Speaker's Digest April 2003
In this issue:
- Presentation Skills You Can Learn at 5, 6 and 10
- Fundamentally Speaking: EMS on Movement
- Planning your Content: Become Audience-Focused
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Presentation Skills You Can Learn at 5, 6 and 10
“Try to punch one word or phrase in every sentence—punch one idea a story.”
News anchor Tom Grunick, played by William Hurt, in Broadcast News
If you want to observe some terrific presenters in the comfort of your own home, take our advice and turn on the news!
When we put together our January newsletter project focused on critiquing President Bush’s State of the Union speech, Eliot appeared on two Chicago TV stations to discuss how we might advise Bush if he were our client. While spending time in two studios over several days—one very early in the morning—we were able to observe first-hand the ways that TV reporters and hosts prepare for their on-air appearances.
Professional speakers can learn a lot about presenting by observing how news personalities approach their work. News people share the same goals as speakers: they want to appear credible, conversational, knowledgeable, believable and likeable. Anchor people, in particular, need to achieve those goals while delivering prepared material that has been written by someone else. Reporters, on the other hand, often need to present from notes, sometimes with little time to prepare.
For insight on how reporters might study for their work, we looked to the 1987 Oscarâ-nominated movie Broadcast News. Albert Brooks played Aaron Altman, a seasoned TV news reporter given a one-time chance to anchor the national network evening news. (Did he earn a second chance? We can’t tell you—rent the movie!) William Hurt played Tom Grunick, a rising star at the network that has been ridiculed by Altman for his style-over-substance approach to news.
Altman has reluctantly invited Hurt’s character to help him prepare for his anchoring opportunity. Grunick’s pointers range from sitting on the end of your coat jacket so it doesn’t “ride up” to making eye contact with the camera, not the copy. They address which side is Altman’s “good” side, and work on keeping his eyes from moving back and forth while he’s reading.
After working with Altman for a while, Grunick leaves him with some final advice that you might recognize if you’ve been reading past issues of Speaker’s Digest or attended an EMS program:
“Remember -- you're not just reading the news or narrating. Everybody has to sell a little. You're selling them this idea of you. You know, what you're sort of saying is: ‘Trust me. I'm credible.’ So whenever you catch yourself just reading...stop and start selling a little.”
Whether they’re on CNN, CBS, WMAQ or even a tiny station in Duluth, Minnesota, TV news people know that they are presenting every time they report the news. Some of them practice—out loud—during breaks to make sure that their presentations are successful. Some are reading, while some are using notes, but all are trying to present information in ways that are credible and interesting.
We notice that the best presenters at TV stations tend to be the weather personalities. They are taking fairly basic information on a daily basis and presenting it to viewers using a conversational tone, an array of visual aids that enhance their presentation, and effective movement (read more about movement in this issue). Here are things that we notice news personalities do well:
- Avoid non-words
- Sound conversational
- Maintain eye contact
- Vary their volume
- Smile
- Use visual aids
To study the presentation techniques of news personalities, we encourage you to check out a variety of styles from local and national reporters and anchors. Watch them in formal and informal, studio and outside news situations. Observe the techniques that they use to connect with you, their audience. If you feel particularly inspired, make a note of things they do that you’d like to try when you next have a speaking opportunity.
Just make sure you don’t fall asleep before the sports.
Fundamentally Speaking: EMS on Movement
Have you ever been to the zoo and watched a caged animal pacing back and forth? Deep down you know that this habitual, repetitive, movement is a sign of pent-up energy from the animal. Perhaps you even feel badly for the restless creature.
As a presenter, random, non-purposeful movement such as pacing can be distracting to an audience in the same way that an animal’s pacing distracts a zoo visitor. But movement in itself isn’t a bad presentation technique. On the contrary, purposeful, energizing movement can be the most powerful technique a speaker can use to draw listeners into a presentation.
How do you know the difference between positive or distracting movement? Here are some of our thoughts on movement.
Distracting Movement. Distracting movement is pointless, repetitive, and frustrating to watch. Often, this is movement that speakers don’t even realize they’re doing—their energy is just leaking out through their feet. Pacing is one example of a distracting movement. Here are a few others:
Swaying or Shifting. This shows up as repetitive side-to-side movement, forward and backward, or even a little “do-see-do” in front of the audience. In our workshops, we often refer to this as “Elvis hips.” When you’re standing behind a lectern, any back and forth movement is enhanced, becoming even more visible to your audience.
Leaning a.k.a. The One-Hip Stance. The speaker puts all of his or her weight on one hip until it goes numb, then bounces to the other hip. This movement can also evolve into sticking your heel into the ground and twisting your foot (“drilling for oil”), or crossing one leg over the other.
Positive movement. As a rule, we notice that positive movement looks natural, purposeful, and effective. Positive movement enables speakers to take control of a room, connect with audiences, and emphasize main points. Watch Robin Williams do his one-man show on stage. While he takes movement to an extreme, it sure beats the alternative.
Move when you need to. Step forward, or to the side, to engage your audience. Walk to a screen or visual aid and point to it (like the weatherperson). But when you need to make that connection, remember to stop and . . .
Plant your feet. OK, planting your feet isn’t really movement. But it keeps energy from “leaking out,” moving it up into your hands, your face and your voice, where it makes you more interesting to see and hear. Purposeful moving is made more effective by purposeful stopping.
Vary your approach. Pacing, swaying or leaning isn’t varied—it’s distracting. Take a few steps forward or backward, then take some giant steps to the side of the stage and talk to people on the side. Walk out into the audience if it feels right. Just remember to stop to make your main points. (If you’d like, this is the time to do the hokey-pokey and turn yourself around—that’s what it’s all about!)
When you put your next presentation together, plan your movement just as you plan your messages. When it’s time to deliver your key benefit, put “take a step” into your notes. Just before you make your point, take a deep breath, pause for emphasis, and move toward your audience. Plant your feet and present your thought with confidence.
You’ll like the results.
Planning your Content: Become Audience-Focused
Here’s a message to all you presenters out there: your audience isn’t really interested in you. They want to hear what you have to say, but what they really want to know is how your message will benefit them. And since your listeners are the ones who ultimately determine whether you succeed or fail as a speaker, you need to be mindful of what your audience needs.
Many speakers ignore this advice, filling their talk with personal anecdotes, examples of their own success or expertise, and relying on the words “I,” “me” and “my.” Instead of a “POW” statement, they start their speech with “I’m here today because I want to talk about why I’ve taken my business in the right direction.” This is not an effective opening line for an audience-focused presenter.
When you’re invited as a speaker, you don’t need to prove your worth by talking about yourself. You’ve already been acknowledged as someone with a compelling message. Self-absorbed babble is distracting and even boring. Talking about the audience, on the other hand, shows your interest in THEM, and demonstrates your own confidence.
Instead of saying “I’m going to tell you about,” say instead “today we’re going to discuss . . .” or “you’re going to learn about . . ..” If personal details are particularly important, save them for later as support, never as your opening or main point.
Frank Neilson
Sales Engineer
Bosch Rexroth Corporation