by Al Golzari
that your dog had a healthy bowel movement to
going to the Home Depot to buy a gallon of
insecticide on a mundane Saturday morning, then
what the hel is the purpose of the word?
DON’T SPEAK, SING
This is a little wonky, but maybe not. I think there is
a lot of truth in it. I’ve always felt that some of my
best presentations were when I was actually singing,
well, sort of. I stil practice this to continuously
improve but when I do it, my audience seems to take
a subtle notice to it.
I don’t actually mean singing (I’m sure I’d be an awful
singer if I ever tried). I mean speaking in a rhythm,
almost as though it were a song. When your words
flow from one to the next and it all sounds good, you
sound good. Once again, the words become
secondary.
George Carlin had a special ability to weave words
and sing, instead of speaking, during many parts of
his stand-up routines. Big Carlin fans like myself
have noticed this.
I don’t mean rhyming. I mean rhythm. These are
two different things.
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Take the lyrics of any great song and, assuming you’re not a professional singer, sing them. Has
anyone ever told you “don’t quit your day job?” You
may have butchered the song, right? The words out
of your mouth are the same as the artist who has
sold mil ions of copies and has fame and fortune. So
what’s the problem? The problem is that you don’t
know how to make those words sound good. You
can, however, make the words in your presentation
sound good.
Have you ever done karaoke? It can be a lot of fun.
Some of us can’t karaoke sing our favorite songs
even when we know all the lyrics, and some of us are
pretty good at karaoke because we know how to
follow those bouncing balls that jump on top of each
word. So learn how to make it sound pleasing.
That’s what I mean by singing instead of speaking.
You may have heard from time-to-time that some
particular person “likes to hear themselves talk.” It’s
almost always meant in the pejorative. Maybe in
some ways that’s not such a bad thing.
ENUNCIATION
About 15 years ago, I read a book on linguistics and
found the information on enunciation both
interesting and useful. Enunciation is the ability to
articulate words in the best possible way. Don’t
confuse this with pronunciation. Pronunciation has
to do with saying a word “correctly,” according to
the laws of English grammar as wel as common use,
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etc. Enunciation means how the words SOUND
coming out of your mouth.
YOUR “INTERVIEW VOICE”
I’m sure you’ve heard about your “interview voice,”
right? You know when you’re getting on a scheduled
call for a job interview and you answer the phone?
Your “hello” is much different than your “hello” after picking up the phone when your friend calls, right?
When it’s a job interview, you are so pleasant,
dynamic, upbeat, positive, and all that good stuff.
But it’s the same exact word so what’s going on?
That’s enunciation!
UPSPEAK
It was suggested by an early reviewer that I add a
few thoughts on upspeak (or uptalk). I briefly
hesitated since I have no unique viewpoints on the
issue, but nonetheless, it is worth mentioning briefly.
One thing I wil say is that I don’t think this is solely
attributable to young women, as many people claim.
I see men do this too, and quite often, in New York
City. But it might be fair to say that this is
attributable to younger generations and mil ennials,
in particular.
As you may know, upspeak is generally defined as
completing your sentence as though it were a
question. The idea stems from an unnatural need to
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make your sentiments seem positive (at all times) when it’s completely unnecessary to do so.
It’s about rising your intonation at the end of your
sentence when it completely doesn’t call for it.
While some people may think this is normal (since
we are conditioned that way, sadly), a lot of people
wil notice this and see it for what it is – a negative.
The trouble is that upspeak seems to have this need
for approval or validation. And a lack of confidence.
This can truly be a negative, since it seems as though
you’re putting something on the receiver when there
is nothing additional to throw out there.
I had a really great time at the beach this
weekend(???). So are you tel ing me that you had a
really great time at the beach this weekend or are
you not sure and want ME to add something to
YOUR story to validate it.
There are plenty of good videos on upspeak on
YouTube. Check them out!
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CHAPTER EIGHT |
STORYTELLING, AUTHENTICITY,
AND BEING CONVERSATIONAL
While the bulk of this guide should help you navigate
the ins and outs, I thought it was proper to talk a
little bit about the guts of your presentation.
Although there’s been so much written over the
years, storytel ing is stil underrated, and I want to
briefly share some of my own thoughts on this. I’ve
touched upon some of these elements in various
sections, but let’s specifically talk a little about the
value of storytel ing in your presentations – no
matter what type of presentation you make.
At the heart of storytel ing is the idea that you’re
there for your audience and are taking them on a
journey. In some way, you have the ability to alter
your audience’s psychological state.
This journey that I’m referring to can relate to any
type of presentation, not just sales presentations, for
instance.
Al audiences have emotional needs and current
emotional states. If you want to succeed, you need
to understand both of these. The best way to
understand this, I believe, ties back to authenticity
and the heart of your message.
Another thing about storytel ing is the necessity to
“give away” more and more of your presentation as
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you go on and, consequently, more and more of
yourself. When I’m in teaching mode, I do this all of
the time. Granted, some people in the room
understand it better than others, but it’s your
responsibility as the presenter to offer part of
yourself but also transfer ownership of your story to
them.
Not trying to get all metaphorical here, but a master
chef can create the greatest dishes in the world,
discuss them and show them to you. But, you won’t
feel as though you’re part of the experience until the
chef gives you a taste.
I do sincerely feel that the only way to truly have
your audie
nce embrace your words is to “give them”
your words.
Remember, you don’t always need to have people
agree with a presentation you’ve made. If you can,
great. But rather, ask yourself, “did they understand
and absorb it”? Back to the chef analogy: you may
not even have liked the dish, but the chef gave you a
bite. You experienced it.
LANGUAGE
Authenticity in storytel ing also depends on language
you use. Use conversational language whenever you
can. For example, instead of saying something like:
One must consider the ramifications of…
Try something like:
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This is important because…
This is a better way of not only being more “real” but
also less distant.
I’d also recommend, as appropriate, not to use “$50
words” when a “$5 word” wil do just fine. I’m sure
you’ve heard this before, but it’s true. I’m not
suggesting lowering the caliber of your vocabulary.
In other words, don’t use a steak knife to cut butter.
Why use “nefarious” if “evil” wil do just fine? Why
say “ascertain” if “figure out” works just as
effectively? Actually, “evil,” depending on your
topic, may be a more descriptive word and better
convey your meaning, anyway.
I hate to do this, but I’m going to reference
politicians one more time. In general, voters
resonate more with candidates who use “plain
English.” Use fancy words when it’s called for. In
most cases though, don’t overdo it.
BE HERE NOW
To be here now means to be in the moment, which
wil also add to your authenticity. Give the
impression that you’re one of the audience, aware
not only of yourself but also them.
Improv has some relevance here. You want to be
able to respond rather than react. Reacting takes a
lot more thought than responding does. I’m not
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tel ing you to not think before you speak, but
responding is more natural, authentic, and sincere.
This is a valuable tool not only when managing
questions, which we’l address in a separate section,
but also as you’re presenting the guts, or “meat”, of
your presentation.
When you think about storytel ing, think about a
time you read a bedtime story to a small child. You
were most likely acting out the characters in the
story, right? If you had to play several characters at
once, you may have even done slightly different
voices, change your pitch, etc. Storytel ing is a
dialogue, not a monologue.
When presenting, do the same thing. If you’re
talking about something that happened to you and a
col eague or friend, play each character, so to speak.
“Pretend talk” to that col eague or friend as you
present, not to the audience. And vice-versa. It
takes practice, but you’l see a creative side to you
that you didn’t even know existed.
I know I earlier discussed the power of a smile, so I
don’t want to come across hypocritical. Yes, there’s
power in a smile, but if you’re embracing the
storytel ing technique, smile as the story calls for it; if
you’re discussing something perplexing, daunting,
scary, sad, etc., try your best to adjust your facial
expressions and body language to reflect that.
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If you’re just smiling the entire time, then you’re defeating the purpose and can come across as
inauthentic. If you’re describing yourself shoveling
snow, mimic the art of shoveling for your audience. If
it was hard to shovel, pretend that you’re strained
and labored.
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CHAPTER NINE | AGENDAS AND
TRANSITIONS
I’d like to talk about agendas and transitions
together because I think they’re closely connected.
I’l explain in further detail below, but it’s first helpful
to keep in mind that your overall presentation is
made up of several chapters that create a story, like
a book, or an overall message that consists of parts.
AGENDAS
It’s important to provide an agenda of your
presentation, and you generally have a lot of latitude
in how you do it. It can be either explicit or implied,
meaning it can be written (on a slide) or just spoken.
I’ve never walked into a meeting room in my
corporate life, or into a classroom in my teaching life,
without providing an agenda. It’s important to make
sure you tel your audience why they are there and
what you’l be talking about. Don’t assume they
already know. Sure, they may have a general idea,
but be specific – it can only help. An agenda wil not
only reinforce or clarify the “what” – but it wil also
provide the “why.” In other words, be concerned
with what they’l get out of it.
Don’t confuse this with a “presentation agenda” that
literally lists out the specific topics in a timetable
format, with hours, break times, lunch, etc. Those
are perfectly fine, but they work better for an entire
day of presentations. That’s more of an itinerary.
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An agenda should be clear. The “chapters” of your presentation should be listed in the simplest terms
possible. If you decide to make an agenda slide and
your topic is, for example, on the benefits of dual
sourcing, you’re probably trying to convince your
company to move forward with a plan, and your
agenda may look something like this:
Agenda
• StateoftheCategory
• CurrentChallenges
• AlternativesandOptions
• OvercomingMajorConcerns
• Benefits
• Take-Aways/NextSteps
I would recommend always providing take-
aways/next steps for business agendas. This is a
better way of doing a conclusion since you’re
providing key action points by way of a summary. If
you’re presenting on something you’ve already
placed into action and it’s been successful, then you
may want to conclude with calling it “Wins.”
TRANSITIONS
Transitions can be tricky for both practitioners and
students. In all fairness, books often explain
transitions in ways that don’t always make much
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sense. I like to think of transitions as linkages, connectors, or bridges. In short, they are the “set
ups.” I’l explain.
Transitions link one thought with the next. It’s often
been said (and perhaps proven, psychologically) that
audiences remember the beginnings and endings of
a presentation. Also, psychologists generally believe
we have an attention span of approximately 17
minutes for any given topic. So, transitions help open
and close each topic you’re presenting, and they give
meaning to what you have just said and are about to
say.
>
Think of your overall presentation as a book. Books
have chapters, and transitions are needed to connect
each chapter. Or, think of a movie. A movie is made
up of scenes. The transitions between scenes can be
overt or nuanced, but all good, professionally-made
movies have transitions that connect one scene to
the next. You can also think of the parts/topics of
your presentation as puzzle pieces. Think of when
you did puzzles as a kid; you needed the puzzle
pieces to fit together to recreate the image shown
on the cover of box. You couldn’t just force them
into place.
There are many ways to do transitions. Some can be
matter-of-fact, and some can be more nuanced.
Here’s an example of a very basic, matter-of-fact
style:
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Now that we’ve provided an overview of the 4Ps of marketing, let’s discuss the importance of each of
them.
Granted, this is very simple, but technically this is an
acceptable transition. Why? You are tel ing your
audience what you’re concluding and what you’l be
doing next. Again, you’re connecting the pieces to
create an overall story. You wouldn’t want to give an
overview of the 4Ps and then immediately get into
detail of the first P (which is often Product). You
never “set it up” for your audience. You owe it to
them to do so.
Now, let’s get a bit more complex. Here’s an
example of a more nuanced transition:
The “Historic-Future” or “Backwards-Forwards”
Style:
The growth of the consumer internet in the 1990s
was revolutionary. It created not only so much
innovation but also new business platforms. But it’s
important to remember that while the internet was
very exciting and created new value, in some cases it
didn’t. Technology just for the sake of technology
isn’t a guaranteed recipe for success. That wil keep
us grounded when we look at how to best manage
opportunities with virtual reality (VR) and augmented
reality (AR).
Here, I’m offering a bit of historical perspective to
place these new opportunities into the appropriate
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context. I’m also “setting things up” for my
audience.
The Rhetorical Question Style:
Let’s say as a sales director you’ve given your sales
