Delivering Presentations

Respond to the following question with a minimum of a 100 word response How can the intended audience affect the delivery of a presentation?Here is the Reading Material for the above questionDelivering Presentations© PhotoAlto/SuperStockLearning ObjectivesAfter studying this chapter, you should be able to do the following:Describe how presentation delivery impacts your credibility.Deliver presentations with authenticity, confidence, and influence.Apply the SOFTEN model of nonverbal communication for presentations.Use slides and handouts to supplement your presentation effectively.Interact effectively with your audience.Why Does This Matter?Hear Pete Cardon explain why this matters.bit.ly.com/CardonWhy15Once you’ve settled on the content of your presentation, you turn to preparing for the delivery. Delivering great presentations involves art and skill. With each of your professional presentations, you’ll fine-tune your abilities. In this chapter, we focus on making your delivery as smooth and engaging as possible so that you will successfully connect with your audiences. Read the chapter case, which is a continuation from Chapter 14 and is the basis for many examples in this chapter. Chapter Case: Attracting New Clients at Sinosourcing ExpertsWho’s Involved© Take A Pix Media/Getty ImagesShannon BrowneHas worked as a sales rep at Sinosourcing Experts for five monthsRecently graduated with a major in supply chain management and a minor in ChineseThe SituationShannon has prepared a new presentation about how Sinosourcing Experts can help small manufacturers outsource some of their manufacturing in China. Now she is ready to try it on several groups of small-business owners and managers. She’s nervous, though, and uncertain about the outcome. Task 1Connect with audiences, gaining their trust and confidence.Task 2Deliver a persuasive and memorable explanation of the benefits of working with Sinosourcing.Establish PresencePresenting gives you an excellent opportunity to connect deeply with your colleagues, your clients, and your other contacts. It allows you to express your views in a rich, two-way environment. As you do with your written communication, you will aim to strike the right style and tone in your presentations. Moreover, you will strive to establish a “presence,” something great speakers and presenters are often described as doing. Having presence means commanding attention, garnering respect for your ideas, engaging your listeners, and even inspiring your audiences to action. In this section, we focus on strategies you can use to enhance your presence as you deliver your presentations. Establish CredibilityLO15.1. Describe how presentation delivery impacts your credibility.For internal presentations, you often present to people who know you well and who have already formed opinions about your credibility; they have a sense of your competence, caring, and character. However, internal presentations still provide you the opportunity to change others’ views of you. Without appearing self-serving, find ways to increase your perceived credibility. Use the presentation to show your thorough understanding of a business issue. Frame your ideas in ways that show clear benefits to your company, its employees, and its stakeholders. In every way, display honesty and openness. For external presentations, you are often dealing with people who have superficial impressions of your credibility. You have opportunities before, during, and after your presentation to bolster your credibility. Before the presentation, you can make information about your background available or have someone introduce you with a brief statement. During the presentation, you establish your competence by showing that you know the content well. You show your caring by connecting emotionally with audience members and adapting to their needs. You show your character by being open and honest. After your presentation, following up as appropriate with audience members shows your caring and character as well. Some audience members may raise issues for you to look into or ask for additional information. Comply with these requests promptly and you will establish a reputation for responsiveness. Maintain AuthenticityLO15.2. Deliver presentations with authenticity, confidence, and influence.Standing in front of an audience feels anything but natural for many business professionals. Yet, nearly all audience members are making judgments about you and your message based on their perceptions of your authenticity. One of your primary goals as you develop your presentation skills is to find ways to present your real self to your audiences. Barbara De Angelis, a well-known communication specialist and speaker, explained the importance of maintaining authenticity: I often work with speakers who can’t understand why they aren’t more successful, or why they become so anxious in front of others. Often, they make the mistake of trying to imitate other speakers who they believe are more powerful or more skilled, or they mechanically follow learned formulas for successful public speaking. However, by doing this, they are unintentionally disconnecting from one of their greatest assets—and one of the secret ingredients for being successful: their authenticity. … People can sense when we are trying too hard, or faking confidence, or projecting an image that doesn’t feel natural. When people see us appearing inauthentic, it makes them uneasy. And we actually appear awkward or nervous.1Principles for Establishing PresenceEstablish credibility.Maintain authenticity.Know your material.Speak with confidence.Focus on people.Start and finish strong.Stay flexible.Use the room to your advantage.Communicate nonverbally.Dress for success.As you read this chapter about presentation delivery, focus on making a few changes at a time. Attempting to alter too many of your presentation techniques at once may detract from your ability to speak naturally and genuinely. Add new presentation techniques to your repertoire constantly, but also make sure to draw on your natural strengths. Know Your Material and RehearseBy running through your presentations several times, you allow yourself to become more comfortable with the content, work out weakly connected areas, and identify parts that you want to emphasize through tone and nonverbal communication. Also, rehearsing allows you to time your presentation so you know if you need to add or remove content. Far too many speakers and presenters avoid rehearsing. The presentation itself is often the first run-through. Executive speech coach Nick Morgan observed the following about this approach: The sad truth is that when you wing it, the performance is rarely as good in the audience’s memory as it is in the speaker’s. The reason is that your heightened adrenaline literally makes you feel better—more energy, more enthusiasm, more acuity—and so you rate your own performance better. What the audience all too often sees, on the other hand, is disorganization, fumbled examples, and the vagueness that comes from not knowing your material thoroughly.2Rehearsing may involve running through the presentation in your mind or out loud. Ideally, you do it out loud. Consider videotaping your presentation so that you can get a sense of the overall impact of your ideas, the flow of your content, and the delivery of your presentation. Many speakers and presenters use notes. Notes are not necessarily considered a weakness; however, use them sparingly or, ideally, not at all. Rehearsing will help you determine if you want or need notes. If you use them, rehearsing helps you choose which notes you need and allows you to become comfortable handling your notes in a nondistracting way. Overcome Fear and Speak with ConfidenceNearly everyone gets nervous and even fearful of presenting in public, especially in unpredictable and high-stakes circumstances. Many polls show that adults fear public speaking more than death. Responding to these various polls, Jerry Seinfeld once joked, “At a funeral, the average person would rather be in the casket than giving the eulogy.”3 Other polls show that public speaking is among the most serious phobias among adults, with the fear of snakes the only phobia surpassing it (see Figure 15.1).4Figure 15.1 Top Fears of American AdultsSource: Geoffrey Brewer, “Snakes Top List of Americans’ Fears: Public Speaking, Heights and Being Closed in Small Spaces also Create Fear in Many Americans” (March 19,2001), retrieved from Gallup Polls online, http://www.gallup.com/poll/1891/snakes-top-list-americans-fears.aspx. Copyright © 2001 Gallup, Inc. All rights reserved. The content is used with permission; however, Gallup retains all rights of republication. Experiencing ome nervousness as you speak and present is normal. Even experienced speakers get stage fright from time to time. Unexpected circumstances, for example, may cause unusual nervousness—unfamiliar or intimidating audience members, technology failure, pressure to perform with a skeptical audience, noticing the speech is being recorded, and many other reasons.5Feeling some nerves is not necessarily bad. It shows you care about making an effective presentation. And feeling some nerves can heighten your ability to deliver forcefully and passionately. Nervousness is dysfunctional only when it impairs your ability to deliver your content. In most presentations, certain parts are the most critical—for example, a call to action (see Chapter 14)—and at the same time, they have the least-certain outcome. Sometimes, out of nervousness, presenters do not follow through completely at these moments. If nervousness means you shortchange yourself at those critical moments, use techniques to help you manage your nervousness.6Consider some of the following recommendations:7Engage in Relaxation TechniquesConsider some of the following options:Stretching.Meditating.Going hiking or exercising (a day or so before your presentation).Listening to music.Going to a movie.Watching a sunset.Thinking about the things in your life you are grateful for, such as your cherished relationships.Letting your mind go blank.Counting backward from 100.Become Aware of Your BreathingTaking several deep breaths is a great technique to quickly alleviate anxiety. Also, consistently taking full breaths leads to improved tone and timber of your voice as well as better, more confident posture. Practice VisualizationEnvision yourself speaking with confidence and ease. Imagine making nonverbal connections with your audience. Think about how you will respond to audience questions. In your mind, play out your presentation and see yourself succeeding. Focus on Friendly Faces Initially to Gain Composure and ConfidenceInevitably, the presence of some audience members will make you more nervous than others. It may be a critical boss, a skeptical client, a person you disagree with often, or someone who intimidates you for other reasons. In the opening moments of your presentation, when you are most apt to suffer from nervousness, look at those in the audience with whom you are most friendly. This will help calm you during those ever-important first moments. Watch Your Food and Beverage IntakePay attention to foods and beverages that impact your nervousness. Some people avoid or minimize caffeine intake on speech days to avoid jitters. Others avoid dairy products, since they can coat the mouth and throat and make speaking feel less smooth. Notice how various foods and beverages affect your body and adjust accordingly. Get Comfortable with Audience Members before Starting Your PresentationOne of the best ways of relaxing immediately before your presentation is to speak with audience members. Greet them at the door, walk around the room, engage in small talk, and find other ways to break the ice and help you and your audience members warm up to each other. Focus on PeopleIf you make your speech about people, your audience members are more likely to trust your commitment to them and others: People like to hear about people. Also, a strong people-focus will allow you to liven up dry facts and statistics. Try the following methods of making your speech about people.8Make People the Subject of Your SentencesEspecially when you present numerical information, using people as the subjects of your sentences humanizes your presentation. Notice how Shannon does this in Table 15.1. Table 15.1 Making People the Subject of Your SentencesLess EffectiveMore EffectiveOur internal research shows that we have achieved an 82 percent client satisfaction rate in terms of perceived quality improvement since moving operations to China.Our quality inspectors consistently survey our clients to make sure we’re getting the right fit for them. The vast majority of our clients—82 percent—say that quality has improved since moving production to China.This statement is compelling but dry and impersonal to some audience members.This statement is compelling because of the people involved: the quality inspectors who conduct the surveys and the clients who are happy with quality improvements.Introduce Colleagues and Refer to Them by Name during Your PresentationBy naming members in your organization or other relevant people, you help your audience members feel they are getting to know these important individuals (see Table 15.2). Table 15.2 Introducing Colleagues by NameLess EffectiveMore EffectiveOur engineers have extensive experience in the Chinese manufacturing environment.Our engineers collectively have over 80 years of experience in the Chinese manufacturing environment. For example, our lead engineer, Jack Chang, completed his master’s degree in engineering at the University of Kentucky and has spent the past 15 years in outsourced manufacturing in China. Jack knows exactly how to identify manufacturers and suppliers to meet your standards.This statement is good but could be improved by elaborating on who these engineers are.This statement is stronger with its focus on Jack Chang and his experience. It helps some listeners relate to and even develop a feeling of trust for the company’s engineers.Use Names of Audience Members as AppropriateWhen you know the names of those in your audience, consider using their names from time to time to personalize your presentation (see Table 15.3). Table 15.3 Using Names of Audience MembersLess EffectiveMore EffectiveIt’s common for small-business owners to think about manufacturing in China for years without taking any real action.Just a few minutes ago, I was speaking to Jim here in the front row. He mentioned that he’s thought about the possibilities in China for over a decade. Five years ago, he went on a local Chamber of Commerce trip to China but ended up thinking his company simply didn’t have the time or money to explore this option any further. Jim’s experience is common. Many small-business owners have wondered about manufacturing in China but never thought it was possible for them.This statement is good but is not personalized. It is essentially a “faceless” comment and thus may be less persuasive.This statement makes the point in a personalized, relatable manner. It shows the presenter is connected to the experiences of the audience.Stay FlexiblePresentations rarely go as planned. Knowing your content perfectly will help you adapt to unexpected circumstances. Maintaining a flexible approach will help you think on your feet for unanticipated events. Consider the following ways of staying flexible. Arrive EarlyArriving early lets you notice if you have any surprises in terms of equipment, room layout, or people in attendance. If so, you may be able to make adjustments before the presentation begins. When presenting in a place you’ve never been before, arrive at least an hour or two early. Focus on the Needs of Your AudienceSome presentations can get off course when audience members raise questions or make comments. If you are preoccupied with your own agenda only, you can become flustered or disorganized if someone poses a question. Be ready to adapt to the immediate needs of your audience so you can quickly modify your presentation based on their requests. If you spend time anticipating possible questions, you will generally b prepared to answer them at any point in your presentation and segue back into the flow. When You Lose Your Place, Don’t PanicAll presenters inevitably lose their train of thought from time to time. When this happens, you can try a few strategies. One is simply to pause until you regain your composure and your line of thinking. Within a few seconds, you will often get back on target. What seems like an eternity to you will be but a short pause to audience members. Many audience members will not even notice you lost your place. Another strategy is to repeat the last statement you made (five or six words). Doing so will help you regain your thought process. Never Tell Your Audience Things Haven’t Gone as ExpectedMany presenters instinctively tell the audience about problems that have disrupted the presentation (i.e., technology failures, misplaced handouts). Resist the urge to mention these mishaps. To many audience members, this sounds like excuse-making and detracts from your key messages and/or your credibility. Most audience members will never know that anything out of the ordinary happened if you simply proceed with slightly modified plans. Always Have a Plan BIf you have electronic slides to display, be prepared for a situation where the projector does not work and you need to speak without them. If you recognize factual problems in your handouts at the last moment, be prepared to present without them. Know ahead of time how you’ll present under these situations. Know What Your Key Messages AreYou can often leave out parts of your presentations as necessary with little change in impact as long as you know your three or four key messages and accentuate them throughout your presentation. Use the Room to Your AdvantageYou will inevitably present in rooms of various sizes and layouts. Generally, you connect with your audiences best if you position yourself close to them and establish eye contact with them. Consider the following advice. Position Yourself Where People Can See You EasilyWalk around the room before your presentation to check the vantage points that various audience members will have. After you do this, you can generally determine where you can stand to get the most eye contact with your audience. Also, think about how you can be closest to them. If your audience members have taken all the back seats and left the front seats empty, move closer to them to reduce the spatial barrier. Or, politely ask your audience members to move forward to the front of the room. Move Around But Avoid Distracting the AudienceDuring presentations of more than five to ten minutes, you can keep the audience more engaged by moving around the room. This draws the focus to you and allows you to gain spatial proximity with most of your audience members at some point during your presentation. However, some movements can be distracting. For example, excessive pacing may show that you’re nervous. Or, since you will likely be standing and your audience members will likely be seated, getting too close may make them feel that you are hovering over them. Use Podiums and Tables StrategicallyMany rooms are set up with podiums or tables, where presenters can place notes and other materials. Standing behind a podium or table can help you project authority and add to the formality of the presentation. If you do use a podium to achieve these goals, make sure you stand upright. Avoid leaning on or gripping the podium, which indicates nervousness. Also, consider whether a podium, table, or other object placed between you and your audience creates a barrier to connection. If you stand in front of the podium or table, you can get closer to your audience physically. As a result, you may achieve a more friendly, accessible, and casual tone. Communicate NonverballyLO15.3. Apply the SOFTEN model of nonverbal communication for presentations.Your audience members consciously and subconsciously make a variety of judgments about your credibility and your message based on your nonverbal behavior. Gary Genard, president of Public Speaking International, had this to say about nonverbal communication: How comfortable a speaker is in his own skin, how he stands and moves, how he looks at others in the room, his tone of voice, even the clothes he wears—together, these variables constitute a constant flow of data running underneath whatever the speaker is saying … leaders know how to move boldly and decisively. There is nothing tentative about their movements and gestures—instead, they literally command the space through which they move.9Consider the SOFTEN model of nonverbal communication in your presentations: smile, open stance, forward lean, tone, eye contact, and nod. By focusing on these nonverbal behaviors, you can display confidence and strength while also showing warmth and concern.10SmileUse your facial expressions to connect with your audience members and show your enthusiasm for your topic. Audience members are more likely to warm up to you when you put forth positive, can-do emotion. Open StanceMost people consider an open stance as more warm and inviting. Excessively putting your hands on your hips, folding your arms, crossing your legs, and gripping a podium or other objects closes you off from some people and implies less warmth. Keeping your arms to your sides or gesturing with palms up is more inviting to the audience. Forward LeanFacing your audience directly with a slight forward lean and upright posture shows confidence and interest. By contrast, leaning back, slouching, and lowering one’s shoulders imply timidity and lack of confidence. ToneUse your voice to express enthusiasm or other intended emotion. To make sure everyone in the room can hear the confidence of your message, project your voice adequately. Also, speak at a reasonable pace. Rushing your presentations is often a sign of nervousness. First impressions of self-confidence and empathy often come from a slower rate of speaking with fewer gestures.11 On the other hand, many audience members tune out when you speak too slowly and may even think you are unprepared. Evaluating your own voice is difficult, since the voice you hear is not what your listeners hear.12 Consider recording your voice so you can evaluate your tone and pace. Also, ask people you trust to evaluate the tone, pace, and emotion conveyed by your voice during presentations. Eye ContactMaintaining eye contact with your audience is among the most important forms of nonverbal communication. It creates an immediate sense of connection when you meet audience members eye to eye. The very act of keeping eye contact forces you to think about your listeners. It helps you evaluate and adjust your presentation as you observe your audience members’ reactions. Perhaps most important, eye contact facilitates trust. Many people partially judge the truthfulness of a message from eye contact.13NodUse gestures that show affirmation and acceptance of your audience members. For example, nodding indicates that you agree or recognize the value of what others say. Gesture with your hands, arms, body, and head to achieve positive connections with your audience. Attempt to read your audience and get a sense for how much energy they have. Research shows that morning speakers should have medium energy and match most audiences’ lower energy levels with a conversational tone. Afternoon and evening speakers can increase their expressiveness and energy.14Remember to be natural. While you can improve your nonverbal communication to better connect with your audience, it takes time. Try out new forms of nonverbal communication incrementally. And be aware that people often misread body language. The more you pay attention to your audience’s reactions, the more you will be able to identify how people respond to your nonverbal communication.15Dress for SuccessBusiness professionals are frequently advised to dress for success, especially for important events such as speeches and presentations. How you dress can make a big impact on how others perceive you. In a recent survey, 41 percent of employers stated that employees who dressed professionally were more likely to be promoted. This figure rises to 55 percent in certain industries, such as financial services.16Most attire can be placed on a continuum from formal to casual. Common categories along this continuum are formal business, business casual, and casual. Formal business dress, at one end of the continuum, is intended to project executive presence and seriousness. It is distinguished by business suits, typically dark and conservative, accompanied by collared, button-down dress shirts. For men, neckties are essential. Business casual dress is one step down in formality along the continuum. It is intended to project a more comfortable, relaxed feel while still maintaining a high standard of professionalism. Business casual dress is interpreted broadly and varies significantly by location and company. As a result, business casual can be divided into high-level business casual and low-level business casual. In Figure 15.2, you can see three levels of attire: formal business, high-level business casual, and low-level business casual. Business casual dress is probably the most common form of dress in the workplace today, with 43 percent of adults in a recent survey identifying that as their typical workplace attire.17Figure 15.2 Formality of Workplace AttireFormal BusinessMenTailored business suitsDress shirtsNecktiesLeather shoesWomenTailored business suit with pants or skirtDress shirtsHosiery or socksLeather shoes© Justin Horrocks/iStockphoto.com© Neustockimages/iStockphoto.com Business Casual (high-level)MenSuit coats, sports coats, or blazersButton-down collar shirtsNeckties optionalLeather shoesWomenPantsuits and tailored separatesClosed-toe or closed-heel shoes© 4×6/iStockphoto.com© drbimages/iStockphoto.com Business Casual (low-level)MenButton-down collar shirts or polo-type shirtsKhakis or chinosLeather belts and shoesConservative footwearWomen*Dress shirtDress pants or skirtConservative footwear© g_studio/iStockphoto.com© Ann Marie Kurtz/iStockphoto.com *Standards for women vary more than for men. Casual dress is the least formal option. It is rare in a business-related setting.18 While some companies have implemented casual Fridays, nearly half of executives and managers feel that employees dress too casually on these days.19 If your company allows casual Fridays, make sure your attire continues to project a professional image. Your attire, and the level of formality you choose, projects a range of messages (see Figure 15.3). Generally, formal business attire projects authority and competence, high-level business casual is associated with productivity and trustworthiness, and low-level business casual is associated with creativity and friendliness.20Figure 15.3 Messages Sent by Formality of Workplace AttireSource: Peter W. Cardon and Ephraim A. Okoro, “Professional Characteristics Communicated by Formal versus Casual Workplace Attire,” Business Communication Quarterly 72 no. 3 (2009): 355–360. For business presentations, you should generally dress up slightly more formally than your audience. Also, consider the messages you intend to send. Younger professionals may not yet have established traits such as authority and competence, whereas they are often assumed to be friendly. So, younger professionals can gain significantly by dressing more formally. Use Visual Aids and HandoutsLO15.4. Use slides and handouts to supplement your presentation effectively.You can powerfully supplement your presentations with visual aids and handouts. In fact, many audiences expect both. In this section, we discuss how to use these items to increase your presentation effectiveness. Use Visuals without Losing Focus on YouIn Chapter 14, we discussed the design of electronic slides. Another option for presentations is the screencast video, described in the Technology Tips feature on page 455. Regardless of the technology you use, your goal is to keep yourself as the main focus of the presentation. Even with well-designed slides or videos, however, keeping the focus on you during the presentation can be challenging. Keep in mind the following tips as you present: Avoid Turning Out the Lights in Most CasesMany presenters turn out the lights so that the audience can more easily view the slides. This makes the slides, rather than you, the focal point for the duration of the presentation. Some audience members may also get drowsy in low light. In some rooms, you can dim the lights next to the screen, but if you do, make sure that you are in full light to your audience. Don’t Start Your Slides Right AwayThe opening moments of your presentation are too valuable to devote to slides. Use at least the opening one to two minutes to make a personal connection with your audience. Then begin your slides. Speak to Your Audience, Not the ScreenThe single most important strategy is to face your audience. Presenters often spend too much time looking at their slides with their back or side to the audience. Interpret, Don’t Read Your SlidesWhen you simply read your slides, you reduce yourself to nothing but a narrator. Since audience members can read your slides more quickly than you can recite what they say, the slides become the primary source of information. When you explain and elaborate on the content in your slides, you draw your audience’s attention to you as the primary source of information. Preview the Slides before Showing ThemTo keep the focus on you and more effectively control the timing of your message, introduce your slides before you show them. When you move to a slide without any introduction, the audience automatically focuses on the slide more than on you. Technology Tips: Creating Screencast VideosBusiness professionals—especially executives, human resource professionals, and sales and marketing professionals—increasingly use screencast videos to reach audiences remotely. Many software packages, such as Camtasia, Adobe Captivate, and Jing, allow you to develop presentation videos that record the activity on your computer screen and combine it with video, audio, and other files. As you develop these screencast videos, keep in mind the following tips: Plan your production and make several trial runs. A screencast video requires you to take the roles of producer, director, and actor all in one. You can choose elements to display on your screen, such as PowerPoint slides, spreadsheets, word processing documents, or other types of files. Simultaneously, you can narrate as you display the content and can even provide video of yourself. After recording, you have many tools available to edit your production. Create short, concise videos. Most screencast videos are short. For example, most how-to videos created by companies and posted on YouTube or their own websites last one to five minutes. Use the right resources. You can use free screencast software and inexpensive video cameras and microphones to make screencasts; however, it’s generally worth the investment to purchase state-of-the-art screencast software and the right cameras and microphones, especially if you intend to create professional-grade screencasts. Use a Remote Control to Advance Slides When PossibleUsing a remote control to move from slide to slide allows you to move around as you talk and more effectively engage with your audience. It also allows you to maintain more eye contact, since using a keyboard requires glancing down. Avoid Standing in Front of the Slide ProjectionMake sure to stand to the side of the slide projection area. Standing in front of the projection causes two problems. It makes the slide more difficult to view. But, perhaps worse, it distorts your appearance. Use Blank Slides StrategicallyIf you plan to speak for lengthy periods without referencing your slides, consider displaying a blank slide so that the screen does not become a distraction. Use Handouts EffectivelyHandouts generally make sense for detailed, numerical, and other information that is difficult to project adequately onto a screen. Also, you may want audience members to complete certain handouts during or after the presentation. For example, Shannon provides a