Speak with Impact

by Allison Shapira

Props. In the movie Up in the Air, George Clooney sets a backpack onstage and uses it as a metaphor throughout the speech.1 It’s a powerful scene that demonstrates both the use of props and visualization. A physical prop can be a great way to surprise your audience (the “unexpected” principle of stickiness, from Chip Heath and Dan Heath). It allows you to be creative with something simple. If you’re giving a speech on the benefits of home ownership, you can walk onstage, take out a pen, and say, “Twenty years ago, I used this pen to close on my very first home. It was one of the proudest moments of my life.”

  Swag or gifts for the audience. Author and keynote speaker Bruce Turkel gives harmonicas to his audiences to show the power of creativity and a customer-centric focus, and I’ve watched musician and keynote speaker Mike Rayburn give away an actual guitar to an unsuspecting audience member. These unexpected gifts both engage the audience and reinforce the speaker’s main messages. You don’t have to be a professional speaker—and you don’t have to give away a musical instrument—to use this type of prop. A small but unexpected treat can be a great way to engage your audience.

  Handouts or pitch book. If your presentation is informative and your audience will be discussing it with others after you speak, consider bringing handouts or a pitch book. They could summarize your main points and include all the graphs and data you don’t want to project onto the screen. I normally give out these materials at the end of my presentation so people stay focused. However, when presenting from a pitch book, you may have to walk through the book with your audience. In that case, my colleague and public speaking expert Trudi Bresner recommends that you keep the audience focused on you by using key points, stories, and anecdotes that aren’t in the pitch book.

  Flip chart or whiteboard. Despite all the advances in technology, sometimes you just want to pick up a marker and write. I like to solicit audience members’ questions and challenges about public speaking and write them down on a flip chart at the front of the room, then refer to those questions throughout my workshop. This makes the presentation more of an interactive brainstorming session than a one-way lecture.

  USING TECHNOLOGY IN YOUR SPEECH

  Let’s look at some current ways to use technology in your speech, recognizing that there are always new and exciting tools on the horizon. Throughout this section, I will use the term “device,” which can refer to your smartphone, tablet, or any other gadget invented between now and the time you read this book. No matter which technology you use, if it relies on an Internet connection, make sure the room has the right connection to support the technology.

  Show a film clip. You can show a short film clip to introduce a speech or to break up a longer topic. I’ve seen conferences use film clips to distract the audience while organizers set the stage for a panel discussion. If you work in international development and want to demonstrate the impact of your work in the field, you can show a brief film clip of volunteers at work or the human effects of the project. Make sure you have permission to show whichever clip you use.

  Use devices for practice and feedback. New apps listen to your practice speech and record how many filler words you use. The one that shows the most promise is Ummo, which actually chimes in real time when you say a filler (note: only use this when practicing).2 You can also record yourself on your phone and play it back or send it to a friend, colleague, or coach for feedback. You could use videoconferencing to practice your speech with others. I routinely use videoconferencing for coaching clients on the other side of the world.

  Use devices for audience engagement. You can poll your audience and project their responses onto a screen. You can ask the audience to tweet questions and you can either answer them onstage or after the event. You can ask audiences to text a certain number to sign up for a mailing list or download your slides. When I use polling during a workshop, I’ll normally start with a word cloud: I ask the audience to take out their phones, open the app that they downloaded for that conference, and type one word about how they feel about public speaking. The answers show up in real time on a screen in front of the audience. Responses will usually include: nervous, anxious, and fearful. After the workshop, I’ll do another word cloud and ask, “Now how do you feel about public speaking?” Hopefully, responses will include: confident, excited, and ready.

  In some conferences, organizers will set up a large screen on one side of the room to show real-time social media engagement with the conference. That creates a secondary discussion and allows people to connect online, hopefully leading to more in-person connections. You can also use streaming technology like Facebook Live to broadcast content to a virtual audience.

  Use devices to control your slides. As a speaker, you can use a device to control your slides or display your notes. There are new gadgets that let you control your slides with arm muscles.3 I recommend using these tools only if you can use them comfortably—never try them out in front of an audience before practicing extensively.

  Use a monitor to show your notes. In a large room, I’ve seen speakers use a monitor at their feet to display their notes. This works if it’s just notes; but if you read from a script, then you’ll be looking down the entire time.

  Use a teleprompter. It takes practice to read comfortably from a teleprompter. The advantage is that you can have the exact script, hopefully written in language that is natural and conversational to you, and can generally look at the audience. The downside is that it’s difficult to go off script without losing your place.

  I’m sure you’ve noticed that there was one type of visual aid I didn’t mention. I’m going to devote an entire section of this chapter to presentation slides.

  USING SLIDES FOR GOOD AND NOT FOR EVIL

  Presentation slides can show a gripping picture, reinforce a key message, illustrate a surprising trend, or show an emotional video. There are some excellent books on slide design by presentation experts, such as slide-ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations by Nancy Duarte4 and Presentation Zen: Simple Ideas on Presentation Design and Delivery by Garr Reynolds.5 For our purposes, I’ll go over some of the common misuses of slides and show you how to use them effectively.

  Common Misuses of Slides

  Misuse #1: To remind you what to say. When people don’t have time to prepare, they throw their written notes into a slide to jog their memory. I still remember one of my earliest speechwriting clients. I was designing a presentation for an executive in Boston. I specifically remember one slide he asked me to create, consisting of a few random words that didn’t make any sense. I asked him what they were supposed to signify. He responded, “Don’t worry, it just reminds me what to say next.” Whenever you’re using slides, design them with your audience in mind.

  Misuse #2: To cover a lot of information in a short period of time. Remember that the more you say, the less people will hear. If you throw endless charts and graphs up on the screen, they will distract your audience. Clicking through slides while saying, “We don’t have time to cover this, but I wanted to put it up,” confuses your audience and dilutes your main messages. If you want to convey extra information, create handouts.

  Misuse #3: To deflect attention from yourself. Some speakers will put all their content onto the slides so that the audience looks at the slides instead of at the speaker. This is a missed opportunity to connect with your audience and leads to the presentation feeling more like a lecture than a conversation. Use the techniques in this book to build your confidence so that you are comfortable connecting with the audience.

  Many companies not only dictate the use of slides, they dictate the use of bad slides with too much text and too many graphs. You don’t always have a choice when using slides, though the more senior you become in an organization, the more you have the power to change those expectations.

  How to Use Slides Effectively

  Before designing your slides, first figure out the content. Then ask how slides can effectively reinforce that content. Make a list of your key p
oints and then ask yourself:

  •What images could illustrate these points?

  •What charts or graphs could reinforce these numbers?

  •What quotes can I put on the screen?

  •What technology software do I want to use?

  Unfortunately, it takes longer to design good slides than it does to design bad slides, though new technologies are making this more approachable and you can usually outsource the design. Regardless, it still takes a lot of time to distill your content and think about the most creative, concise ways to present information visually.

  If someone else designs your slides, make sure you share your outline and message with that person in advance so that the slides reinforce what you’d like to say. It’s hard to merge your message with someone else’s slides after the fact.

  Here are some of the most important things to keep in mind when designing slides.

  Phrases, not sentences. When you put full sentences on a slide, you have a tendency to turn your back to the audience and read the text word for word. In addition, the audience can read faster than you can speak, so they read the slides instead of listening to you. This is a missed opportunity to connect with the audience. Put phrases on your slides instead of full sentences.

  I remember the first day of class in college. I was thinking about taking one particular course taught by a global expert. I arrived to class eager to learn from this professor. He welcomed everyone, turned to the front of the room, and proceeded to read his slides, word for word, for the entire lecture. The slides themselves looked like they had been copied and pasted from his teaching notes. As the lecture wore on, I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. How could I listen to this person for an entire semester? I could hardly listen for one hour!

  Large font size. Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start 2.0, recommends you take the age of the oldest person in your audience, divide it in half, and use that number as the minimum font size in your presentation.6 As a general rule, use a font size that can be comfortably read by someone older than you sitting in the back of the room. That includes using a sans-serif font that’s easily readable on a screen. I highly recommend picking up a copy of Guy’s book and reading the chapter, “The Art of Pitching.”

  One of my biggest pet peeves is when a speaker says, “I know this font size is tiny, but bear with me.” No, I will not bear with you. You’re giving me a headache, so I need to look away. As a result, you’ve lost my attention, unless you’re my boss, in which case I have to pay attention but I’m not happy about it. Is this what you want going through the minds of your audience members?

  One image, one sentence per slide. I’m a big fan of Steve Jobs’s presentation design: one image, one phrase per slide. Think back to the iPhone launch in 2007: black background, one quote, one number, and one image per slide. 7

  Bad slide design can actually be dangerous when it hides critical information. There is a crushing example from the 2003 Columbia space shuttle explosion, where key points were buried within complex slides, causing NASA to underestimate the risk involved in returning the shuttle safely back to Earth.8 When you present a critical piece of information, put it front and center and give it its own slide. Lives can depend on it.

  Logistics When Using Slides

  Know your technology. Spend lots of time becoming comfortable with your fancy new presentation gadget or software before you use it in front of your audience. Otherwise, you’ll be troubleshooting in public and lose your credibility.

  Run through your material with slides in advance. Speaking with slides always takes longer than speaking without slides, because looking at the slides has a tendency to make you say more than you intended. Practice and time the speech with the slides to make sure you keep to your limit.

  Proofread your slides. Inconsistent fonts, extra spaces between words, and misspelled words are errors that can instantly make you look lazy and unprepared. Proofread your slides with a critical eye, or have someone else proof them who hasn’t been staring at them for two hours. Your slides are an extension of your professionalism and brand.

  Arrange for AV assistance in advance. If you’re using slides, make sure the event organizers have the right equipment in the room. Ask yourself what extra equipment you might need, like adapters or cables. I’m a Mac user, so I always carry my own set of adapters to connect to the projector. Email your slides to the organizers in advance and bring the slides on a flash drive as a backup. Get to the room an hour before people arrive so you can set up the slides and make sure they work.

  The most important tip for using slides is this:

  Always be prepared to present without slides. Despite all your best efforts, the AV might not work, your computer might not connect, or no one can find the password for the computer on the lectern. When this happens, and it will happen at some point, do not follow the example of one speaker I heard a few years ago. I was attending an event in Arlington, Virginia, for government contractors. Unfortunately, one of the speakers couldn’t get his laptop to work with the projector. So the speaker proceeded to describe every one of his slides to the audience out loud, including the cartoons. Instead of speaking for ten minutes, he talked for over forty-five minutes. But he had lost his audience in the first two minutes.

  You can use slides effectively, but remember that it takes time, creativity, and a focus on the experience of your audience. Giving a speech or presentation is about connecting with your audience and moving them to take action. Look at technology as a way to enhance that connection.

  Look through your upcoming speech or presentation and determine which props will be most effective, if any. If you always use slides, ask yourself if they are necessary and if they will add impact to your presentation. Give yourself plenty of time to prepare your props and practice with them before the speech.

  INTERVIEW WITH SIDD CHOPRA

  For a look into the future, I interviewed my friend and colleague Sidd Chopra. Sidd is an entrepreneur, systems developer, author, and award-winning speaker whose organization LookWiser.com is constantly inventing new public speaking tools. In fact, I met him at a National Speakers Association conference where he was testing out a new device that allows speakers to control their slides and multiple tablet-based prompters wirelessly with one presentation controller. Given Sidd’s interest in the intersection of technology and presentations, I spoke with him about the future use of technology in presentations.

  He said, “We have two different, often opposing objectives: First, our need to connect with one another on a human level. Second, our need to work faster, cheaper, and further than ever. Videoconferencing is effective but doesn’t replace the need to communicate in person. A smile, the warmth of a handshake, can’t easily be reproduced in a remote environment. If we’re not careful, communication can actually create a false narrative about someone. If the speaker doesn’t use digital tools effectively, that person could come across as disengaged or cold. He or she could sound curt or sarcastic when trying to be friendly or funny.”

  Having said that, Sidd then turned to technical tools we might use in the future. “I can see using augmented reality for speaker’s notes and virtual reality creating different audience experiences. What’s really exciting is the potential use of holograms. Medical schools are experimenting with digital cadavers to let students practice before they work on real cadavers. Imagine giving a presentation about cancer and using a 3-D hologram to show the audience an actual body! You could move the hologram with your hand, remove a lung, and show your audience where the cancer is.”

  We also discussed the potential for speakers to use holograms as an actual medium. Tony Robbins famously gave the “longest running ‘live 2-way’ holographic performance ever” when he gave a speech in Melbourne, Australia—while he was located in Miami, Florida.9 For frequent speakers who practically live on airplanes, this leads to a number of quality-of-life benefits, though the technology costs are quite high at this point. Sidd
also mentioned robotic avatars taking the place of actual people in a conference.

  In a future edition of this book, we’ll discuss updated technological applications in speeches. In the meantime, know that there are some exciting developments in the works that can help you engage with your audience in new ways—but remember to stay focused on human connection.

  USING A MICROPHONE

  How do you use a microphone when giving a speech? Should you use a microphone? Too often, I see people stand up at conferences and shout, “You can all hear me, right?” And when no one has the nerve to say “no,” the speaker goes on to shout their speech. Or, they take the microphone and hold it down by their belly button, where it can’t pick up any sound. If your audience can’t hear you, you can’t move them to action.

  I’ve used microphones both for speaking and singing and know that using a microphone is an important way to fill the room with your message and get your voice heard. Here are some tips to do that effectively:

  •Always be willing to use a microphone. In any audience, you will have varying levels of hearing and language fluency, regardless of the language you are speaking; make it easy for people to hear you. It’s healthier for your voice—and more pleasant for your audience’s ears—if you don’t have to yell. If you are offering comments during a conference, stand up and use a mic if one is available. If there is a mic runner, wait for him or her to hand you the mic; it ensures that everyone can hear you and—as a result—increases your credibility and authority.

  •Determine in advance if you will need a microphone. You’ll want to use a mic if the audience is larger than twenty people or the event will be recorded. If you’d like to use the video for any reason at all, then use a mic for high-quality sound.