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When we are asked to give a presentation — a keynote, a workshop, a sales presentation, or lead a meeting — one of our primary goals is to influence our listeners in some way. What are the tools, methods, attributes and attitudes that will help us to become powerful, influential presenters?

Have Passion for Your Topic If You Hope to Influence.

• I have talked about having a passion for your topic before, but I feel it can’t be said enough. If we don’t care about our topics, how can we ever expect to influence others? Last year I attended a Security Summit intended for technology types. However, the presenter who was the most passionate and frightened me the most wasn’t a “techie” at all.
• He was a passionate writer and speaker about airline security. He started by pointing out that security strategy isn’t any different from computer technology security. By showing the similarities of approaches and the need to think backward, “with the mind of a terrorist,” he showed clearly that “security is security” and the more secure we think we are by creating additional layers of security, we aren’t becoming safer.
• Before you accept a presentation assignment, be truthful about your passion or lack of passion for the topic or the product. You may be able to entertain the listeners, but without passion, you will never be able to influence them.

Make Use of Dynamic Examples for Influence

At the Security Summit, the most dynamic example was as unnerving, and yet as easy to follow as an example could be. The security guru for airline safety talked about all of the new layers of safety measures that have been initiated since 9/11 — the airport check-through lines, the undercover agents on the planes, the pilot’s gun and the heavy security door to the cockpit that is bullet proof and locks from within the cockpit.

He then walked out of the room, closed the door and proceeded to knock on it, until someone let him back in (people assumed that the door had locked him out). He then asked how many in the room had flown recently and had noticed that the heavy security door was open throughout the flight, or had been opened for the pilot to use the restroom at the back of the plane.

He illustrated that in this situation we have made it easy for the terrorists. Now only one — not three — terrorist sitting toward the front of the plane who is quick and trained in the martial arts can dash through the open door, shut it to everyone else, surprise and overwhelm the pilot, take his gun, shoot those in the cockpit, and he is clear to fly the plane into any building he wishes. Were we all influenced by this demonstration? You bet.

You see, as long as you’re passionate about your topic and your examples are dramatic, you will be remembered as an influential presenter.

You know that improved presentation skills lead to better leadership and greater success. And you do want improved leadership and success, right?

Then, like most people, you probably find the barriers can be forbidding and intimidating. Here are 3 barriers, and strategies to overcome them.

Barrier #1: The amorphous nature of presentation skills. It’s not something that most people are good at, and even if they were, it’s not like sitting down with someone and spending a few hours going over the basics.

Improvement requires a structured, disciplined approach. Mentoring by good public speakers in your organization won’t work. Nor will self-study.

Strategy for Overcoming Barrier #1: Look for a solution that has a smaller number of participants that usual. I suggest something that has a maximum of 7-10 participants, because this allows participants to delve deep into the skills and concepts necessary for rapid improvement.

Barrier #2: The Time Factor. Some solutions are over a time frame that’s too short. Most training firms do this in 2 or 3 continuous days. With today’s fast and furious hectic pace, requiring people to take this much time off at once just isn’t practical or productive.

And, improvement in presentation skills just doesn’t lend itself to such a short time.

Other solutions take too long. Joining Toastmasters is great, but it does take a long time to really learn everything. The same applies to enrolling in a public speaking skills class at your local college.

Strategy for Overcoming Barrier #2: Search for a solution that is provides training/coaching over a shorter period, perhaps 8-10 weeks. The accelerated nature of this solution addresses the too long/too short barrier.

For example, 6 half-days every other week is much more manageable than 3, 2, or even 1 full day away from work.

A more spread out format (bi-weekly or every 3 weeks) allows participants to adequately prepare for the speeches in the next session, and lets them try out newly learned techniques in the real world of their jobs.

Barrier #3: Lack of metrics for success. In a sense, this barrier is related to Barrier #1 (the amorphous nature of presentation skills), but it really is a separate barrier. Most training programs don’t really measure improvement.

In my coaching and consulting, I emphasize the importance of metrics. I often say, “If you’re not measuring this, how will you know if you’re improving?”

Strategy for Overcoming Barrier #3: Two ways. First, participants should take some sort of self-assessment before and after the training or coaching. This gives them a clear understanding of how much they’ve improved.

The other way of overcoming this barrier uses an evaluation form during the training, so that participants use the form to evaluate others’ speeches.

After the training or coaching, you can use this form when doing a presentation; give it to someone in the audience so that person can evaluate your speech. This way you’re continually improving after the training or coaching.

So, yes, the barriers can seem overwhelming, but the right strategies will get you over the top, and on the way to improved public speaking.

Have you ever heard a presentation, a lecture, or an acceptance speech that just left you in awe? Did it make you wonder how they did it? How did they make public speaking seem so easy? Even though it may seem like an innate trait, you can learn to become a better, more powerful public speaker.

Public speaking is a skill that is very important to develop. Regardless of the field you work in, you will be interacting with people or groups. By learning to engage the other party, you will have a better time getting through to them and be able to establish yourself as knowledgeable and powerful.

Whether it is in a small conversation or a large presentation, three key elements of public speaking are:

1. Message content
2. Audience connection
3. Message impact

Here, we will discuss the message impact and message content.

First, let’s understand what message impact means. When you are giving a speech, what do you want your audience to take away?

Often times in a company, you may be asked to give a status update on a project or explain a new idea. When doing so, start by writing down what you want to have happen after you give the speech. How do you want them to act- whether that is to support your initiative or help coordinate future actions?

Use those questions to guide the speech. Word it so that it pushes your message.

The next element that we will discuss is message content.

I guarantee that you have sat through a speech that either has gone over your head or became very boring. Often times, it is very technical speech that you cannot fully process.

Yes, having facts in a speech is good- it shows that you are knowledgeable about your presentation- but a good speech is about more than just numbers and charts and data.

If there is a lot of information that you must get across, try breaking it up into different segments, with an engaging break in the middle, or sending out the data sheets afterwards, via email.

The key here is to not bore the audience and ensure that they can process what they are told.

Learning to become a good public speaking will help you get your message across in a more efficient manner. Use these three elements and see how it changes the way people pay attention to your presentations!