Archive for the 'Memory' Category

Theater Rehearsals: What Executive Presenters Must Know Part 2 of 5: Run Through

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Warwick
on May 7, 2010
in Memory, You the Presenter and presenter
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To see Step 1, click here.

Step 2: Run Through

With an outline in hand it’s time to have a run through. This should be rehearsed until the content is memorized. Find blocks of rehearsal time. Instead of going to a restaurant at lunch, grab a sandwich and take a walk in the park. While walking around, talk through the presentation without looking at notes. Speak it out while driving into work, or book a meeting room to practice the delivery. The key here is that it should be spoken aloud as new ideas will arise while the delivery becomes smoother. Don’t use a computer or any slides at this point. The aim is to be 100% comfortable with the flow and content.

This is the step often overlooked by business presenters. Master this step and you will be confident that you know your content forwards and backwards.

Related Articles:

Product Launch like an Executive - Memorable product launches with taglines Part 2

Executive Presence: Memorize your content with taglines

Writing taglines that are memorable

RESOURCE BOX

Warwick John Fahy is the international executive speech coach for senior executives, business leaders and entrepreneurs who need to influence clients, investors, shareholders and team members. His highly practical approach and deep cross cultural intelligence have made him a sought-after business presentation coach throughout the world.

Warwick is the author of the acclaimed book, The One Minute Presenter - 8 steps to successful business presentations in a short attention span world. For free executive speaking tips visit http://www.oneminutepresenter.com/blog

To arrange presentation skills training or coaching to build your executive presence visit this web site.

For a media interview call +86 1391 786 7502.

Copyright 2010 Warwick John Fahy All rights reserved.

Product Launch like an Executive - Memorable product launches Part 1

Published
by
Warwick
on April 18, 2010
in Attention spans, Memory and Visual presentations
. 2 Comments

structure-core-application2New product launches can cost your company millions of dollars from concept to launch. While many companies use rigorous product development processes they often skimp on the most public aspect – the product launch presentation. As product life cycles shorten, tangible differences with competitor narrow and margins become wafer-thin, an impactful presentation pitch can make the difference in cutting through the noise to attract and engage with clients, shareholders and media.

We can all learn from the master of product launches over several decades – Mr Steve Jobs. As the face of Apple, Jobs has launched products since 1984 using a high stakes, high pressure keynote address to large audiences of stakeholders and media. Three key lessons we can learn from Jobs are less is more, tagline with word pictures and rehearse rehearse rehearse.

Less is More

A Jobs presentation is intended to inform, educate and entertain. While most presentations focus on the first two objectives, only by being entertaining can you keep the attention of your audience fully during a 30 or 40 minute presentation. One way Jobs achieves this is with a very visual approach. He once said “simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” In his presentations, he mainly uses pictures with key slogans. Think of many presentations you have sat through recently. Chances are they were very data and text heavy. In Brain Rules, Mr John Medina reported how new studies have shown that text only information have a very low recall (10%) while adding visuals can push retention up to 65%. We have all heard the expression, ‘a picture is worth a thousand words’ and now it’s been proved through these memory tests. Slides with thirty or forty words on it are not memorable. Let’s face it, you didn’t need a brain study to know this, did you? Take a look through your slide deck and see how many pictures you are using to express your message. Visit Slideshare.net to see a collection of visual presentations.

What else should a good product launch presentation have? Leave your comments and stay tuned for Part 2 shortly.

Warwick John Fahy is the international executive speech coach for senior executives, business leaders and entrepreneurs who need to influence clients, investors, shareholders and team members. His highly practical approach and deep cross cultural intelligence have made him a sought-after business presentation coach throughout the world.

Warwick is the author of the acclaimed book, The One Minute Presenter - 8 steps to successful business presentations in a short attention span world. For free executive speaking tips visit http://www.oneminutepresenter.com/blog

To arrange presentation skills training or coaching to build your executive presence visit this web site.

For a media interview call +86 1391 786 7502.

Copyright 2010 Warwick John Fahy All rights reserved.

Executive Presence: Memorize your content with taglines

Published
by
Warwick
on April 6, 2010
in Memory and produce your message
. 0 Comments
Memorize your content with taglines

Memorize your content with taglines

Memorize your content with taglines

Obama’s speechwriters often use phrases that could be set to song. Aside from the obvious, “Yes we can”, parallel constructions are used, for example, “ It’s not because of this, it’s not because of that.” as well as other short pithy phrases or soundbites. Executive speakers should adapt this approach for two reasons. First, it helps the presenter memorize the content. Second, it also allows the audience to quickly digest key messages without having to think too much. An important factor in short presentations. In The One Minute Presenter, this is known as taglining your message. Go through your presentations section by section and sum up each part with a short sentence of no more than seven words. Try to make it catchy, like a billboard slogan. This process really helps you go even deeper into your message and how to make it appealing to your audience.

Executive presence is enhanced through face-to-face presenting to senior management. Ensure your next presentation builds your credentials in their eyes with these three tips: paint stories from your data-heavy content, bring your message closer to the audience through connecting phrases, and tagline every section in your presentation so that your message comes out crystal clear. A final test of whether you are ready to face your senior management is when you can stand up, without a slidedeck, and deliver a punchy impactful presentation.
Are you an Executive? Learn how Warwick helps ambitious executives speak with executive presence here.

Preparing before your presentations: Sharpen Your Focus

Published
by
Warwick
on August 5, 2009
in Memory and You the Presenter
. 0 Comments

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In this tip, you will learn how to become more aware of the type of presentation you deliver.

What do you mean by presentation?

Understanding when you are presenting and when you are expected to present is a key first step in awareness. Some companies don’t use traditional meetings, with stand up presentation and PowerPoint slides. But does that mean they don’t present? Of course not. A business presentation can take place in almost any location or venue. For example, conference calls, annual meetings, board of directors gatherings, marketing or product roadshows, client meetings, trade or industry conferences, financial IPO roadshows, department meetings, or just a cup of coffee with your boss. The list goes on.


Originally the word “presentation” was first used in the 14th Century from the word “representation” which often referred to a theatrical performance. Moving forward to the 21st Century, my definition of presentation is “a performance with a purpose“.  Today’s tip looks at the purpose part. Future tips will consider performance.

What is your purpose?

Why are you presenting? What is your general purpose? A four step model can help you define your purpose:  DRIP

D is for differentiating. Your general purpose is to highlight the differences between your proposal, your product, your company and other choices. What is special or unique about you, your proposal or your product.

R is for reminding. Your general purpose includes updating a group of people on a project’s purpose, keeping a team on track for a project deadline or even keeping you and your purpose top of mind with a senior management team.

I is for informing. The most common type of business presentation. Topics cover new regulation and laws which a group needs to know about, product updates and upgrades.

P is for persuading. This general purpose is to bring a group of people around to your point of view. Necessary when selling, gaining acceptance for an idea or proposal, or asking for budgets.

Any time you need to communicate a message, you need to first be aware of your purpose. Once you are clear on your purpose, selecting appropriate content, examples and delivery becomes more focused.

Don’t present like your audience has unlimited time, attention or energy

Published
by
Warwick
on April 24, 2009
in Attention spans, Memory and interaction
. 0 Comments

time-attention-energyOne thing you can be sure about when you are delivering your next presentation.  Your audience wish you would finish it quicker, get to the point sooner and wrap it up faster.  Your audience don’t have unlimited time, attention or energy. So don’t present like they do.

If you see people’s eyes glazing over, notice sighs and hear yawns, you are in the “dead energy zone” from which no memories emerge. Your audience is switched off and waiting for you to finish. Those who are less polite will walk out.

To become a better presenter, you need to understand how memory works.  One technique to learn is called spaced learning.  Advocated by Dr John Medina in his book Brain Rules and put into practice in a school in the UK, spaced learning stops trying to force information on the brain. Instead it aligns with how memories are actually formed.

Spaced learning uses intense learning periods of 20 minutes, interspersed with 10 minute intervals of physical exercise that requires hand-eye coordination, such as juggling, basketball and plate spinning. Sounds barmy right? But the results are amazing.  Students who took a 90 minute class on biology had a 58% pass rate. A year late taking another science subject and this time four months of conventional class study the pass rate went up to only 68%.

The technique is fast and uses “hooks” and visual cues to stimulate the learning points. How can you introduce gaps in your presentations where the audience can take abreak, move around and then be ready for a quick review when they return.  You need different versions of your presentations. Insert “check slides” which have gaps in the key messages and ask the audience to fill in the missing words.  Have handouts that ask key questions about the messages. Insert more five minute breaks (keep it to exactly 5 minutes though!) and don’t be afraid to go back to skim through your slides.  Above all, dump your text-based slides for visuals that use pictures and slogans. Make your slides resemble billboards.

Submerged with (useless) information

Published
by
Warwick
on April 13, 2009
in Attention spans and Memory
. 0 Comments

niagra-fallsFirst used by Shakespeare’s As You Like It, the phrase “too much of a good thing” is wise.  It’s usually used to mean “too much of a good thing is not always good”.   When it comes to information that is certainly true. Considering that the average Sunday newspaper with its numerous section pull outs and glossy magazines contains as much information as our grandfathers came across in their whole lives, it’s no wonder that we feel that information is overloading our poor brains.  It’s like the Niagara Falls pouring into an egg-cup. Massively overpowering. Ultimately pointless.

The causes of information overload are never-ending with 24-hour cable TV, the internet, video games, messaging, newspapers, magazines, blogs, wikipedia, and social networking.  It never stops. And, on the main, it’s completely useless.  It provides no productive or creative use. Sure, we all go to the web to “research”.  But three hours later we are not entirely sure which brand of MP3 player we should buy. The choice is overwhelming to the point of drowning out our ability to make decisions effectively.

So armed with this knowledge, what do most business presenters do? They prepare the most information-heavy presentations they can cram into a PowerPoint slide. Slide after slide of text. Data packed into font size 8 tables. Reams and reams of bullet points, which really don’t have a point.  Why would any presenter in their right mind do this?

Whatever the reasons, you need to start cutting down on the information you deliver to your audience. Use no more than 10 slides for a presentation.  Use graphics and pictures instead of text. Build up a photo database that you can reference while you are preparing your presentations. A picture speaks a thousand words and more importantly, it’s memorable.