…it’s all about impact.

Introduction

Why do we present? When I began building Present Proper, I asked myself this question time and time again. Perhaps we’ve been “volun-told” to share results, or perhaps we’re trying to convince a company to hire us into a new position. Maybe we’ve already been hired, worked really hard, and now we’re in a position to show others the results we’ve painstakingly built over time.

Then it dawned on me: Impact. The reason any of us bother making a presentation is to spread our knowledge and make an impact amongst our peers. It isn’t because we want prestige, ego, or profit. We want others to know what we know, and we want to help them understand why that content is so important.

To successfully convey our message, it is imperative that we control our breathing, our speech rate, and our nerves.

It gets personal

I used to spend 300+ hours per year on volunteerism. In one of these roles, I took command of a Civil Air Patrol squadron of 68 adults; the squadron met once per month, and it was up to the commander (me) to guide the meeting, share relevant information, and make sure each member was capable of accomplishing their mission. In this situation, a breakdown in communication could easily lead to drastic real-world consequences. The Civil Air Patrol’s mission is significant and dynamic; without impactful and meaningful presentations, the members (and mission capabilities) risk stagnation.

As commander, it was up to me to eliminate stagnation. I needed to grab their attention, maintain their interest, keep the information relevant, and ensure the presentations stayed interesting. I needed to learn how to make an impact.

The gift of opportunity

Imagine, for a moment, that you were in that role. Imagine you’ve been given the role of squadron commander, and the burden of impact lies on your shoulders. How do you gauge your impact? Let’s assume that the image leading this article is of you and your audience. Nicely dressed, you’ve captured your audience’s attention and your talk has begun. Based on the image, how’s your presentation going? Let’s get to know our audience.

The first thing we notice is the faces. Audience members facing you ensures they are more interested in what you have to say than the content streaming on their phones. Clearly, this is a great first step — they are awaiting your message, and it’s your turn to deliver. But there’s one audience member we can use to better gauge (and steer!) our discussion.

Specifically, look at the audience member wearing a turquoise shirt and navy colored jacket. Reclining in their seat, their legs are crossed and their hands are brought together. Do you think he is interested in what the speaker is saying? If we interpret their body language, the answer is a resounding “No”, and here’s why:

– Their reclined posture places their body further from the speaker

– Their clasped hands act as a physical barrier between themselves and the speaker

– Their crossed legs are literally closing them off from the speaker

Taken together, these points suggest at least one audience member is tuning out.

How would you handle this situation? How would you treat the audience member in blue, and other similarly posed audience members?

A new challenge

If I’m the speaker in this situation, the audience member with the blue shirt is now my “target”. I’m going to begin going slightly off script, using transitions between my slides, personal anecdotes, and other mechanisms to see if I can garner any interest on their face or any change in their body position. In a literal sense, their body language becomes a real-time progress meter to my message and my delivery.

What would I like to see change in his body language? Everything. I’d like to see him physically and mentally leaning in to the conversation I’m trying to start with my audience. I’d like to see them remove the physical barriers they’ve placed between us (uncrossing his legs, unfolding his hands, or leaning in), as well as the mental barriers (nodding, smiling, or even a sideways head tilt) to show more acceptance in my presentation and interest in my dialogue. If we can un-bore one audience member, chances are we can bring in a few others as well.

How? How do we get our audience interested? How do we change their mindset from “bored” to “I want to hear more!”? How do we reach out into the audience and welcome them into the conversation? Unfortunately, this is an art in itself, and the discussion will have to wait for another time. In the meantime, we can always use our audience’s body language to gauge their interest, and by association, the impact we are making.

Conclusion

Too often, we get caught up in the pressure and anxiety of giving a presentation that we forget about the gift that we’ve been given. We forget that we have “sign posts” in the audience acting as real-time meters on how we’re doing and the impact we make.

When we present, we are given the rare opportunity to impact people in a significant aspect of our life. Each audience member is there by choice; they could easily leave the room or hang up from the conference call. But they are there to see you. This is your opportunity to convey your message, in your style, in your own words.

At Present Proper, we teach you the means to get your audience involved. We help you improve your slide deck and your presentation style so you can make the impact you’re looking for. It begins with you (your look, your approach, and your speech), and it ends with you (your conclusion and your impact). In that moment, it’s all about you, and Present Proper can help get you there.

Present clearly. Present concisely. Present Proper.