The WOW Factor – 7 Secrets to Great Presentations

By Lori E. Miller

In the WOW Factor – 7 Secrets to Great Presentations, trainer Lori E. Miller provides a comprehensive approach on how to deliver the most effective presentations. Drawing from her years of experience as a professional trainer, she shares stories, offers best practices, and provides various presentation templates that a novice to expert presenter can use. In this one of kind encompassing guide, Miller provides a step-by-step approach on how to present with confidence and credibility, how to structure and deliver effective messages, how to achieve learning outcomes, and how to “WOW” the audience every single time.

If you are a professional who has to conduct any type of individual or group presentation, this is the only book you will ever need.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu Publishing Services
• Release date: Jul 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781483425894

Book preview

The WOW Factor –

7 Secrets to Great Presentations

Lori E. Miller

Copyright © 2015 Lori E. Miller.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted by any means—whether auditory, graphic, mechanical, or electronic—without written permission of both publisher and author, except in the case of brief excerpts used in critical articles and reviews. Unauthorized reproduction of any part of this work is illegal and is punishable by law.

ISBN: 978-1-4834-2590-0 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4834-2589-4 (e)

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Lulu Publishing Services rev. date: 03/31/2015

Contents

The WOW Factor – 7 Secrets to Great Presentations

Secret One: Understanding Communication

The Communication Model

Overcoming Anxiety

Tool: Strength and Weakness Assessment

Secret Two: Using Appropriate Structure

The Speaking Format

The Facilitation Format

Tool: Presentation Outline

Secret Three: Connecting with Your Audience

The Audience Analysis

Adult Learning Preferences

Tool: Adult Styles Strength & Weakness Chart

Secret Four: Delivering the Message

The Non-Verbal Aspect

Facilitation Skills

Tool: Listening Assessment

Secret Five: Working In Groups

The Challenges of Groups

Group Presentations

Group Activities

Tool: Group Terms

Secret Six: Stimulating Audience Involvement

Using Ice Breakers

Energizers for the Adult Learner

Tool: Adult Learning Program Grid

Secret Seven: Getting Results

Using Visual Aids

Measuring Outcomes

Tool: Sample Evaluation

Introduction

Why do we speak? We speak to respond to a question. We speak to get our views and opinions across. We speak to communicate with others. We speak to share our knowledge and expertise. We speak to enrich relationships. We speak to share our emotions.

Speaking is a critical part of our lives. Ever since we have been brought into this world, we have been taught to speak. As babies, our parents and teachers were continually encouraging us to say words. As we started to learn the alphabet, understanding vowels and syllables, and putting words together to make sentences, speaking became crucial for letting others know how we felt. I’m hungry. I’m bored. I have to go to the bathroom. I want this toy. And when we didn’t understand something, we could just ask why?

Then as we grew up moving through adolescence into adulthood, things really didn’t change much. We still used our speaking skills to share what we were thinking and feeling. I’m exhausted. I’m upset. I have to get a better job. I need to talk to you.

When we are speaking to another person, like in the examples provided above, we are engaged in interpersonal communication. But there are other events for when we speak. When we talk in front of a group, this is called public speaking, a process that requires a much different set of abilities. While we have had plenty of education, both formally and informally, on how to communicate with another person, there weren’t as many opportunities to teach us how to speak effectively in front of an audience.

So when any of us are asked to do a presentation, speak at a meeting, or train a team, we are less confident in our abilities because we haven’t honed our skills in this area. We typically avoid events that make us feel uncomfortable, exposed or vulnerable, and public speaking definitely falls into this category because of our lack of experience and opportunities.

I have had the opportunity as a professional trainer to speak in front of hundreds of audiences. Some days are better than others. But regardless of the topic I am speaking on, I have to be in the zone or otherwise my credibility will be diminished. I have learned over the years that I will never have a perfect engagement but given the circumstances of the event, I can only do my best for that day.

When I first started my training company in 2004, I was asked to speak at a realtor breakfast meeting in Rochester, NY. They asked me to speak for two hours on effective persuasion skills. We created a fun title to entice the members - Selling Under the Influence. We drew about 50 people to the event.

I had just left my 12-year career at UPS as a corporate trainer and was pretty confident and comfortable with my skills, training techniques and delivery methods. After driving an hour to get to the event, I was set-up to start at 8 a.m. for an engaging and interactive presentation. I started the session as I always do, with an overview of my credentials – two master’s degrees and one bachelor’s degree and 20 years experience in management and Human Resources, delivering the information with my enthusiasm and sometimes over the top energy level. I provided the overview of the key points I was going to cover and how they would gain from this experience. I followed my format perfectly, had great visuals and was speaking articulately. What could possibly go wrong?

I started into the content with some interactive exercises that kept them engaged but felt something was very off. You know when an audience is with you and when they are not. This one definitely wasn’t buying into me. I continued on my path delivering the material as best as I could but I could feel the sweat dripping down the back of my brand new suit.

As I continued to speak I was thinking this is the longest two hours of my life. Now mind you, I have facilitated full-day training programs that seemed shorter than this. Was the audience feeling the same way? I looked at my watch – 9:45 a.m. Only 15 minutes left of this and then I could pack up and take the one hour drive back home. I wrapped up thanking the audience for their time and quickly packed up my materials and evaluations left on the table, dreading what I was about to read.

I drove to the nearest coffee house to grab a cup of coffee even though at that point I was thinking a martini would have been a better option to ease my pain. I sat in the parking lot and read the evaluations. They weren’t as bad as I anticipated but not the raving reviews I usually receive. There was a blend of good and bad feedback but since we always seem to hone in more on the negative, let me share some of those with you now:

• "I found her voice annoying."

• Little full of herself.

• Not at all what I expected. That isn’t a good thing.

• Not relatable at all – no experience in our industry. Not appropriate for us.

So what went wrong? It was obvious: I wasn’t one of them.

I reflected on what I could have done differently and realized it started as soon as I stepped on stage. I had a formal suit on. I was 20 years younger than most of the people in the room. I introduced myself with a list of my educational credentials. I referenced my years of experience in the corporate, media and academic world. I used a format for training and not a speaking engagement (which we will discuss further in this book). Bottom line, I didn’t connect with my audience because I didn’t adapt my approach to meet their needs.

I shared information about myself to establish credibility that wasn’t relevant to them. I used my high level of energy and interactive approach used with younger audiences that wasn’t appropriate here. I didn’t relate the content to their experiences. I didn’t take the time to conduct my audience analysis prior to engagement - a lesson that still lives with me today.

Public speaking is not easy - no matter how often you do it. That is why most people don’t enjoy it. When individuals are asked what they fear most, the top three issues that consistently come up are dying, going to the dentist and public speaking. So how can we alleviate this pain when we are called upon to speak in front of an audience?

I have learned to take the fear out of public speaking. Through years of education, application and execution, I have learned to enjoy the process and master the techniques that need to be managed in order to WOW an audience every single time. I am hoping that by sharing this book with you I can make your journey easier, even enjoyable, as you engage in this process.

So let’s begin.

CHAPTER 1

Secret One: Understanding Communication

P resentations are an event where a speaker and audience are continuously exchanging messages with meaning through verbal and non-verbal communication.

Whenever we attempt to communicate with someone, whether it is via a presentation or through one-on-one conversation with another person, our goal or intent is to get our message heard, received, and responded to in a manner of our liking. Sometimes we are effective at doing this and at other times – not so much!

So before we can even begin to transform our presentation skills, we must first understand what makes up the communication process.

The Communication Model

In the traditional communications model, there