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An article on presentations and public speaking by Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE
We sit in the audience and watch spectacular audio/video
presentations with PowerPoint™,
Director™, and banks of coordinated
slide carousels, and we think, "Wow, if only I could do
that!"
Without a doubt, audio/visual has added showbiz impact
to business and professional speakers' presentations. However,
just because it is available, doesn't mean we have to use
it! Here is another point of view.
I am an exceptionally high-tech marketer and get good
business and prospects from my Website, email newsletters,
online learning, and other high-tech parts of my
business. In my work as executive speech coach and presentation
trainings, more and more managers are telling me, "Our CEO
used to be a really great speaker before he had PowerPoint.
Now he relies on it so much that he is less effective at
motivating our sales force."
Two executives from a Fortune 100 company came to me to
develop a speech about their new product. They spent some
time describing it, but I didn't really understand. I knew
if I didn't neither would their prospects. Finally, I asked,
"How will this change the way your customers do business?
Tell me about the impact it will have on people's lives?
Who has used this successfully that we can quote?" They
walked out with a great speech, supported by PowerPoint
for added illustrations, but not overwhelmed by them. One
commented, "What a great process! Usually we put together
40 PowerPoint slides and then decide what to say in between."
That's exactly the problem. Misuse of technology can turn
speakers into mere readers of captions for slides. A recent
survey of captains at Fort Benning, GA cited "the ubiquity
of the PowerPoint Army" as a prime reason why the Army is
losing too many bright young officers. "The idea behind
most of these briefings," it said, "is for us to sit through
100 slides with our eyes glazed over." (Reported in the
Wall Street Journal.) Here's another example from my own
work.
A group of Lockheed engineers and astronauts were very
proud of their very expensive four-color view-graphs. Near
the end of an all-day speaking school and coaching session,
I reminded them of the importance of connecting emotionally
with the audience by telling stories. Then I asked one gentleman
to play a game with me. Would he pretend that the power
had gone off and he had to repeat what he had just said
without slides? He did so, becoming animated and enthusiastic
and making great eye contact. Without exception, everyone
agreed he was a much stronger presenter when he looked at
his audience and was more conversational. That made him
look more flexible and spontaneous. "What a difference rather
than just narrating slides," they said. After that all were
eager to try the same.
Dan Maddux, the Executive Director of The American Payroll
Association who has hired professional speakers for 17 years,
says his favorites use little or no audiovisuals. "We use
IMAG (Image Magnification) at our over 2000 person Congress.
Every time your PowerPoint slide is on the screen, you aren't!"
he says. "Most disappointing," he says, "is when dynamic
speakers totally overshadow themselves and their performance
with their slides."
Technology is terrific -- as long as it supports and enhances
your connection with your audience. Our Corporate clients
have communication departments that can do technology better
than most of us. What we speakers have is story telling
ability! If they could run our presentation without us,
why would they pay us big bucks?
In the end, your message depends on creating pictures
in the heads of your audience, not on a screen. Use your
unique stories to stimulate your audience's most powerful
sensory organs, their imaginations.
(620 words)
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