The Outstanding Presentation

“Outstanding”: It is both great and it stands out from all the others

Thru the last 10 years of my life I have had the opportunity to observe a wide set of top executives presenting – not just in the industry of logistics but across many industries. Thru these hundreds of presentation I have picked up a theme that I would like share my view on. The theme is:

“Presenter knows his/her content in detail, however fails to deliver it”.

It seems like the senior and skilled executives spend all their energy preparing the content – and seldom truly focus how to excel in delivery. From popular research, I am sure they all know that spoken words are less than 10% of what they communicate – but still, words is what they focus on. This is what is puzzling me.

Great communicators and great presenters – they stand out. We remember them and they are impactful. Sometimes they stand out from a busy day at a conference – and when we get home – that one presentation is the one we remember. Sometimes they stand out as why you work for a company – that one great speech, that got you fired up, that touched you, that made you believe. And sometimes it may stand out as something that impacts your path in life – and something you will always remember. Just think back on all the presentations you have seen – and think of the 1-2 that still sits crystal clear in mind. Was it the words – or how they where delivered? My fundamental belief is that you only remember the words because of how they were delivered. So great words is just table stake. And still – strong, talented, intelligent, executives, that hold leadership positions in billion dollar companies will still focus on the words. I am still puzzled.

Outstanding presentations are art-work. As with a brilliant painting, you cannot anticipate if your presentation will be outstanding when you prepare – this is something you can only assess once you are done. You can not predict ‘outstanding’. But you can impact the odds significantly. For me, it is a life-long journey to deliver strong presentations. Something I can always improve – and something where improving will always have tremendous value. Some are more natural presenters than others – but natural talent will only bring you so far. The rest is hard word – and anyone can put in the hours – and anyone is therefore capable of delivering the outstanding presentation that people will remember.

I am curious on the moving target of the outstanding presentation – and full of awe and respect when I see and hear one. From the world famous and powerful speeches of Mandela, Churchill, Obama, Martin Luther King jr – and even Hitler (to be clear for the latter: not for content, but for way of presenting) to the ‘local’ presenters I have seen in Maersk (you should see Jim Snabe, that is ‘wow’), at conferences and even at social events such as a wedding of a friend. They are all so different, yet great, as they stand out for me today – I remember them clearly. When I hear an outstanding presentation I feel that the personality of the person speaking is represented in how the words are delivered. It can be an introvert delivering a thoughtful, calm but convincing presentation – or an extrovert taking the audience by storm. It can statistician presenting causalities and disproven hypotheses or a sales director closing a brilliant sales year. It can be anything. All presentations – and presenters – have the potentail to be outstanding.  

In my career I have been lucky to be in positions where I am expected to present frequently – both internally and externally – and I believe my tally to be in the hundreds with the presentations located all over the world. All from a small presentation to less than 10 people in a local office to large scale, highly professional settings with around 1,000 people. In particular in my latest role as Twill CEO I was highly exposed to presenting. I always strive to deliver outstanding presentations – but at the same time – I also want to be seduced by others delivering outstanding presentations. For me, a presentation is a work of art designed to be enjoyed, to touch me, to be interpreted and to be discussed. It is an art-form that always evolves and can never be fully mastered. Thru my presentations I feel I have gained valuable insights into this art-form and would like to use this blog to share some of my key learnings as guidance for your own presentations – hopefully you find them worth the read.

Four high level suggestions for how to prepare you next big presentation:
(more detailed suggestions at the end of the blog)

1. Start with defining the purpose of your presentation as it will guide both choice of words, rhetorics as well as way of presenting. Write it down! (yes, write it down). Is it to excite? to teach? to advertise? to create understanding of a burning platform? to create hope or faith? to brand yourself? to create fear/respect (global warming impact, social media impact etc.)? Each presentation has a purpose – and if clearly defined and allowed to guide all preparation and execution – your presentation will come across as clear and coherent as well as being more likely to have the intended impact.

2. Rehearse like a maniac! When you are tired and sick of going thru it – do it one more time. It is not true that super thorough rehearsing make you come across as mechanic and boring. Super thorough rehearsal will give so you much confidence in the words – and how you plan to deliver them – that you are able relax, smile, bring the audience at ease as well as allow you the confidence to divert from some of your planned moves and words. I have been talking to myself in a mirror, recorded myself to listen back (video), timed all rehearsals to make sure I deliver within given time-slot, pacing around hotel rooms and meeting rooms to rehearse movement etc. I have done this for the ‘special’ presentations, but the great thing about this is that the training will stay with you and allow you to utilise it for less ’special’ presentations. You just become a better presenter all together. (note: If you want do better than what I did – present to a friend or colleague – and get the brutal feedback in a safe environment)

3. Find 1-2 things you want to focus on that is not related to the words you say. There is an almost endless list of things to chose from, but here is a few that I have used:
1) Actively use humour early in your presentation to make the audience ‘open up to you’, make them at ease and make them like you. It will make it easier to convince them and easier for them to remember and internalise your message.
2) Use your voice strength and pace actively – e.g. lower your voice and slow down to a specific point (fun fact: lowering your voice will make people listen harder)
3) Avoid talking and walking (that is actually very difficult to do). People ‘listen’ to ALL your communication, not just what you say. Hence, all movement that doesn’t support your message, will dilute it. You have probably all seen what is know as the ‘caged tiger’. The presenter walking back and forth on stage whilst talking. It dilutes the message significantly as you can’t help to focus on the walking – and it is often only done to help the presenter not feel too uncomfortable.
4) Use pauses to allow the audience to understand and internalise your message. Perhaps count in your head to 5. Note: 5 seconds on stage can feel like 2 minutes for the presenter – but not for the audience – so dont worry, look cool :).
5) Sit down. Instead of walking and standing on stage – try to sit down (even on the edge of the stage if no chair available). It lowers the pace, draws the audience in like you have secret to tell, it is a setup of a conversation, not a presentation – and you get full attention.
6) Tell a story! Wrap your key points in a carefully crafted story (fictional or non-fictional). There are few things in this world more powerful than a good story. 

4. Try to make a presentation about a topic that you dont know and on the surface (for you) seems doll. It sounds silly, but it is great training. Example – make a presentation about ants. Take an hour to research the basics of ants and then construct a 5-7 minute presentation (with a clear purpose, ref point #1). Present it for friends and colleagues. When the topic is unfamiliar to you – and the setting seems a bit silly – it makes it easier for you to try new stuff in terms of how you present as it is safe to fail and have fun. When you are supposed to be an expert on a topic you are often constrained by that label in terms of creativity and risk on how you present. (look at William Wu presenting about dirt (5min video))

Note for point 1-3 above: Tell someone in the audience what you will focus on (that is not related to the words you say) and ask her to give you feedback on how you did it and what she assesses as the impact. That is powerful. 

I hope this blogpost triggered your curiosity in terms of how impactful outstanding presentations can be, that words is just a table stake, that anyone has the potential to deliver outstanding presentations and perhaps even inspired you to have another look at how you prepare and execute your next presentation.

Do please use the LinkedIn post or here on the blogpost to add your views, add content to my thoughts or to challenge some of what I have written. Happy to engage 🙂

Below find a list of ‘smaller Do’s and Don’ts 

Have fun at your next presentation 🙂

Troels Støvring

Other smaller Do’s and Dont’s (for the eager reader)

  • Have few slides, with very few details and only key messages.
  • Dont look at your slides, look at the audience
  • Go for eye contact with select audience members – but never more than 2- 3 seconds
  • Find a few spots on the stage that are your ‘speaking spots’ – move between these spots – don’t run all over the stage
  • Never put your hands in your pocket – if hands are not actively used to support the words your mouth is saying – let them hang by your side
  • Never tell the audience that something is wrong with your presentation (e.g. I would have liked to prep more; I didn’t get the numbers for this part; I have never done this before; etc)
  • Use whiteboard/flipchart if you can – drawing and writing in realtime allows the audience to think with you – at lowers the pace. You create material with the audience. Also, it allows you to customise if you feel the audience need a new twist
  • Show that you want to be on this stage (if you dont, rehearsal is the key to change that)
  • Show energy. You dont have to bounce around stage (you actually shouldn’t), but show energy with your voice, face and body. Show that you believe in what you say, that you are passionate about it and that you are here to share this with others (ref your purpose).
  • Use variation. In tone of voice, in volume of voice, in slides, in words, in facial expression, in audience engagement etc – but be careful not to overdo it – this will dilute the message. 
  • Think about your audience – know the audience – who is sitting there? How many presentations have they seen today? What is the reason they are here? etc
  • If you get a question from the audience – always repeat it back to the audience to ensure everybody hears it and you’ve understood the question you are asked to answer.
  • Be crystal clear on max three key messages from your presentation – that, if audience can’t remember anything else, they still remember these three (A tip: Present for a family member or friend with little prior knowledge to the topic – ask her what she took away. If it matches, good for you – if not, change the presentation)
  • Simple trick: If you have (e.g.) three messages, show three fingers and take one finger down per message. It prepares the audience for what is to come and it is less likely that you will get interrupted (this trick also works in meetings and discussions)
  • Repeat your key messages in different ways
  • Be concise – there is nothing worse than a presenter that goes on and on and on. Rather super concise – with repetition
  • (Advanced) Engage the audience early on – ask simple questions, if no-one answers assess if you can randomly pick someone to answer (perhaps make an arrangement beforehand). Note: Involving the audience is rather advanced as it risks your time-mangement and topic-management – however when done well it makes for a more engaged audience and hence a stronger presentation.
  • (Advanced) Use the full room . Why be constrained by the size of the stage? Why not wander down between the audience? If you want to connect deeper with the audience, this method is a great way to do so. A simple trick is doing it for a Q&A where you walk down to the audience with the microphone and stand right in front of them when they ask the question. (but be carefull, you need to know when and why you want to do this – and if the room is suitable for it as well as assess what the impact of doing so will be). 

I would appreciate to hear your own Do’s and Dont’s so we can add to above

Presentation in Shanghai
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