How to Wash a Chicken

by Tim Calkins

  USE YOUR PRESENTATION

  Sometimes you can answer a tough question by looking at your presentation, either a slide in the deck or material in the appendix.

  I would only do this in rare situations. If the page is coming up in your presentation, you will damage your flow by jumping ahead. You created the presentation to introduce material in a step-by-step fashion. Skipping ahead might damage this flow and hurt the story you are telling. A better response would be “Dan, I’m going to cover that in two pages. Please give me just five minutes!”

  If the page is in the appendix, going far ahead will throw you off, too. You will likely look a little disorganized as you quickly click through ten pages to get to the appendix and then go all the way back to the place where you left off.

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  FOLLOW THROUGH

  * * *

  The conclusion of a presentation is a terrific moment, especially if it went well. At the end of a long and productive meeting, you will almost certainly be tired, relieved, excited and happy all at the same time. It is tempting to lean back and take a break. It was a good presentation, after all.

  Be careful! Follow-through is essential whether the meeting went well or poorly. If the meeting was a success, you want to build on the momentum. If it didn’t go well, you need to recover and rebound.

  Respond to Questions

  The first task after a presentation is to address any lingering questions. Usually there will be a few issues. Perhaps someone asked for a figure you did not have readily at hand or for the chance to review a particular market research study. You might have estimated the answer to a question, with a promise to follow up with the actual figure.

  Addressing these questions quickly is important; it indicates that you care about the person and the question. Ignoring the question entirely, or responding slowly, sends a very different message. When you are trying to build support, validating people and their concerns is a best practice.

  Confirm Decision and Next Steps

  Perhaps the worst outcome of a meeting is uncertainty. If people walk out unclear about the resolution, it creates a sense of doubt.

  It is all too easy for uncertainty to set in. Someone might have left the meeting early; someone else was responding to emails on their phone. A few people couldn’t get there at all. Many meetings take the entire time, so the end is a bit of a rush and a jumble.

  So, it is always a good idea to send an email to participants with a recap of the decisions. This will ensure that everyone is on the same page. It also serves as a record. If someone doesn’t agree, the email provides an opportunity to voice that concern; you always want to know where people stand.

  Reflect

  It is useful to reflect after each presentation, to spend some time reviewing what happened. Remember that presenting is an art and you can always be better. Deloitte’s Jonathan Copulsky has suggested to me that it is “the speaker’s equivalent of watching game tapes.”

  It is particularly important to do an assessment because presentations are not solitary events. You don’t just present and then move on. In most cases, the project continues. There will be many more presentations to come before things wrap up. If you learn from today’s presentation, you can make tomorrow’s better.

  The key is to reflect quickly. Best case, you will set aside some time later the same day to look back at the presentation. If you wait a week, you will have forgotten the details. All too often I let a few days go by, then return to the presentation remembering that there was a wording mistake, but I’m completely unclear about where it was in the presentation.

  WHAT WORKED?

  Begin with the positives. What went well? It is useful to go through the presentation page by page. At what point were people particularly engaged? Did everyone agree with a specific point? Where did you get questions and respond well?

  It is easy to miss the positives; you may not appreciate everything that worked unless you really think it through.

  WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN STRONGER?

  There are always areas for improvement, even when the meeting was a success. Were there any typos? Often, I find I notice spelling mistakes only while presenting. I look up, see the mistake and wince. Was a particular chart confusing? Where did the flow seem off? When did people have lots of questions?

  If the meeting wasn’t a success—perhaps the proposal was rejected—it is important to think through the cause.

  WERE YOU SURPRISED?

  When presenting, surprise is generally not a positive. You want to start the meeting with a good sense for how things will work out. If you have spent time preselling your presentation, you should know generally how people will respond to it.

  If you were surprised by what happened during the meeting, it is important to consider why. Were you unable to reach some of the participants ahead of time? Did someone change their opinion? Did a new person show up? If you can figure out why you were surprised, you can take steps to prevent this from happening again with the next update.

  The Presenting Cycle

  It is useful to think of presenting as continuous cycle, not a one-time event. One meeting leads to the next one as the project moves forward. If things go well, momentum builds for the initiative and for your career.

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  TED TALKS AND STEVE JOBS

  * * *

  I recently asked some of my students what they did to improve their presentation skills. One replied quickly, “I watch TED talks! They are terrific.”

  Another student offered, “I watch presentations by Steve Jobs. He was such a gifted presenter. I try to be like him.”

  These were not unusual answers. When people think about presenting, they often think about TED and Steve Jobs. These videos are readily available and very impactful.

  There is just one problem: they are not particularly helpful models for creating or delivering a good business presentation. Indeed, much of what someone might learn from TED or Jobs simply won’t work in a corporate environment.

  TED Talks

  Consider the format of a TED talk. It is a brief presentation, lasting about twenty minutes. The presenter stands in the center of a big room, often on a carpet or square. The audience is attentive. The room is dark. There is drama. There are no questions, just enthusiastic applause at the end.

  This is not how business presentations tend to go. At most companies, people will shuffle in. Some people will be late. Many have coffee, and this will inevitably get spilled. People might have donuts. The conversation is a mix of the mundane (“So, Sally, how did Bobby’s soccer game go on Saturday?”) and the practical (“John, did you see that email I sent over? I really need you to get back to me on that issue”). There is no spectacle and no drama.

  One critical difference: there will be questions. People will ask about assumptions, data and analysis. They will interrupt the presentation: “Hey, Prachin, is that volume figure correct? It looks sort of funny to me,” and “What did you assume about shipments in Q3?” and “Did you factor the competitive response into the model?”

  Another big difference: people will challenge your data. TED talks don’t stress about the source of information. Presenters might say, “There was a study about charitable giving, and it showed that...” They don’t cite or show much about the study. Where did the information come from, anyway?

  In a business presentation, sources are essential. You can’t just say, “I did an analysis, and it showed that Italy is the best investment opportunity...” You have to talk about the analysis. What information did you use? What did you evaluate? Why? This is all critical information to include in a presentation.

  Credibility is essential in a business meeting. If you aren’t the CEO—and if you are reading this book, then I suspect you aren’t—then you probably aren’t the most senior person in the discussion. This means that your opinion isn’t that important.

  The way you get credibility in a business setting is through data. A senior executive mig
ht disagree with your opinion. It is difficult for them to disagree with a fact, a piece of data from a trusted source. If I say obesity is a big issue, a senior muckety-muck could disagree. “I think you are exaggerating that, Tim,” he might state. “I’ve seen a lot of surveys and it just isn’t as big as people say. Except maybe for me; I’ve really got to cut back on those sales dinners that David, here, is always taking me on.” Everyone laughs and my point is negated.

  Data changes the situation. If I say, “According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are 40.2 million obese people in the country. The CDC projects that this will increase at a rate of 3.5 percent annually over the next ten years. Obesity is a large and growing issue,” then it is difficult to disagree with the point.

  Still, while TED talks aren’t a great model, you can learn several things about presenting from them.

  TELL STORIES

  The most memorable TED talks are built around stories. The presenter talks about a topic, discussing theories and ideas. It all comes to life, however, when the speaker tells a story.

  The best stories—the most gripping stories—are personal. It is one thing to talk about other people. For example, the presenter might say, “One day, this particular person did something extraordinary.” This can work well, especially if the story is funny or dramatic or surprising. However, when a speaker says, “Let me tell you about the time when I wrestled with severe anxiety,” you sit up and take note. They are about to reveal something personal, something intimate, something you wouldn’t find on a CV. It is these personal stories that have the biggest impact. These are the moments people remember and hang on to.

  You can easily apply this lesson to a business presentation. But there is a limit on stories. Now, in a business presentation, you will need rational strategy and solid facts. These are priorities. You can’t just tell one story after the next. The stories have to be sandwiched between content: theories, frameworks and ideas.

  SPEAK SLOWLY

  The astonishing thing about a good TED talk is the pacing. People speak slowly. They seem to draw out their words. The pauses are frequent and extended.

  When presenting, pauses seem unnatural. They are uncomfortable. As a result, people tend to rush through them; we move from page to page and point to point as quickly as we can.

  This is a mistake.

  Rushing serves no purpose. It is best to slow down, take your time and make your points. Remember that TED talks are highly entertaining even (especially?) when the presenter speaks slowly.

  USE DATA

  TED talks seem to have the most impact when the presenter uses data to back up their points.

  The information varies, of course. Sometimes the presenter talks about a particular study or piece of research. Other times they use stories or anecdotes to back up the point. Either way, however, there is information.

  This is a best practice for presenting. If you are trying to make a point, you need data and information to make it all credible.

  DON’T USE TOO MUCH DATA

  Most TED talks include some data, but not too much. Often, the presenter mentions just one or two studies. This is important to remember as well. You don’t want to overwhelm your audience with data, tempting as it might be.

  Steve Jobs

  When people think of great presenters, they often think of Steve Jobs. The Apple CEO had a remarkable ability to captivate a group of people. He was a gifted leader, a talented product designer and a skilled speaker.

  THINGS YOU SHOULD LEARN FROM STEVE JOBS

  If you read about how Steve Jobs approached presenting, several important lessons stand out. These are best practices that everyone can embrace and learn from.

  Prepare

  Steve Jobs was obsessed with preparation. He would show up hours before a presentation to walk through precisely what would happen. He studied the lighting, the setting, the environment. He left nothing to chance.

  Many people thought Jobs was somewhat obsessed with presenting. Carmine Gallo, author of The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, observes, “Jobs is closely involved in every detail of a presentation: writing descriptive taglines, creating slides, practicing demos, and making sure the light is just right. Jobs takes nothing for granted.”1

  Jobs prepared because he knew that presentation matters and the best way to present successfully is to prepare.

  The idea of preparation is one that everyone should embrace. You can’t arrive at the last second and do a fabulous presentation. It simply isn’t possible.

  Keep It Interesting

  Jobs balanced showmanship and telling. He had a constant flair for showing things. He wouldn’t just say that he had something; he brought it out. He demonstrated it. He let people see it.

  This is a key insight into presenting. People love to see things and hold things.

  The more that you make your presentations a live, tactile experience, the better they will go.

  Limit the Clutter

  Jobs believed strongly in limiting distractions. He pruned back each slide to get to the essence. Less is more.

  THINGS YOU SHOULDN’T LEARN FROM STEVE JOBS

  It is tempting to just copy Steve Jobs’s approach when it comes time to do a presentation. People think, “Well, Steve Jobs presented this way, so that means it will work for me.”

  Unfortunately, Jobs’s approach is not a model everyone can embrace. There are a number of things Jobs did that people should generally avoid.

  Save the News

  Steve Jobs had a remarkable way of saving the news. He would tell people about new innovations but he would often hold back a particularly enticing, exciting item. “But wait, there is one more thing,” he would say. This would draw people in.

  It is tempting to embrace this approach. You put the biggest, most exciting bit of information at the very end. When people think you are wrapping up the meeting, you then delicately say, “Oh, and there is just one more thing.”

  Don’t do it.

  Saving the news creates all sorts of problems.

  The first issue is that people might not even be there by the end of the meeting. While we would like to imagine that people stay to the very end of our sessions, this just isn’t the case. People are busy, often juggling conflicting appointments. As a result, in almost any meeting today, people get up and depart early.

  This is a particular problem with senior people, the individuals who will be your critical audience. These people are especially busy and distracted. There is a good chance they will leave the meeting before you finish.

  If you save the news, then some people, including perhaps your most important audience, will miss the point entirely.

  Remember that anytime you are delivering a presentation you have a task to do. You need to inform, persuade or communicate. If your audience leaves the room before hearing your news, you have failed. You simply didn’t get the job done.

  The second issue with saving the news is that people won’t be able to discuss the matter. If your meeting runs from 9 to 10, and at 9:55 you drop your bombshell news, everyone will soon get up and leave without discussing or reacting to the idea. Again, this is a big problem.

  A third issue is that timing might not work out. The most effective business meetings are not presentations; they are discussions. People ask questions, raise issues and debate points. One person in the audience might pose a question of another person: “John, do you think we could really sell that product into Aldi?” This level of engagement is critical. It means that people are paying attention and thinking about the issue.

  The problem is that this makes the meeting difficult to manage in terms of timing. You can’t really tell a senior person to quiet down. If the CEO has a question, they will ask it. If you are presenting to Richard Branson at Virgin, you can’t really say, “Well, that is an interesting question, Richard, but we really don’t have time for it right now. Let’s try to keep with the schedule, okay?”

  A
meeting might take much longer than expected so you have to plan for uncertainty.

  If you save your news for the dramatic end of the meeting, there is a pretty good chance things just won’t work out. You’ll be running late so you don’t have time. You have to rush the last few slides. Just as everyone is gathering up papers and checking emails, you bring out your big reveal. It simply is not the moment.

  Don’t Present Data

  One of the striking things about a presentation from Steve Jobs is that there often isn’t much in the way of data, analysis or calculations. One page might have a single word. Another page could have a picture. And a third page would have just an image. This created a high-impact presentation, one that was striking in its elegance and simplicity.

  My advice is simple: don’t do this.

  The main reason to avoid this approach is because you are not Steve Jobs and never will be. Jobs could present a word and talk about it, and people would listen and follow it and approve of it. It was astonishing.