Are you giving cookie-cutter presentations? They should be uniquely your own! Here's how to cook your presentations so they come out 'nice'!
Let's face it: in all of our workday lives, presentations come and go. Unfortunately, most of them go, without leaving a trace. Why? Well, mostly because they're like all the others.
(That's especially true, by the way, in large organizations, where everyone's PowerPoint decks are often cookie-cutter in their sameness. Instead, here are my 5 Rules For Succeeding With PowerPoint.)
Are you playing it safe? When it comes to presentations, pitches, updates, and remarks at meetings, lots of people work hard to make their talks look and sound like everyone else's. But all of this seems to me like a recipe for sinking without a trace. Don't you want to stand out?
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Time to Get Cooking, Baby!
Speaking of recipes, I'm reminded of the Italian grandmother who was a wonderful cook. Each time her granddaughter—who was eager to learn from her—would ask her how much of anything should be added to a dish or how long it should simmer, the grandmother would say, "Until it's nice." (Names are withheld here to preserve anonymity, and no grandmothers were harmed in the preparation of this article.)
So what was going on here? Was the grandmother really the old woman with the gingerbread house in "Hansel and Gretel," trying to trick her granddaughter into peering closely into the oven? Why no, my children. She was really saying: "Call upon your experience, child of my child. The dish should be uniquely yours—for the result will be as much from your soul as from the herbs and spices you add!"
Well, okay, what she was really saying (because she was a much more modern granny than that), was: "Make it your OWN, kid!" And that is exactly what you should be doing with your speeches and presentations. For instance, here's how to outline a speech for a great performance. And here are my essential tips for speaking in video conferences and virtually.
Lead Us, and We'll Follow You (Yum!)
This prescription for making your presentations 'nice' applies to many aspects of public speaking performance, including how to read a speech and still be effective, connecting with audiences, knowing the 12 rules of effective body language, commanding a stage, how to introduce yourself in a professional situation, and thinking on your feet to keep your talks lively and impactful (and more besides).
What makes your in-person or virtual presentation special is that we share your knowledge, vision, and perspective. That's the whole point of why we're listening to you! So the advice of "make it your own" is actually unavoidable. To do anything else is to cheat your audience of what you have to offer.
Besides, it's much more fun to present this way. So here's the simple recipe for cooking up your talk until it's nice (I'm not a grandmother, so I have to write it out):
NICE TALK RECIPE
- Take one topic you know and prepare it well.
- Tear up the manuscript, outline, or speaker's notes on your PowerPoint deck.
- Now practice using only keywords and phrases. Speak out loud so you can hear what your listeners will hear. (If performing Shakespeare, shout poetry while waving a sword.)
- Remind yourself that this is YOUR presentation. Ain't nobody who can do it like you can!
- Take a fun pill from 30-60 minutes before you take the stage or click into the meeting.
- Start breathing, if you haven't already.
- Now present at a pace that's comfortable for you, in your own style. Zero right in on your listeners, not yourself, as you do your best to get them to understand what you're saying.
- Enjoy this conversation you're having (as though you're talking to one person.)
- Throw in a handful of "I'm the one who knows this stuff and prepared this talk."
- Add a generous helping of posture and body language to amplify your points.
- Sprinkle your speech with magic Your Name Here dust until it glistens.
- Serve generously.
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Gary Genard is an actor, author, and expert in public speaking and overcoming speaking fear. His company, The Genard Method offers live 1:1 Zoom executive coaching and corporate group training worldwide. He was named for nine consecutive years as One of the World’s Top 30 Communication Professionals, and also named as One of America's Top 5 Speech Coaches. He is the author of the Amazon Best-Sellers How to Give a Speech and Speak for Leadership: An Executive Speech Coach's Secrets for Developing Leadership Presence. His book, Fearless Speaking, was named in 2019 as "One of the 100 Best Confidence Books of All Time." " He is also the author of the Dr. William Scarlet Mysteries. Contact Gary here.
