Steve was nervous. New to the executive ranks, he was preparing for his first major presentation to 250 senior leaders of a $30 billion corporation. Let me tell you what was making him uneasy. This is what he told me:
“I’m putting the finishing touches on my slides and I’m nervous. I wish I didn’t have to use them, but I have slides that MUST be shown. I want to be able to engage the audience, and engage them like NO OTHER PERSON EVER HAS, but I’m worried I’m not going to come through because of all the slides I have to show them.”
I understand the problem.
The most important factor in a truly successful presentation is the deep, powerful, human connection a great presenter makes with every person in the room. Slides can easily BREAK your connection with the audience.
Without that connection, your words are weak. They hit the surface of the audience’s mind and bounce off. There’s no impact.
How many times have you sat through presentations where the presenter’s words became a steady stream of meaningless sounds that you tuned out? You started thinking about other things, right?
You can see how important that connection is.
Assuming you’re able to make this connection, it’s MUCH easier when you don’t have slides. Very few corporate presenters have solved this well.
Most corporate presenters have a gravitic attraction to their slides.
They are more connected to their slides than they are to their audience.
Their communication carries little potency. And when your communication loses power, so does your effectiveness.
So, how do you handle it?
The key to success is to SLOW DOWN TIME.
This is NOT something most people are able to do! Most people feel time racing by when they’re up there. Have you ever felt that? Time rushing by?
Feeling that way causes you to look frantic, not in control. You’ll look like an amateur, even if you’re extremely knowledgeable and professional in your work. It kills your stage presence.
Executive Presence demands that you slow down time.
The way to do it is by controlling your attention. You can’t have your mind racing ahead, hectically anticipating what you say next, ping-ponging back and forth (this is what most mediocre presenters are doing).
You have to direct your mind, to comfortably focus your attention on your audience, and on your words and actions in THIS moment, without rushing to the next.
Stop thinking ahead.
You will feel time slow.
You’ll look like a professional.
But even more importantly, you’ll have PRESENCE. And that makes everyone pay attention.
It’s going to take you a moment to put the next slide up on the screen. It’s going to take the audience a moment to absorb the new slide.
Don’t rush it. Relax, stay cool, stay in the moment.
Slow down time.
After they’ve absorbed what’s on the slide, WAIT to see that their attention is on you and that they’re READY to receive your next communication. Then with your connection in place, now you are ready communicate your next point. Communicate it powerfully and with poise.
Whatever you do, do not start talking until you have that connection. Excitedly racing to change slides as fast as you can and talking the whole time you’re doing it makes you look clumsy and awkward. The opposite of poised presence.
Very simple. Take your sweet time in between slides, make sure you have that connection with your audience, and that they’re ready to receive your communication, then start talking.
Your audience will stay with you the whole time.
Steve gave his big presentation and emailed me immediately after. This is what he wrote:
“My main stage presentation is done and I felt GREAT! I gave a 2nd one this afternoon and it went equally as good. Responses have been so supportive saying I was able to engage them MORE THAN ANY OTHER presenter this week, which was my goal. I really felt CONNECTED to the audience and didn’t allow the slides to ruin that connection. I got a lot of really great feedback where people commented on the very strong presence and platform skills and that I engaged the audience fully throughout the whole talk. Without question, I'm EXHAUSTED and INVIGORATED from giving the 2 presentations. I really felt like I stopped time …”
It's an important ability.
Be in the moment. Stop time.
You’ll find you enjoy it.
Be the cause!