Remember the scene in the movie Jerry Maguire? Tom Cruise is being all Tom Cruisey saying things like ‘you complete me’ to Renee Zellweger. It turns out that actually he already had her convinced at ‘hello’.
Sometimes we have something big to say, or to do. It might be a work presentation, a pitch for a new idea, an important speech. We often hear that when it comes to presentation skills it’s the first impression that counts. We all know that people form judgements quickly from these impressions. What is surprising is how quickly. According to Princeton and Glasgow University researchers the impression is made in the first half a second. About enough time to say that first ‘hello’. Renee was right after all.
Voice drives first impression
The research shows we draw conclusions about personality type and even more complex traits such as trustworthiness, warmth and attractiveness from this first 300-500 milliseconds. This is based purely on voice. It doesn’t even include body language, looks or presentation content. The pitch and tone of our voice is an essential tool for presentation skills effectiveness and has helped our survival and evolution as a species.
We would forgo sex to avoid a bad presentation
Consider the results of this research when presenting or pitching an idea. In business we tend to default to long and detailed presentations. This is ironic given we are so time-poor and efficiency-focused. We’ve all been subjected to death by PowerPoint: content heavy on the part of the speaker, interaction light on the part of the audience. 24% of us would forgo sex tonight and 20% of us would rather go to the dentist than endure a poor PowerPoint presentation. 75% percent of those who give presentations say they would like to be better at presenting.
The 80/20 rule applies to good presentation skills
Many of our own clients have admitted to spending more than 80% of their time on presentation content and less than 20% on delivery. We work with them to reverse this for maximum audience engagement. Consider the following top tips to focus on delivery over content for enhanced presentation skills:
1. Make it about them, not you
By having empathy for the audience your entire philosophy on how to present will change. You have sat in enough boring presentations to know what NOT to do. Make sure you don’t fall into the same trap.
2. Use your voice
We have seen the power of this first impression. Record your voice and listen to the way you sound. Can you shift your tonality to make a more impactful impression? Do you come across as warm and approachable? Could you?
3. If you must use PowerPoint, use images, not words
Consider its role as ‘speaker support’ to make your presentation more impactful, rather than ‘speaker parachute’ with all the words on the slide in case you forget. If you think you will forget, practice more or change what you will say.
4. Get involved
Most people give up listening after about 15 minutes so mix it up a bit and ask questions of your audience. They will enjoy this, you will get more feedback and everyone will learn more.
5. Be yourself
Natural voice tone and body language will support a much stronger and more authentic delivery. You will also enjoy it more as you will not be pretending to be something you are not. Trust me on this one. It simply works. You will only really know its power once you do it. Ask any of our clients.
So, next time you are presenting or pitching, remember: with the right tonality and delivery you will, genuinely, have your audience at ‘hello’. If you focus too much on your content then, put quite simply, you won’t.
Good luck in your next presentation.
Join us in August at our Social Agility workshop ‘Presenting Naturally’ to learn more about tone of voice and effective presentation skills.
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