Filed under: Comment
So a while back I did a presentation to the office on how to do presentations.
This isn’t because I think I am very good at them, but because having done so many in my life – I know what simple things can make someone so much more effective when they do them.
That said, I’m a bit of a hypocrite given I don’t follow every rule to the letter … but as someone said, those who can’t do, teach.
Ahem.
I should also point out that the title of this post is misleading.
I don’t actually want to turn people into Freddie Mercury.
Not only do I have doubts he’d be that good in the boardroom, the fact is his leotards would be a bitch to wear.
That said, on the stage he was a beast.
It didn’t matter if he was performing to 200 people or 200,000, all eyes were on him and he made sure his audience always went away getting exactly what they wanted and hoped for.
And that’s what I mean by the title of the post.
Promise.
Anyway, as some of the slides are in my usual ‘picture, no words’ format … I thought I should give a brief breakdown of what they mean and then after that, it should all be fairly obvious.
I hope.
Unless you’re a thicko.
Remember, this is not a blueprint for how to present, it’s simply ‘8 tips’ that can make you – whatever your style – better.
That’s not just because I don’t think anyone has the right to dictate presentation standards, but because the last thing the World needs is a bunch of people all adopting the same robotic approach to what they have to say.
I hope it’s useful, even if you end up using it as tips of what NOT to do.
So here we go …
SLIDE 1:
Regardless what job you do in advertising, there is one thing you will find yourself doing – whether to colleagues, bosses or clients – and that is presenting.
SLIDE 2:
The word ‘presentation’ has the power to put the fear of god into people.
SLIDE 3:
People think the audience will look at them like this.
SLIDE 4:
Forgetting they could also look at them like this.
SLIDE 5:
Mainly because they are pretty convinced they’ll look at them like this.
SLIDE 6:
But the fact is, a good presentation can change everything. Meetings. Relationships. Opportunities. Careers.
SLIDE 7:
A good presentation tends to require 3 things coming together:
1. A presentation that has been written with a strong, clear story – with a definitive beginning, middle and end. [Or said a better way, a clear conclusion]
2. An ability to present the story in a way that the audience finds engaging, inspiring and actionable.
3. An ability to clearly and accurately answer all questions or challenges that come your way.
[As an aside, never fear being questioned, it means people are interested and have taken the time to listen to what you have said. This is a good thing]
SLIDE 8:
Today, we are going to focus on how to make sure you present your story in a way your audience will find engaging, inspiring and actionable.
SLIDE 9:
This presentation will not turn you into Steve Jobs.
SLIDE 10:
Nor give you the presence of Darth Vader.
SLIDE 11:
Or the popularity of Oprah Winfrey.
SLIDE 12:
It is simply a presentation to give you tips and tricks to be ‘the best you’.
SLIDE 13:
Before we begin, there is one thing you should know about presentations.
NEVER GO INTO ONE WITH THE GOAL OF HAVING ANOTHER ONE.
SLIDE 14:
Ever.
Ever, ever, ever.
SLIDE 15:
There are only 2 reasons you should have a presentation …
SLIDE 16:
+ To conflict a client – so they make a different decision to the one they’re are going to make.
+ To convert a client – so they approve what you want them to approve.
If you are having formal presentations for any other reason, then you are wasting your time, their time and your colleagues time.
SLIDE 17:
Which is why before you go into any presentation, you should ask yourself these 3 simple questions and if you can’t answer any – or if you are unable to provide the solutions for any – you’re not ready for the presentation.
SLIDE 18:
But let’s get back to the point of this presentation: ‘how to be a better presenter’.
SLIDE 19:
As much as Hollywood would like us to believe people can see through the mess to see the gold, sadly they can’t … and how you present often influences the response more than the idea you’re trying to convey.
SLIDE 20:
This is to give an example about the point raised in the previous slide.
A long time ago, the US Air Force were holding a tender for a new fighter plane.
Over weeks, various generals sat around a big table hearing engineers explain why their plane design was best.
Eventually someone came in from [I believe] Lockheed Martin.
In true Hollywood fashion, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a marble before proceeding to roll it slowly down the table – past all these highly ranked Air Force generals.
Looking at them all, he asked …
“Who’d like a plane that registers the size of this marble on the enemies radar?”
All the generals nodded and the presenter said he would now bring in people who would show them how they could do it.
He won the pitch right there because not only did he know what the ‘client’ actually wanted, but he was able to present it to them in a way that got to the point in a way they could relate to and be excited by.
SLIDE 27:
This is a slide that relates to a story Dan Wieden told the office recently. The story is irrelevant, the point is he told us something very personal and private to him and his vulnerability made us feel closer to him and more connected to him. The moral of the story is explained on the following slide.
SLIDE 31:
This is a book that talks about ‘high concepting’ [which is basically how the man in the story on slide 20, approached his presentation]
The book is about Hollywood film producer Don Simpson. It’s worth buying.
Not just because it explains how he sold studios multi-million dollar film ideas in a few sentences, but because it gives you entry into the depravity of the 80’s.
SLIDE 32:
Explains how Richard Branson used ‘high concepting’ to brief his Virgin Atlantic Lounge.
The story of that – and the solution to it – can be read here.
____________________________________________________________________
The rest of the presentation should be fairly self explanatory, though the last slide is a link to a clip from Mad Men that basically captures the best pitch you’ll ever see, using [some] of the tips I list in the presentation.
You can see that – if you haven’t seen it a million times already – at the end of this post.
Anyway, the overall purpose of this presentation isn’t just to help you feel better – and do better – in presenting, it’s to teach a skill that can help you in your career.
Good presenters – of which there are sadly very few – are always in demand.
They make things happen.
They get invited back.
They change outcomes.
That doesn’t mean they are simply ‘entertainers’ … far from it … they are people who know how to convey a story in a way that an audience wants to have more of.
They are trusted.
They are respected.
They stand out from the crowd.
Good presenters increase the odds of getting a good results and in a World that is so highly competitive, being the person who can show they have made things happen – rather than just talk about the things they wanted to make happen – is the difference between owning your career and having your career own you.
If this interests you, you may find these 2 other posts may be of use too.
1. How to not be scared in meetings.
2. How to ask tough questions without feeling intimidated.
I hope they help and if they don’t, sue me.
[Please don’t sue me]
Filed under: Planning
Imagine you have been imprisoned for a crime you haven’t committed.
Imagine you’re sentenced to hard labour in a place that will test you to the limit.
Imagine you have to answer to a tyrant bastard who is committed to making your life hell.
Now you can understand what it is like to be Leon.
And who is Leon, I hear you cry?
Well he is one of my wonderful and talented planning colleagues.
He is also the person who featured in my April Fool method planning post a few years ago.
Anyway the reason for this post is that after 4+ years working with me, he is being freed from my clutches.
Better than that, he’s being freed so he can help our NY office on a few things for a few months.
Lucky sod.
Except he’s not.
He’s worked like a bastard … and to see his rise from intern to international planner makes me very proud and happy.
He’s smart, sharp and full of energy and passion for great creative work.
Those would be great traits in any planner, but for someone from China – a country that promotes ‘group acceptance’ and ‘safe expression’, it means he is a rare breed which is why I’m very excited to see what he does and what he learns while he’s over there.
So go be ace Leon and do what you do best, but don’t forget … you’re back in 3 months so don’t slag me off too much. Though, given the photos I chose to use for this post, I accept it will be hard not to.
Northern has written about this before.
I’ve sort-of written about this before.
But the picture above sums up the strategic evil genius of the average moggy like never before.
Seriously, Bond movies shouldn’t feature an evil villain stroking his cat because the cat IS the evil villain.
That said, there’s something to be said for holding back on what you give to others.
I’m not talking about in your personal life.
That is the one place where being open, expressive and willing can give you amazing results.
I’m talking about at work.
Where giving things away too easily, too quickly, too keenly can end up robbing you of opportunity.
Where people don’t see your true value because you’ve not demonstrated why it is valuable.
Sometimes, holding back will force others to stop and give you the time of day because you have intrigued them rather than just satisfied them.
You have to be careful with it … you can’t use it all the time … and you have to ensure you give just enough to make the people who matter, want more … but many of the people I have seen get to the top – or earn the highest salaries – have got there because they were smart enough to work out how to manage their own value rather than simply offer value to the company they worked for.
Someone didn’t invent the phrase ‘treat them mean to keep them keen’ by accident.
[Though maybe they meant ‘mean’ to be more about being miserly than having an attitude]
So forget business books that talk about what you can learn from the Mafia or Jesus … the real skills would be found in a book that teaches you what you can learn from a cat.
Filed under: Comment, Cunning, Pretentious Rubbish, Social Divide, Unfair Life
Sometimes life reminds you that it doesn’t matter how hard you work, how well you do, how many academic qualifications you gain, how much you try, it’s the people with connections, wealth or a loud-mouth who often get the accolades.
I can’t really complain given how much my gob has helped me over the years, but I recently saw the success of someone I vaguely know that is so outrageous, it makes Paris Hilton look like she has had it tough.
On one hand, I should applaud him because he got off his arse and did something that corporates like and want.
But on the other hand, I know it’s all down to his rich Dad … because having watched his acceptance speech of some major industry award, he continues to spout the same stunted, superficial, irrelevant, mental bollocks that he did when I worked with him 10,000 years ago.
Which leads to the moral of the story.
Life isn’t fair.
Which is why because of this, you may as well have a go chasing whatever job/company/position excites you, because someone is going to get there and there’s a very good chance it will be someone who doesn’t deserve to be in that seat either.
And I’m the living proof.
But my ex-colleague is the 100%, absolute definitive definition of it.
Filed under: Comment, Creative Development, Fake Attitude, Religion
So recently I was sent a news headline that made me think that the most imaginative and compelling story tellers are not ECD’s, but pastors.
And don’t even get me started on their level of being sick, perverted bastards.
It can only be a matter of time before we hear WPP have signed a strategic alliance with the Catholic Church for creative talent … though whether even Sir Martin can afford their salary [or should I say, their ‘benefits’] is another thing altogether.