How to effectively present in English in the 21st Century

With the United Kingdom about to start it’s General Election campaign, and with the historic Party Leader debates expected to begin next week, I thought it would be a good time to introduce some lessons for all presenters that we can learn from the US Presidential debates.

On the BBC Today programme today, American political consultant, Frank Lunz, gave some tips on how to perform in a debate, and here are a few things we can learn from:

1. Have a soundbite. Soundbites are little phrases or words that stick in your audience’s mind after the event. In a presidential debate, these are the phrases that the radio shows and TV stations repeat over and over again. Remember George Bush Snr’s “Read my lips: no new taxes”? that’s the soundbite. When we present, we should always try and create a soundbite that our audience will always remember. Something that they will talk about long after our presentation has finished.
2. Look at ease. Essentially, this means look relaxed. Frank Lunz says in a debate “if you look nervous, you lose” and while it is not quite so dramatic in our presentations, it is still important to look relaxed. When we are relaxed, our audience relaxes with us. When we look nervous, our audience is nervous with us.
3. Finally, break the rules. Personally, I think this is the best advice. The rules of presenting, if such rules really exist, force you to present in a standard way. The standard way of presenting is boring. Break away from the rules, don’t give your name and position at the beginning, start with a dramatic statement, don’t use slides with your company logo on them or if you have 60 minutes to speak, stop after 30 minutes. When it comes to presenting, rules are made to be broken. So break them.

Learning from the experts is always a great way to improve our skills, and a presentation is not just about PowerPoint or Keynote. We also need to perform. So remember, have a soundbite or two, relax and break some rules.

Below is a great little video of Venture Capitalist, Guy Kawasaki, breaking the rules. Sit back and enjoy Guy at his brilliant best.