Tag: Presentation Skills

  • Sabotaging Yourself as a Speaker

    Recently, I had the honor to be an audience member instead of a presenter. By watching instead of doing, I got the opportunity to re-assess my beliefs about what makes speakers effective. Here’s what I noticed:

    5 Ways Speakers Sabotage Themselves

    Mechanistic Movement

    I’ll be honest here. I’ve only noticed a case of “robot-arms” this extreme a few times in the 20 years of my professional career. Every time one speaker said a certain word, he self-consciously drew a shape in the air with his hands. I counted five of these word-and-gesture-pairings. The effect was of an overly rehearsed, stilted high school actor.

    Tornado Talking

    Several presenters’ speed-talking, punctuated with very few pauses, led to audience exhaustion. Women presenters were the biggest offenders.

    Big Chest in a Tight Blouse (I couldn’t think of how to use alliteration here)

    The audience could see the lines of one presenter’s underclothes, and even what lie beneath them. Additionally, this speaker dressed more casually than most of her audience. (Do remember the rule: “Dress like your audience, but one step better.” )

    Boring Bearing

    Wearing sparkly clothes didn’t make up for one speaker’s inward-turned shoulders and powerless posture. (To learn about the Power Posture watch this great video:  http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_cuddy_your_body_language_shapes_who_you_are.html)

    Egregious Embellishment

    Several presenters used lots and lots of very, very, absolutely, incredible, awesome, unbelievable, excellent, top-of-the-line adjectives. It was as if these speakers didn’t believe the truth of their messages, so tried to pump them up to make us believe. The opposite occurred.

    3 Ways Speakers Increase Their Credibility

    I’m probably the audience member from hell because of my merciless observations. However, I wouldn’t want to imply that I didn’t see anything that worked. Here are three behaviors that added to the authority and credibility of several speakers.

    Purposeful Perambulation

    The (female) speaker moved toward the audience, then stopped when delivering important messages. She refrained from:

    • Pacing
    • Walking backward
    • Shifting her weight from side to side
    • Talking while walking
    • Standing like a cheerleader: (weight on one hip).

    She always included the entire audience with her body position, not just with her eye contact. As a result, her words were compelling.

    Enthusiasm Embodied

    The best presenters appeared to be enjoying themselves. They displayed passion about their subjects. Their voices were both deliberate and naturally excited. They gestured authentically to emphasize their messages. (For the best article I’ve found on exuding enthusiasm as a speaker, see: https://gm.wp.zi3.xyz/training-development/the-joy-of-training/).

    Audience Advocacy

    This term, coined by Jerry Weissman, simply means that the speaker continually let us know how his information would benefit us. Sprinkled throughout his presentation, he asked questions like:

    “Now, why is this important?”

    “Why should YOU care?” and

    “Why am I telling you this?”—and proceed to answer in ways that made it clear how his information was in OUR (the audience’s) best interest.

    Potent Presenting

    When you lose the first five behaviors listed above, you’ll stop asking yourself, “Now, why didn’t that work like I thought it would?” By integrating the last three points, your public speaking becomes more compelling, dynamic and powerful. Enjoy!

    Want more tips to improve your speaking self? Learn about Guila Muir’s Presentation Skills Workshop.

    Guila Muir is a premiere trainer of trainers, facilitators, and presenters. Since 1994, she has helped thousands of professionals improve their training, facilitation, and presentation skills. Find out how she can help transform you into a great presenter: www.guilamuir.com

  • FEAR, Revisited: Manage Your Presentation Nerves!

    AfraidDo your hands sweat at the mere idea of public speaking? Does your stomach flip-flop, your mind go blank?

    Four guidelines from professional speaking coaches will help.

    1. Don’t hate your nerves.
    Remember that your goal is NOT to overcome fear. Your goal is to deliver an effective message. When you invest yourself fully in your message, fear takes a back seat.

    2. Be able to clearly state your presentation‘s purpose.
    Your nerves will undermine you if you’re not able to state the purpose in one short sentence, starting with “The purpose of my presentation is to…”

    In the words of Dianna Booher, an international communications skills expert: “If you can’t write your message in a sentence, you can’t say it in an hour.”

    3. Work That Heart.
    Cardiovascular fitness acts as an “anxiety shield.”  Whatever physical exercise you like, do it, and do it regularly. Your lowered blood pressure, heightened endurance, and increased oxygen flow will protect you against an attack of nerves.

    4. Do it over and over. The best way to feel calm and confident is to practice your presentation multiple times, OUT LOUD, both by yourself and in the “real world.”

    Use these four suggestions as you prepare for your next presentation. The antidote to nervousness is not “out there” somewhere…the keys are already inside of you.

    Want more tips to improve your speaking self? Learn about Guila Muir’s Presentation Skills Workshop.

    Guila Muir is a premiere trainer of trainers, facilitators, and presenters. Since 1994, she has helped thousands of professionals improve their training, facilitation, and presentation skills. Find out how she can help transform you from a boring expert to a great presenter: www.guilamuir.com

  • Embracing “Figleaf” for Presentations

    Oh, if only I could advocate Figleaf, since it’s the go-to position of many presenters. After giving Figleaf a thumbs-up in this fantasy scenario, I could also wholeheartedly endorse the following, both online and IRL:

    • slumping shoulders forward
    • crossing arms in front of the body
    • crossing legs.

    I can only imagine how relieved my clients would be if I could promote these popular behaviors.

    Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen. If we are serious about presenting effectively, we can’t afford any of these. Let’s take a look at the worst offender. Then we’ll review our options.

    What is Figleaf?

    Figleaf occurs when you place one or more hands in front of your midsection or abdomen. Using “Figleaf”, even while sitting, closes you in and hunches you inward. It can lower others’ perception of your credibility.

    Why Does Figleaf Occur?

    Our brains are hardwired to protect us. When we feel exposed (as many feel when presenting) we react by covering up. As Malcolm Kushner says in Presentations for Dummies, “it’s like you’ve just discovered your nakedness (or lack of anything intelligent to say) and want to hide it from your audience.”

    What Are Options to Figleaf?

    The good news is that great alternatives exist. All of the following will make you look more credible:

    • Bend your elbows slightly and align your middle finger with your shoulders. Allow your hands to relax and face each other. Move your wrists slightly as you talk. OR
    • Move your hands from the shoulders instead of from the elbows. OR
    • Demonstrate with your hands:  “On the ONE hand”, or “our FIRST priority should be…” (bring your hands up for visibility if online).

    To Avoid Figleaf

    All you need is willingness…willingness to try something new, even if it makes you feel exposed at first. You will see an immediate improvement in your confidence and competence as a speaker.

    Want more tips to improve your speaking self? See our Presenting Confidently and Concisely Workshop.

  • Transform Your Training with This Easy Tool

    Magic Hat and WandDoes your training environment sometimes feel dull (or even dead) as you deliver content? Does the environment itself feel uninspired? Wouldn’t it be great to have a magic wand you could use to inject your training with energy!

    Such a “magic wand” exists. Called Pair and Share, it is arguably the easiest and most effective training tool you can use. It always increases interaction, whether your class consists of four participants or four hundred. Importantly, Pair and Share also deepens every single participants’ interest and retention.

    So…Is Pair and Share Magic?

    Once you try it, you may think so. Pair and Share is simply a structured opportunity for your participants to process information in groups of two.

    Why Does Pair and Share Work?

    This super-easy technique does three important things. It:

    • Helps store information in long-term memory
    • Allows participants to reflect on content and make it their own
    • Increases individual accountability

    You can sprinkle Pair and Share several times throughout any training session to increase participation while reinforcing your message.

    How to Use Pair and Share

    Before or after providing content, guide the participants to form pairs with the person sitting next to them. Instruct them to process a specific, relevant point in the material. Your instructions should force them to work through the topic’s application to their own lives or work. Provide a total amount of time for the exercise—perhaps 30 seconds to one minute.

    Select from the following verbs, or use others, when you give instructions.

    “Turn to your partner and …

    • List
    • Discuss
    • Fix
    • Do
    • Figure out
    • Fill in
    • Share
    • Explain (etc.)

    Examples:

    Please turn to your neighbor and …

    • Name five types of safety gloves and what each are used for.
    • Define “saturation level”.
    • Tell them the most important fact you have learned in the last ten minutes and why.

    Believe it or not, this simple technique can determine if your participants remember or forget essential pieces of content. Sprinkle Pair and Shares liberally throughout your training sessions, and watch the classroom come alive!

    Want more tips to improve your trainings? Learn how Guila Muir’s Instructional Design Workshop can help you to create powerful, effective training sessions.

    Guila Muir , a premiere trainer of trainers, facilitators, and presenters, has helped thousands of professionals improve their training, facilitation, and presentation skills. Find out how she can help transform you from a boring expert to a great trainer!

  • Dive In!
    Presenting and Open Water Swimming

    I am an “adult onset” swimmer. Learning to swim at age 46, I trembled with the same anxieties as many of my Presentation Skills clients. I even heard myself describe my experience using the same words. Swimming was unnatural, awkward, unnerving, and out of my comfort zone.

    Twelve years after my first lesson,  I continue to feel amazed at how many parallels I continue to discover between swimming and presenting. I often ask my workshop participants for similarities they perceive between these two divergent activities. Their collective wisdom will help YOU overcome your “fear of the water:”

    1. You must prepare

    Workshop participants cite this similarity most often. This makes me happy. Open water swimmers can literally die (and sometimes do) for lack of preparation. Presenters can metaphorically “die” if they are not prepared.

    Keep the ratio of 1:3 in mind. For each hour spent presenting, it’s wise to put aside a minimum of three hours to design, prepare, and rehearse your material.

    2. You must keep focused on the final goal

    For swimmers, effectively sighting on the final buoy helps determine who wins and who loses. Open water swimmers can end up swimming hundreds of extra yards if they don’t continually keep their eyes on where they want to end up. Those who sight poorly end up off-course, exhausted, and maybe even wounded: One swimmer I know ran into a piling and broke a tooth because lost sight of his final goal.

    Presenters also lose when they drift away from their stated purpose. Remember to carefully craft and state your purpose. (Here’s an article that will help.) Then remain accountable to your purpose throughout your presentation, even if metaphorical winds, chop or waves  try to toss you off course.

    3. You must stand tall

    Efficient, graceful swimmers demonstrate the same physical skills as presenters. Although swimmers remain horizontal, the fastest ones elongate the back of their necks. Their shoulders roll back and down to achieve the most powerful stroke, and their chests press into the water.

    Presenters, if you practice these exact physical techniques, you will appear more credible, authoritative, and strong in front of any group.

    Both in swimming and presenting, conditions can be rough. The first few strokes can feel icy. But if you’ve taken these three participant-generated tips to heart, you will overcome those challenges within the first few minutes. Then everything will go “swimmingly!”

    Send me your “swimming” and “presenting” analogies!

  • The Curse of Knowledge

    by Guila Muir
    info@guilamuir.com

    Think of a skill you have, (such as driving, swimming, writing, reading…) Would you say you are unconsciously competent with this skill? That is,

    • Can you do it without thinking about it?
    • Is it part of you, like an instinct?
    • Would you have a hard time explaining the steps of this skill to someone with no knowledge at all about it?

    All of us have skills like these. And it’s great that we do! And yet, here’s the big question. Can this level of expertise actually hurt us as teachers, trainers or presenters?

    Before taking a guess at the answer, consider this experiment Elizabeth Newton did in 1990 at Stanford University. She assigned volunteers to one of two roles, either a “tapper” or a “listener.” Each tapper was asked to pick a well-known tune such as “Happy Birthday” and tap out the rhythm on a table. The listener’s job was to guess the song.

    Over the course of the experiment, 120 songs were tapped out. Listeners guessed only three of the songs correctly, making the success ratio only 2.5 percent. But before they guessed, Newton asked the tappers to predict the probability that the listeners would guess correctly. They predicted 50 percent. The tapers were flabbergasted by how hard the listeners had to work to “get” the tune.

    Why?

    The problem is that once we know something (for example, a song’s melody or a skill), we find it hard to imagine not knowing it. Our knowledge has cursed us. The more intimately we know a subject or a skill, the harder it may be to effectively teach or present it to others in a way they can understand. We may find it impossible to fathom how to teach because we don’t know where to begin.

    The Need for “Conscious Competence”

    It’s common knowledge that experts who know the most about a topic don’t always make the best teachers. In fact, some of the very worst teachers have the highest levels of knowledge and expertise. These experts have lost touch with conscious competence, and they wonder why their students aren’t learning.

    As presenters and trainers, we must come to our subjects anew. We need to get in touch with what the Buddhists call “beginner’s mind”, an experience of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions. But we must also “crank ourselves down” from unconscious competence to conscious competence.

    Conscious competence is the state we’re in when we are able to do a skill, yet must still concentrate on its steps and nuances. It’s the state we inhabit when we don’t feel like an expert, even if we are. Even if we must concentrate in order to do the skill correctly, we can verbalize each step we take. We are not on automatic pilot.

    A Challenge

    So-beyond the need to “know your stuff,” which elements do YOU believe are most important to make a great teacher? Here’s this month’s challenge. Please take the time to answer the question, What makes a great teacher, trainer, or presenter? in the “add new comment” box below. I’ll publish the most-often stated ideas in our next newsletter.

    Thanks to The Art of Explanation, by Lee Lefever, for introducing me to the Stanford experiment.

    Learn about Guila Muir’s Pre­sen­ta­tion Skills Workshops.

    Guila Muir is a pre­miere trainer of train­ers, facil­i­ta­tors, and pre­sen­ters. Since 1994, she has helped thou­sands of pro­fes­sion­als improve their train­ing, facil­i­ta­tion, and pre­sen­ta­tion skills. Find out how she can help trans­form you from a bor­ing expert to a great pre­sen­ter: www.guilamuir.com

  • Presenting from the Seat of Your Pants


    The Challenge of Sitting

    We can lose a great deal of speaking power when we present from a seated position. Why?

    1. Half our bodies, with their eloquent capacity for language, are hidden.
    2. Often, our hands are not visible.
    3. Our internal organs are more tightly constrained.

    What’s Wrong With This Picture?

    Here’s how to present with confidence and authority while sitting:

    • Place your feet parallel to each other, flat on the floor, facing forward. Your knees should be bent at a 90 degree angle. No crossing your legs!
    • Feel your sitz bones, (the bones at the very bottom ends of each side of your pelvis) sitting squarely on the chair. These form your anchor.
    • Roll your shoulders down your back, opening your chest.
    • Practice gesturing in the camera. Make sure your hands are visible, but don’t move them TOO close to your face. Gesturing makes you appear much more dynamic, and helps bring your own energy up.

    You’ve Got It!

    Present from the seat of your pants. Whether you are presenting to board members, City Council, or being interviewed, you look and sound strong, approachable, and confident.

     

  • Your Biggest Gift as a Speaker

    by Guila Muir
    info@guilamuir.com

    Does this sound like you? “I’m a fine communicator one-on-one, but put me in front of a group and I just die!”

    Why is it easier for many of us to present in front of a few people than to a larger audience? Why do many of us believe that some people just “have what it takes” to present effectively, and the rest of us don’t?

    The truth is that everyone has the innate gifts to speak in public. True, few may possess the flamboyance of a professional motivational speaker. But I question the value of this presentation style, which often looks inauthentic. And although it does matter how you use your hands (avoiding the infamous “figleaf” pose, for example) and how you pitch your voice, the real gift you have to offer is YOU.

    Three Tips to Enhance Your Gift

    • Connect.
      It’s important to remember that speaking publicly is a relationship event, NOT a performance event. Your audience remembers what you say because you connect with them, not because you are the smartest or most charismatic person in the world.
    • Don’t speak “to,” speak “with.”
      Think of the event as a dialogue or conversation. Look directly at people and share your knowledge with them.
    • Express yourself.
      Remember that your unique style is better than any set of “stage skills.” Be yourself.

    But Is “Being Yourself” Really Enough?

    All truly compelling presenters use their greatest asset–themselves–to sell their concept and get their message across. All also realize that they can intensify their authentic selves for a more dynamic effect. Don Pfarrer, author of Guerilla Persuasion: Mastering the Art of Effective and Winning Business Presentation, calls this the “Intensified You” persona. It is “a task oriented, turned-on, intensified version of yourself.”

    When I work with clients to achieve their own Intensified You personas, I notice their increased confidence and resilience as speakers. This is particularly useful when they deal with jaded or potentially hostile audiences.

    Elements of The Intensified You

    • Subject Mastery: You must know your subject thoroughly AND know the limits of your knowledge.
    • Steadiness: You must “keep a steady hand on the tiller”–knowing you might need to change course to avoid a hurricane, but not allowing a small squall to deflect you.
    • Empathy: You must remain sensitive to your audience. If you were a member of your own audience, what would you need to hear? To see?
    • Candor: Include in your presentation what needs to be there–don’t hide anything. Show you are aware of challenges or problems; then present solutions.

    So — bring your authentic self as a speaker, but pump it up. This combination is unbeatable!

    Learn about Guila Muir’s Presentation Skills Workshops.

    Guila Muir is a premiere trainer of trainers, facilitators, and presenters. Since 1994, she has helped thousands of professionals improve their training, facilitation, and presentation skills. Find out how she can help transform you from a boring expert to a great presenter: www.guilamuir.com

     

  • 5 Ways to Energize Your Presentations

    What’s the difference between presenting and training?

    Presentations are typically delivered one way, from speaker to audience. Great training sessions, on the other hand, are interactive.

    To spruce up your presentations, try injecting these five techniques borrowed from active training:

    5 Ways to Enliven Your Presentations

    1. Preface your presentation by briefly stating a relevant problem. Ask participants to be ready to solve the problem by the session’s end based on what they’ve learned.
    2. Distribute a list of questions for participants to answer as you present. (By directing participants to listen and search for information covered, you actively engage their attention.)
    3. Ask a relevant question and make it clear you expect the participants to think about it; then have them share their responses with one other person. (Optional: then elicit few of those responses.)
    4. Interrupt yourself periodically and challenge participants to give examples of the concepts presented thus far or to answer “spot-quiz” questions.
    5. Provide a “quickie” self-test either before, during or after the session.

    These techniques shift several responsibilities onto the audience, where they belong:

    • the responsibility to learn
    • the responsibility to engage, and
    • the responsibility to remember

    However, your responsibilities as a speaker shift a bit, too. You must move from spraying audience members down with an “information hose” to having more of a dialogue.

    Be sure to let your audience know what you expect of them before introducing each technique. And don’t let them slide back down into passivity—keep them awake and involved!

    Learn about Guila Muir’s Presentation Skills Workshops.

  • Four Gender-Specific Presentation Blunders

    by Guila Muir
    info@guilamuir.com

    Is it true that men tend to make certain types of blunders while presenting, and women others? In my experience, yes. I have worked with hundreds of individuals and single-sex groups, and notice recurring, gender-specific behaviors that sabotage presentations.

    In the interest of advancing further research, I submit these very common blunders, and give you the tools you need to prevent them.

    Most Common Presentation Skills Blunders: MEN

    1.  Guys, you wander aimlessly too much. Move with purpose ONLY. Pacing or shuffling weaken your delivery and your message.

    The best reasons to move are:

    • When you are changing a subject.
    • When you are changing an emotion.
    • When you’ve been in one place for the entire time.

    Stand and deliver, then move.

    2.  Get those thumbs out of your pockets or your waistband. This posture is called “genital framing.” Do you really want to express “check me out, I am a virile male” during a high-stakes financial talk? (Or maybe you do…What do I know?)

    Instead, use your hands and arms in a natural way to emphasize your words. You can even just let your arms hang down at your sides (now that feels weird, doesn’t it?)  Just don’t tuck your hands away…anywhere.

    Most Common Presentation Skills Blunders: WOMEN

    1.  Read the following. Is Mary credible?

    “Hello. My name is Mary Smith? I am the communications director? And I’ve worked here 15 years?”

    I’ll bet your answer is NO.  Mary just sabotaged herself, big-time. Even if she is most credible person in the company, she now has to earn back the credibility she lost through the upward inflection at the end of her sentences.

    Professor Yia Hei Kao of Claremont University is just one of many researchers and linguists who have found that when women end their sentences with an  upward lilt, they project uncertainty, tentativeness, and the desire to please others.

    Women, is THAT how you want to come across? We no longer need permission to speak, so why act as if we do?

    Practice introducing yourself. Listen for the upward swing at the end of the sentences. Enlist someone else to help if you are not sure what you’re hearing. End your sentences with a downward inflection. This “fix” is one of the most important things you can do to increase your credibility as a speaker.

    2. Stand evenly on both feet. Don’t heap your weight onto one hip. This “cheerleader” stance makes you look like you’re posing for a photo shoot. To come across as grounded and powerful, BE grounded from the floor up.

    OK, men and women. I hope these tips help you. Share them with those of the same and the opposite gender. Let’s all work towards a world full of improved presentations!