Facing the unknown and surviving

Something I neglected to mention in my roundup of PresentationCampLA is that, from the very beginning, I was apprehensive. An "unconference" that is created on the day by the people who attend? Scary!

I'm a planner, an organizer, and a recovering control freak. I like to be very well-prepared. As you may have noticed, I talk a lot about preparation on this blog.

So how exactly was I going to help pull off this unconference if there was no planning involved? Yes, we got a space, solicited sponsors, scheduled lunch delivery and did PR and marketing. But the event itself was pretty much a blank slate. We had a couple of ideas for how to get started and suggestions we would make to the group for putting it together, but it was going to be up to the group how to proceed.

Just like most people, I have my comfort zones, and a spontaneously erupting unconference didn't feel like a good fit for me.

However, I like to challenge myself to try new things and to get out of my comfort zone, which is why I agreed to help out in the first place. I didn't know if I would enjoy it or if I would be stressed out the whole time, having no control over the outcome.

If you read my post the other day, you know that I had a fabulous time and that PresentationCampLA was one of the most rewarding events I've ever been part of. I allowed myself to feel some discomfort, at the same time just trying to be in the moment. It turned out to be a successful experiment, and it felt surprisingly freeing to let the day unfold according to the group's desires.

Maybe it was because we had such a jovial, open-minded group to begin with (a whole room full of me would have been a disaster, I'm sure), but everyone adapted easily to the lack of a rigid structure and seemed comfortable to create a new kind of experience.

And because everyone else was comfortable, I was comfortable as well!

I try to practice what I preach, and I've asked you before to get out of your comfort zones. I want you to know that I also have to challenge myself sometimes to do the same thing. It's so satisfying to face the unknown and come out the other side feeling like I've achieved personal growth.

How about you?

Interview in Santa Barbara News-Press is up

I've posted the article from the Santa Barbara News-Press where I was one of the local Twitter users interviewed. They did a great job of formatting it for my website!

Here's my picture from the front page of the Life Section, if you missed it. It was fun to be part of this article and share my love of Twitter!

How to aggravate your audience

Like the graduation we attended two weeks ago, I was hoping to write about some speeches at our niece's 8th grade promotion ceremony from last week.

Except that we couldn't hear a dang thing. The principal spoke, a school board member spoke, students performed a song (with piped-in music that drowned out whatever voices were audible), the student body president spoke... and only the first few rows of the audience heard anything.

Audience members became more and more agitated, yelling out, "We can't hear you!" and "Louder!" It didn't seem like the officials even understood what was going on. A sound person would periodically run up on stage and fiddle with the sound system, then go back and sit down, but nothing changed.

At one point, a speaker apologized for the "technical difficulties." But the technical difficulties continued. There was even another microphone at the back of the stage that no one bothered to try. The outdoor amphitheater just made the situation worse, as there were no walls or floors for voices to bounce off of. No one tried to project, anyway.

Halfway through the ceremony, we were able to hear a little better, but there was terrible feedback, as the microphone was too close to the speakers. The entire audience began yelling, "Move over!" as they waved their arms to the right. The speaker finally moved to the center of the stage, where the feedback stopped and the audience cheered.

Finally, nearing the end of the ceremony, the sound person came out, turned one of the speakers a quarter turn, and suddenly we could hear everything!

What a disappointment for all those parents who couldn't hear their children singing, speaking or being announced during the promotion.

The worst thing was that, because the audience couldn't hear what was happening onstage, everyone just started talking to each other as though there was no one speaking.

I don't know if they practiced with their sound equipment beforehand, but I'm guessing no. Unfortunately, instead of testing the equipment and waiting until everything was working to begin, they seemed intent on keeping to their schedule and talking anyway, even though no one could hear them. Frustrating.

Presentation revelations from PCamp

Where do I begin to describe the fabulousness of PresentationCampLA?

The space: airy, open and inviting.

The people: creative, talented, smart, funny.

The presentations: intriguing, entertaining, eye-opening, memorable, brief!

There are definitely improvements that can be made next time, but overall, this was by far the most satisfying, fun, and valuable conference I've ever attended. And I'm not just saying that because I helped organize it (with Cliff Atkinson and Colleen Wainwright)! There were fewer than 40 people, and the contributions from everyone were dense with practical usefulness and relevance. And I've certainly never experienced this much laughter at a conference!

Here's a snippet from Gena Haskett, participant and video guru, taken during our opening introductions where we asked the group what they wanted to learn and what they had to offer:



We enjoyed discussing such topics as incorporating Twitter into presentations (Olivia Mitchell), "Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes" (Andy Goodman), how to get published by a traditional publisher (Cliff Atkinson), how to handle hecklers (Olivia Mitchell), mind mapping (Cliff Allen) how to use video and interviewing (Gena Haskett and Tracy Pattin), using stories, incorporating acting techniques and much more! No presentation was longer than 30 minutes. Perfect.

One of the most fun and energizing parts of the day was Cliff Atkinson's visual improv exercise (if you have his new edition of Beyond Bullet Points, you'll find this exercise on the CD). It's an exercise where participants add to an ongoing story based only on an image on the screen, which changes every 30 seconds. The brilliant conclusion to the activity came from Colleen Wainwright: "The measure of a man is not in the length of his PowerPoint but in the depth of his message." Colleen is obviously an improv queen!

My big revelations of the day:

1) I no longer hate the idea of incorporating Twitter into presentations. I was highly resistant to this idea before hearing Olivia Mitchell and Lynn Langit (from Microsoft) share their experiences and discuss management strategies to using Twitter but not letting it take over the presentation.

By the afternoon, I was asking in sessions, "Is anyone tweeting this link? Post it so we can all find it later under the #pcampla hashtag!"

Most of my audiences are not techie folks and are not yet using Twitter this way in presentations. However, it's an idea that I can now understand much better and would like to experiment with.

2) I CAN get a book written! Well, this I already knew, but I've been paralyzed with indecision, not knowing where to go next after the writing part. I've been considering using certain categories in this blog as a starting point, but feel overwhelmed by my 800 posts.

I learned that simply hiring an editor can solve this problem and get me on the path to publishing. What a huge relief to get this piece of information!

3) Sometimes I just need to sit back, listen and absorb. I am a rabid notetaker. I carry a notepad with me everywhere in case I think of something I need to remember. My memory is definitely not what it used to be, so I always take notes in presentations.

Well, at PCamp, I just sat back and let the experience wash over me. I listened, absorbed, asked questions, made suggestions, did what was needed, and didn't take a single note all day. I did fear that I would forget important aspects of the day and in fact, while processing the conference on the drive home with hubby (who spent the whole day with us taking pictures and video), I really thought I would never remember everything I needed to.

But the next day I started writing down what I wanted to remember, and it -- mostly -- came back. I can't say this is necessarily a good idea for every conference, but I felt that it was in the spirit of the day, creating as we go along, to just be in the moment.

I've been going back through the #pcampla tweets that people contributed throughout the day and finding some great gems there. I recommend checking out these notes if you want a taste of what was shared.

Gena has also posted a brief clip from my presentation on engaging the audience and making presentations fun:



There will be more pictures and more videos to come. We have started something that is certain to continue in southern California for years to come. The camaraderie and learning that happened on Saturday was magical and organic, and I hope we can create this energy time and time again.

See you at the next PresentationCampLA!

PresentationCampLA is this Saturday!

Only three days left till PresentationCampLA!

If you're looking for a fun, unconventional and inexpensive way to learn about public speaking, this is it! Spend the day with other learners and participants creating an "unconference" just the way you want it.

It's a great value at only $10 for a day of public speaking and presentation exploration with some amazing speakers, coaches and authors. Some possible presentation topics include:

“Storyboarding 101”
“Embrace Twitter in Your Presentation”
“How to Get Your Book Published by a Real Publisher”
“Using Toys For Fun and Effective Learning”
and “Kill the People: Using Comedy and Truth to Slay ‘Death by PowerPoint’.”

Will you join us?

More info here...

Sign up here!

Interview in Pomona College Magazine

I'm honored to have been interviewed for my alma mater's spring 2009 issue! Check out the interview and my brief public speaking tips here. If you went to Pomona College, you'll get a better version in the mail, with a picture and all.

And if you went to Pomona College, say hey!

Stay in the game

On "Kathy Griffin: My Life on the D List" last night, Kathy was in Canada to do a show, and she was nervous. She pointed out that she's always nervous before a show, but in fact, she hadn't done any standup in three weeks, and she was more nervous than usual.

Three weeks? A pro like Kathy Griffin gets nervous when she hasn't performed in three weeks?

The only way to stay on top of your game is to stay in the game. The more you speak, the more often you take the opportunity to get in front of an audience, the more you hone your skills.

Just like an athlete, a performer can lose ground when there's no opportunity to practice. You have to stay warmed up, flexible, in the zone.

Take time off, and you might get rusty. You might lose your rhythm.

If you're doing the same presentation every time, taking a break is a nice way to freshen up your "show," resist the temptation to start memorizing, and give your brain a rest.

But don't take too much time off. Stay fresh, but stay in the flow. Try not to go too long between speaking engagements. The more you speak, the more you learn and the more you grow!

You're always selling something

I read this comment, submitted by a teacher, on a public speaking article today:

"I understand the importance of not being boring, but I am not selling anything, and most of the tips in this article on public speaking seem aimed at holding an audience captive so you can sell them something."

Guess what: We're all selling something.

Do you work for a nonprofit, giving presentations about homelessness, domestic violence, the value of arts education or how to prevent childhood obesity?

Are you a teacher, persuading your students of the value to their lives of American history, English, chemistry, French or Life Skills (formerly known as sex ed)?

Do you sit in long meetings with your colleagues, discussing policy changes, event planning, equipment failure, financial spreadsheets or overtime?

Any time you're persuading someone to come around to your way of thinking, that's selling. Any time you're trying to get someone to take up your cause, that's selling. Any time you're attempting to change attitudes and behaviors, that's selling.

The action of selling may literally involve someone giving money for a product or service (although I would argue that that's "buying"), but in order to get to that point, you have to build a relationship with that customer. You have to build trust and respect with that customer. If these things don't happen, the customer isn't going to hand over the cash.

It's the same way with speaking. In order to get someone to do what you want, you could just yell at them, give orders and be demanding. But that doesn't work for most of us.

To get people to buy into your idea or your cause, you must be persuasive. You must:

1. Make a connection

2. Give facts that support your emotional argument

3. Know the audience so you can understand what appeals to and moves them

4. Give them the information that allows them to decide for themselves.

"Selling" is not a bad word. Sell an idea, sell a product, sell yourself. It's all about persuasion and relationship building, not bad things at all.

If you think you're not selling, you're wrong. And if you're not selling, you might be doing something wrong!

"No me gusta mortarboards"

Thus began the speech of the seniors' chosen speaker at the high school graduation we attended yesterday.

"Señor Aguas," as this beloved teacher is known, has been teaching Spanish at the school for decades; he was my sister-in-law's Spanish teacher when she was a student there.

With his statement about mortarboards, Señor Aguas removed his and replaced it with a giant sombrero. He greeted the graduates and audience in Spanish for the first few moments of his speech.

He then went on to give one of the most fun, memorable and entertaining speeches I've ever heard, especially at a high school graduation, and here are some reasons his speech was so effective.

1. Props

Señor Aguas changed hats three times to illustrate different themes in his talk. He even brought out his leather "man bag" and pulled out additional props: a Coke can, cookie wrappers, and a Dr. Seuss book, which he proceeded to read from. These props created anticipation: What does it mean, and what will he do next?

2. Stories and humor

Each prop illustrated a story, and his stories revealed his experiences as a coach and teacher over his 30-year career. In the course of his stories, he used humorous transitions to mention various students and other teachers by name, which brought a cheer from the students each time. Every point he made had a story attached, and just about every story had a person or two attached.

How could the audience not be entertained and engaged when they were the stars of the speech?

3. Knowing the audience

Beside the fact that the stadium was full of parents, relatives and friends, Señor Aguas knew that his primary audience was the graduates, and he clearly had a goal of making his talk fun and meaningful for them.

At one point, he talked about how difficult it is to learn a foreign language, and gave his own example of having to learn blogging, tweeting, teen speak and texting. He then delivered the next part of his speech in a combination of all of these "languages," complete with OMG, l8r (spelled out), "tight", "sick," "chill," and "shizzle."

It was an example of knowing what would entertain his students, but knowing that the rest of the audience would also get it.

(In contrast, the valedictorian -- winner of many speech contests -- seemed intent only on demonstrating how smart he was; when he mentioned the senior class's "jocularity," I wondered if he wrote his speech with a thesaurus open in front of him).

Señor Aguas is used to being in front of an audience, having been a teacher for so many years. But he was not overly rehearsed, slick, or flawless.

He was human, approachable, friendly, funny, warm, silly and sincere. He expressed his passion for teaching, his pride in the success of the senior class, and his love for his students and fellow teachers. And he did it with humor and humility, making his audience the focus of his talk, making them the star of the show.

Easy to see why Señor Aguas was chosen to speak for this class -- and probably many others before them!

Are you a greedy speaker?

If you're an entrepreneur, do you go out and speak in your community because you want to build your business? Of course you do! It's one of the best (and least expensive) ways to get the word out about your product or service.

But be careful... If your only goal is to get clients and make money, you might not be as successful as you would like to be.

Public speaking is a service. Your audience wants to know what's in it for them; that is, what is it about your product or service that will benefit them? You provide education, information, and entertainment to your audience. In return, they might tell their friends about you, interview you for the local paper, ask you to speak at another event, sign up for your mailing list, suggest possible partnerships, and -- oh yeah -- they might buy what you're selling.

Think of your speaking engagement as a networking opportunity. Instead of focusing on what you can get, think about what you can give. Realize that "success" might look completely different from what you're imagining. Realize that "results" might come two years down the line.

Results and success will come. Don't try to force it, rush it, or grab it. Don't think of your audience as a meal ticket and expect them to start throwing money at you.

Be a giver; make your presentation a gift to the audience. Think about their needs and desires first, and you will be rewarded, in one way or another.

Vote for Speak Schmeak in Best Coaching Blogs contest

If you enjoy this blog, please show your love by voting for me in the Best Coaching Blogs 2009 contest! And if you leave a comment, it helps my "scoring," too.

Thanks, y'all!

Play big

I met with two clients this week who are both dealing with the same problem: playing small.

Both clients are used to "talking with their hands" in regular conversation, but when they give a presentation, their gestures become restrained and tight. They both have strong voices, but when they speak, their voices become whispery and weak.

To put it plainly, they're holding back. Restricting their movements, pulling back their voices, and making themselves "smaller than life."

The problem is, when presenting, it's usually necessary to be a little larger than life, depending on the size of the room and the number of people. In order to be seen and heard, it's necessary to be a little bigger than you usually are, or risk being visually uninteresting and invisible to the audience.

Making yourself small can also make you seem tentative and lacking in confidence -- and therefore less persuasive and effective in presenting your message.

Even when using a microphone, you still need to project your voice; the microphone makes you louder, but if you're whispering or mumbling, it's only going to magnify your whispering or mumbling.

Practicing "larger than life" can feel awkward, especially when you're in front of a video camera, or talking to the mirror. But it's crucial that, when you practice your presentation, you practice it as though you're speaking in front of the people you'll really be presenting to, in order to get used to being free and open with your voice and body.

If your voice has to carry over ten rows of seats, don't practice as though you're talking to the people in the front row; speak to the people in the tenth row. If your gestures have to be seen in the back of a large room, don't hold back. Open up your body, free your arms to move the way they naturally do.

It's not about forcing your body to do something it doesn't want to do; if you're a naturally reserved speaker, you'll probably have to practice your gestures more for a big audience. But really, it's more about releasing your inhibitions so your body will do what it already does naturally.

Do some relaxation, breathing and grounding exercises before you speak; loosen up your muscles so you don't feel tight and inclined to hold yourself back. Express your natural power and confidence through your voice and body.

What's that? You say you aren't confident? Well, purposeful and strong movements and gestures will make you seem confident! Even more reason to play big!

Charlton Heston and you

I've written before about actors and personalities who are shy or uncomfortable speaking in public, and I've written about my own shyness in some social settings and my trick of playing a character (me) to overcome it.

Here's another example of a shy person who managed to become an enormous success over six decades as a film and television actor: Charlton Heston. In an interview with Robert Osborne on TCM, he said,

"I suppose on a certain level, I am a shyer man than my public persona suggests. I have learned to be a public person and I'm very comfortable with that identity; it's that man that's talking to you now. But I am also a rather private man, and actors are not supposed to be private men, so I've invented a public Charlton Heston as well."

There were two Charlton Hestons, the public man and the private man. But how different do you suppose they were? I imagine the main difference was in his comfort level, not in any aspect of his personality that might or might not change in different situations -- at least that's how my public persona works.

For me, once my public persona becomes comfortable in a situation, then the "whole me" becomes comfortable, and I can let the persona go and just be me. Read about how I do it here.

And remember: you're not the only one who's nervous in front of a crowd, holding a microphone, or being interviewed. Many, many people who live their lives in the spotlight are just as nervous as you are. They've developed tools to make themselves more comfortable in those situations, and so can you!

PresentationCampLA puts the audience in charge!

Looking to keep your skills sharp for job hunting or career advancement? PresentationCampLA is a grassroots, do-it-yourself event that aims to help individuals better present themselves and their ideas.

On Saturday, June 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., participants will gather at BlankSpaces in Los Angeles for a unique collaborative experience: creating a public speaking conference from scratch. The group will decide collectively at the start of the day which topics they would like to hear about, who will teach them, and the order of sessions for the day.

After pitching topics and group voting, speakers will break out into sessions for presentations and discussion, involving fellow participants and speakers in the creative process.

“PresentationCamp will help you hone your message, build your confidence, and present yourself and your ideas with style!” says Cliff Atkinson, author of “Beyond Bullet Points” and PresentationCampLA organizer.

“For only $10 – a great value in tough economic times – participants get access to some of the top presentation coaches in the world!”

Possible session topics include “Storyboarding 101,” “Embrace Twitter in Your Presentation,” “How to Get Your Book Published by a Real Publisher,” “Using Toys For Fun and Effective Learning,” and “Kill the People: Using Comedy and Truth to Slay ‘Death by PowerPoint’.”

At PresentationCampLA, everyone participates in some manner: presenting, leading a discussion, showcasing a best practice, or sharing their experiences. Others help with logistics, securing sponsorships, organizing sessions, or setting up/cleaning up. This is a self-organizing collaborative event that is designed be a fun, rewarding and a unique experience.

PresentationCampLA is a great opportunity for participants to learn from, teach to, and network with professionals involved in improving presentations in the Los Angeles area – and around the world!

PresentationCampLA website

Register here

Please tweet to your tweeps! #pcampla

Make a commitment

The other night, Bub and I were eating at a Vietnamese restaurant. As we contemplated splitting the third spring roll, I said, "Just eat half and give the rest to me. There's no knife to cut it with."

He picked it up and, as I shook my head dubiously, he cleanly tore it in two. I was pretty impressed. Not a single piece of lettuce dropped onto the plate.

"You just have to commit," he said.

Commitment makes all the difference.

Imagine yourself giving a presentation, and you're trying out some new content, some new humor, a new prop. You're not sure how it's going to play, so you deliver it tentatively, unsure of yourself. When you're uncertain, your audience might feel uncertain as well! They won't get the full impact of the material if you don't stand behind it.

Now think about how much more likely your new content is to succeed when you deliver it with confidence and punch. You KNOW it's going to work, you have no doubt, and you commit to it with full force.

Pow! Your audience gets it. They feel your energy behind it, your passion and your commitment. How can they possibly miss your meaning?

Next time you're presenting information that you're unsure about or not completely comfortable delivering, commit to it anyway. Make the audience believe that you stand behind what you're saying.

Your words and actions gain power when you commit.

Empty calories vs. nutritional value

To add to my list of unoriginal clichés and tired statistics, how about we stop with the use of pointless dictionary definitions?

I visited a website yesterday for speakers, and there was the dictionary definition of "presenter," right in the middle of the page, complete with pronunciation, in case I didn't know how to say it already.

This is what I consider a space filler, or in the case of a live presentation, a time waster. Unless you truly need to define something for your audience, because it's unusual or complex, or a new concept for them, using a dictionary definition is just a cutesy way of killing time or filling space on a page.

Like a soda or a bag of chips that fills you up with lots of calories but no nutritional value, a dictionary definition takes up space in your presentation where you could be giving the audience something useful and relevant.

More on clichés and originality here:

Cliché finder

Metaphorically speaking

New cliché resource

The grandmother cliché

Blog title winners

Winners in the contest to title last Monday's blog post are Diane Broos with "Tea-ed off" and Robert Stevenson with "Knowing when to leaf well enough alone." I decided to combine the two into one title, and voila! "Tea-ed off: Knowing when to leaf well enough alone."

Diane and Robert each win a copy of my "7-Week Shortcut to Public Speaking Confidence" e-course CD.

Thanks to everyone who contributed; you are all so much more creative than I am. I will probably be asking for your assistance again!

Awkward

So you think the audience is secretly judging and criticizing you? So did Kristin Stewart at last night's MTV Movie Awards.

Upon receiving her award for Best Female Performance, she proceeded to give her acceptance speech, clearly nervous. While balancing the heavy award in her hand, she lost her grip and it went flying several feet onto the floor as she desperately tried to catch it.

She sped back to the microphone, finished her speech somewhat incoherently and blurted out, "So... I was just about as awkward as you thought I was going to be."

Did the audience think she was going to be awkward? I doubt it. Did she create a self-fulfilling prophecy? Perhaps. When all you can think about is how nervous you are and how much you're going to embarrass yourself in front of the audience, you are practically making it happen.

Kristin may be shy and uncomfortable on stage, but she is a trained actor, and maybe next time she has to appear as herself, she can try my trick of playing herself as a character. There's a strong, confident young woman in there somewhere, the one that converses easily with friends, laughs and has a good time being herself.

Implementing some relaxation, breathing and grounding techniques might help as well.

But setting herself up for failure by assuming that she will fail... that's an unfortunate habit that needs to be broken!