How to present in English

Too often presenters present their presentations in a formal, wooden way. This way of presenting is boring, uninteresting and shows little or no passion in the subject of the presentation.

The best presentations are ones where the presenter is having a conversation with their audience. Where the presenter has a real passion for what they are talking about and are not just doing their job because their boss told them to do it.

The above picture is taken from Bill Strickland’s talk at TED in 2002. He began his presentation by telling his audience that he had no notes, no script and that he just wanted to talk with them for a few minutes.

It’s a great honor to be here with you. The good news is I’m very aware of my responsibilities to get you out of here because I’m the only thing standing between you and the bar. (Laughter) And the good news is I don’t have a prepared speech, but I have a box of slides. I have some pictures that represent my life and what I do for a living. I’ve learned through experience that people remember pictures long after they’ve forgotten words. And so I hope you’ll remember some of the pictures I’m going to share with you for just a few minutes.

This is a fantastic opening. The audience can tell immediately that this is not going to be a poorly scripted talk about a subject the speaker is not really interested in. Just from this simple opening, the audience can that the speaker has something interesting to say, and more importantly, something worth listening to.

One of the other unique things about Bill Strickland’s talk is that not only does he have a conversation with the audience, he also employs the services of a pianist, Herbie Hancock, to play soft music throughout his talk. The atmosphere is like having a conversation in a really relaxing jazz bar. But the wonderful twist to this story is that Herbie is a part of the story

It is quite often difficult to control the atmosphere in a room. Most rooms where presentations take place are cold, boring grey rooms with bright lights and poor ventilation. But here, Bill Strickland has dim lighting, a pianist and the atmosphere perfectly creates that conversation feel.

So, the real secret to a great presentation is not great PowerPoint slides, a wonderfully memorised script, but a real passion for what you are talking about and stories told in a conversational way – oh and of course a pianist!

You can watch the video below, and if you would like to follow the script you can watch the video on the main TED website here.

어렸을때 저의 꿈은 Barrister가 되는 것이었습니다. Barrister란 법정의 배심원과 판사 앞에서 자신의 의뢰인을 대신해 변론을 맡는 변호사를 뜻합니다. 이 법정변호사 시스템은 영국, 호주, 뉴질랜드 및 다수의 영국연방국가에서 채택하고 있으며, 역사 기록에 의하면 영국에서는 15세기부터 시작되었다고 합니다.

(위 사진은 영국 티비 시리즈 “Kavanagh QC” 에서 James Kavanagh QC 역을 연기하는 John Thaw의 스틸컷입니다)

법정 변호사는 직업 연설가로도 정의될 수 있는데, 이들의 직업은 소송사건에 있어서 의뢰인에게 유리한 점들을 판사와 배심원에게 납득시키는 것입니다. 이렇게 하기 위해서는, 왜 의뢰인이 무죄인지 유죄인지를 판사가 이해할 수 있도록 법과 관련된 매우 복잡미묘한 상황들을 간소화시켜 명료하게 말하고 설득할 수 있는 능력이 필요합니다.

90년대에, 영국에서 George Carman QC. (QC 란 왕실전문 변호사로써, 일반 법정변호사보다 지위가 높습니다.) 라 불리우는 법정변호사가 있었습니다. George Carman은 소송사건과 관련하여 의뢰인에게 유리한 점들로 판사를 설득하는 면에서 뛰어난 능력을 가진 사람으로 유명합니다. 그는 여러번 반복하여 말하고, 배심원들의 머릿속에 이미지를 형성시켜 주고, 짧은 메모를 참조해 말하는 (간단히 요약된 메모들로, 이 메모는 그가 자연스럽게 말할 수 있도록 도와주는 도구입니다) 기법을 사용합니다. 그는 판사의 마음을 읽어내는 데 있어서 탁월한 능력을 가졌으며 또, 판사를 잘 이해하고 자신이 원하는 대로 판사가 판결을 내려 주고 싶게끔 소송사건을 진행해 나가는 뛰어난 능력을 소유했기에, 실제로 그가 패소한 사건은 매우 적은 편에 해당합니다.

아래는 1992년 the independent 신문에 실린 George Carman에 관한 기사입니다.

George Carman의 성공은 노트에 스케치한 메모 만으로도 몇 시간씩 반대 심문을 진행 할 수 있는 그의 경이적인 기억력과, 사건들을 철저히 준비하는 꼼꼼하고 성실한 업무 태도에서 비롯된 것이다. 측근에서 일했던 사람들 중 그의 업무 스타일에 대해 나쁘게 말하는 사람은 거의 없었다. 그는 매우 엄격하고 까다롭지만, 그의 부하직원들과 사무 변호사들은 모두 입을 모아 그의 공평함과, 관대함, 그리고 거드름없는 그의 모습에 고마움을 표현했다.

법정변호사들도 프레젠테이션 발표자처럼 그들의 사건을 준비할 시간이 매우 촉박할 때가 많습니다. 때로는 법정 의견진술 며칠 전 “사건”이 주어지기도 합니다. 하지만 의뢰인의 미래가 자신들의 변호 능력에 달려 있기 때문에, 시간이 부족하면 자신들의 쉬는 시간을 포기해서라도 사건에 대한 모든 것을 충분히, 또 완벽히 준비합니다.

프레젠테이션 발표자로서 여러분들도, 이런 법정변호사와 같은 자질을 갖출 필요가 있습니다. 프레젠테이션 주제에 관하여 완벽하게 파악하고, 이 주제를 어떻게 발전시켜 나갈 것인지, 어느 시점에서 중요한 내용을 반복해야 하는지, 언제 또 어떻게 청중의 머릿속에 이 주제에 관한 이미지를 심어줄 것인지에 관해 모두 알아야 할 필요가 있습니다. 이런 스킬들은 프레젠테이션 바로 전날 준비해서는 결코 얻어질 수 없습니다. 이것은 반드시 철저히 준비하고 열심히 노력하는 자에게만 얻어질 수 있는 스킬인 것입니다.

발표자로서 의뢰인의 미래가 여러분의 손안에 달려있게 되는 것은 아니지만, 여러분의 미래와, 여러분에게 주어진 프로젝트의 미래 이 모두가 바로 여러분 손안에 달려있게 될 것입니다. 이것만으로도 프레젠테이션을 철저히 준비해야 하는 것이 얼마나 중요한지 여러분들께 충분히 설명되리라 믿습니다.

George Carman 에 관해 더 많은 내용을 원하신다면, 그의 아들이 집필한 자서전 No Ordinary Man, A Life Of George Carman 을 읽어보시기 바랍니다.

I have seen hundreds of presentations delivered in hundreds of locations over the years and there is one thing I have noticed above all else, that is no matter what the subject matter is, no matter what visual aids are used, the most successful and most powerful presentations are the ones delivered using a natural, conversational style.

The biggest obstacle to a conversational style is our mind. When we think presentation, we think formal, we think serious, we think business. Yet while to some degree these things may be true, we do not have to speak in a formal and boring way. However, when we write out our words and practice and practice and practice those same words over and over again we lose that conversational style.

When we talk with our colleagues we do not have to write what we want to say down on a piece of paper and read it to them. We never write out what we are going to say to our friends when we meet them for a few drinks or a coffee. And because we do not write out exactly what we want to say, we sound natural and human. We think mid sentence, we start a sentence then stop half way through speaking it. All these natural speaking habits create the conversational style.

When it comes to presenting, we do need to prepare. We do need to practice and we do need to have a good idea of what we are going to say. However, to create that conversational style we have to interact with our audience. Using rhetorical questions can help, moving around on the stage and looking at our audience also helps. there are so many ways to help you to create that natural, conversational style.

If you are one of the many presenters out there that have to write out your words, try a different approach. Get yourself a voice recorder, and during your preparation have a conversation with yourself. Imagine you are talking to someone about what you are going to say in your presentation. Think: “I am having a conversation”. Then, when you are happy with your words, transcribe the words onto paper.

The problem we have when we are writing out our words is that we naturally write formally. It is very difficult in English to write informally, therefore the words we write come out formally. To avoid this, it is far better to speak out your words and then transcribe those words. They will sound much more natural.

When you are out there doing your presentation, imagine that you are having a conversation with your audience, they are your friends, they are there to help you and they want to have fun.

Finally, below is a presentation from TED by Creativity Professor Sir Ken Robinson. Sir Ken Robinson is a great example of a presenter who when speaking has that fantastic conversational style. Notice how he asks a lot of rhetorical questions (“… am I right?”) and how he looks at the audience and laughs with them.

One of the best ways to get audiences to feel they are taking part in your presentation is to ask rhetorical questions. A rhetorical question is a question you ask, but expect no answer to. In effect you answer your own question.

For example:

“English language education is important in today’s world, but we have a problem don’t we?”

Here we see a statement, followed by a question. The question is not expected to be answered by the audience, instead the presenter answers his or her own question. Your presentation continues like this:

“English language education is important in today’s world, but we have a problem don’t we? We have a problem because ….”

When we use rhetorical questions in our presentation, it makes your audience feel they are participating, and unconsciously it brings you closer to your audience. It is a win win situation.

So, try using a few rhetorical questions in your next presentation and see the difference in your audience’s reactions.

Recently, I have read a number of books on the life of Sir Winston Churchill. Churchill is famous for many things, but possibly he is most famous for his inspirational speaking.

Churchill never possessed the clear tones that President Barack Obama does, nor did his possess the easy conversational style of Tony Blair. Churchill actually had a speech impediment that left him with difficulty pronouncing “S’s”. However, what Churchill did possess was a remarkable ability to stress the important phrases and words within his speech. He spoke slowly and carefully and was able to put incredible emotion in to his speeches that made what he was saying believable and honest sounding – unlike most politicians today.

Churchill also memorised his speeches. Most advice given today is you should never memorise a presentation or a speech as it makes you sound robotic, however, Churchill compensated for this by the way he stressed his words and by dictating his speeches to his secretaries. He then practiced incessantly until he got his stress, intonation and naturalness perfect. That is something you must do if you have to memorise your speeches. Practice, practice and practice until you have the stress, tone and flow perfect.

Below is an excerpt transcript of Churchill’s famous “Never Surrender” speech given in 1940. I have highlighted the words that are stressed so that you can see how this famous speech was developed:

We shall fight in France and on the seas and oceans; we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds. We shall fight in the fields, and in streets. We shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender and even if, which I do not for the moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, will carry on the struggle until in God’s good time the New World with all its power and might, sets forth to the liberation and rescue of the Old.

You can also listen to the speech by watching this little video:

Memorising your speech is dangerous if you do not practice enough, but it is possible to deliver a great speech using this method. When memorising your speech remember to stress words, use dramatic pause, and practice in the shower, bathroom and anywhere else you can get a few minutes.