Does this room look familiar? Have you been both an audience member and a speaker? What staid with you 24 hours after the event was over as an audience member? Why? What did the presenter say that resonated with you and you remembered it days later – even months?
I had the pleasure of attending a leadership conference and nine people spoke; some for 45 minutes, some for 10.
The best? The man who told us a story of his “pity party” and how he overcame it with just a 45 second comment from his mother. A second “pity party” was erased thanks to a 45 second comment from his sister. Another door opened as the result of a 45 minute conversation. Do you see the theme? He wove his theme throughout his :40 speech. It still lingers in my heart and mind.
The worst? A woman who read her speech. I remember almost nothing and was gravely disappointed. I can read, just pass me your speech and I’ll take it home with me…maybe.
Other insights: 1. Stories are vital, and yet, they need to be nurtured, have a point and create some pathos for your listeners.
2. Talk slowly – not t o o s l o w l y – but when you talk too fast you lose your point. One speaker was great in the beginning and then I figured he knew the conference was running :20 behind schedule; he wanted to make up for that loss of time. Not a good idea. If you want to keep the conference on schedule and you get up to speak with :20 of your time taken up, then get rid of :20 of material! Really! Even :10-15 helps the audience.
3. Humor. Wow, what a great sit-up-and-take-notice technique. We all love to laugh.
4. PowerPoint slides may or may not be necessary, and the best ones have pictures, not six or seven or eight bullet points all on the screen at once in 12-point font! I couldn’t read three of the speakers’ slides because they were too small and too much for me to ingrain in my heart and head with the speaker speaking and the bullet points pointing.
5. Leave me with a message, a call-to-action, a challenge or a new method of thinking, feeling or doing. Draw me into your heart and I’ll keep you in mine.
6. The best speakers kept to their time, whether it was :10 or :40. Some just wanted to hear themselves speak and gave us too much information and extended their time allotment: cut it down. Many phrases and memorable stories that have saved lives, moved audiences and helped tomorrows have been captivated within :10.
7. What you wear makes a difference.
The conference was a success; it gave everyone something to think or care about, something to possibly move us to a higher level of leadership.
For your next presentation remember that it’s about the audience and about what you learned, how you may have “failed” – or had a “pity party” – and came out on the positive end that you hope will help them. We’ll remember that story and that lesson.
Dee@DeeDukehart.com * 303-549-0045
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