As we emerge from a long period of working from home and online meetings, more and more organizations are bringing people back together. Some big firms are having difficulty forcing people back into the office, but one thing everyone seems to agree on is that Zoom is no substitute for face-to-face conferences or conventions.
Presenters are now having to face a problem they haven’t faced for some time: how to make presentations interactive in front of big audiences, without the benefit of online features like polls, chat or breakout rooms.
There is a famous saying that ‘a little knowledge is a dangerous thing’. It warns against those who know something about a subject but not quite enough.
We should apply the same caution to those business owners and leaders who pitch their presentations above the audience’s heads. They forget how much they know about a subject and aim too high.
In Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, one of the best books I’ve ever read, they introduce the concept of the curse of knowledge.
Right now there’s someone in the world having a great idea; their own lightbulb moment which could change the world.
Many entrepreneurs, business owners and leaders assume that their ideas are the most important thing. They believe that their idea, whether that be a product, service, project or business, is all that matters. They focus on creating and working on their concepts without giving sufficient thought to articulating them.
When Paul McCartney headlined Glastonbury in 2022 he played a long set which included lots of newer material, plus songs from his solo and Wings albums. Many people loved it. But he was criticised for not giving the audience what they wanted — which was the hits.
No doubt Sir Paul had his reasons. He doesn’t just want to play Beatles songs all evening. But even someone of his experience and talent can get it wrong sometimes.
If you truly want to connect with an audience one of the most powerful strategies is to share stories and real life experiences. Facts and figures are hard to remember but we love hearing anecdotes.
Many business owners, leaders and professionals make the mistake of only sharing information in their presentations. They include abstract concepts, facts and figures. As a result, their presentations remain dry, factual and boring. You don’t want to be a boring presenter.
Have you ever had this experience: it becomes increasingly obvious to you during a presentation that the structure isn’t clear enough? You’re losing the audience (which might be clients, colleagues, the board, partners or investors).
If so, you are not alone. Most business leaders and professionals struggle with this.
Fortunately, there is one simple yet powerful communication technique that will help you: the Rule of Three.
The Rule of Three Three is the most powerful number in communication.
Many business owners, leaders and professionals give presentations that are too complex. The consequence is that the audience fails to grasp the message and will not take the desired action.
I believe that the more you say, the less your audience will remember. So you need to keep your presentations short, simple and to the point.
Keeping it simple is one of the five key factors behind any powerful presentation. If you are interested in learning more about the others, I have written about them here.
Most business leaders fail to follow set principles for creating and delivering their presentations. In not doing so they are making a fundamental mistake.
Some think it’s primarily about creating slides on PowerPoint. They think if they get a decent deck together then they are good to go.
If you are one of those people who spend most of your preparation time working on PowerPoint slides (or any other presentation tool), you’ve missed the point.
