Presentation Do’s

1. Make eye contact so people feel you are communicating with them.
2. Think about how you deliver the information in terms of moods.                                  
3. Sound like you do in a conversation.
4. Ask a question and give people time to think.
5. Add variety to your speech through visuals or question

Presentation Don’ts 

1. Don’t grade questions by saying, “That’s a good question.”
2. Don’t bad mouth or say negative things at any time, it will only discredit you.
3. Don’t rush to fill the silence.  

The challenge is how to move the listener from where they are now to where we want them to be? Instead of delivering information, a good presenter interprets the meaning of the topic to the listener.

The following six principles can help you achieve this goal.

1) Provoke your audience

The purpose of your talk is to educate your audience with the intent of changing behavior, not just to give them information. Don’t assume that if you tell them the features, they will see the benefit. Tell them the benefits and skim over the features.

2) Reveal new meaning

The speaker should help listener gain new meaning. You want to give them the “ah ha” moment. This step is needed to motivate the audience. You are building on what they already know and showing the “value added”.

3) Relate the information to your audience

The audience must be mentally engaged in the presentation to move from where they are to where you want them to be. Show how your topic relates to their life or work. This will tell them why they want listen to you.

4) Speaking is an art form

A good speaker utilizes techniques of making good presentations. but adorns this with his own style. Use your own personality, interests, and passions to let your talk reflect you.

5) Address your specific audience

Each presentation should be crafted to fit the particular needs and desires of your audience. There is a vast difference in how Gen X’ers communicate and how Baby Boomers take in information. The expectations of technology, length of talk, even the pacing, are quite different from audience to audience.

6) Present the whole

Your topic is a piece of the life of your audience. Demonstrate how it fits in with other aspects of their life. Help them to see the “big picture” while emphasizing this as a part of that. When possible, show how they will benefit today as well as in the future.

A good presenter is an interpreter – taking information and putting into a form that is of interest to the listener. A good presentation creates a bridge between the topic and the audience.

Incorporate these six principles into every presentation to help your audience understand why your words are of value to them.

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2. Recording yourself on video is the best way to pinpoint your strengths and weaknesses.

3. Knowing your subject is important. Explaining your subject in a way that’s easy to understand and memorable is more important.

4. When you tell a story, debrief it. Not everyone will interpret your story in the same way.

5. Always put statistics in context. Explain what the statistic means and why the audience should care.

6. Use stories during public speaking engagements to illustrate points and state the point in addition to telling the story.

7. Always make your story relevant to the subject at hand.

8. Select stories to match the intelligence, experience, occupation, and age of the audience as well as the nature of the occasion.

9.  People like you when you use self-effacing humor because they see themselves mirrored in your weaknesses.

10. Deliver your speech to the crowd, not the screen.

11. Please pick a spot and stay. Move deliberately to another. Don’t pace aimlessly. And please don’t turn all the way around.

12. If you don’t make eye contact with your audience, you make it that much harder for them to connect to your message.

13. If you are being videotaped, all of what I’ve just said matters 10x more. Think of viewers watching a rapidly pacing speaker.

While nothing is bad against improving your speaking presence, I’ll serve up a few things. Take ‘em or chuck them down the trash chute…

1) An improv course serves any public speaker well. Great presentations should invite interaction. The faster you are on your feet, the better you will be.

1) Years of being in presentations and watching presentations just make you better. That’s something that just takes time.

1) Know thy junk. Nothing makes for a worse presentation than not knowing your core points cold.

1) Here’s an odd straddle: most of presenting is being a great listener.

1) Have a great, great opening! Yes, I once walked into a presentation with a chainsaw running full tilt and almost set off the sprinklers, but no one forgets the presentation, the point it made, or me.

1. Donald Trump, $1-1.5 million: In 2006 and 2007, The Learning Annex shelled out a hefty fee to have Donald Trump at their Real Estate Wealth Expos, paying him a whopping $1.5 million per speech for a 17-seminar conference. Trump only had to speak for an hour at each one, but audience members say he gave them their money’s worth by staying to answer audience questions. This was after Trump had already raked in one million per speech speaking at the same seminars in 2005. The company felt Trump was well worth the money, however, as few others have the celebrity and business savvy he does.
2. Ronald Reagan, $1 million: Back in 1989, the Fujisankei Communications Group in Japan paid this former president a cool million per speech to come to the country and tour. Reagan gave two speeches while there as well as speaking at media outlets and giving interviews. Still, Reagan didn’t make out too shabby with $2 million (in 1989 dollars) under his belt for sharing his business and presidential experience with the company desperately in need of public relations help. The Reagans created a national sensation in Japan, boosting the company’s profile.
3. Tony Blair, $616,000: On a lecture by lecture basis, Blair is likely the world’s best paid speaker. In 2009, he made almost $616,000 for two half-hour speeches given in the Philippines, raking in over $10,000 a minute. Listeners didn’t get to hear what he had to say for free, however, and many tickets to the event topped $500. Even in a time of economic crisis when many have slashed their fees, Blair’s have remained buoyant, due perhaps to his lengthy stint as Prime Minister and the insight and analysis he can offer as a result of it.
4. Bill Clinton, $150,000- $450,000: It isn’t unusual for this former president to net $150,000 and up for a speech. Clinton has spoken at a wide range of events around the world from environmental conferences to business meetings, often promoting causes like HIV/AIDS treatment, economic empowerment and leadership development. The same charisma and likeability that won him two elections likely contribute to organizations’ willingness to shell out the big bucks to have him speak. Clinton has scaled back his speaking schedule, however, to support his wife as Secretary of State.
5. Rudy Guilani, $270,000: While millions of New Yorkers got to hear Guiliani speak for free during his time as mayor, his speaking fees aren’t cheap now that he’s retired. Since his time in office, he’s earned nearly $10 million in speaking fees, with his most expensive gig netting him $217,000. This speech was given at Sage Capital, a St. Louis-based private equity firm, and chances are his presidential candidacy may have helped out the bottom line on his fees as well.
6. Alan Greenspan, $250,000: Former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan has been able to bring in the bucks since retiring through giving speeches. Only a week after his retirement, Greenspan spoke at a Lehman Brothers dinner, earning himself $250,000. Worth noting is that his successor to the position, Ben Bernacke, won’t even make that in his first year on the job, earning just $191,000.
7. Lance Armstrong, $100,000 and up: Straight facts are hard to get on just what Armstrong is paid to appear as a keynote speaker. With inspirational fodder gained both from his successful battle against cancer and his comeback win of the Tour de France, Armstrong is in demand as a speaker regardless of the kind of fees he commands. While he might only need $100,000 to appear at some events, industry insiders have noted that he asked for $750,000 for a series of speeches given overseas just last year, a fee that might not be out of line for celebrity speakers.
8. Al Gore, $100,000-150,000: Since his time as Vice President and his famous run for president, Al Gore has made a name for himself as a strong opponent of global warming and an environmental activist. Gore has maintained his draw as a speaker because of this activism, and now routinely charges in the $100,000 range for speeches. Having an Oscar-winning film and a Nobel Peace Prize under his belt sure can’t hurt either. While some have criticized his high fees, his camp maintains that he donates a percentage of his fees to the Alliance for Climate Protection.
9. Richard Branson, $100,000 and up: This business mogul is known world wide for his record company and airlines, not to mention his forward-thinking business plans. It is, perhaps, a combination of these things–his business savvy, willingness to take risks, and ultimate success–that make him such a desirable speaker. Of course, if you want to bring him to your event, expect to pay at least $100,000, though many other companies have been rumored to have paid more.
10. Sarah Palin, $100,000 and up: A few years ago, few people outside of Alaska had any idea who Sarah Palin was. Now, a presidential race and loads of media attention later, Palin is a household name, and she is capitalizing on it big time. Who can blame her, however, when she can command $100,000 and more for a speech? Since leaving office as governor, Palin has brought in nearly $12 million in book royalties, speaking fees and soon, a reality TV show.

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Let me start by first introducing you to the world’s best public speakers – stand-up comedians.

Here are some reasons why they are the best:

1) They have nothing to offer you except a bunch of crap and yet they can keep you listening for hours

If you have the chance to go to a live stand-up show, observe the good ones. Observe the topics they talk about. It’s absolutely RANDOM NONSENSE! Sometimes they tell their own stories and none of them are TRUE! Consider salespeople, who do almost the same: approach people whom they don’t know, offer something that they might/might not use, use stories to backup their claims. If you can be an excellent stand-up comedian, you will definitely be a good salesperson.

2) They can start off as a stranger to you, but have you Googling their name after the show

How many times have you met a stranger and Google their name after that? Wouldn’t you say that a person who can come into a room full of audience, talk about random stuff and leave you behind wondering who the hell they are, is actually a good speaker? Or at least an OK one? Wouldn’t it be good that if a new Manager gives a speech to his team members and they all become very interested in his/her credentials and check him/her up? Wouldn’t you want people to be interested in you as a speaker?

3) People idolize them

…for speaking random nonsense! People idolize rock stars because of their mad guitar skills, idolize singers because of their powerful vocals, idolize successful business people because of their success. Imagine people idolizing you because of your ability to talk nonsense and make them laugh. What would happen if you talk serious stuff? People will either take it seriously or not. However, being a good comedian is not just about jokes and laughter, that’s a mediocre comedian or joker – a good one will make you laugh and yet earn your respect. A combination of humor %2B respect = persuasive. Isn’t that what all public speakers want?

So if you think you are already a good public speaker, think again. Think about all the speeches that you’ve made, what leverage did you rely on and how opened is your audience to the topic you’re speaking about. Do you really think they are listening to you or listening to what you have to say?

Most speakers I’ve seen think that they are “good” or “ok” simply because they speak fluently and people listen. They think that public speaking is all about fluency and attention. They are only half-right.

Wouldn’t you agree that sometimes it’s not the idea, but the person delivering the idea matters most to most people? Imagine a dry topic like “Quantum Physics”. If a professor is delivering this topic, only physics students might attend. However, if you give it to Russell Peters, physics students, accounting students, law students, business students, and even my mother would attend.

I can sell a product like an iPhone maybe to 2 out of 10 people not because I’m a good salesperson, but they really want it. If Steve Jobs were to stand at a departmental store outlet just to sell an iPhone, people would queue up.

So sometimes we shouldn’t focus too much on the topic we want to talk about and forget that our audience is actually listening to a stranger while we are trying to make a human connection with many other human beings.

Here’s some observations I’ve made of good stand-ups:

1) Bring yourself just low enough for the audience to appreciate you, but not too low

Sometimes if you’re new or if the audience don’t know you, putting yourself at a higher position doesn’t help them at all. For example, once I gave a demonstration on how to use an online trading platform and my audience size was 100% to big and they were mostly twice my age. Authority was given to me by the trainer himself to give this demonstration, so I was considered an “Expert” as certified by him. However, I understand that there will be some people in the audience who knows what I’m teaching and would not have the same respect for me as others who don’t know anything about the topic.

So here’s what I do…after introducing myself, I quickly state “I believe some of you here know this platform very well and maybe better than me. I would like you to turn to your neighbors who don’t know and help each other out. This is a sharing session more than a teaching session. There should be interaction among yourselves and I don’t mind a little bit of noise. But don’t talk too loud.”

In short, I managed to acknowledge the people who are better than me (if any), at the same time humble myself down to ask for their help to people who need it (many!). It appeals to their altruistic interest and also prevents a confrontation. The trick is, every time you bring yourself down, ask something from them. This is what I mean by “not too low”. You can’t keep going “You guys are better than me at my job…please bear with me” That’s pleading.

It’s the same in stand-ups. The comedian would bring him/herself down first before bringing you down. For example, “Sometimes, I just like to check my ass in the mirror…(turns and checks ass)…anyway, who doesn’t? Don’t you, sir?(looks at one of the audience.” Only 2 things will happen: he says yes and it’s funny, he says no and it’s still funny. Perfect.

2) Create some small screw-ups which people will remember you for

Sometimes when you do it too smoothly, you will be the same as everyone else. To create an impression, create some small hiccups that might be funny. If they laugh, you get what you want. If they don’t, you don’t lose anything.

For example, once I was demonstrating a game and role-played with a friend. I asked him to screw up more than once so I can screw him in the end. It turned out well and the audience laughed.

Sometimes if you’re using some props, purposely place it somewhere obvious but pretend not to see it and keep looking for it elsewhere. Your audience will surely point it out. When that happens, you say “So you’re the one who took it?” Do not laugh when you’re doing that. If the person gets offended, you say “Okay okay, I believe you…they can all be your witness, don’t worry…”

3) Never, ever laugh before they laugh

This is a very common mistake that even novice comedians make. The person who tells the joke or delivers the punchline should not be the one who laughs, because you will be slapping yourself if the audience don’t find it funny. You can smile, though.

You know what’s the worst variety shows that I’ve ever seen? Those that plays studio recorded laughter and stupid sound effects every now and then when something funny happens. It becomes unfunny after time because people laugh for a different reason – not because something is ‘funny’, but to release the ‘tension’ created in the atmosphere.

If you watch sitcoms, you should know what I mean. Most funny moments involve characters staring at each other and suddenly saying something that’s out of the blue. People laugh at this because there is tension created that keeps the audience wondering what’s next? When the outcome is unexpected, they laugh. If you keep laughing, the tension will not be there and it’s harder to keep the audience laughing.

So keep these things in mind when you’re writing your next script. By adding a sense of humor, you will bring the audience closer. Most importantly, they are more opened to what you have to say.