CEO Stumbles through a Sloppy Close to his Keynote Speech

The CEO of the advertising agency delivered the opening keynote speech at the marketing conference. He seemed like an appropriate choice. His career in the industry was impressive and the company he founded was enjoying industry buzz.

His presentation offered entertaining case reviews from the world of advertising. A few of those campaigns were produced by his company. Like many marketing speakers, he also included at least one Apple story. That felt like Deja vu. Still, his insights were noteworthy.

The close to his speech was disappointing. He ended with these four lines.

Enjoy your conference.

Thank you for your invitation to speak.

Any questions?

Am I supposed to take questions?

What a pathetic close!

Let’s examine those four lines.

“Enjoy your conference”

That’s a bland and uninspiring statement. That felt like the lackluster statements you hear from insincere retail clerks admonishing you to “Have a nice day.”

“Thank you for your invitation to speak”

More bland and meaningless words. Clearly he didn’t take time to think of something more helpful to say to the audience.

The person to thank for the invitation is the person who invited him. The place for that would have been a private conversation with that person. The audience didn’t invite him. They simply attended to hear his message.

“Any Questions?”

This was thrown out as an afterthought. Clearly he didn’t plan to take questions.  He looked confused at this point.

“Am I supposed to take questions?”

Now he definitely sounded confused. After he asked for questions he hesitated and posed this question to no one in particular. Clearly he didn’t talk with the conference organizers to confirm their expectation or the parameters of his presentation.  This question portrayed him as a fumbling presenter – not the leader they hoped he might portray.

The man had impressive credentials in the advertising industry and as CEO of his own firm. But, the audience might be thinking “How can a man with a successful career be so careless as a presenter? Was he simply lucky?”

This CEO didn’t know how to end his presentation. That was curious because as the head of an advertising firm he stressed the importance of telling stories. He emphasized the need to sculpt three components to your stories; opening, body and close. But he didn’t do that with his presentation. Both his opening and close were disasters. I wonder if he delivers a better close when pitching to prospects.

Ironic.

Apparently, this was a case of “don’t do what I do – do what I tell you to do”.

What can you learn from this keynote speaker?

If you are the invited speaker

·       Demonstrate the lessons you want the audience to learn

·       Recognize the importance of the opening and close to your presentation

·       Talk with the event organizers to be clear on the expectations and parameters

·       Assume that somebody important might be in the audience

·       Prepare and rehearse – don’t try to wing it

If you are the conference organizer

·       Don’t be celebrity-struck by the CEO – clarify your expectations

·       Don’t assume that every successful CEO makes an ideal keynote speaker

·       If you haven’t heard the person speak, you don’t know what you’re getting

·       Just because the CEO is speaking for free doesn’t make it a good deal

The close is important to the success of your presentation.  It’s the last words that the audience hears and when done well can leave them with a lasting impression. The close might summarize your key points, reinforce the message, offer them hope or encourage them to take the next steps.

People forget much of what you say but they tend to remember first or last impressions.

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Sort and Prioritize for your Audience

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Be clear about the purpose of your presentation....

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Guidelines for Presentation Success - Free eBook

When preparing your presentation, consider the things that might go wrong and plan how you might handle them.

Take the precautions to minimize the possibility or impact of things going wrong.

Accept the reality that perfection is not the goal. Being effective with your presentation is the goal.

When things go wrong, appear calm and stay in control of the show. Remind yourself to pause, breathe deeply and smile. This is likely the most important point you can learn from this report.

Never lose self-control. There are many things you can’t control but your behaviour is the one thing for which you are totally accountable. Don’t appear to be angry, arrogant or frustrated. And don’t pretend to be blameless. You can’t control what happens to you but you can control how you deal with it.

When things go wrong, don’t blame somebody else. The audience is looking at you. They are judging your reaction – not the circumstances.

As the speaker you always have the option to end early or take a break.

Sometimes a disaster in your presentation can be a gift because your audience will suddenly perk up and remember how you managed the disaster. Handle it well and you might win their respect and more.

If your audience likes you, they are more forgiving than you think. Establish rapport with your audience early so they are onside when disaster strikes.

Focus your efforts on the portion of your audience that you have a realistic chance of reaching.

Get your free copy of the eBook How to Turn Presentation Disasters into Presentation Success.

Murphy doesn’t hate you. He simply encourages chaos

to watch you squirm.

Torok’s First Presentation Corollary to Murphy’s Law

Click here to download your free copy of
How to Manage Things That go Wrong in Your Presentation


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Impromptu Speaking

Don't wing it. Always be prepared to deliver an impromptu presentation.

Sometimes you might be asked to deliver comments or a presentation without advance notice. You might be tempted to think on your feet. I strongly suggest that you do not think on your feet. It is easy to get yourself into trouble. Instead always be prepared to speak on very short notice. Impromptu speaking is similar to regular presenting – in that both are based on skill development. The better you know and practice the techniques the more it looks like talent.

Here are some techniques to help you with impromptu speaking.

• Have some favourite stories ready to use at any time. 
• Rehearse them well so you can tell them easily. 
• Prepare some of your best stories for different time frames, eg a 45-second version and a three minute version.
• Quickly write three points on an index card – then talk about those points.
• Decide on the one thing that you want to get across – and deliver that message.
• Conduct your speech as an interview with yourself. 
• Ask rhetorical questions – then answer them.

Don’t think on your feet – instead be prepared


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Make a Room Appear Fuller

Sometime you might be speaking in a room that is too big for the audience. That has at least two negative effects on your audience.

The empty space drains away the energy that you are trying to create in the room. It's always easier to speak to a packed room versus a half empty room.

The empty space sends the message that you expected more people and that the topic of your presentation didn't draw the interest that you hoped for. The attendees might be seconding themselves about attending your presentation if it was shunned by others. 

So how to you make a room look and feel fuller?

10 Tips for making a “too large” room look fuller

1. Fill the seats near the front
2. Move the chairs farther apart
3. Add tables – “rounds” take up the most space
4. Place fewer chairs at each table
5. Dim or turn off the lights at the back of the room
6. Create a larger stage area at the front
7. Arrange plants or partitions to block off part of the room
8. Sit people so they are faced towards a full room
9. Place tables around the outside with product displays
10. Move about the room to use more of the space

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How to Arrange the Chairs for Your Presentation

Follow these three rules for setting up the chairs for your presentation. Notice the seats at a baseball stadium.

1. Curves are better than straight lines. 

Place the chairs in curved rows to be warmer and more friendly. Straight lines look and feel like fences. Straight rows also isolate your audience members because they end up looking at the back of heads and can’t see other faces.

2. Make it easy for your audience to see you while they look straight ahead. 

If they need to turn their head to see you – at some point they get a pain in their neck. They stop listening and they blame you for giving them a pain in the neck. The curved seating will help alleviate this pain.

3. Position yourself in the room so that all members are as equidistant from you as possible. 

This helps creates warmth. You want to avoid having some people very close and some very far. That would be the case where you stand at the front of a long narrow room. You want to arrange the chairs into the fewest possible rows.

Have soft chairs, but not too comfortable or participants will fall asleep! Sit in some of the chairs before anyone arrives so you can check sight lines and comfort. If the chairs are “ganged” or hooked to each other – unhook them and spread them a few inches apart so your audience can sit in every chair and still feel comfortable. Few people want to sit butt cheek-to-cheek so if they have a choice they will sit in every second chair which makes your room look half empty.

   

As people arrive the back rows tend to fill up first, which could leave you with vacant seats in the front. To avoid this, mark the back rows with “reserved” signs, so that no one will sit there. You could also tape off the back rows with masking tape. As the room fills, you can remove the signs or tape. Another idea is to put out fewer chairs than you will need, leaving the rest stacked at the back to be used as required. Full seats at the front of the room help to make your talk appear more interesting plus the late arrivals can sit at the back without disturbing your presentation.

It is best to have everyone comfortably seated before you are introduced. The main thing to remember is that you want everyone situated so as to best hear and see your presentation. If you speak in a board room and know the names of the attendees, you might wish to pre-assign seating. It is better to position participants so they meet new people.

Arranged seating also reduces idle chatter. If your company’s President or some other important business leader is expected to attend, plan to position that person near the front where everyone, including you, can see their reaction to what you say. If the boss likes it, the rest of the room will like it too!

If you expect people to take notes you might furnish them with a writing surface where they can spread out notes, handouts, briefcases, etc. Each person should have a table space approximately 2.5 to 3 feet wide. You might supply notepaper, pens, mints, water, and other conveniences. 

For presentations involving a screen, do not arrange chairs closer than twice the height of the screen.

          Example:     10 foot screen - not closer than 20 feet.

                            3 meter screen - not closer than 6 meters.

          

The last row of seats should not be farther than eight times (8x) the vertical dimension of the screen.

          Example:  10 foot screen x 8 - not farther than 80 feet.

Set up the chairs to make your audience more comfortable and hence more inclined to listen to your message.

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Presentation Environment

The place and conditions in which you present have an important influence on how well your message is received. If the environment isn’t right, participants might not pay attention and worse - will become irritated. When the audience is irritated they always blame the speaker.

To do a truly great job, it is important that you are familiar with your presentation room in advance. 

• Where will it be? 
• Will you be in a board room at head office or a district branch? 
• At a hotel, a college, or a conference centre? 
• What facilities will be available?
• Where are the bathrooms?
• What parking challenges will people face?

Make every effort to visit the location so that you can determine what adjustments are necessary. Give yourself enough lead time for special arrangements as to seating, equipment, microphones, lighting, and whatever you want to change.

The presentation environment can make or break your presentation. It means that you must pay attention to the little details that influence the thinking and feelings of your audience.

I recall attending a workshop at university. The way to the presentation room was well and consistently marked with signs and directions. I wouldn't have found the room without the directions. By the time I entered the room I was already impressed with the presenter.

What a great way to influence your audience before you even speak.

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Presentation Tips Video: How to Rehearse Your Speech

What's the best way to prepare your presentation? How should you rehearse?

Watch this video with George Torok to learn how.



Rehearse your presentation the right way and you will be a better speaker.
http://www.youtube.com/presentationskills1

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Presentation Preparation Time

Presentation Preparation Time

How long does it take to prepare your presentation?
A survey conducted by Zoomerang and reported by Wallace Immen in the Globe and Mail stated that 36% of executives complained that presenting data in meetings is tedious. Twenty-four per cent said they dread it. That means that 60% of executives would rather not deliver presentations.

The time to prepare was the biggest complaint with 45 per cent needing an hour or more to prepare. And 34 per cent have endured all-nighters to prepare for an important presentation. (Wow – I haven’t done that since university.)

How long should it take to prepare a presentation?

It depends on how new the information is to you, on who you are presenting to and the importance of the presentation.

The rule of thumb is three hours of preparation for every hour of presentation.

But that is only a rule of thumb. If you are an effective presenter, know your topic and know the audience you can succeed with very little preparation.

However consider the example of my client who worked three days on a 12-minute presentation. As a result of that presentation he won a $10M contract. He already knew his topic and the audience. But he was willing to invest his time to fine tune his delivery. Three days of preparation to close a $10M deal sounds like an excellent return on investment.

I think it was worth the three days of preparation.

If executives better appreciate the value of their message and the delivery of that message then they might invest the time, money and effort to become better business presenters.

If you are a good executive presenter you could be ahead of 60% of the pack.

George Torok
Speech Coach for Executives

Presentation Question One

Before you deliver your speech or presentation you must ask yourself one critical question. If you ask yourself this question before every presentation you will create a better presentation and write it faster.

Ask this critical question and you will be more successful in your speaking. You will be better able to adapt the length of your presentation to last minute changes. You will look and feel more confident and convincing. You will be better prepared to handle questions and interruptions. You will be able to avoid wasteful tangents. You will stay focused.

The question that you should ask yourself before every presentation is this:

What do you want your audience to do, think or feel when you are finished speaking?

If you don’t ask this question you might be wasting time – yours and theirs.

If you ask this question – you will know why you are speaking. If you don’t know why you are speaking – you are wasting time and embarrassing yourself.

When you know what you want your audience to do, think or feel, then you can test every phrase you speak, every slide and every prop for how well it helps or hinders your purpose.


George Torok
The Speech Coach for Executives

PS: This question also applies to everything you write – including your marketing material.

PPS: The first question I ask an executive when coaching their presentation is, “What is your purpose for speaking?”