When you are developing the message, keep in mind how you will deliver it and where you will deliver it. The delivery of a formal presentation differs from that of an informal presentation. Location also has an influence on delivery.
Formal presentation. You get on the stage in front of a podium. The audience sits in chairs and listens. You speak; they clap. You walk off the stage. Session over. That is a formal presentation. The location of a formal presentation can range from an auditorium that seats 2000 to a boardroom that seats 5. If you are standing and delivering a prepared message, the presentation is formal. When you present formally, you connote authority: “Listen to me. I know what I am talking about.” Formal presentations are effective for presenting concepts, opinions, and information.
Informal presentation. There is no podium. The audience may be standing or seated on whatever is available. You wander around the room as you speak. There is no single point of reference for the speaker. Sometimes you are in front of the audience members; other times you are behind them. What do you communicate when you shift your physical presence? That you are one of them. Yeah, you’re just like the folks to whom you are presenting. Informal presentations may be as well rehearsed and well prepared as formal presentations, but the intent is different. You assume a consultative role. When you present informally, you connote collegiality: “Hey, I’m just like you.” Informal presentations are effective for presenting a point of view or for enlisting support for an idea. They are ineffective for presenting abstract concepts.
Formal/informal presentation. A leader who is in touch with how the audience is receiving the message will often alter the presentation format, sometimes on the fly. For example, you may start on the stage and end up in a chair. Or you may start on the floor and end up on a chair. Alternating between formal and informal messaging works best when you are trying to persuade, to win the group over to your point of view. You begin with an overview of the offering or idea, and then you home in on the benefits. As CEO of General Electric, Jack Welch varied his presentation style according to the situation. Like many corporate leaders, he would make prepared remarks and then open it up for a question-and-answer session where all pretense of formality was dropped. Welch was a big believer in humor and in what he calls “screwing around” at meetings, discussing things like the previous Saturday’s golf tournament.
Choice of venue. Location is essential to the choice of presentation style. Will you be in an auditorium or in a cafeteria? Will you be speaking in a ballroom or on a factory floor? The location can make a difference. Auditoriums and ballrooms are typically used for formal presentations; cafeterias and factory floors connote informality. Good presenters make the location work for them. Throughout his mayoral career, Rudy Giuliani made a point of showing up at scenes where he felt the community needed to see a leader. Of course, after September 11 we saw him every day at Ground Zero, as well as at funerals, memorials, and other public venues.
How and where you deliver your presentation may depend on your preference, or it may be set by the group to whom you are presenting. Knowing in advance how and where you will present is critical to ensuring that your message is understood and creates the right impetus for action.
Note Delivering the Leadership Message contains much more material on delivering the message to audiences. For information on delivering the message to an individual, see Coaching—One-to-One Leadership Communication, “Leadership Communications Coaching.”
Communications Planner: Structuring the Stand-up Presentation
Organization is fundamental to an effective presentation. The presentation that rambles is the presentation that is forgotten not as soon as it is over, but while it is still going on. Try these techniques to get started:
Read. Read. Read. That’s where you find ideas for your content.
Ask. Ask. Ask. Talk to people who represent your customers. What do they want to hear?
Find. Find. Find. Look for research material wherever you can find it. Trade magazines. The Internet. Corporate reports.
Brainstorm. Yes, you did this when you were coming up with the message. But guess what? It works for fleshing out content, too.
Write the draft by adding points to your outline. After a while, you will have the beginnings of a draft, but you will have created it by using an outline method.
Construct your arguments.
Claim: what you state
Reason: what you believe
Warrant: synthesis of statement and belief
As you write your draft, think in terms of analogies. Use the words in those analogies to color your content words. Here are some examples:
Topic
Analogy
Word Pictures
Growth
Gardening
Fertile, bloom, etc.
Change
Biology
Cell, embryo, organism, etc.
Conflict
Civil War
Division, skirmish, battle, war, etc.
Competition
Sports
Ball
Merger
Wedding
Bride, groom, ceremony, family, etc.
Celebration
Party
Milestones, champagne, cake, etc.
Review the methods of persuasion suggested by Robert Cialdini. Which of the six factors (reciprocation, commitment, social proof, liking, authority, or scarcity) is most applicable to your presentation? Develop a paragraph around one or more of the most relevant factors. Use it as part of your leadership message.
Develop your call to action in conjunction with organizational needs. Consider the following questions to help you craft your call to action:
What issues are facing the organization?
What problems are tearing at the organization?
What are the strengths of the organization?
What would the organization like to do to overcome its challenges?
Create links between sections. Examine the headings of your outline and think about how you can link one section to another. We call these points transitions. Transitions are essential to organizational unity and help to retain the attention of the audience. A transition can be as simple as Point 1, Point 2, . . . or Next, or it can be as creative as a story or anecdote.
When you ask colleagues to review your drafts, pass out candy or movie coupons. Folks will appreciate your gesture and are likely to go easy on your work.
Keep in mind that presentations are never finished, they are delivered. You may tweak your presentation until the moment you stand up and deliver it. If you keep an open mind, your presentation will remain fresh and alive every time you give it.