How to give a talk
There comes a time when every one of us has to stand up in front of an audience and deliver a speech or make a presentation. Some people love being on stage, under the spotlight. Others dread it. I’ve been in both camps. If I have great content, compelling ideas and stories I want to share, it’s an adrenalin rush. But when I’ve got nothing, or work that I don’t genuinely believe in, it can be pretty frightening.
When you work in the advertising business you get plenty of chances to present, at least to small audiences. With time, if you work at it, you can master the basic techniques: eye contact, dramatic pauses, the climactic revealing of an idea.
However showing work to a small group is quite a bit different than holding the microphone in front of 50 or 100 or 200 people. That takes a different set of skills. But with thought, planning and practice, you can do a pretty good job. Here are some tips that I’ve picked up.
Start with your audience
Why are they there? What do they want to hear? What will you give them that they can take away and use? I always try and imagine the five things I would want people to write down, remember and pass on. That way you’re making it about them, not just about you.
Tell stories
People don’t remember lists or bullet points. They remember stories. So tell good ones. Brian Halligan recalls the Grateful Dead allowing bootleg tapes to make the point that giving away free content works. Clay Shirky talks about the demise of the scribes in the 1400s to convince you that abundance breaks more things than scarcity. Find great stories, commit them to memory, milk them for all they’re worth.
Be personal
If you’ve been invited to speak to an audience, it’s probably because you have something to offer. The audience wants to know about you, what you’ve done, how you did it, the obstacles you overcame. Don’t make it the “me show,” but put your own experiences and observations into the show.
Make it interactive
This is the age of social media and participation. Bring some of that spirit with you to the stage. Tim Brown does lots of fun stuff to get his audience involved. I often get the audience to join in by asking them to help steer a robot from the back of the room to the front in order to demonstrate the power of crowdsourcing. You can always put up a screen that captures a hashtag and allow for real time Tweeting. But try and find a way that gives your listeners a role.
Admit mistakes and failures
People love to hear about things that didn’t work. It shows that you’re human and brings you closer to your audience. I’m often surprised how much more interest there is in all the things I’ve tried and failed at, and how much credit I get for sharing them. Plus if you are willing to admit your fiascos, you just might save people from making the same mistakes.
Don’t be a slave to your slides
Avoid bullet points, graphs, charts and diagrams. (OK, maybe one or two if absolutely necessary.) If you do use slides, stick to images, dramatic pictures, examples of what you’re talking about, or an occasional quote or sound bite. Better yet, determine the points you want to make and make them with those wonderful stories you’ve come up with.
Learn from the masters
The web is full of great examples. Check out Vimeo or TED. Watch them not only for content, but for the technique. Few tell a story as well as Malcolm Gladwell. Benjamin Zander exhibits a passion and demonstrates his points. Tim Brown engages his audience with tactics that engage. Alex Bogusky is just personal and self-deprecating. I’ve learned and stolen from all of them.
So get out there. Book a gig. Make a presentation. Let me know how it goes.
And if you have techniques to share or a favorite talk, leave it in the comments below. Thanks for reading.
Comments
Edward great post. You are to advertising what @fredwilson is to Venture Capital/Start Ups. You really care about teaching.
Some other tips to share.
If speaking doesn't come natural practice. You can do this in front of a mirror, in front of friends or family or even your dog. Cadence is important and you don't want to rush nor put anyone to sleep. And it will make things more natural for you.
Another is look at your audience. Its ok to bring supporting things like notes or the power point. But your audience want you looking at them, not your cards or the screen. This is really hard when your nervous. Its ok to read when necessary but remember to pause and look at the crowd.
Remember your usually asked to present because your an expert in something and have something to offer. Be flattered people care and seek your knowledge.
BTW I made the finals (5 best of 350) of the public speaking contest in college. Had to present in front of 300 people. I went Albert Brooks from Broadcast News and still knocked em dead (but didn't win!). My subject was poisons in our food system. The winner gave his on why to wear your seat belt. Lame! lol
Hi Edward - excellent perspective and I was busy nodding my head at all your points as well as the follow-up comments you inspired. I particulalry loved the TED tape - what a natural, energetic and bubbly style. I could listen to him all day. The most important thing about a presentation is that it's a performance/show and how you present yourself is more important than how you present your case. I've recently started running presentation skills training courses (just returned from three days in Prague in the Czech Republic training the execs at a big pharma company). It forced me to consider the charateristics of a great presentation and the attributes of a world-class presenter. Thankfully I covered several of the same items as you (use of slides, pause till it hurts, making it personal, being human, tapping into the audience mindset, etc). Story telling is certainly one of the best ways to engage an audience and make a point. I recently uncovered tape of Richard Branson talking on US TV about how he founded Virgin Airlines the day he was 'bumped' from a flight in Costa Rica and chartered a small plane and 'sold' the remaining seats to similarly 'bumped' passengers. It's much more compelling than a sequential history. My last point is about Americans and the standard you set. I worked at Mullen for seven happy years and found the vast majority of US colleagues to be fabulous presenters and performers. Rarely dull, always prepared. I conclude that you Yanks must have an education system that promotes 'standing up in front of an audience' from an early age. Brits have a tendency to mumble and for many public speaking doesn't come naturally and is percieved as a chore rather than a pleasure. We are getting better via osmosis and a realisation that it's not just what you say but how you say it that's important. Thanks for raising the bar and also sharing your hints and tips. I am in Boston in July and hope to pop-in to see you. Bruce
What a great post. It seems so few people understand that presenting is an art all unto itself. The only area that I could find something to add, is regarding the audience. As a presenter, you need to realize that presentations need to conform to a specific audience and cannot be cookie cutter in terms of approach or structure. For example there's a big difference presenting to a group of creatives Vs. a CPG client Vs. a Pharma client. Each one has their own way of comprehending material and data. Some are more visual, while others are trained by data driven content.
You also need to "feel the room" by getting a quick gauge on your audience, knowing when to elaborate or get to right to the point. Which of course comes from experience. It also doesn't hurt (and I would strongly suggest) to ask others about who you'll be presenting to, and their tolerance for time and if they have ADD.
I've been fortunate to work with several people who I've picked up various presenting techniques from. For example, one CCO, use to speak very softly and quietly. This forced the people in the room to actually lean in towards him to listen carefully to what he had to say.
As you mention, your presentation is as only as good as its content. As long as you did your homework, you believe in the work, and can defend or speak to any aspect of it, your presentation is 80% there. The other 20% is how you serve it up.
Thank you Edward, and I'm anxiously awaiting to catch one of your presentations here in New York at one point!
I tell my students it's called a power point because you want to make powerful points not sentences, lists or paragraphs. If you can't talk with your visuals, you don't know enough about your content.
Tim Brown always gets his audience to play; people relax so much once you get them to laugh with you or even at you, as long as you're in on the joke.
Sir Ken Robinson's TedTalk is great, especially if you have school age children.
The Tiffany's visual is brilliant!
melinda
Years and years ago I took a three-day speaking course given by the American Management Association, to which my agency at that time, DDB-Rapp Collins, was kind enough to send me. It was memorable because it let me experience San Francisco for the first time, but almost as important, taught me three useful things about speaking: (1) Look your audience in the eye; (2) Remember to breathe; (3) Slow down, don't rush your words. And pause every now and then, for cadence.
Besides those and the other very useful tips Edward gives above, I would add one more: use humor every now and then (as long as it's not forced). It relaxes your audience and makes you more personable in their eyes. It's not that hard; there's something funny about nearly every subject on earth u00e2u0080u0094 especially marketing and advertising.
Edward,
Another thoughtful piece with lots of sage advice. I often get asked to talk to college grads, and inevitably the question comes up of how I got into the business. I tell them I went to college and studied design for a year, studied writing for a year, studied acting for a year, then dropped out completely and poured beer and shucked oysters. (Then I did a bunch of spec work and got a job. Heh.) I joke that those four skill sets have served me very well in advertising (and now digital) over the years. And if I may, I think those last twou00e2u0080u0094acting and pouring beeru00e2u0080u0094are at the heart of your piece.
Anyone who has ever tended bar or waited on tables understands that you must connect with your customer immediately if youu00e2u0080u0099re going to be successful. Itu00e2u0080u0099s not just about delivering the food in a timely and appealing manner (the content of your presentation) but itu00e2u0080u0099s anticipating what they want as a paying guest. Itu00e2u0080u0099s about them, not about you.
Thereu00e2u0080u0099s an interesting profile on Sharon Napier in the NYT in which she describes sending her team to take acting lessons:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05/09/business/09corne...
I always tell students or young professionals to do the same thingu00e2u0080u0094take acting classes and perform in a play. Learning those skills will give them the ability to be articulate, confident and prepared in front of small groups in a presentation and can be a big difference maker in their career. Plus, if they ever get to speak in front of large groups, theyu00e2u0080u0099ll be more than ready.
So there you have it. Theater and oyster shucking. A powerful one-two combination when it comes to storytelling in front of a large audience.
My friend John Verrett, former president of Arnold and now a professor at BU, used to take young creative teams to Tiffany's to make them watch how the sales guy would present a diamond ring or brooch. He'd take out the black velvet, lay it on the counter or desk, then present the piece of jewelry under perfect lighting. With a gesture he'd point, step back, and leave the gem the center of attention. Nothing else mattered. The perfect creation that you, the customer, coveted. This was how John suggested you learned to present your work. So yes, there are many places to go for inspiration.
I worked with Edward in the mid 80s when he was a writer and an ACD at Mullen. I learned a lot from watching him then and I still learn from listening to him now.
I make that reference because there was a lesson that he unknowingly taught me and I have employed in the countless presentations I have given since those early days in what we then called advertising.
The lesson is this: Believe absolutely in what you are communicating. Because your belief will be contagious.
I have to laugh because I remember the intensity of Edward's enthusiasm for every single project he was a part of. Some of his concepts were brilliant. Some were not, but the approach and his personality was always the same:
Balls out passion, commitment and belief in the value of the idea.
It lights up the room. It wakes up the audience. It make them think. Love you or hate you, they are engaged.
I have applied this many times over. And it works.
So my added tip is to go out there and put on your best Edward. Show your enthusiasm. Let your audience know that you believe. And they will respond.
And now I'm off to a 10 am presentation.
BTW -- Another great article.
-- Mark
Mark:
Thanks so much for sharing that. It's always rewarding and flattering to know that something you did had a positive impact or inspired someone else. Hope your presentation kicked ass.
Thank you for these tips, Edward.
I attended an event (u00e2u0080u009cSocial Media Trends in 2010 and Beyondu00e2u0080u009d) where social media specialist, Scott Stratten spoke (@unmarketing) in Toronto. That was the first time I was able to Tweet and listen :) I loved his enthusiasm. He cracked jokes and showed a lot of passion in his presentation - Scott is a good storyteller (like your post mentioned).
It's a challenge when we don't know the client 100% but want to come up with something different in hopes of the client liking it. My group and I once sang at the beginning of our presentation (an in-class IMC pitch) and were suggested no "pageantry." Our objective was to do something that stood out and memorable since it was presented in front of the entire class.
My favourite slides are ones with pictures and less words - so we can focus more on the storyteller. I've seen presentations where the presenters' eyes are glued to their slides and have long essays on their Powerpoint. Lee Clow Tweeted, "Itu00e2u0080u0099s called a presentation, not a PowerPoint read-a-long." That Tweet made me smile and say, "SO TRUE!"
These tips are so helpful. Thanks! I will pass on your post :)
Susan
Thank you for these tips, Edward.
I attended an event (“Social Media Trends in 2010 and Beyond”) where social media specialist, Scott Stratten spoke (@unmarketing) in Toronto. That was the first time I was able to Tweet and listen :) I loved his enthusiasm. He cracked jokes and showed a lot of passion in his presentation - Scott is a good storyteller (like your post mentioned).
It's a challenge when we don't know the client 100% but want to come up with something different in hopes of the client liking it. My group and I once sang at the beginning of our presentation (an in-class IMC pitch) and were suggested no "pageantry." Our objective was to do something that stood out and memorable since it was presented in front of the entire class.
My favourite slides are ones with pictures and less words - so we can focus more on the storyteller. I've seen presentations where the presenters' eyes are glued to their slides and have long essays on their Powerpoint. Lee Clow Tweeted, "It’s called a presentation, not a PowerPoint read-a-long." That Tweet made me smile and say, "SO TRUE!"
These tips are so helpful. Thanks! I will pass on your post :)
Susan
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