There are three main ways why it’s useful to prepare a business presentation like it’s a conversation.
It stops you missing the mark by being overly formal, you don’t expect to be able to completely control the interaction, and it helps prevent moronic overstatement.
Right level of formality
A part of our brain gets engaged in presentations sometimes where we think we are a high government official from 100 years ago. We start using ‘thus’ and ‘hence’, and adding in the syllables. If you use the same words that you would use with these people in this context in conversation, then you’ll hit it about right.
The problem is people too often err towards the formal. In conversation, it’s difficult to maintain a style that’s too formal for the situation, as conversation is about connecting, and besides, the to-and-fro is too fast to perform double-think. Behaving how you would in conversation makes the presentation more natural, rather than forced.
Conversations can’t be over-rehearsed
There are too many variables. The direction and flow of the interaction depends as much on the other parties as it does on you. This doesn’t mean that you can’t prepare thoroughly, and plan for contingencies, it just means you won’t prepare a monologue.
No moronic overstatement
In presentations, there can be a temptation to make things ultra-clear. Sometimes, this is just so that you remember all of ‘your’ points, but it can make the interaction pretty tedious. For example, go through your visual aids and think would you be spelling things out quite so clearly if you were just sitting down and talking it through? Revise and delete.
Now, obviously, a presentation is a pretty unusual conversation, where you do a lot of the talking, so there are plenty of ways (for those of you who sort for difference, not similarity) where presentations are not like conversations.
However, if you prepare as if you are going in to the meeting or conference to have a conversation, it means you’ll do more sensible things in terms of notes/handouts/slides. More importantly, it means you’ll do more sensible things in terms of thinking like a real person talking to real people.
And that’s how you begin to really connect.
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Related posts:
~ 3 reasons why you should deliver your presentation like it’s a conversation
~ What makes someone an inspirational speaker
~ Pitching your communication at the right level – Edward Hall and High Context/Low Context
We’re good at conversations, and remembering that fact can make us feel better when we’re faced with less comfortable types of communication.
I was recording audio for a webinar last night and occasionally getting a little freaked out. I had to keep thinking what would I say if I was here talking with someone about this. It worked, I even enjoyed myself.
Another well written, sage piece of advice – thank you.
It seems like only yesterday that I recall you walking your talk as we went in to ‘do a presentation’ to a major comms co….you just started a conversation….the audience connected immediately and enjoyed the refreshing approach…we got the job and they were able to deal with the rest of the ‘presentations’ re-energised.
@Natasha – It’s actually quite challenging to stay conversational when you’re delivering. I was doing a talk the other night, and I keep having to think ‘Is this really me? Would my friends recognise me or am I presenting’.
@Gabrielle – you’ve got a long memory!
Makes me think – this was about planning like it’s a conversation. I’ll put something together about *delivering* conversationally…