often we run through our presentation in our heads instead of actually standing up and saying it out loud. 4. Don’t just give a presentation, start being the presentation. Too many speakers come across as talking heads. What do you uniquely bring to this presentation? What are your unique opinions, ideas, experiences and reflections? I can read your slides – tell me something I can’t read. 5. Create a key message that you repeat at least three times during your talk. 6. Author and accomplished speaker Liz Carpenter once advised, “Begin as though you are taking off a pair of long kid gloves. You can’t do that in a hurry.” The point here is: warm up to your audience, create a personal connection and provide an attention- getting opener before you launch into the body of your presentation. 7. Before you put pen to paper (or text to slides) take a moment to analyze your audience and ask yourself, “What is their point of view on this subject?” This will help you develop a presentation that focuses on what is in it for them. Always develop content with your audience’s interests in mind. Don’t write for you, write for them. 8. Watch out for execution by bullet point. Too many points will kill your audience’s interest. Whenever you have an important point to make, be sure to support it with one or many examples. Examples can be analogies, stories, demonstrations, activities or case studies. 9. Learn to tell stories and include at least one in your presentation. Stories have the greatest power to create connection. 10. Join a Speaking Group for practice. There is no better way to improve your speaking skills than to regularly get up on your feet. spokenimpact.com Ten Ideas for Becoming a Better Presenter
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  Y#49 April 1,2016 Window for action loving PROFESSIONALS 10 We have met the Devil of Information Overload and his impish underlings, the computer virus, the busy signal, the dead link, and the PowerPoint presentation. James Gleick Nothing will teach you more about perceived value than taking something with literally no value and selling it in the auction format. It teaches you the beauty and power of presentation, and how you can make magic out of nothing. Sophia Amoruso I try to deal with the complexities of power and social life, but as far as the visual presentation goes I purposely avoid a high degree of difficulty. Barbara Kruger When I was 14 -years-old, I made this PowerPoint presentation, and I invited my parents into my room and gave them popcorn. It was called 'Project Hollywood 2004' and it worked. I moved to L.A. in January of 2004. Emma Stone
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  Y#49 April 1,2016 Window for action loving PROFESSIONALS ©Coaching Learning Advancing Sharpening Smartening Make Your SMART People SMARTER Periodic learning investments do wonders to people and business. Take your people to a new orbit of awareness and equip them with SMART skills they need. Start catapulting your business to the level next. Each programme shall be tailor-made to your organization’s specifications and nuances. You are different. Your programme should be different too. Call us for a dialogue. +91 9810211256 +91 9013698960 rajiv@rajivkhurana.com Sharpening Business Presentations Multimedia Usage in Training Accelerating Innovativeness Reaping High Performance through Coaching & Mentoring Team playing and Leading Enhancing Personal Effectiveness Rejuvenating Digital Presence & Personal Branding S M A R T E R