7 Ways to Give Presentations That Steal the Show
Michael Port, author of the new book Steal the Show, shares essential advice for giving great presentations.
We all give presentations. Whether it’s a first date, talking to a friend, or persuading our coworkers that they really will like pizza with ham and pineapple, we need to be able to give a charismatic, compelling performance to make a positive impression on our audience. Or, as I like to think of it, bend them to our will so they become our devoted minions.
I interviewed author, speaker, and entrepreneur Michael Port, who discussed his new book Steal the Show. Michael is a professional actor turned businessman and entrepreneur. These seven tips will show us how to give a fantastic performance every time:
1. Be Authentic
In the 21st century, authenticity sells. Fake that, and you can have anything you want. But authenticity isn’t about faking; it’s about allowing yourself to have and own your real emotions and presence in front of an audience. Rather than trying to gain your audience’s approval, just put your attention on producing results for them and being yourself. If you’re a megalomaniacal leader of a zombie army, own it, and go from there. For instance in a job interview, if you qualify on paper, acknowledge that, and then go on to show the interviewer how, with your nontraditional background, you’ll be able to produce amazing results.
2. Cut to the Chase
Skip the small talk when you start your presentation. Instead of telling a funny story, jump right in with real, live content. You’ll come across as confident, credible, and knowledgeable. (The single exception to this is on a first date, where if you’re at a loss for conversation, a funny story just might be preferable to the real, live hilarious story about how you loved your ex- so much that it required a restraining order to get you to believe the breakup was real.)
Skip the small talk; jump right in with content.
3. Be Prepared
Skip the small talk; jump right in with content.
You can only authentically cut to the chase if you’re so well-prepared that you can be fully present. Know and rehearse your material until you’re at the point where the overall structure of your presentation, the connecting stories, and the presentation comes naturally. Once those things are automatic, your full attention can be on your audience and you’ll be rocking it.
4. Your Secret Weapon Is…
What makes your presentation rock is your secret weapon: contrast. If you’re the same throughout your presentation, you’ll be b-o-r-i-n-g. You can use multidimensional contrast to spice up your presentation:
Structural contrast is where you organize your information in different ways. You may present your sales results as a graph, story, or column of numbers.
Emotional contrast is where you lead your audience through a wide range of emotions. Concern over the not-so-amazing 3rd quarter sales results. Curiosity at whether your new compensation system will work. Joy when you learn that Hydrox Cookies are going to be produced again. (Oreo Ice Cream Cake is tasty, but Hydrox Ice Cream Cake … that’s a whole ’nother ballgame.)
Delivery contrast is where you use different communication styles to communicate your message. You might mix visual presentations with props, music, and interactive exercises.
5. Present as a Story
Human beings are hardwired to respond to stories. That’s why the vivid story of a little girl who falls down a well gets more national attention than vague warnings about the zombie apocalypse. Stories have a natural progression. They start with an exposition, background material. Cute little girl. Well, stuffed doll. Scary background music. Then they move into conflict. Doll falls down well. Cute little girl jumps in to save the doll. Then they reach a satisfying resolution. Little girl single-handedly battles her way past great white sharks, rescues, doll, but tragically dies of hypothermia just as she tosses the doll to safety. Not all stories have happy endings.
6. Rehearse
Happy or not, rehearse your story until you have it down cold. What makes the rest of this work is when you don’t have to think about what you’re going to say at all—it just flows naturally. You don’t need to memorize word-for-word, and unless you’re a trained actor, you probably won’t be able to. But you do need to know your sequence of major points, the connecting stories between them, and how you’ll use the space as you present.
7. Use a Smart Wrap-Up
When you’re done, wrap up gracefully. Recap your material if it’s been an educational presentation. Cover all your material before your audience applauds. Once the standing ovation starts, do not add anything else. You’re done. There is, of course, one thing you should never ever do when you’re wrapping up. But rather than tell you here, you’ll have to listen to the interview itself for that important insight.
I’m Stever Robbins—I run webinars and other programs to help people be extraordinarily productive and build extraordinary careers. If you want to know more, visit SteverRobbins.com.
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About the Author
Stever Robbins was the host of the podcast Get-it-Done Guy from 2007 to 2019. He is a graduate of W. Edward Deming’s Total Quality Management training program and a Certified Master Trainer Elite of NLP. He holds an MBA from the Harvard Business School and a BS in Computer Sciences from MIT.
