Stop looking at the screen and look out the window!

In my previous piece [read it here], I talked about how going down rabbit holes in pursuit of sorting a single issue often comes with a heavy price tag: losing your big-picture vantage point. This time I’m looking at how poor-quality presentations inflict damage to a big-picture view of a different kind: your view of your audience.

This is a subject I’ve talked about on speaking platforms all over the world. The headline I give my talk is: “Stop looking at the screen and look out the window”. Let me explain.?

Screens have become an obsessive means of news gathering, communicating and presenting,?often at the expense of meaningful content and connecting with listeners.?

On many occasions I’ve addressed audiences where, out of a clutch of speakers, I was the only one not using notes or PowerPoint slides.?Talking to the audience, rather than reading from a screen, allows you to interact with those who have come to listen to you. Watching their reactions to what you’ve said enables you to respond accordingly and encourages a lively question-and-answer session at the end.?

What has this to do with looking out the window instead of at the screen? It reminds you look up and use your powers of observation to check what’s going on around you, and to learn from watching how others are behaving.

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Takeout

To get your point across, think beyond PowerPoint and over-rehearsal. Know your stuff and, regardless of whether your audience is your boss, your colleagues, or an auditorium full of people, make sure you look them in the eye!?

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Next week, I’ll look at the best way to ensure that you keep the big picture in clear view. ?