Effective Presentation Skills

By Robert Brian Dilts

Effective Presentation Skills

At some point in our lives we are probably all called upon to make a presentation. It may be at school, a social function of form some professional purpose. The demands of the “Information Age” make it increasingly necessary and likely that we will need to make presentations as par

• Language: English
• Publisher: Dilts Strategy Group
• Release date: Dec 11, 2017
• ISBN: 9781947629233

Robert Brian Dilts

Robert B. Dilts has been a developer, author, trainer and consultant in the field of Neuro- Linguistic Programming (NLP)-a model of human behavior, learning and communication- since its creation in 1975. Robert is also co- developer (with his brother John Dilts) of Success Factor Modeling and (with Stephen Gilligan) of the process of Generative Change. A long time student and colleague of both Grinder and Bandler, Mr. Dilts also studied personally with Milton H. Erickson, M.D. and Gregory Bateson.In addition to spearheading the applications of NLP to education, creativity, health, and leadership, his personal contributions to the field of NLP include much of the seminal work on the NLP techniques of Strategies and Belief Sys- tems, and the development of what has become known as Systemic NLP. Some of his techniques and models include: Reimprinting, the Disney Imagineering Strategy, Integration of Conflicting Beliefs, Sleight of Mouth Patterns, The Spell- ing Strategy, The Allergy Technique, Neuro-Logical Levels, The Belief Change Cycle, The SFM Circle of Success and the Six Steps of Generative Coaching (with Stephen Gilligan).Robert has authored or co-authored more than thirty books and fifty articles on a variety of topics relating to personal and professional development includ- ing From Coach to Awakener, NLP II: The Next Generation, Sleight of Mouth and, Generative Coaching and The Hero's Journey: A Voyage of Self Discovery (with Dr. Stephen Gilligan). Robert's recent book series on Success Factor Modeling iden- tifies key characteristics and capabilities shared by successful entrepreneurs, teams and ventures. His recent book The Power of Mindset Change (with Mickey Feher) presents a powerful methodology for assessing and shaping key aspects of mindset to achieve greater performance and satisfaction.For the past forty-five years, Robert has conducted trainings and workshops around the world for a range of organizations, institutes and government bod- ies. Past clients and sponsors include Apple Inc., Microsoft, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Société Générale, The World Bank, Fiat, Alitalia, Telecom Italia, Lucasfilms Ltd., Ernst & Young, AT Kearney, EDHEC Business School and the State Railway of Italy.A co-founder of Dilts Strategy Group, Robert is also co-founder of NLP Uni- versity International, the Institute for Advanced Studies of Health (IASH) and the International Association for Generative Change (IAGC). Robert was also found- er and CEO of Behavioral Engineering, a company that developed computer software and hardware applications emphasizing behavioral change. Robert has a degree in Behavioral Technology from the University of California at Santa Cruz.

Book preview

part one

Basic Principles of Effective Presenting

The Problem Space’ of Effective Presenting

Basic Presentation Design

Exploring Different Representational Channels

Strategies for Designing Reference Experiences

Overview of Part One

Basic Principles of Effective Presenting

The purpose of Part One is to:

1. Provide the foundation for understanding of the learning and teaching process in general and the significance of communication and relational skills.

2. Explore and define key elements of learning a) in individuals, b) between individuals and c) in groups.

3. Develop a) vocabulary, b) concepts and c) models to support and manage different learning processes and learning styles.

4. Define and apply some specific principles and methods for enhancing effective presentations.

Part One is made up of four chapters:

Chapter 1 The Problem Space of Effective Presenting

Defines some key elements of effective presentations and assists the reader to 1) develop awareness of his or her own conscious and unconscious competence with respect to making presentations, and 2) to elicit and observe these processes in other individuals.

Chapter 2 Basic Presentation Design

Introduces a set of models and distinctions that will assist the reader to identify various levels of structure to his or her own presentation skills and style and to define principles related to designing effective presentations.

Chapter 3 Exploring Different Representational Channels

Provides a number of strategies and methods for representing concepts, ideas and information and explore the influence of using different representational channels during a presentation.

Chapter 4 Strategies for Designing Reference Experiences

Explores ways of transferring knowledge and skills from the presentation context to the learners’ realities by linking or ‘anchoring’ cognitive maps to relevant reference experiences.

Assumptions

The material to be covered in Part one is based on a set of assumptions about learning and presenting:

Learning is a natural, ongoing process that has structure. This structure is defined by the interaction of cognitive maps and the reference experiences which give those maps practical meaning.

Learning and teaching is essentially a process of enriching cognitive maps of a particular concept, idea or task and then linking those maps to reference experiences in order to enhance the behavioral competence and flexibility one has in relation to achieving goals and responding to environmental constraints.

Conscious competence is primarily a function of one’s cognitive map of a particular idea, concept or task. Unconscious competence is a function of the type and number of reference experiences one has in relation to a particular idea, concept or task.

There is a both a natural and rational cycle to the learning process. Natural learning processes center around the development of unconscious competence. Rational learning processes center around the development of conscious competence.

Understanding the structure of and relationships between cognitive maps and reference experiences makes it possible to model and develop techniques and methods that can pragmatically enhance both the conscious and unconscious.

One goal of an effective presentation is to help learners widen their perceptions and cognitive maps of the ‘perceptual space’ of a particular idea, concept or task, in terms of the mode of representation of the idea or task and their basic assumptions. Another is to create and enrich the links cognitive maps have to various types of reference experiences.

Chapter 1

The Problem Space of Effective

Presenting

Sets the overall frames for defining and exploring effective presentation skills in reference to:

1) establishing cognitive maps

2) creating relevant reference experiences

3) developing awareness of one's own conscious and unconscious competence with respect to making presentations

4) eliciting and observing these processes in other individuals

• Presentation Skills and Organizational Learning

• The Problem Space of Presenting in a Learning Context

• Increasing Presentation Skills

Presentation Skills and Organizational Learning

At some point in our lives we are probably all called upon to make a presentation of some sort. It may be at school, a social function or for some professional purpose. In fact, the demands of the ‘information age’ make it increasingly necessary and likely that we will need to make presentations as part of our normal activities.

To make an effective presentation requires that we be able to communicate and relate to other people. These are very basic skills, yet they are not typically taught to us as part of our traditional classroom education or professional training. The purpose of this book is to provide some of the key practical communication and relational skills necessary to make effective presentations.

There are generally four different purposes for making a presentation:

1) to inform others

2) to entertain others

3) to teach others

4) to motivate others

The goal of informing others is to provide them with key information or knowledge generally in the form of some kind of cognitive ‘map’. The goal of entertaining others is to create a positive experience for people or to put them into a positive ‘state’. The goal of teaching others is to connect knowledge or information to the relevant reference experiences and behaviors they will need to put that knowledge or information into action. The goal of motivating others is to provide a context or incentive which gives meaning to knowledge, experiences or behaviors such that people will want to take action. Of course, many presentations involve a mixture of some or all of these purposes.

While the skills in this book are relevant for all types of presentations, the focus of the book is on people who must make presentations for professional reasons. In particular, it focuses on presentations to be made for teaching and training purposes, i.e., those related to organizational learning. While this obviously includes professional trainers and teachers, it also includes managers, consultants and others who need to share knowledge and information.

Part of the mission of this book is to support the development of those organizations who wish to become 'learning organizations'.

The Emergence of the ‘Learning Organization'

In order to address the accelerating changes in technology and society a new appreciation and concept of the role of organizational learning has emerged. Accelerating advances in management, technology and business methods have made it clear that the ability to learn, on both an individual and organizational level, is an ongoing necessity if organizations are to survive and succeed. Companies and other social systems have begun to realize that effective learning must be an incremental, goal-oriented process that has a structure, and that meeting the ongoing learning needs of a complex system requires organization and constant effort to maintain. This realization has lead to the rise in recent years of the concept of the ‘learning organization’.

An effective learning organization is one that supports the process of learning in all of its dimensions - one that encourages learning to learn. This requires a basic valuing and understanding of the learning process. An effective learning organization needs to support not only learners and teachers but anyone who is involved in learning contexts within an organization.

According to Peter Senge (1990), there are five ‘disciplines’ which need to be practiced by everyone in an organization in order for it to truly become a ‘learning organization’:

1. Awareness and examination of mental maps and assumptions

2. Attaining self mastery

3. Developing vision

4. Team learning

5. Systemic thinking

The presentation skills covered in this book are designed to address and facilitate each of these ‘disciplines’.

Summary of Presentation Skills and Organizational Learning

General Purposes for Making a Presentation

• To inform

provide others with key information or knowledge

• To entertain

create a positive experience for people or to put them into a positive 'state'

• To teach

connect knowledge or information to the relevant reference experiences and behaviors

• To motivate

provide a context or incentive which gives meaning to knowledge, experiences or behaviors

The focus of the book is on presentations to be made for teaching and training purposes, i.e., those related to organizational learning.

Key Points

There are generally four different purposes for making a presentation: 1) to inform others, 2) to entertain others, 3) to teach others and 4) to motivate others. Presentations involve a mixture of some or all of these purposes.

Senge's 5 Disciplines of a Learning Organization

1. Awareness and examination of mental maps and assumptions

2. Attaining self-mastery

3. Developing vision

4. Team learning

5. Systemic thinking

Key Points

An effective learning organization is one that supports the process of learning in all of its dimensions - one that encourages learning to learn. Some key characteristics of learning organizations have been defined as those which:

1. help individuals to develop and apply basic systems thinking and problem solving skills

2. assist individuals in learning about their mental maps, assumptions and cognitive strategies in order to develop personal mastery

3. enhance team learning and coordination

The Problem Space of Presenting in a Learning Context

In a learning context, an effective presentation involves the interaction of a presenter, the audience or learners, the materials to be learned, the tools to support the material, and the task.

Thus, the basic ‘problem space’ of presenting involves the relationship between:

1) the presenter

2) the audience (or learners)

3) the material to be presented and learned

4) the tools and communication channels available to support the presentation of the material

5) the context in which the presentation is taking place

Communication and Relational Skills

Communication and relational skills relate to managing the interaction between the presenter and the audience in order to achieve the desired goals of the presentation - both the goals of the presenter and the goals of the learners. Relational skills most often have to do with managing one’s role. Communication skills most often have to do with managing tasks. It is important to have a good mix of task and relational skills.

Communication involves the sending of messages back and forth between people who alternate between being ‘senders’ and ‘receivers’. In a presentation context the presenter is primarily in the role of a ‘sender’ and the audience members are ‘receivers’. In addition to managing the ongoing relationship with the audience, an effective presenter must also select, and in some cases design, the materials to be presented and the tools to support the delivery of the material. Managing the problem space of presenting, then, involves the skills to first assess the audience and then determine the appropriate information and channel of communication to present the information effectively. This requires that presenter be able to factor in a) the goals and motivations of the audience, b) their learning styles and c) their working reality.

The emotional and physical state of the people involved and their role relationships (status) are an important influence on how messages are sent and interpreted. Another important skill of a presenter is the ability to determine which state is most appropriate for the presenter to be in relation to the state of the audience (i.e., enthusiastic, calm, humorous, etc.) and have the ability to achieve and maintain that state. If an audience is cautious and the presenter is too enthusiastic, for example, there may be a lack of rapport that can lead to friction between presenter and audience.

Managing Diversity

A key issue in making an effective presentation is how to manage diversity. An effective presenter not only needs to present a diversity of contents and topics, but also needs to effectively interact with people from a diversity of cultures and professional backgrounds. This requires a focus on the process aspects of teaching and learning.

In many presentation contexts there are aspects of the learners' culture and personal or professional realities with which the presenter will not be familiar. At a process level, the presenter will need to encourage and help the learners to make the refinements and changes that are necessary to adapt specific content and skills to the learners’ professional realities. Thus, an effective communication strategy requires creativity, knowledge about belief systems and the dynamics of groups, as well as new technologies and instruments for presenting and facilitating the process of continuous self-learning.

Communication and relational skills are made up of other cognitive and behavioral subskills. Effective communication and relational skills involve:

1) an understanding of people’s subjective experiences

2) a set of principles and distinctions to recognize patterns in people's behavior and thinking styles

3) a set of operational skills and techniques that influence people’s behavior and thought patterns

Different Types of Learning and Learning Styles

Teaching obviously relates to learning. And the effectiveness of a teacher improves to the degree that he or she is able to support the learning process of the learners. Different people learn in different ways. A presenter needs a set of distinctions and a vocabulary with which to identify different kinds of learning and presentation styles. An effective communication strategy facilitates different learning styles, and thus reaches a wider number of learners.

On another level, all learning shares some very fundamental and basic principles. Even though there are different types of learning and learning styles, there are features which remain constant about learning and managing the learning process, regardless of the context, the culture or the task. Being an effective presenter involves acknowledging and operating from that which is common to all learning, but then having the models, the discriminations and the flexibility to be able to adapt to different kinds of learning styles and learning contexts.

The Purpose of Communication and Relational Skills

Communication and relational skills support group and team learning by facilitating communication and understanding between people to help them more effectively accomplish their tasks. These skills are a function of how a presenter uses verbal messages (both spoken and written) and non-verbal messages (ranging from visual aids to variations of his or her own voice tone and gestures) in order to:

1. Facilitate understanding

2. Address different learning styles

3. Stimulate effective learning processes

4. Encourage participation and effective performance

Summary of The Problem Space of Presenting in a Learning Context

The ‘Problem Space’ of Presenting

• Type of Audience

• 'State' and 'Status' of Presenter

• Information to be Delivered

• Representational Channels

Key Points

The basic problem space of presenting relates to managing the interaction between the presenter and the audience in order to achieve the desired goals of the presentation.

In addition to managing the ongoing relationship with the audience, an effective presenter must also select and in some cases design the materials to be presented and the tools to support the delivery of the material, taking into account a) the motivation of the audience, b) their learning styles and c) their working reality.

Communication and relational skills for presentations have to do with how we use verbal and non-verbal messages in order to:

• stimulate learning processes

• address different types of learning styles

• facilitate understanding

• encourage participation and effective performance

Key Points

Effective communication and relational skills involve an 1) understanding of people’s subjective experiences, 2) a set of principles and distinctions to recognize patterns in people's behavior and thinking styles, 3) a set of operational skills and techniques that influence people’s behavior and thought patterns.

Increasing Presentation Skills

Knowing about the structure of learning and presenting opens the possibility of enhancing one's presentation abilities to make oneself more effective. There are three key processes