10 questions that tell if your presentation su@%s

If we are honest with ourselves, we would recognize the sad reality that most presentations su@%. They are riddled with bullet-points, void of story, and don't engage us as audiences. But yours doesn't have to be that way.

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When you've given up your presentation power to PowerPoint (A.K.A. the third person in the room) you disengage your audience at the same time devaluing what you have to offer. This is because the purpose of presentations has changed. The PowerPoint default setting is still designed for a world that doesn't exist. A world, where back in 5 B.G. (before Google) information was trapped. But now, presentations are no longer information transfer - since all information is already in our pockets.

Not convinced? Why are you still using a white background? Are you expecting people to print it out and trying to save them toner? Why are you using bullet-points? Are bullet points how you or anyone else remember things?

The new purpose of presentations (like the old purpose of presentations circa 100B.G.) is to create something that wasn't there before. (Trust)

[1] Are you reading the text that is on the screen?

Are you creating a presentation that will help you create interesting distinctions for you to discuss or are those your speakers notes typed on the screen that you are subjecting your audience to reading while you also read what's there? I think this is sadly the most common and the worst presentation mistake you can make. Humans (like us) are visual learners. You need to use visuals (phone pictures, icons, charts,) that trigger the mind into story.

[2] Does it start with a question?

The best presentations are conversations. #makepresentationsconversations. Before you dive into your presentation, make sure you check in with your audience with a question like "I'm prepared to talk to you about these three things today. So that we make the best use of our time together, can you tell me what is most important to you about this?" This can work well even when presenting to a huge group. (for example, Facebook live)

[3] Does it dig into the real problem your audience is having?

Most presentations fail because they jump straight into the fabulous, streamlined, integrated, robust, seamless, whatever-the-hell solution you have to espouse all the glories of without first connecting with the problem that your client or audience is dealing with. When connecting to the problem, it better be real for you, and the more you can empathetically connect with the emotional impact around that problem, the more powerful your solution will be - when you get to talking about it. Think of how boring a Wonder Woman movie would be if the whole story was talking about how awesome she was without first introducing the villain threatening all humanity.

[4] Is your [insert your stuff here] the HERO of the story?

If it is, you have failed to understand a basic premise about selling a solution or an alternative. It's not your solution if it's not your problem, to begin with. The owner of the problem needs to take possession of the solution and the desired outcomes in order for there to be any change.

"How did you get to San Francisco?"

"I flew."

You don't say, JetBlue's leather seats and 17 year fantastic pilot got you there. So in other words, it's not your solution that will save the day; it's how your client will use what you give them to obtain the outcome they need. It's their solution. Make your client the hero of this journey if you want better resonance.

[5] Does it check-in with your audience at least 3 times?

Your presentation isn’t a TED talk. Unless of course it is. And in that case, it's a performance, not a presentation. If your audience wants a performance they will buy Hamilton tickets. Or watch a TED talk on youtube. But if they're looking for a trusted advisor to help them solve a real problem in their business, they just need you to be real with them and to hear them out. They don't want your 72 slide PowerPoint emailed to them. If that's all you needed to do to win their trust then buyers wouldn't need us sales people. And by the way, many businesses are moving to a self-serve model, which many buyers prefer given the bad reputation we have as sellers.

How can you become a trusted advisor in your presentation? Be trusted. And be an advisor. I've found that the best presentations are conversations that check-in with audiences at least 3 times during a 20-minute session. A check-in can be in the form of questions; answerable, rhetorical, and sometimes just a show-of-hands will do. Don't just ask a yes or no question like "Are there any questions?" which will always leave you with a very awkward silence. Ask questions like "What do you think is the biggest issue with XXXX?" or "How do you think this is impacting your organization?" Use audience engagement technology like Slido.com if you are presenting to audiences larger than 10 if you really want to see the magic happen around facilitating a conversational presentation. (See 2018 SXSW presentations using Slido.com. Elon Musk had over 1,000 questions to choose from, however, the best ones were upvoted by the audience. Crowd moderation is an excellent way to facilitate a presentation)

[6] Do your slides have more than three distinctions per slide?

Turns out that 87% of the people who saw a presentation yesterday won't remember 1 slide. And that's because there is just too much stuff on them. The best presentations I've seen have either one major distinction and a few minor ones on a slide, or three equal distinctions on the screen, causing people to make mental comparisons and judgments about the relationship between the three. Any more than that on one slide will distract you as a presenter and confuse your audience.

[7] Do your slides have all the information on them?

If they do, then what does your audience need you for? Just email it to them. Or better, send them a link to your website. You don't need to have a presentation that has all the information on it as you are presenting. In fact, the less the better, and the more-non-self-explanatory it is the better. When you show a slide that doesn't speak for itself, it creates a question in the mind of the audience. It creates dissonance that can and should only be resolved by you telling the story around it. This is what you want. The best presentations use visual cognitive dissonance so your audience is trying to connect things they see with what you are saying.

[8] Has your audience taken ownership of the information you passed to them?

The best presentations are interactions where your audience is connected to the topic you are presenting about as if they own the outcome. Do they have any homework, next steps or skin in the game? If they are sitting back and judging you or your presentation, you've lost.

[9] Does it ask any questions that you don’t know the answer to?

That's right, does it ask any questions that YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW THE ANSWER TO? What? you expect your audience to make a big change in thinking or doing but you don't have to? How are you really helping them in their new journey if you already know all their answers? What insights can you learn while you are presenting something you are an expert in - to people who aren't? The best teachers I've had asked me questions that they themselves were asking as if for the first time - because it was. My answer was the basis of my new action or change which was different from anyone else's. And also may provide them with new insight or angle which they've never considered.

[10] Does it leave your audience thinking “they really heard us and understand our needs better than the others did”

The only presentations that win with me are presentations that ask me questions. They get me thinking. They get me poised for some kind of change or specific action. It's the art of a well-worded question which will trigger an opening response. It's not trickery. It's not getting them to a "yes". In fact, getting people to a "no" works 9x better if you're interested mastering that kind of control. But even those manipulative questions have blowback especially if they are smarter than you. So better assume you are the dumbest person in the room. Be honest. Offer your value. Know your shit. Be prepared to put their interests above your need to present anything.

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What's your presentation worth?

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#makepresentationsconversations