Good presenters don't need Eskom... they create the electricity

It just so turned out that my pitch was on the merits of presentation skills. And I have long held the belief that PowerPoint has become a cliché and a corporate crutch, and that it is in fact no longer the most effective way to communicate. It is overused to the point of being near worthless.

Ancient and time-honoured

So I told them that in my pitch. I set my impotent computer aside in the semi-dark of a wood-panelled boardroom, as we listened to the hum of the generator next door, and I engaged with them in an ancient and time-honoured way: face to face.

The reality of presenting in any sales or leadership scenario these days is that you can expect things like that to happen. Life will always throw you curveballs. But your business and your income may depend on how you handle these idiosyncrasies. In short, an educated presenter knows how to engage without the crutches.

Once you've ditched the laptop and the slides, you actually have more options, not less. For instance, you are more able to read your audience's reactions and adapt your content accordingly. You are able to make greater eye-contact, and frankly, you are compelled to be interesting on purpose. The PowerPoint dependant tend to recede into the role of voiceoOver artists, reading out bullet-points.

Do better

You can do better:

• Start by designing an attention-grabbing opening. This may take the form of a dramatic question, a relevant story example, or a snap survey: “By a quick show of hands, who here sat for more than an hour in traffic this morning?”
  
• Use language that conjures up visual imagery. Human beings are visual creatures, and the more you can cause your audience to ‘see' what you mean, the more persuasive you will be.
  
• Use movement on purpose. Now that you aren't slide bound, design your use of the space available to you for intentional effect. You can become animated as you build in pitch and tone. The human mind sits up and responds to passion and conviction.
  
• Use changes in the rhythms and cadence of your voice. Don't be tempted to sound like you are ‘delivering a presentation.' Instead, aim to sound conversational; warm, sincere and convincing - as though you really mean what you're saying.
  
• Interact with your audience. Ask them questions. Involve them in your explanations. Engage them at every turn. Don't think of yourself as ‘separate' from them, removed in your space at the front of the room, delivering information from a distance. Instead, think of yourself as the head of a discussion group, leading them and including them.
  
• Don't use stats or graphs where stories or visuals could be stronger. I once used an orange to explain a point regarding the financial services industry in South Africa. I cut it open in front of my audience, and spoke about the ‘segments,' as a metaphor. It was endlessly more effective than a pie-graph could ever have been.

In short, there is so little thought put into originality these days that the presenter who does it stands out. There is always a more profound way of explaining your point and of winning your audience over. It simply requires a little creative thought.

Before you slot in that next PowerPoint slide, ask yourself: is there another way of conveying this? A better one?

Win the deal

By the time Eskom had come to the party, I walked out of that company with the training deal in hand. My presentation had not required a single slide, but I spoke compellingly and convincingly about my subject. And it was enough to win the deal.

You can win your bids too, with or without electricity. The electricity should come from you.

Put the slides one side, and put some creative thought into truly engaging with your audience. Remember, you are not a voiceoOver artist. You are more like a lawyer in a court case. Your job is to convince human beings. And human beings don't think in bullet-points.