I struggle with a macro-profession that cultivates its own vernacular, its discrete jargon . . . business jargon. The arena is academia. Academia fused with that of the larger battlefield of the business world. The struggle is between those of us in a noble minority (we must posture as such) and those legions who wear … Continue reading Business Jargon
We can remedy public speaking self-sabotage by the ready application of Power Words. I think you already know that we sabotage our own presentations more often than we recognize. Self-defeating behaviors come in many forms, but negative self-talk is one of the chief culprits. We tell ourselves repeatedly that we’ll fail. We envision humiliation, embarrassment, … Continue reading Power Words . . . Words of Power
A big surprise for me is that the most-searched term that leads people to this site is this one . . . “How to transition between speakers.” It turns out that this is one of the most perplexing and yet easily fixed problems in group presentations. Let’s fix it now! How you pass the baton – … Continue reading How to Transition? No Problem!
Coca-Cola’s 1929 slogan was “The Pause that Refreshes” and likewise we can use the public speaking pause to especially powerful effect. So, make friends with silence so that you feel comfortable in its presence. Public Speaking Pause Power The correct pauses imbue your talk with incredible power. With proper timing and coupled with other techniques, … Continue reading Pause Power
Whether the finance presentation class is in Philadelphia . . . . . . or Mumbai . . . or Cali . . . or Chennai . . . or Singapore . . . or Izhevsk . . . I hear the same universal and eerie refrain from finance students everywhere— “Finance is different.” “We … Continue reading Finance Presentation – a Better Way?
On the issue of bad voice, much can be said. But better than the written word are examples. Particularly examples of bad voices. Egregious voices. Heinous voices. Voices of persons in the public eye, who really ought to know better. I encourage people to take control of their voices rather than allowing them to simply unspool … Continue reading Bad Voice
We’re all familiar with the droning voice of the numbing speaker who rarely varies pitch, tone, or pace of a talk and who quickly loses us in monotony . . . and who does not move. In like fashion, you can be visually monotonous . . . when you do not move. Visual monotony – … Continue reading “Whatever else you do, MOVE!”
“I never get an interesting topic.” I hear this lament more often that I care to. No more vintage whine or self-sabotage exists than this one, uttered in ignorance of its true meaning. Here are two scenarios. Both are possible. You’re assigned your case, and you skim over it. Ugh. It’s not “interesting.” And you … Continue reading “I never get an interesting topic”
Whether the presentations class is in Philadelphia . . . or Mumbai . . . or Cali . . . or Chennai . . . I hear the same universal and eerie refrain from finance students. “Finance is different.” “We don’t do all of that soft-skill presentations stuff.” “For us, the numbers tell the story.” Numbers seem … Continue reading Finance – False Precision, Faux Anchors
Beginning . . . Middle . . . End . . . that’s a winning structure every time. Every presentation – every story – has this framework. Let me rephrase. Your presentation ought to have this framework, or you’re already in deep trouble. Every presentation, whether individual or group, should be organized according to this presentation … Continue reading A Winning Presentation Structure
New York, April 13 — Drexel University’s DragonFire team of three students met L’Oreal’s challenge to “Invent the Professional Salon Experience of the Future” and took top honors in the L’Oreal Brandstorm 2018 case competition in a field of 52 teams over a two-day competition April 12-13. Drexel LeBow College of Business bested Harvard, Berkeley, Northwestern, … Continue reading Drexel LeBow takes #1 in L’Oreal National Contest
Let’s move from the realm of what you do and say in front of your audience to the realm of your appearance. How you appear to your audience. Likewise, let’s immediately dismiss the notion that “it doesn’t matter what I look like – it’s the message that counts.” In a word . . . no. … Continue reading Appearance? Who Cares?
WIIFY – What’s In It For Your Audience? This catchphrase comes loaded with a freight-train of wisdom for your business presentation. And no, it isn’t about you . . . it’s about your audience. Always ask yourself this question with regard to your audience . . . from the point-of-view of your audience. This strikes at … Continue reading What’s In It For Your Audience?
I truly don’t mean to be a pain to my long-suffering students, but one exercise that probably elicits more scorn than it deserves is called “Especially Powerful.” It consists of everyone rising to a standing position to strike a confident stance with feet shoulder-width apart and arms outstretched to either side, palms turned upward. Picture … Continue reading
Microsoft PowerPoint multimedia software has gotten a bum rap, and this unfair reputation springs from the thousands of ugly presentations given every day from folks who don’t know how to use it. And yet, Microsoft PowerPoint is a brilliant tool. But just as any tool – say, a hammer or saw – can contribute to … Continue reading Microsoft PowerPoint – Secrets
Oftentimes, we don’t consider that our physical presentation appearance transmits messages to those around us. Most certainly, the presentation appearance of a speaker before an audience conveys non-verbal signals. This happens whether you are conscious of it or not. Your appearance sends a message to your audience, and you cannot decide not to send a … Continue reading An Especially Powerful Appearance
If experience is any guide for us, we can say that approximately 90 percent of our business presentations are delivered in 2-D fashion . . . we become a stick-puppet presenter. No, I don’t mean this literally in the sense that people become stick figures. I mean that the typical business presentation is stripped of depth and … Continue reading Stick-Puppet Presenter?
Bookend your presentation to give the audience a satisfying experience . . . and give yourself a powerful personal competitive advantage. You can bookend your segment of a group presentation, too. “Bookend?” What are presentation bookends, and why is this so important to audience response? Bookending brings your audience full circle. You first hook your … Continue reading Presentation Bookends
Apply the Rule of Three to the middle section of your presentation. You build your talk in stages. You argue the case for your recommendation. Through all of this, the Rule of Three is the best method you can use. From it you gain personal competitive advantage. The Latin phrase for it is “omne trium perfectum” (everything that comes … Continue reading The Especially Powerful Rule of Three
Do you ever cobble together a half-dozen makeshift slides cut-and-pasted from a written report, larded with bullet points, and then rely on some sort of last-minute presentation magic to save your butt? Wishful thinking that maybe PowerPoint pyrotechnics can save the day? Perhaps the bravado of phony self-confidence to get you through a painful experience? Guilty … Continue reading A Time for Slide Magic . . .
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