Guest post by Isobel Rimmer, who is founder of international training and development consultancy, Masterclass Training, and author of Present with Presence: Everything you need to plan, prepare and deliver with impact in any situation published by Rethink Publishing
I’ve trained hundreds of tech professionals, from IBM mainframe pre-sales engineers to the geekiest white hat hackers, consultants and data analysts, to speak with presence and confidence in customer meetings, conferences and events. In this article, I share what makes the best stand out and truly own the room.
Presentation Skills, to Present with Presence
There was a time when tech professionals, particularly in high level customer meetings, were expected to stay mute, speak only when spoken to, and then only in words of one syllable. How times have changed – and rightly so. Subject matter experts, SMEs, are critical to success in tech. Whether a systems architect, security specialist, pre-sales engineer, systems integrator or IT services professional explaining how the ‘tech’ will work, your ability to make what you say meaningful to every member of your audience, however technical, will make you stand out.
And that’s a key point. Just how technical is your audience? You probably take what you do for granted. You’re comfortable with the ‘tech’ and you know the jargon. But that may not be true of the people you’re speaking to. If you want to own the room, the first step is to assess the level of technical skill in the room.
Most people are too polite to say they don’t understand when things get complicated. They don’t want to look foolish not knowing the latest acronym or piece of jargon. I once spent a whole day hearing about the ‘uniques’ of a major IT vendor when, to my horror (and that of the speaker), one audience member, looking confused, asked which version of ‘Unix’ he was talking about…
No one likes a ‘smart Alec’ either, so your ability to pitch at the appropriate tech level will make you a star. Rarely does it work to try and impress with superior tech knowledge. One of the best ways to stand out is to introduce ‘stories’ and ‘characters’ into your presentations. I remember an amazing tech pitch at a Gartner event when the speaker used two hand puppets (and no notes) to explain his product’s roadmap. Unique, fun and incredibly easy to understand.
Whether you call them stories, case studies, use cases or citations, the outcome is the same. A story, told well, builds credibility, shows you ‘know your stuff,’ demonstrates your ability to solve serious technical problems and demonstrates the value you bring. A story is so much more memorable than a list of facts and figures. My 5D framework used by thousands of consultants globally allows you to bring even the most technical use case to life. A good story allows your audience to relate to you, your work, and how that can help them, increasing the likelihood of a ‘virtual nod’ because they see themselves in your story too.
The first D – description – sets the context and gives validity to your story. If you’ve done similar work for a major global player, your audience will sit up and listen.
The second D – dilemma – is where we share the challenges, issues and concerns the other customer faced. This does many things – it boosts your credibility and, if you choose the right story, shows what your audience is facing, too, connecting you more intimately.
The third D – desire – is what the characters in your customer story wanted. This makes your story ‘human’ and relatable. Perhaps the CIO needed to overcome a major security issue, but was struggling to get budget from the Board, wanted to demonstrate a return on their ERP (enterprise resource planning) software to t shareholders, or ensure their systems were safe in the cloud following an outage.
Your fourth D – delivered – is what you did. This is a pivotal moment. The best tech presenters, the ones who can really hold a room, understand that this description must be brief. Even though it might be the part of the story that most interests you – how you went about it, what methodology you used, how you got into the weeds of the problem – it’s probably not what most excites your audience, especially if their level of technical knowledge is low. Keep it short; if they want to know more, they’ll ask.
Your fifth D – differentiator – is the icing on the cake. Here, in your story, you share the value, the return on investment, and the difference you and your solution made. The best speakers build to a crescendo, showing what the tech did to make money, reduce costs, improve efficiencies, protect assets, grow market share, or simply win.
There’s a sixth D too – discipline. Only you can tell your own stories, something that the best speakers (and comedians) have learned. Build your stories, gather stories from colleagues and practice them, out loud. A good story should be no more than about 90 seconds long, so video yourself and then trim it down.
The best speakers who can hold a room don’t rely on slides. They know a slide is simply a visual aid – designed to help the audience retain information. It’s not a prompt for the speaker, nor an excuse to show how technical you can be, or how complicated your diagram is. A picture tells a thousand words and is more memorable. Indeed, a whiteboard presentation built live with your audience may be the most powerful of all. If you’re using slides just to know what you’ll say next, stop now.
Every presentation is a performance for the benefit of your audience, so how you show up, dress, stand, pause and move around matters. What you wear is not about what makes you comfortable, it’s what makes your audience comfortable. This doesn’t mean formal attire for every occasion, but it does mean respecting the audience. My advice: dress as well as – or slightly smarter than – them. Jeans and a T-shirt are fine if that’s what your audience wears too, but make sure yours are clean. You don’t want to be known as the tech guy with a body odour issue. I’ve had technical specialists tell me that if Steve Jobs could wear a black T-shirt to a bank, so can they. Well, once you’re as successful as him, perhaps…
One final stand out point is this: rehearse. The best speakers appreciate why this matters, because should the technology fail or the lights go out (another reason for fewer slides) you can still deliver.
Painful though it may be to watch yourself on video, it’s the fastest way to improve. Record yourself (only you need to watch it; you can delete it later) and review it in three steps: First, watch the video without sound, fast-forwarded. Focus on how believable, convincing, and confident you appear, and note any ‘ticks’ – flailing arms, pacing, or lack of eye contact. Second, mute the video and listen to your voice. Are the pauses where you want them? How’s your pace? Are there fillers (or “dog words,” as I call them – the ums, errs, and likes that follow you around)? Remove them. Finally, play it back in normal mode. By now, you’ll be comfortable with how you look and sound and able to make more objective adjustments.
Invest in your development as a speaker. Master planning, preparation, and delivery, and make time for rehearsal and feedback. Owning the room is a skill that can serve you for decades – neglect it, and it can hold you back just as long.
Isobel Rimmer is founder of international training and development consultancy, Masterclass Training, and author of Present with Presence: Everything you need to plan, prepare and deliver with impact in any situation published by Rethink Publishing
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