Hello? Is Anybody Listening?
How to Keep from Talking to Yourself When Giving a Virtual Presentation
I still remember the first time I looked out at an audience and saw that they were hanging on my every word.
Unfortunately, I still remember a Zoom call last summer where I had the uncomfortable feeling that I was speaking to an empty room with several attendees probably checking email, writing their own reports or feeding their cat.
That’s why I’ve come to appreciate that delivering effective presentations over video requires a little extra preparation. According to Randy Olson author of Don’t Be Such a Scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style, we live in an information saturated era. No surprise there, except that it’s easy to present so much data that the online audience becomes confused or unable to make a decision.
A TOP-DOWN APPROACH
Kristin Graham, principal of culture and communications for Amazon, warns that you have seven seconds to capture your audience’s attention. If you don’t get right to the point, you risk losing them. The following framework helps you instantly signal that your content is both relevant and worth paying attention to.
This technique, often referred to as a Top-Down Approach starts by crisply and succinctly presenting your main idea or recommendation right up front. This is the opposite of starting with all the steps, details or data that led to your conclusion and eliminates the risk of losing your virtual audience in a tangle of minutiae.
WHY IT WORKS
The mind automatically sorts information into distinct groupings. By laying out your message in a way that answers your audience’s three most pressing questions you make your logic crystal clear, avoid information overload and sound more professional. These questions are:
- SITUATION – What is the point or business value of the topic at hand? What situation, problem, challenge or opportunity are you talking about? What’s happening now that we need to change?
Ex: According to Gartner, Business Email Compromise attacks increased by nearly 100% in 2019 and resulted in substantial financial losses in some cases. - COMPLICATION - Why are you telling us this? What’s in it for me? What happened in the situation that we need to address? What happens if we do nothing? As they say, “lead with the need.”
Ex: Is your business prepared to defend against these cyberattacks? - SOLUTION - How should we proceed? How will this solve the problem or save money, hassle, reputation, time? How should we implement our best options? Ex: In this report, Gartner identifies the key challenges businesses face with BEC attacks, and makes recommendations on how to respond with both email security and user awareness training.
Applying this Top-Down Approach enables you to present your thinking so clearly and crisply that ideas move directly into your audience’s mind with minimum effort and maximum effect. But, of course, it’s not always that easy.
TEST YOURSELF
To test this for yourself, try the following exercise: Before you create your next email, blog, article or slide deck, see if you can make your case in one minute (ok, 1 ½ – but it’s still hard!). Notice this critical distinction: these answers focus on results, not all the steps you took to get there.
For example: HOW IS YOUR PROGRESS ON PROJECT X?
Situation (WHAT): It’s almost done.
Complication (WHY): I’ll just need to check the campaign date with the other team.
Solution (HOW): They’ll have their reply to me by Friday noon.
Did you struggle with this exercise? If so, keep refining and refining until you’ve boiled your message down to its most essential elements. A succinct communication “sticks” with far greater force than, say, “Sixteen Ways to Be a Better Manager” or “The Twenty Five Best Investments of 2021.”
Enhancing your ability to simplify your story yet retain the detail is a vital skill. Using this Top-Down Approach helps you clearly communicate your ideas to clients, colleagues, top management, or your board and contributes greatly to your own professional success.
In addition, won’t you stand a much greater chance of never having to worry about feeling as though you’re talking to an empty room?
If you struggle to create and deliver compelling presentations, please get in touch to discuss your situation. It would be a pleasure to talk with you.