Ильина Л.А., Лазарева Т.М.

ФГБОУ ФПО «Кемеровский технологический институт пищевой

промышленности», Россия

PRESENTATION

Presentation is a very important business activity nowadays. There are some thoughts, rules and useful advice how to make your presentation the word and the event that work. The success of outstanding people possessing the power to convince suggests some lessons and mottos which are analyzed by Brian Fugere, Chelsea Hardaway, Jon Warshawsky, Harry Beckwith and interpreted by the authors of the article.

If you plan to present something – a new product, a service, a device or information – keep in mind the following:

*Scripting your presentation is not a bad thing. The problem is when people read from their script during the presentation. The minute you laps into words that sound like written not spoken the audience knows you are reading. Instead you should know your matter so well that you have confidence deviating from it to tell a story, to relate to an audience member etc.

*Stories help much. If you are worried that your P is starting to sound canned or scripted use a story, a photo, music or something else that changes the way the audience listens. We know that creating a great story can be hard. What if you could ask Steven Spielberg to help you with it! Why not let the pros do it? Here are some ways for you.

· Visit a store, warehouse, factory or wherever real work gets done.

· Call or visit (with or without a camera) a competitor. Try the product or service.

· Call or visit some customers.

· Go to some relevant websites.

· Interview real people telling simple stories.

· Call your Mom (mother knows best).

Whatever your personal activity is a great source for stories, call on those situations that nearly everyone has experienced. Then build your story from there. Everyday-life stories start with “Remember when …” Everyone has had a 1^st day of school, felt tense and anxious, worried about what to wear, and combed the hair four thousand times. If it relates to the current situation tell your story from there and you’ll immediately establish a connection and rapport with your audience.

Some everyday-life examples include learning to ride a bike, first date, first hit in a baseball game, first pat-down by airport security and second as well, taking your driver’s test finding money on the ground etc.

Basically life is your canvas. Paint! Look for stories around. Look in the archives and history of your company when you find good extraordinary examples get the word out. Sometimes the best new story is a great old story about your company. Storytelling is a fundamental part of being human. We have a limited capacity to absorb facts, but enormous capacity to absorb narratives. Probably, this is because stories can be told and conveyed with passion and emotion. Just think – emotion in the work place!

*Intonation. The art of speaking presupposes that you don’t use teleprompts. Great speakers are immersed in what they are saying, and you know it through their intonation. Whether it’s Levitan on the most important radio broadcast of the century “Moscow is speaking! Moscow is speaking! All the broadcasting stations are working!” or it’s Churchill delivering a speech “We shall never surrender!’’ or Regan’s “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” Legendary political speeches are read from the heart not from the monitor.

*Ums and Ahs. Contrary to popular belief it’s actually OK to allow a few natural “ums and “ahs” into your speech. Don’t force it, but let it happen. These are natural bridges of human discourse-real words, used in every language to connect thoughts and fill pauses. Some speakers worry that these make them sound weak, nervous and unprepared. But language research reveals them to be elegantly paced throughout normal speech, having a meaning that subconsciously understood by the audience as a pause, a time spent reconstructing a thought, or as a signal of the importance of an upcoming thought.

The International Sounds of Human Being

English ah, um, so, and, oh, like, you know, I mean

French euh

Hebrew ehhh

Japanese eto, ano

Spanish este

German/Dutch uh,um,mmm

Swedish eh, ah, aah, mm, hmm, ooh, oh

Russian ooo, ohhoho, hmm,

Some ill speakers try hard to sound serious and polished but in truth they would do much better being themselves, relaxing rather than editing their speech while trying to deliver it. All that doesn’t mean that you should never rehearse. Check the room. Make sure you know how to tie a necktie, don’t stumble over your shoelaces – all of the usual mundane stuff in the usual presentation skill books is still important. Sometimes totally unprofessional video lasting about 4 minutes and taking 5 percent of the time and effort has a profound effect, better than loads of charts and graphs made by those know-it-alls. Know your topic, know stories related to your topic, and know what gets your heart pumping about your topic. But never memorize your lines, prepare detailed cue cards or-heaven forbid-arrange for that teleprompter. Share your thoughts and reactions what was it about that topic that kept you awake all night? What would a cynic say about your message? When the audience sees that you care enough to step out of that imaginary circle of rehearsed stuff and share something personal, they will care .If you take 5 seconds to reflect on something or think of something new, your audience will more than forgive you. They will listen.

*Being Funny Is Serious Business. “It was easier to run for president when I was a boy. Back then there were only 13 states”, - Ronald Reagan said.

Over 50 films, 8 years in the White House, an outspoken and controversial wife, a public battle with his kids, a tragic decline with Alzheimer’s disease-and what is Ronald Reagan remembered for? His humor.

Humor and everything it communicates about lightness of spirit, about intention, about humility, about perspective-were hallmarks of Reagan’s style. It’s politics. But is there any room for laughter in business? At work? Oh, yes! And people with a sense of humor rise through the ranks faster, earn more and are remembered for this trait of character. Many years ago at the time of iron shield when few foreign scientists came to international conferences to Russia the Chairman of Siberian Academy of Sciences Mr. Budker broke the ice of the meeting start. To the question if the scientists in Novosibirsk master holography he said “Oh, yes! But only at the free from work time.” There was a double-wave laughter first of the Russians and after some explanation (holo sounds like golo and means naked in Russian) foreign guests burst into laughter.

Humor is a sign of self-confidence and security – a sign that you can afford a moment of levity, freedom. Humor defuses conflict, reduces tension and puts others at ease because sharing a laugh is a sign of friendship, not competition. Humor makes us happy, makes people like us more and ultimately, helps us connect with an audience. Whether it’s a parody, some deprecation, or an amusing story you are confident enough to take risk-not to be understood or not to be taken seriously. Be brave and do not take yourself too seriously. Moreover, people want and believe someone they like. And they like funny people. But humor is an art. We all know two people who could tell the same joke, and one of them would have us rolling on the floor and laughing to tears while the other would get only solemn nods and reflective “Hm, I see”. Timing, intonation, language mean much. And there are some things any of us can do to get people interested in what we have to say.

*Self-deprecation. The top reason why people avoid humor at work-it might offend somebody and this isn’t a stupid reason. Society is thin-skinned. The only safe target you’ll do well is to exploit the one person who will never sue you. And that would be you. Self-deprecation is indispensable. If your title is putting off your audience, cut yourself down to size. A bit of fun goes a long way.

*Anecdotes. Try www.anecdotage.com to breathe life into rather dull atmosphere of business. There are countless ways to lighten things up. Take anagrams, absurd facts, quotes, lyric and proverb that ring true and build your message. Check out www.cybernation.com, www.wordsmith.org All of this wonderful stuff is available and worth in the hands of a skilled humorist like you. Most of the corporate world is colorless and somber. This disaster is your opportunity. But don’t go too far. Just say what needs to be said.

*The substance of Style. According to Albert Mehrabian, a UCLA professor, only 7% of the meaning of the communication is derived from words themselves, 93% from nonverbal clues- 38% from the way we say things (tonality, pauses) and full 55% of the meaning is derived from physiology of communication in other words body language. People feel and recognize all of the nonverbal clues. They figure out the truth behind your words. They believe their ears and eyes. Your voice is very much the signature of your personality and mood. Don’t be monotonous and dull. And don’t forget to be good-looking. Sometimes your suit delivers the message and the first impression, with startling frequency, is also the final decision. But don’t try to show off, since we’ve been kids, we’ve been able to detect that a mile away.

The article was used to lecture to our students on the topic of presentation, to give them the chance of enjoying a brilliant language of outstanding masters of presentation in the field of professional marketing and help them master making reports.

Literature: Brian Fugere, Chelsea Hardaway and Jon Warshawsky. Why business people speak like idiots.