Want to know how to move your presentation to the next level? Answer: recommendations.
I spend my life speaking, writing, blogging, reading and thinking about presentations. If I could only give you one piece of advice about presentations, this would be it.
Make your whole presentation a sincere recommendation.
This first step in developing presentation superpowers helps you filter your knowledge, connect with who’s in front of you, and come across as relevant and interesting. Not bad for step one, eh?
To make this happen you:
- Think in detail about who you’re talking to
- Decide what action you’d sincerely like these people to be able and motivated to take when you’re finished
- Work out how to recommend that action
Think (in detail) about who you’re talking to
There are always different factions/groups within a group. Make sure you’re considering as many facets of the group as possible – different levels of experience, relative seniority, differing national cultures, demographics… At times, you may have to favour a certain part of the group, especially if they are the ones affecting or ultimately making the decision, but try to include as many people as possible. (Read WAY more about this in my free e-book.
Decide what action you sincerely think would serve these people the best
Presentations by techies are too often about what you want your listeners to know rather than what you want them to do (read what Chris Witt says about this here).
Action is the purpose of a good presentation. (and Demosthenes agrees with me).
From your experience, what action should these people take around your topic?
Now, it may well be that that action is ‘Go with our system’, ‘Fund our project’. It could also be that your session is more educational.
Either way, find the action(s) that are relevant, practical and honest. Credibility isn’t an act, you know.
Work out how to recommend that action
Recommend it. Don’t ‘sell’ it.
Sales come from salespeople, who are, in our imagination, untrustworthy and dishonest. Recommendations come from trusted advisors.
Only use the information, examples, and experiences needed to make a good case for your recommendation. Don’t be afraid to throw away the traditional presentation format in order to help people see the benefits of your recommendation clearer.
Be particularly aware of spending too much time detailing the history of the project, your credentials, or the details of how something functions. Non-technical/business people care way less about these aspects than you think they do.
Benefits of sincere recommendations
- Rather than thinking about your output, you are thinking solely of the people you are talking to and what action(s) they need to take. This means you can filter your knowledge to be relevant.
- Recommendation means you remember that the ultimate decision is in their hands not yours. By making a recommendation, you’re rememembering that you’re not ‘selling’, forcing, or anything else secret or manipulative. This helps you to stay out of thinking of processing people through like cattle. We don’t like being processed.
- You step into the role of helpful expert – not a role people feel like they need to defend against.
- You are seen as relevant and engaging – practical advice that is tailored for your listeners is 10,000 times more interesting (to them) than regurgitated facts and numbers.
- Making your recommendation sincere means you will engage a genuine desire to connect – the beginnings of charisma.
- A recommendation is by it’s very nature something you think is in the best interests of someone else. There is an inherent integrity check - good for your long-term reputation, not to mention your karma.
All of this makes it much more likely that people will find you relevant, alive and authentic. Are those qualities you want to embody as a speaker?
NB – I know it may be easy to find presentations you have to deliver (the monthly figures, the project update) that don’t immediately lend themselves to sincere recommendations. I’ll add a proviso then: as much as you can, make your presentation a sincere recommendation. Check out your assumptions about when you can and can’t implement this. They might just come from habit.
What do you think? Why do recommendations help? Leave a comment, please…
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Like what you’ve read? Well, don’t keep me a secret! Pass my details on to (nice, smart) IT managers you think might appreciate some help improving their team’s presentation skills. I promise to look after them…
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Comments
In the comments for last week’s trailer for this series, Todd J List (new to the comments – welcome!) says:
One of my favourites: “People with status take their time.”
I have heard a few very good (and highly paid) speakers say, “I know, I talk fast. I’m not going to slow down. Get over it.” I still think an audience is better served by fewer, well-chosen words.
I have also heard that there is a generational difference in pacing preference. Baby boomers (and to some extent Gen-Xers) prefer a slower-paced presentation. The Gen-Y and Millenials tend to want more information more quickly. Any comments? Great blog!
And the gurus are liking it…
Chris Witt says:
“I love phrasing it as turn it all into a “sincere recommendation.” That answers in one effort the two questions I always ask my clients to address: 1) what do I want the audience to do? and 2) why would they want to do it?
I also like your recommendation to plan to speak for half the time. Even after all these years of speaking, I still prepare way too much. (I have, at least, learned better than to try to present all I’ve prepared.) Keep it coming.
The lovely Olivia Mitchell says:
Looking forward to this series. Particularly like your tip about with your energy about 5% above that of the audience and then stepping up another 5% as they warm up.
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This article is part of a series called Developing Tech Presentation Superpowers…
If you’re impatient for the next 7 steps, read the ‘index’ article here.
In other news
I had a lovely converation with Lisa B Marshall of the podcast Public Speaker’s Quick and Dirty Tips. Watch this space…
Movies/Theatre/Websites/Language learning
Departures (Okuribito) was beautiful, moving and funny. I can see why it won the Foreign Film Oscar. Go see it (as long as you’re not freaked out by corpses). S questioned the verisimilitude of the dead-body acting, but then he was a nurse, and has only just recently been able to bring himself to watch ER without muttering ‘Well, that’s totally unrealistic…’
Saw and loved Strange Resting Places, about the Maoris who fought in the Second World War. Funny, sexy, smart and moving, it brought a light hand to a very serious topic. Innovative physical theatre. Really, really worth seeing (*whispers* the best theatre I’ve seen in Singapore). It’s on its way to London in April.
Shopaholic was standard fun.
The Wrestler was way too gritty for me.
Consultants should check out Ford Harding’s Rain Making.
If you’re studying German, check out these podcasts: German Grammarpod, Warum Nicht?, and PukkaGerman.
See you next week! And… leave a comment, eh?
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