Connecting with an audience, having a conversation with them, is not easy – especially if it is a large audience. One thing you can do is to remove the barriers, “the bricks in the wall”, which stand between you and them. Much like a tall center piece makes it difficult to have a conversation with a person across the dining table, physical elements in a meeting room can act like center pieces, like walls, and make it hard to connect with your audience. Examples of these physical barriers include podiums, tables and distance from the audience. A while ago I did a presentation in a room that had some… Read More
Continue ReadingFor example…What can happen when your example isn’t real?
In January of this year I attended a large corporate conference. At this event I heard one of the best inspirational speakers I have ever experienced (more on that later) as well as some less than inspirational (boring) presentations. Conferences are like that. One presentation had an interesting “for example” moment. I am normally a big fan of using examples during presentations, but this time it bothered me. It took me awhile to figure it out what wasn’t right…and then it finally hit me. The example wasn’t real. The speaker used a “for example” situation that was hypothetical. It was made up to support the point he was making, but… Read More
Continue ReadingThe 90-second pitch
“That depends on the length of the speech. If it is a ten-minute speech it takes me all of two weeks to prepare it; if it is a half-hour speech it takes me a week; if I can talk as long as I want to it requires no preparation at all. I am ready now.” Woodrow Wilson 1918 I received an email asking if I would do our marketing department a favour – they asked me to say a few words at our largest trade show, held annually in Chicago Illinois. I expected that I would do a best practise story with colleagues, BUT it got really interesting when… Read More
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