The art of presenting. Mastering content, confidence and connection.

For the last edition of this year I didn’t prepare anything special. Or did I? I tried another interview with a real person - Ignacio Sbampato. We worked in the same company for 9 years, 1-2 of which we collaborated more closely (hence the friendly addressing of chief and VP (I used to be direktorka, but then unfortunately I changed positions and chief haven’t come up with anything more original than VP)). I have always admired Ignacio’s presentation skills. Even though I wasn’t always interested in the content he was talking about, he captured my attention - with jokes, some curiosity build up, with his energy. The purpose of this newsletter is to write about anything “soft skill” related, which mostly ends up about mental health, probably due to a period of time we live in... but today it is about the “traditional” soft skill. How to be great at presenting. And for that I needed someone who is great at presenting (or at least better than me, I cannot be great at everything). Now, let’s talk.?

V: Hello chief! Thank you very much for joining my interview today. Ready?

I: Hello VP! Thank you for having me here. Shoot!

V: My first question is: when did you realize for the first time you are great at presenting?

I: I wouldn’t say I am great at presenting. Those are your words, but thanks for being so kind. Assuming you are right, the first time I realized that is when I went over time and people didn’t start to leave the room in the middle of my presentation.

V: Since when are you so humble? But interesting, I didn’t know people used to leave the room when you were presenting. What did you do at that time?

I: I have always been humble, what do you mean? ;-P It’s not that people were leaving the room, it’s that they weren’t! One of my first important presentations was in Spain. I was told I had 45 minutes to present, and I ended up talking for more than 1 hour and 20 minutes. Several “important” people were in the audience, but none of them left! I assume that they didn’t because my presentation was good enough for them to stay longer than planned :P. ?

V: Nice. What do you think made that presentation special? Or what do you think in general makes a presentation special?

I: I think that what made the presentation work that time is what makes any presentation work in general: a good story that provides value for the audience. That presentation happened more than 20 years ago but taught me that as long as you are able to connect with the audience and give them something that will be useful in some way for them, you are already doing a good job at presenting.

V: I am going to assume that you are good at connecting with the audience. Which brings me to a question - are you adjusting your presentation based on the audience reaction? Presentations are usually a lot of preparation in advance. What if what you prepared is not working? And how do you know it’s not working? How to make that connection to people listening??

I: Presentations are a lot of preparation in advance, I agree. The reality is I am preparing every day because I only talk in public about things I know, that I have expertise in and experience about and that are part of my daily work or life. I know who my audience is because I am working with them - or someone like them - every day, I am testing what works or doesn’t in every meeting or call, so when the time comes to prepare the presentation, it is just a continuation of what I have been doing all the time. If I haven’t connected with that type of audience individually before, I wouldn’t know how to do it when I need to engage (in public!) with a room full of people like them!?

V: You created a guide on how to do presentations, super simple and helpful. How did you create it? Do you still stand by it? Can you tell us more about that guide??

I: Happy to hear you liked the guide VP! I still stand by every part of it. The guide is about creating effective and memorable presentations. It’s mainly focused on how to structure the content, step by step, so you can organize your thoughts and ideas in a way that will be effective. It’s inspired by the work of Nancy Duarte on her book Resonate, but with tips and tricks from my own experience.?

V: I don’t want to get too much into that guide, since people can check it here. I also don’t want to get too much into providing tips and tricks for managing stress regarding presenting. There are many tips online. However, it is a topic that is often mentioned when talking about presentations. I believe when you do what you enjoy it takes some part of the stress out of it, because you have a different kind of motivation or drive. So, what do you love or enjoy about presenting?

I: What I enjoy the most is the preparation, to be honest. Thinking how to build the story and structure in a way that makes sense and delivers on the goals I have set for myself. Then, I enjoy when the job is done and I am not on the stage anymore - presenting is stressful and it requires a lot of my energy to do it on the level I expect from myself.

V: Overachiever much? I didn’t expect you to still have stress, I guess that is a thing all presenters need to accept. Usually, I do not have much stress before, I have 120% stress during, and after I tell myself it was amazing and I want to do it again :D. Although I am definitely not yet on your level. Now you may be asking, why is she talking about herself again? Isn’t this interview about me, Ignacio? Well, it was a bridge to my next question. Since you know me, you saw me presenting - what do you like and don’t like about my presentations?

I: No comments. Next.

V: It is a mandatory question. I want to get better and this is your chance to help me. And who knows, maybe help the readers as well.?

I: Ok, ok. I haven’t seen you present in a while, you know? I even missed your first ESET World presentation (I don’t know why I wasn’t invited - yes, making the interview about me again for a moment). But well, if I need to answer that question because it’s mandatory… What I always liked about your presentations is that they were structured in a way that was easy to follow and understand. The content always covered what was important for me, and if I had questions in my mind during the presentation, I knew they were going to be answered at some point. What I didn’t like is that you usually were looking at your screen, not at the audience, so there was not a real connection. Something like: “here is everything you have to know, now you know it, let me get out of here.“?

V: Didn’t you just say you enjoy it when you are off stage? Of course I want to get out of there! It’s stressful! :D You are right though, I know and I will work on it, thank you for the very valuable feedback. Easier question. You are a big chief, have been for a while, do you actually know how to do the presentation yourself? Meaning PowerPoint or something, play with colors, add animations, make it visually appealing.?

I: Well, I am not a “big chief” anymore, and never considered myself one. Yes, I know how to do everything myself, with an appropriate level of quality. Of course, for very important presentations, I prefer to work closely with a designer that will be able to elevate the visual part of it to a level I can’t. However, when possible, I like to do as much as possible myself - presenting is a “personal” experience for me where I want the audience to see my work, not someone else's.?

V: That makes complete sense - be yourself, make the presentation yours. I think that can also be the ultimate advice we can give to the readers of this article. Or do you have any other wrap up?

I: Do you mean someone will read this? I thought we were just chatting! Yes, that's good advice, and I would only add that practice makes master, so practice daily how to present ideas and tell stories and by the time you need to deliver a big presentation, you will be ready. Thanks for having me here VP.

V: It is always nice to chat with you and get all the useful insights. Thanks for sharing your wisdom and experience. Until next time then!?

Tips from Ignacio

Exercise – Start gradually if you haven’t exercised for a while. The goal is to create a habit out of it, not to pay for three months of gym and drop after one because it is too hard (like I usually do).

Food – Alfajores. If you haven’t tried them yet, you should. Ask V.?

Mindfulness – Be present. Multi-tasking isn’t a real thing.?

Work – Only work as hard as you feel recognized for. No point in over-working when you under-appreciated.

Finance – Start investing as early in life as possible. If you don’t know where to start, put a small percentage of your salary on an index fund every month. A couple of years down the line, you’ll be happy you did.?

Book of the month – No Rules Rules, by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer.?

Intention for the next month – Take time off.

Dance song of the month: