Are your presentation sentences lean or carrying too much fat?
Quite possibly the answer is “Yes” if you are not paying attention to crafting precision sentences which have been enhanced to engage your audience. When you are selecting the appropriate words to tell your story be sure the sentences are more lean than carrying extra fat.
Steve Jobs is one of the best examples I can recall for someone who spoke with simplicity and lean sentences. He could have said “Today we’re introducing a new, portable music player that weighs a mere 6.5 ounces, is about the size of a sardine can, and boasts voluminous capacity, long battery life, and lightning-fast transfer speeds.” Instead he said “iPod. One thousand songs in your pocket.”
Telling stories in a simple manner is absolutely key to learning to present and communicate well Leonardo DaVinci has been credited by many with the quote “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” (you could use a LD image with this quote if it makes sense.) Your presentation will actually seem much more sophisticated if you work hard to massage the words into concise sentences.
Another relevant example is my own story. When asked by colleagues or someone on a plane or train “What do you do?” I would say “I own a small training company laser focused on communication and presentation skills through technology.” Insert “glazed eyes here.” Now when asked “What do you do?” I simply say “I teach people to present and communicate better than they ever have!” If I use the second sentence I am almost always asked “How do you do that?” The conversation always leads to a business opportunity. If I use the first sentence the conversation is usually over and I am not able to open the door for a new business opportunity.
If your presentations are too “fat” with words you will almost certainly lose the attention of your audience. Your audience will then miss the key points of the presentation because they are so distracted by additional words.
Take a moment to think about the verbosity of your presentation before you GoLive.
There is a very simple structure you can follow for your next virtual presentation. You can download the free template here. We are launching a full training program this month to accompany the Virtual Presentation Design Template.
We can help meet your presentation needs this year. Let’s make 2019 the year you ROCK your presentations.
Design well, speak well, present well!!
