1. zone out
2. grab the bits you CAN hear
3. change the dial

It’s frustrating when this happens.  You’re being made to work too hard to understand, so you give up.

This metaphor can be applied to presentations.
If you’ve been in a workshop with me in the last few years, chances are good this concept isn’t new to you.

Think back to a recent presentation or training session you delivered. Were people tuned into you?

Yes?  Good job.
No?  Or not sure?  Ask yourself these questions:

• Was I unintentionally causing static? 
• Did I make my listeners work too hard so they tuned me out?

Static – or what others might call distractions – can creep into presentations in a lot of ways.  Here are some of them:

Behavior during delivery:

• Not pausing between thoughts can make you seem frenzied.
• Pacing or wandering about the room for no reason can make you seem unfocused.
• Saying too many “ums” or “uhs.”  (Read this post to see what we say about this, it may NOT be a static problem.)
• Poor eye contact (bouncing quickly from person to person or looking through or over people) can make you appear disengaged or nervous.
• Fidgeting with a pen, ring or remote can make you look uncomfortable.
• Speaking with low volume or in monotone can make you seem timid.

 Ineffective preparation:

• Creating visual aids that are disorganized can make you appear unprofessional.
• Designing visual aids with lots of animation or wild colors can make you appear juvenile.
• Cluttering up your slides with too much information can confuse listeners.

All of these things can distract listeners and make them tune you out.

It’s your responsibility as the speaker to help listeners stay tuned in.
Having said something, doesn’t mean that it’s been heard and understood.  As presenter, you need to take responsibility for making sure that both things happen.

So, what are the ways to eliminate static?
First, you need to be aware of your listeners’ response to you.  You need to actually see and take mental note of how tuned in they are.  Look for their reactions, and respond accordingly just as you would in everyday conversation.

Second, if you notice that they are tuning out, help them tune back in.  You can:

Adjust your behaviors:  

• Pause longer and more often than you’re accustomed to.
• Move with purpose, and when you get to your destination (screen, laptop, closer to a single individual) stay there longer than you naturally would.
• Put down the pen or anything else that might cause you to fidget.
• Increase your volume.

Tune into them: 

• Establish better eye contact and stay with the person through the end of a thought before moving on.
• Get them talking by asking for feedback on your topic.  Rhetorical questions are not what I’m talking about here; ask genuine questions and look for thoughtful answers.

Ah… that sounds better.  What a relief.
Let’s go back to the scenario in the car.  You’re driving along listening to the AM radio show, and all of a sudden everything’s clear with no static at all.  What a relief.  You can finally hear and understand what’s being said. 

Work to be that clear every time you present.

Recently this question was asked on a LinkedIn Q&A discussion forum:  “Who does the best presentation skills training?”

While we always believe that Turpin Communication provides the best training in the industry, we were pleased to see that two of our recent workshop participants agree (and were willing to say so online).  Here’s what they had to say:

From Beverly Feldt (Vice President, Workplace Productions)

“Just took a two-day workshop last week with Turpin Communication, and I thought it was the most valuable presentations training I’ve ever encountered (and I’ve even taught the subject).

There was a great deal of practice and individual coaching.  Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger have a knack for boiling things down to manageable, memorable bits without oversimplifying or giving things cutesy names. We worked both on organizing a presentation and on the physical and mental side of things. I feel that I gained a lot of new skills, and I really enjoyed the whole process.”

Then, from Barbara Egel (Vice President, Primary Insights)

“I will agree with Beverly that Turpin is amazing. If you want “tips and tricks” that lead you to the same cookie-cutter presentation as everyone else, go elsewhere. If you want to be equipped with the skills to face down pretty much any situation that might come up in the course of preparing, presenting, and Q&A, try Turpin.

I’m an experienced speaker, and I thought the two days might be only mildly useful to someone who’s done as many presentations as I have. Instead, the pre-work, organizational skills, and continual video analysis of me speaking taught me a lot. You get to stay yourself, work from your strengths, and adapt the skills to your industry and audience. A most worthwhile two days.”

You can view the entire string of comments here:
http://www.linkedin.com/answers/career-education/occupational-training/CAR_OCT/696768-3818598

Don’t miss your next opportunity to join a public workshop.  Visit the Open Enrollment Presentation Skills Workshop page.

In this video blog, Dale Ludwig answers the question: 

People have told me that I seem phony, or like I’m performing.  I don’t feel it, but I’m told it’s off-putting.  What can I do?”

Here’s Dale’s response.

Mary Clare answers in this video blog entry.

QUESTION:
What should you do when you get asked questions about things you already talked about?

Chicago, Illinois – May 11, 2010 – Turpin Communication, a Chicago-based training company specializing in tailored presentation and facilitation skills development, announces a new workshop developed in partnership with the Global Teamwork Group, based in Silicon Valley.  The workshop, called “Presenting Globally: getting your message across the cultural gap,” will combine Turpin’s expertise in practical, individualized presentation skill development with the Global Teamwork Group’s extensive experience with cross-cultural communication consulting. 

Turpin and GTG are a good fit for each other.  Both companies help business people develop the flexibility they need to communicate successfully in a variety of situations.  “Presenting Globally” (delivered in English) will focus on all the skills typically developed in Turpin’s workshops with the added layer of cultural considerations.  Training will be tailored to focus on whatever societies speakers and their real-life audiences represent.  

According to Dale Ludwig, President of Turpin Communication, the synergy between the two organizations is excellent, “Rochelle Kopp (Managing Principal at GTG) and I have worked together on cross-cultural presentation training before, and it’s great to be working with her again.  When her subtle, practical insight into how people from different cultures interact is part of our skill-building workshops, we’re really able to help global presenters meet the challenges they face.” 

About Turpin Communication

Turpin Communication has been delivering presentation and facilitation skills workshops since 1992.  It delivers group workshops to a variety of clients, open-enrollment classes for individuals, and presentation skills training delivered online.   Turpin’s goal is to help presenters and group facilitators develop the skills and insight they need to succeed. 

###

Media Contact:
Dale Ludwig, Ph.D. President
Turpin Communication
773-445-8855
dale@turpincommunication.com
www.turpincommunication.com

Bring a copy of this blog entry to booth 732 and receive FREE access to our online Comprehensive Presentation Skills Course.  ($399 value)

Having attended the conference before, we fully understand the value it can bring to an organization.  Whether you’re there to attend seminars, participate in one of the certificate programs, network with other professionals in the field or learn more about training providers, the conference has something for everyone.

This year we decided it was time to set up an exhibit and introduce our Presentation & Facilitation Skills Training (both our live workshops and our new online courses) to a broader audience.  That’s where we hope you come in.  We’d love to meet you and explain what we mean when we say:

Turpin is Not Your Average Presentation Skills Training Company

Oh, it’s true we train people to be better presenters and group facilitators. 

However, unlike others in the field, we have a fluid definition of what it means to present and facilitate.  We understand that presentations involve discussions that require a facilitator’s skill, and group facilitators can only succeed when they are comfortable in their role as presenter and leader.  At the heart of the presentation and facilitation process is what we call the “orderly conversation.”  By defining the process in this way, we’re able to embrace the tension that exists within every business presentation and discussion—the tension between the need to be orderly (clear goal and careful structure) as well as conversational (unpredictable and spontaneous).  

Defining business communication as orderly conversations allows the skills learned to be applied to a variety of other business situations including sales meetings, project status meetings, performance management conversations, elevator speeches, brainstorming sessions, training and so on.

How can we work together to help your employees manage the give and take of their orderly conversations?  Give us a call, email or visit us at booth 732 to get the conversation started.

773-239-2523  || info@turpincommunication.com

One more thought… Are We a Good Fit For You?  Let’s Find Out.

One of the best ways to know whether a training vendor is a good fit for your organization is to participate in one of their workshops.  That’s why we’re giving away full-access versions of our online Comprehensive Presentation Skills Training Course.  We’re sure that once you see how we approach Presentation Skills Training, you’ll recognize the value in partnering with us to develop your employees’ communication skills.  Print out this page and bring it to us to receive your free course.  (By the way, that free session is a $399 value.)

Visit our Virtual Tradeshow Booth at http://s36.a2zinc.net/clients/ASTD/ice10/public/booth.aspx?BoothID=109078&EventID=17

Take one of Turpin Communication’s online presentation skills courses for a spin before buying.

Been thinking about taking one of our online courses, but for some reason haven’t?  Now there’s no reason not to.  Today we’re announcing free trials of all of our courses.

Simply go to www.onlinepresentationskillstraining.com, click the “Start FREE Trial” button, create an account and begin learning.

If you like what you see, you can purchase the full version and continue learning immediately.

If you give business presentations, we encourage you to take advantage of this new offer. No matter which of the courses you choose, you’ll work on a real-life presentation and take your skills to the next level of effectiveness.

Preparing a Presentation
(course description)

Managing Nervousness & Engaging Listeners
(course description)

The Comprehensive Presentation Skills Course
(course description)

Need to train your entire team?  Check out the Multi-user License here.

Defining presentations in this way helps us answer some of the most fundamental questions presentation skills trainers face: 

• How do you explain why techniques that work for one presenter don’t work for others?    
• Why is it that the old maxim “Practice makes perfect” isn’t always true? 
• How is it that someone can be a dynamic speaker, but after listening to them you have no idea what their point was?
• How do you deal with the fact that people approach the presentation process with totally different assumptions?

Questions like these have been ignored for too long. 
The answers lie in accepting every individual as they are and building the training process around each presenter’s “default approach.”  Participants come to a presentation skills class with various levels of experience, different educational backgrounds and unique personalities.  All of these things influence the way they think about and execute the presentation process.  Their combined influence results in a unique default approach, their gut response to the idea of preparing and delivering a presentation.  While there’s nothing wrong with anyone’s default, presenters need to be aware of them if they want to improve.  Here’s a quick description of the two basic defaults, Writers and Improvisers.

First, there are the Writers. 

Writers thrive with preparation and organization.  They are naturally thorough and often feel there is never enough time to prepare.  Writers incorrectly assume that the success of a presentation lies in what they do before they deliver it. 

The Downside
Because of this, Writers tend to stick to their plan regardless of what’s happening in the room.  Unfortunately, things never go as planned, leading to an inflexible approach and high levels of anxiety. 

Adjustments
During preparation, Writers need to remind themselves that their presentations will never be perfect, no matter how much they strive for it.  They need to simplify their slides and focus on what listeners will gain from the information they’re presenting, not simply the information itself.  

During delivery, Writers need to focus on the big picture instead of the details, and stop trying to say things perfectly. 

The Results
When they make these types of adjustments they will naturally feel that they haven’t (1) said things as well as they could, (2) provided enough detail and (3) demonstrated their knowledge.  The good news is that even though Writers may feel this way, they’re probably doing just fine.  And their listeners will appreciate their clear, concise conversational delivery.

On the other side are the Improvisers. 

Improvisers thrive with the conversational connection they create with listeners.  Chances are good that they are fairly comfortable presenters and don’t worry too much about preparation.  But, Improvisers incorrectly assume that they can trust themselves to be clear and concise.

The Downside
Unfortunately their confidence leads to ineffective preparation, and rambling presentations.  Some Improvisers delay or avoid preparation altogether.  The result can be a set of slides that don’t quite hit the mark.  Once the presentation starts, Improvisers tend to lose their focus, go off on tangents, forget about their slides, and confuse their listeners.

Adjustments
An Improviser’s improvement starts with the realization that a well-prepared presentation is not a straightjacket.  Instead, preparation should result in a strong, flexible framework for the presentation.  This is especially important for the introduction, a time when Improvisers really need to set clear direction for the rest of the presentation.  Also, Improvisers will do themselves a huge favor by using slide titles that focus on the main point for each slide.

As they deliver their presentations, Improvisers need to refer to their slide titles to remind them of their point.  When they’ve done that, they’re free to improvise.

The Results
When they make these types of adjustments, Improvisers may feel that their slides are getting in the way of the conversation, maybe even that the slides aren’t really necessary.  In spite of this, though, Improvisers should remember that listeners need structure.  It’s the job of every presenter, no matter how engaging he or she may be, to make listening and understanding as easy as possible.  And that means paying attention to what’s on the screen. 

Be Yourself

When presenters recognize and successfully manage their default approach, the preparation process will be more efficient and their presentations will be more comfortably and effectively delivered.  Helping presenters understand and manage their defaults is one of the ways Turpin has redefined presentation skill training.  And, it’s another way that our training helps presenters be themselves…only better.

One of the first questions we ask before a workshop begins is, “If you had to choose one thing to take away from this class, what would it be?”  When we started asking this question, I was surprised to learn that the answer was almost always the same.  People wanted to be more comfortable.  They wanted the image they project as “presenter” to be the same as the image they project the rest of the time.  They didn’t want to become someone flashy or unusual.  They wanted to be themselves when they were presenting, just without the loss of control and the nagging belief that they weren’t quite succeeding.  They were confident that they would be effective and persuasive once comfort was achieved. 

I’m in the process of writing a new version of the Reference Guide now.  I’m excited about it because it will include some new ways of thinking about and improving presentations.  One thing that won’t change, though, is the idea that presenters want to be comfortable, to “be themselves.”  This goal has become so central to our approach that it’s part of our new tag line.  Find your focus.  Be yourself.  Only better. 

What this means for training

Life in the presentation skills classroom would be so easy if we could say to participants, “OK, I’d like you to deliver your presentation now, and don’t worry about making it fancy or anything, just be yourself.”  But, it doesn’t work that way.  A lot of things happen to your “self” when you walk to the front of the room to deliver a presentation.  Nervousness gets in the way, affecting the way you look and sound.  Sometimes your mind goes blank or your thoughts start racing ahead .  You may speed up, speak too quietly, freeze in place or forget to look at people.  The pressure you feel also affects what you say.  For example, the drive to be clear and accurate might lead you to say more than you need to.  Or you may go off on a tangent and forget to use your slides.

These reactions, and all the others you may have experienced, are manageable. 

First, you need to know what is happening to you.  This isn’t as easy as you might think.  Your everyday self-awareness is often taken over by uncomfortable self-consciousness when you’re presenting.

Second, you need to know what to do to engage your listeners in a genuine, conversation. 

If there’s a secret to being yourself at the front of the room it’s engagement.  Here’s how it works. 

Find your focus.
Finding your focus means knowing what to do to get engaged. For most people it comes down to two skills: eye contact or pausing (or a combination of the two). These skills work differently for everyone, so our job in the training room is to help people experiment and discover what works best for them.

Be yourself.
Once presenters are engaged, they feel comfortable.  They’re aware of their listeners, but not distracted by them.  Their thoughts settle down, and they can think on their feet.  When this happens, their personalities and natural communication skills emerge.  

Only better.
When presenters are comfortable and engaged, they’re able to respond appropriately to the presentation environment.  They’re aware of their position in the room and are free to move about comfortably.  They’re free to focus on their listeners, slides and message.  They know instinctively what they need to say or do to get their ideas across.  Further, they’ve tamed any habits or delivery distractions that may have plagued them in the past.

In short, when presenters focus on engaging their listeners, they feel and look comfortable, project the confidence that’s within them and take control of the unpredictable, spontaneous process of presenting.

They have found their focus.  They are themselves.  Only better.

Most of the responses had something to do with presenters reading their slides. While I agree that it’s distracting when someone lifelessly reads a slide full of long sentences or paragraphs, I disagree with the notion that one should never read what’s on the slide.

As I write this, I can almost hear your audible gasp.

Let me explain.

When a slide first comes up, it is second nature for people to look at it to grasp its meaning. At that moment if you start to talk, you would be pulling your listeners’ attention in two different directions. Are they to read the slide or are they to listen to you? Trying to be good audience members they’ll try to do both. And they will not fully succeed at either.

Conversely, as a presenter, you may not succeed because you will have lost control of their focus, which can lead to confusion.

So, as presenter then, you need to help them grasp your topic by directing their focus either to the slide or to what you’re saying. One easy and effective way of doing that is to read the slide when it first appears. Literally turn to it and read what’s there without any comment. (Yes, your back will be to the audience, but who cares? Your listeners are looking at your slide, not your bum.) Then turn from it, move closer to your audience and launch into what you have to say about what’s on the slide.

Now, I know you’re probably thinking that this won’t work. And you’d be right if the slide was full of text. That’s why it’s so important for slides to be pared down to the bare minimum.

Remember that the slides are not your presentation. You (and what you have to say) are the presentation. Use your slides not as a script but as a framework to keep your discussion orderly.

My colleague, Mary Clare Healy, has a video blog saying roughly the same thing.