Last week I was in the Netherlands and had the opportunity to work with some very dynamic colleagues. As expected, we spent most of our time talking about presentations. During the week I gave four presentations; I must say I was a little nervous. Of course I was concerned how my message(s) would be received, but there was something else. Everyone in these audiences spoke English very well; however, it was their second (or third) language. Presenting in this situation can be a challenge, you aren’t sure if your phrases and terms will be understood by your audience. Given how we speak, it is virtually impossible to avoid some slang… Read More
Continue ReadingGrand Openings
About a month ago I was in a situation where I had 45 minutes to present our proposal for a complex 6 million dollar project. Have you ever found yourself in a high stakes presentation with a short time to deliver your message? In situations like this you need to engage the audience quickly. We have likely all done traditional openings, “Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, my name is Joe. I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to …” You know how the rest goes. The last thing you want to do is bore the audience at this key moment!! There is some debate among presentation… Read More
Continue ReadingHave you had a STAR moment?
When presenters want to captivate their audience, a STAR moment can be the difference between “OK” and “WOW”! Presentation design expert Nancy Duarte coined the term STAR moment in her book Resonate (2010), in which STAR stands for Something They’ll Always Remember. It describes a special moment in a presentation when the presenter magnifies the main idea; it’s the “Ah Ha” or “WOW” moment. She recommends having a STAR moment in all your presentations. I agree with her, however designing and delivering that special moment can be a challenge. It will likely take some thinking to decide the best way to deliver your STAR moment. It could be as simple… Read More
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