Make A Lasting Impression
Make A Lasting Impression
A sense of humor is a major defense against minor troubles.
– Mignon McLaughlin
Introduction
Bringing it to the next level is something you can accomplish after feeling comfortable with all of the previous topics discussed. You can add the little touches that will produce a lot of value during your presentation.
The entire presentation package, including how you present yourself as well as how you present the material, should be remembered when you give a presentation.
To spend countless hours planning an outstanding presentation while completely disregarding the impact of your own appearance is counterproductive.
People make snap judgments about you based on your physical appearance, whether you like it or not.
It doesn’t matter whether these judgments are conscious or subconscious; they all have an impact on how and whether your audience is prepared to take in the information you’re presenting.
Having High Expectations Is Very Important
In advance of hearing you speak, the audience has certain expectations about how you will conduct yourself and the content of your presentation.
Depending on the event, the marketing, their prior knowledge of you, or their previous experience in general, they may have high expectations.
It is also possible that expectations are based on societal norms, such as the expectation that business people will dress in suits.
You are not required to meet people’s expectations, of course, but you must be aware that if you do not, they will have to spend time adjusting to the fact that you did not meet their expectations. This misalignment will cause them to divert some of their attention away from your message.
You should also be aware that people can only tolerate a certain amount of discomfort.
Individuals who come into contact with something — whether an idea, a person, or a belief — that causes them to question their own internal beliefs and values can experience cognitive dissonance. Cognitive dissonance is characterized by a misalignment between expectations and reality.
Due to the fact that this can be extremely uncomfortable, most people try to avoid it as much as they can. When it comes to a presentation situation, that means either leaving or simply not listening, neither of which are desirable outcomes.
Brief check
Especially important if you want to say something that your audience will find difficult to comprehend. “When in doubt, put on a suit”, advised the late Dr Joe Jaina, Organizational Psychologist at Canfield School of management.
Your personal presentation consists of the following elements:
– Clothes
– Add-ons and accessories: In this context, anything that you are carrying or wearing, including your notes, is considered to be “personal property.”
– Nonverbal communication, including body language and voice.
– Adding a bot of humour
– Encouraging discussions and questions
Your clothing is probably the most noticeable aspect of your overall personal presentation.
Clothes
The following factors should be taken into consideration when choosing what to wear: In reality, it’s not as simple as “wear a business suit,” because that may not always be the most appropriate option. It all depends on what your target audience is expecting from you. On some occasions or in certain industries, smart casual may be far more appropriate than business casual. If you’re not sure what to wear, you can always check with the event organizers. You can also ask a friend who has attended the event in the past or look online for more information.
If it’s a recurring event, there will almost certainly be photographs from previous occasions, so you can see what other people have dressed in previously.
What will make you feel comfortable within the confines of the audience’s expectations?
You will present most effectively if you are relatively relaxed, so you must strike a balance between meeting the expectations of the audience and feeling comfortable in your own skin.
For example, you may have a favourite suit that you believe enhances your appearance.
Accessories
Your accessories should be in keeping with the rest of your outfit. That does not imply that your bag must be the same colour as your jacket, however.
It’s also important for women to consider their footwear: you’ll be required to stand for the duration of the session, so make sure your shoes allow you to do so comfortably. If you’re not used to wearing heels, you should avoid doing so.
If you’re wearing a suit, your notes should be in a briefcase or smart bag, and you shouldn’t be carrying a backpack or a plastic carrier bag to protect your belongings. It’s all about keeping your audience’s attention on your message once again.
Likewise, your notes should be considered as part of your overall thinking process. Producing a dog-eared sheaf of paper will not assist you in presenting a positive image. In contrast to papers, cue cards can be held in your hand. It is therefore worthwhile to consider using cue cards, or even memorizing the majority of what you are going to say and using your visual aids as cues, when delivering your speech or presentation.
Body Language & Voice
Body Language and Voice are also part of one’s self-presentation. While there are numerous important aspects of body language to consider, perhaps the most important is the ability to project self-assurance.
You must demonstrate that you believe in what you’re saying in order to be taken seriously. Why would anyone else believe it if you don’t believe it yourself? Being able to control your voice and speaking slowly and clearly is an important part of projecting self-confidence. You must also change the tone and pace of your speech to keep people’s attention.
Make Them Laugh a Little
Humour is a popular way to liven up a presentation. It makes the audience align with you, and sends a signal that you are in charge. Handled properly, humour enriches a presentation.
When considering humour, make sure that whatever content you choose meets four criteria:
- You think the joke or lines are funny
- You can repeat the piece confidently and comfortably
- Your choice is not offensive to anyone (gender, race, age, disability, politics)
- Your audience will understand and appreciate what you are saying.
- Ajoke should have a punch line, delivered with all you’ve got.
Here are some tips for collecting and using humour:
- Jot down jokes as you hear them in everyday life; classify them as your collection grows
- Deliver any humour verbally only, and keep things light
- Match your humour to the demographics of the audience
- Research and consider using local humour if you’re working off-site
- Don’t be afraid to poke fun at yourself.
If a joke or delivering humour with words isn’t within your comfort level, consider sharing a light-hearted cartoon, doing a simple magic trick, or doing something else that is unexpected and evokes a reaction and some emotion from the participants.
Encouraging Discussion & Questions
Much of the discussion during your presentation will be structured to fit with the learning exercises. If a remark or question is made during a discussion that is off topic or something that should not be dealt with at the time, you can always add it to the parking lot, and return to it during the wrap-up to bring closure.
As we learned in the Verbal Communication Skills lesson, you can use open, clarifying, or closed, questions, depending upon your needs.
Questions can be used in many ways, and at just about any time during your presentation.
- As an opener
- To check whether the desired learning is occurring, or to extend the learning experience
- To diffuse a difficult or uncomfortable situation
- To fill a long pause
- To get a feel about the mood in the room.
Q&A Sessions: If time permits in your presentation, you may choose to hold a general question-and-answer session. Since as the presenter you are in control, you can decide when to stop the discussion. In a large room, be prepared to repeat each question. If no questions arise, be prepared to ask one yourself. You can use an open question to begin the session: “What questions do you have?”
Restating Negative Questions: If a question is phrased negatively, restate it. For example, “Why have so many of his staff displayed chronic absenteeism?” can be restated as “Let’s explore what we can do to reduce absenteeism in the team.”
Off-topic: Don’t forget about the parking lot if you receive an off-topic question.
Leveraging experience in the room: There may be situations when you wish to redirect a question to one of the participants. Again, you are in charge, so call upon someone and keep the discussion moving on afterward.
To summarize, when you give a presentation, you are presenting a package that includes both you and your message. The greater your understanding of the significance of each component, the more effective the package will be as a whole.
Practical Application
Jamie had prepared all of the video and audio equipment she would need for her presentation. In addition to having backup plans in place, he had also practiced the presentation the previous night. She had been conducting training sessions for quite some time. However, the only part of the training that she found amusing was the inclusion of humour in it. She just couldn’t seem to get the timing of her jokes just right.
Jamie began by handing each participant a printout of three newspaper headlines, which they were instructed to read aloud. ‘Local High School Dropouts are reduced by Half’, ‘Kids Prepare Nutritious Snacks’, and ‘Hospital Sued by Seven Foot Doctors’ are just a few of the headlines. It was deafeningly quiet at first. Then there were a few chuckles and laughs throughout the audience.
Jamie allowed the newspapers to tell the joke for her, and she told her audience to notice how precise and careful wording and phrasing are required, whether you’re a newspaper or an advertising agency. Jamie said, ” “That is exactly what we will be discussing today…” The training program was carried out successfully from start to finish as Jamie succeeded in incorporating a bit of humour in her presentation without having to create humour herself, which she wasn’t so good at doing.
