The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book “How To Give a Pretty Good Presentation” (Wiley 2010)

Tailoring the speech for the type of audience. Personal stories vs. just the facts.

If you simply want to give a pretty good presentation, don’t waste time trying to figure out how to tailor your speech to your audience in terms of stories versus facts. Because audiences around the world are all the same: they want stories that involve relevant ideas and facts that affect them. If all you do is present the facts, ma’m, there is an excellent chance your speech will come up short—just below pretty good. Instead, if all you do is deliver facts, there is a great chance that your speech will be incredibly boring and be instantly forgotten.

It is true that different audiences will tell you they like different styles as far as facts, versus concepts versus stories. Ignore them. Instead, you do want to tailor your messages to your audience, so, by all means, do some research and find out what messages your audience is interested in, what questions do they need answers, what problems do they have that you can solve. Then give them a presentation that is focused on a handful of messages that are important to them and to you, give them a story for each, and give them the most essential facts for each message.
I know you’ve heard that one size doesn’t fit all, but in this case, it really does. Messages may differ from audience to audience, but the best way to tailor your speech to an audience really does not change.
Don’t be fooled when people tell you their audience is different because everyone has advanced degrees or are all industry insiders. Yes, their audience is different because every audience is different, but audiences are never different tin the way people think they are. Audiences are different in that certain messages will bore them or interest them in different ways. But audiences are more alike than they are different. And they #1 way most audiences are alike is that they easily bored to death by a presenter who tries to “just stick to the facts” and leaves out all of the examples, stories, and vignettes.

Does anyone know of an expert in starting ad networks? I am looking to start an ad network focusing on web sites that deal with the following topics: speaking, public speaking, presentations, powerpoint and media training. If you know of anyone, please have them contact me at tj@tjwalker.com.

The following comes from TJ Walker’s upcoming book “The Wisdom of Your Audience”. Consistently, the worst advice speakers and presenters get, comes from everyone who is NOT your audience. The following gives examples of some of the WORST advice people are often given. It is followed by the advice of your audience. Listen to them. They are your true judge and jury.

Should I give a PowerPoint presentation?

Your Corporate Communications Department: “Yes, use the PowerPoint so that we can maintain a consistency of message. This way everyone will be seeing the same thing and we can maintain control.”

You: “Yes, I should use a PowerPoint. This will make it really easy for me to give the speech. This way, I don’t have to remember anything or practice, because all my points will be in front of me.”

***

Your Audience: “If you are going to give a Powerpoint the way most people do, i.e., do a boring data dump of bullet points, then please, for the love of God, please, please spare us! But if you are going to use interesting visuals, pictures, or graphs that are genuinely interesting and relevant, then, by all means, use a PowerPoint.”

I was at a tech conference yesterday that had its presenters up on a stage with the screen for presentations directly behind them. Big problem? The seated presenters heads were obscuring the view of the bottom 25% of the screen. If you are a conference organizer, you should look at a room as it will actually be used. This means you should sit in the audience and have someone sit in the cahir where the panelist is and see if anythign is obscured. This will solve the problem.

and I’d like suggestions on the most common questions speakers ask themselves when preparing to speak. The theme for the book is how your audience can always give you the best answers to all of your questions. Please take a look and add your comments on other questions to add.  TJ

Wisdom of Your Audience

Improving Your Speech

Preparing You Speech

1. How should I ask to be introduced? *

Beginning Your Speech
2. What is the best way to begin my speech? *
3. Should I tell my audience that I am very happy to be speaking to them today?*
4. How many Points should I cover in my speech?*
5. Should I make this a formal or informal presentation?*

Using PowerPoint
6. Should I give a PowerPoint presentation?*
7. How many bullet points should I use per slide? *
8. How many slides should I use? *
9. Is it OK to read from my PowerPoint slides?*
10. Should I read my speech in order to not make any mistakes?
11. Should I use a teleprompter?
12. Is it OK to use notes when I speak?
13. Should I play it safe by avoiding humor?
14. How can I best establish my credibility with my audience?
15. How can I best establish the credibility of my company?
16. Should I stand behind the lectern?
17. What should I do with my hands?
18. Should I walk around when I speak?
19. What should I edit out of my speech?
20. What should I add to my speech?
21. Should I use stories in my presentation?
22. Should I be more concise?
23. How big a problem are my “ums” and “uhs?”
24. How can I show how serious I am about my speech topic?
Delivering Your Speech

25. Won’t I lose credibility if I talk about my failures?
26. How long should my speech be?
27. Should I tell ‘em what I’m gonna tell ‘em, tell ‘em, and then tell ‘em what I told them?
28. How big of a disaster is it if I can’t answer a question during a Q and A period?
29. What is the most likely speaking disaster I could encounter while presenting?
30. How should I end my speech?
31. When should I thank my host, introducer and audience?
32. What points from my speech will stick with my audience?
33. How will I know if my speech “worked?”
34. Is it OK to use handouts?
35. Will I steal my own thunder if I email my PowerPoint presentation to people in advance of giving my speech?
36. How do I get my audience to think I’m smart?
37. Should I use special effects in my PowerPoint?
38. Should I use the jargon of my audience?
39. Should I rehearse and for how long?
40. What if there is no time to rehearse?
41. I’m not a technical person, is it OK if I don’t use the slides the right way?
42. Who/what should I look at when speaking?
43. Should I sit or stand when presenting?
44. Who should be my role model for speaking?
45. How should I use modern technology to enhance my speech?
46. Is drawing on white boards and charts too old fashion for modern audiences?
47. Should I use a microphone when speaking to an audience?
48. How can I make better transitions?
49. Are you looking at my hair/makeup/teeth?
50. Will I seem more professional by keeping my body still and planting my feet?
51. Is it a danger to use more than one example?
52. Is it wrong to use more than one story to make a point?
53. Is it bad to be redundant?
54. Is it bad to be redundant?
55. Does my speech flow?
56. If my allotted time is cut, what should I eliminate from my speech?
57. Is it OK to speak faster if I am running short on time?
58. What do I do if I feel I am losing my audience?
59. What’s the worst thing that can happen during my speech?
60. Should I tell jokes at the beginning of the speech to loosen up the audience?
61. If I’m more comfortable holding a pen in my hands while I speak, is that OK?
62. What happens if I make a mistake and say the wrong thing?
63. What If I forget where I am going in my speech?
64. How can I recover from a major blunder in my speech?
65. How can I get a standing ovation?
66. Will I sound more credible if I speak with a lower voice?
67. Will I sound more credible if I speak with an even tone to my voice?
68. Is it OK to use props?
69. Should I tell my audience that I am sick/my plane was late/I didn’t get a full night’s sleep?
70. How can I get invited back to speak again to this group?
71. How can I increase my sales to the group I am speaking to?
72. How can I get my audience to rush up to me after my speech?
73. Is it OK to have a drink before I speak to calm my nerves?
74. Should I show my audience that I am well-organized by telling them at the beginning the outline of my whole speech?
75. Will reinforcing my key points in text on PowerPoint make my audience retain the points more easily?
76. Should I interact with my audience at the beginning by saying “good morning” and then saying “I can’t hear you” to get them to try again with more energy and enthusiasm?
77. Is it OK to drink water during a presentation?
78. Should I take questions during my presentation, or ask people to hold them until the end?
79. Is it safer to weed out the bad questions by asking people to submit their questions in written format?
80. Is it OK to ask questions of audience members?
81. How long do I need to stay around after my speech?
82. Should I show passion by speaking LOUDLY?
83. Should I maintain my professionalism by avoiding all personal observations out of the speech?
84. What bugs you the audience the most?
85. Do I need to memorize my speech?
86. How do I know what messages and topics will be most interesting to my audience?
87. How do I know which messages and topics resonated with the audience the most after the speech?
88. Don’t great speakers have to be taller, older, richer, deep voiced than I am?

89. How will I know what my audience will remember? *

Much has been written about the excellent James Surowiecki book Wisdom of the Crowds, a look at how markets, in various forms, are routinely better than experts. Zagat has built a whole publishing empire based on this single principle. Index funds routinely beat most mutual funds on Wall Street. And yet, very few people think to apply this principle when it comes to public speaking.

I contend that nearly every aspect of a presentation can and should be subjected to the wisdom of the audience—specifically the speaking audience. But how, as a practical matter, would this be done?

Let’s say you have to give a new sales presentation to 100 prospects on Thursday. Well, on Tuesday, round up five colleagues in your office and give them your presentation. By “give them” I mean stand up and deliver them; don’t give them the text. Afterward, ask questions.

1. What slides does your audience remember? Any slide your audience doesn’t remember, then listen to their wisdom. Your slide is worthless—throw it away.
2. What messages does your audience remember? These messages work, so move them up and expand them in your speech.
3. Did you audience enjoy and remember your introduction where you talked about how happy you were to be there and about the boring history of your company? If not, then get rid of it—the wisdom of the audience has spoken.
4. What details and factoids does the audience remember? Any details or factoids that were in your speech but not remembered need to be either presented in a new and better way, or they should be eliminated from the presentation.
5. Where did you bore your audience? Get rid of it.
6. Where did you confuse your audience? Go into more detail here.
7. What does your audience want more of? Add this.
8. What does your audience feel compelled to do after hearing your speech? If it’s not what you wanted them to do, then you have big trouble.
9. What information would they have needed to hear from you in order to make them take the actions you wanted them to take after hearing your speech? Then add this to the speech.
10. How can any aspect of this presentation be improved? Add accordingly.

In addition to having a small group of colleagues give you feedback on your presentation before you give your actual speech; there is nothing wrong with asking a select number of audience members from your actual speech to give you feedback on these questions too. That way, you can refine your speech to make it better and better, the more often you have to give it to different groups.

It constantly amazes me that large multi-national corporations will spend billions of dollars on marketing research based on questions asked of housewives in malls and unemployed people with nothing better to do than answer a telephone survey. And yet the most valuable form of marketing research is often right in front of an executive and is ready to present itself for free, just for the asking. Isn’t it time you tapped into the wisdom of your audience?

Garr Reynolds new book Presentation Zen is a mastery of style and substance. Reynolds cuts through a lot of the silly noise about PowerPoint and gets right to how it can be used effectively, memorably and beautifully. Plus, Reynolds puts his own ego aside and puts a strong spotlight on other speaking masters like Seth Godin and Guy Kawasaki. If you’ve been putting off creating your next PowerPoint presentation, then put if off one more day and run to your nearest bookstore and buy Presentation Zen.

We have just re-organized and re-launched The Speaking Channel into 27 different communities. We found it was too confusing to put people into one main site because people thought we were just about professional speakers or just about PowerPoint. Now, we have things sub-divided into neater categories–or at least that is our hope. Please take a look at the site and send us feedback on any additional hubs you think we may have left out.

Google is trying to compete with Microsoft in every arena, including presentation software. Google recently launched a competitor to PowerPoint. Many pundits gave Google’s version low markets in a point by point comparison to PowerPoint. Now, Google is making updates and revisions to its presentation software. Here is an analysis of the recent Google changes. I think the so-called inadequacies of Google’s presentation software are overstated, primarily because I think that most of the gizmos in presentation software hurt rather than help audiences. But most speakers can help themselves by knowing how to work with any of the major presentation software applications.

Here is a MacWorld early review of PowerPoint 2008