The Presentation Is Not About The Presenter

When you accept the assignment to speak, it happens.

You get all the feels.

They want me?!

Little ol' me?!

My goodness!

What will I wear?

How will I stand?

What will I do with my hands?

Oh!

And what will I say?!

(Yeh. That might be important.)

All of that is fine and dandy, but you forgot about a couple of things … well … one thing.

The audience.

Check it out.? This is going to be hard to hear.? Uh … well … It’s going to be hard to read, but you know I believe in keeping it real.? (You’ve heard of the title of my award-winning book, right, Real Talk, 2e?? Yeh … that’s what I do.)

You and your voice are not the only ones that need to be seen and heard during a presentation.

Remember that while you’re the speaker, your community of listeners have mouths, too.? Make the presentation more about the audience and less about you, the speaker.? And this means, in part, making your presentation a conversation.?

Speak for 10 to 15 minutes, then give your audience 3 to 5 minutes to process what you just said.? Repeat that pattern throughout your workshop, training, breakout session, and even your keynote regardless of whether you present in-person or online.? (And if you present online, you will want to speak for no more than 5 to 8 minutes.? That physical distance makes it hard for people to listen and pay attention for much longer than that.)? Before you transition from one thought to the next, let the idea you just gave them sit with everyone for a minute.? You can allow for a contemplative pause, provide a rhetorical question, or pose a query to which the audience has to voice their own response.? This is the 15-5 Take and Give Model that I discuss in Real Talk, 2e.? (There are all kinds of sparkly orange gems in that book.? You’ll want to get yourself a copy of it.? Do it now.? For real.? I’ll wait.) ?

Although you can deliver your presentation in your sleep and you know it backwards and forwards, your audience is hearing this message … for the first time.? As such, they need that opportunity to think about what the content means for them, for their teams, the work they do, their personal lives, their careers, their businesses.? If you don’t give them a chance to really hear you and then reflect on what they heard, then what have you done?? You are there to transform, not to just talk to fill the time.?

And in order to transform them, you must engage them.

But hold on for a second.

Engagement is a good thing, but it has to have meaning.?

Don’t ask those dull, boring questions we hear all the time or those lame chat prompts we see on webinars.?

Please post to the chat your job title.?

Your city and state.?

What country are you joining from??

What do you want to get out of this session??

Let's keep it real.

Do you plan to use any of that information in the session?? Will you make on-the-spot changes to your presentation to meet each person’s specific needs?? If so, then pay me no mind.? But 9 times out of 10, you are asking for the sake of creating engagement, and that’s not the ticket.

Just as I shared in another post where you shouldn’t meet to meet, don’t have people talk just for the sake of having them talk.? If you have a smattering of professionals where your content has different implications for each of them, then make an announcement, after your introduction, that they are to view the presentation through their individual lenses and apply the content to their specific circumstances.? I recently did that on a webinar where there was a mix of editors, writers, authors, ghostwriters, writing coaches, and publishers in attendance at a publishing conference.? Instead of starting the session by asking what everyone’s profession was, my co-presenter and I simply asked that they think to themselves as we presented “How will I apply this to my individual circumstances, or how will I use this information to support my clients?”? There was no way we could have shifted the presentation to address every single individual situation while simultaneously making the session clear, meaningful, and engaging.? Or we could have tried, and we would have ended up with a bowl of hot mess. (Read: That's not a good look.)

Then, as you present, to engage your audience, ask questions that directly relate to the content you just presented.

• What will you do differently as a result of what you just learned?? Turn to your neighbor and have a one-minute conversation?
• In 3 to 5 words, what are you most excited to do next?? Post to the chat.
• Out of the 3 new strategies you just heard, which one will you put in place right away?? Stand and explain your reasoning to a colleague.?

Isn’t that much better than asking “Are there any questions?” or “Post to the chat your zip code?” (Want more great questions to ask any audience no matter your topic? Check out pages 115-121 of Real Talk, 2e.)

Make the presentation far more about the audience and less about you.? Still make sure your outfit is fly.? Without a doubt.? But at the same time, focus on creating an audience-centric experience because when you do that, you'll love your presentation.? I guarantee it.? And your audience will love it, too!

Stand out the next time you're on the mic! Take advantage of more ways to improve your presentation and communication skills by subscribing and listening to the five-star rated?Own the Microphone?podcast. You will get real strategies from Bridgett McGowen and her guests on how to own the microphone and deliver a message people love.?

Visit?Amazon,?Barnes and Noble, or wherever you like to purchase your books to order a copy of?the award-winning Real Talk: What Other Experts Won't Tell You About How to Make Presentations That Sizzle, 2e,?for all the presentation skills strategies that Bridgett uses.

Visit?BridgettMcGowen.com?for more resources and services built on Bridgett’s more than two decades of experience as an award-winning professional speaker.?

And if you are ready to share your message on a larger stage,?Press 49?is ready to make your dream of becoming a published author a reality.