How can I deliver great presentations?

1. Be passionate, be like Steve Jobs, about everything you share with them
If you seem amazed they surely will too. They will want to mimic you and be on that bandwagon of amazement.
Conversely if you are dull, lethargic and seeme bored they will mimic that posture. Its hard for them to be enthused if you are not, right!?
Give Energy, enthusiasm and excitement. If you are not excited about your idea, don’t expect anyone else to be. You will be judged more on how you say things than on what you say.

"The really amazing thing here is.."

"What really excites me here is"

" really amazing thing here is.."

"The cool thing I want to show you here is .."

"This is really awesome because.."

"this is my favourite right here..."

2. Throw away your crutches. Use a white board.Or image only slides. Crutches are for walkers who can’t walk and PowerPoint are crutches for talkers who can’t talk. There are few good ways to die: death by PowerPoint is not one of them. Throw it away and you will sound better and look better.TELL A STORY ABOUT EACH PAGE!

Think into you listener’s head. What do they want to hear? Focus on the one or two people in the audience who really matter and figure out what they need to hear and why they should listen to you. Tailor your message and style to those people. Presenting is not about you: it is about the one or two people you most want to influence.

2. Engage your audience, make your presentation a dialogue, Asking questions when giving a presentation enables
a) the audience to feel more involved
b) you to feel connected to the audience.

This ultimately leads to better presentations with more successful outcomes. Here are some tips:

"By a quick show of hands" - enables you to engage your audience and get them involved.

"By a quick show of hands, How many of you have heard of this company before? "

"By a quick show of hands, How many of you have used this product before? "

"In this room today, How many of you have had a poor experience with ... ? "

Involve your audience - Ask them questions to get them involved, only if they are eager though...you don't want to end up with silence!

"Of those that responded Yes, could you share with us an example?"

"Does anyone want to share with us.."

Ask them mapping questions - Ask them questions relating to their reality after explaining a feature, process, idea.

"How would you see these being used in .."

"What aspects of this would be most relevant to your department .."

"Can you visualise how this could be applied to your reality? "


Break the ice - throw statements to break the silence

"Is this making sense?"

"Is this too technical? Not technical enough?"

"I can see eyes glazing over, is this useful?...what areas should we de-tour too?"

”OK?”

”..Right?”

"Is this useful for you?"

3. Prep them for the take home high-lights - Inform them that they are about to learnin something. This keeps them engaged.

"What I want to show you here is .."

"What you will notice here is .."

"This next section is important because .."


4. Storyify - rather than regurgettating a stream of learned facts, use handlers to progress a story. People do not remember spreadsheets and paragraphs. They remember pictures and stories. Construct your talk as a story with a start, middle and end. You can tell little stories within the big story to keep people engaged.


”So, What does this mean for .. well this means that”

"So, What do I mean by this? I mean ..”

"So, what do I want to communicate in this slide is..

So, what this slide is trying to express is..

Use words well. Keep it active and positive, not passive, negative or conditional. Two nice word tricks include:

Leave Sound Bites by using words well.
The rule of three (”I have nothing to offer but blood, sweat and tears….”)
The contrast (”In this election we will not make the most promises….. we will keep the most promises!”)
These can be combined into a rule of three which leads to a contrast: “Never in the field of human history has so much been owed by so many to so few…”

"Listen,.."


Mind your (body) language. Again, a few simple tips:

Stand on the ball of your foot, not the heel: keep the energy up and the body straight.
Engage the audience with your eyes: deliver each sentence to one person instead of gazing out blankly at a sea of faces. This keeps them and you alert.


Everyone has their own unique style like comedians. Find yours.My Learnings
for my unique style:

Tounge-in-cheek. Wit to break the ice.Smiles.Quick delivery but Listen to words so don't trip.Conversational speaking voice.Calm ccomposed. Confident assume Head of Uk role. Never read the slides, they are the WHAT you tell the WHY & HOW .Start with the Problem & finish with how we solve it.

When are technological advantages bad for an organisation?

The Answer: When everyone else in their industry has adopted them ..

The Axion: Using The Technology Adoption Lifecycle terminology, the Early Adopters and Innovators are those to benefit greatest from new technologies. They benefit from what is referred to as first-movers' advantage. The quicker the adoption the greater the benefits.

Early adoption to a new technology will initially increase profit margins. As adoption moves across the curve to the Late Majority
- Competition on the same level brought on by the new technology increases
- Unique Value diminishes
- Profits Erode

The Irony: By introducing a new technology advance it is initially the adopting producers which benefits, but over time as competitors in the industry also increase adoption the ultimate benificiaries are the consumers.

The Examples:
Bovine Hormones
US cow farmers quick to adopt bovine hormone to increase milk production benefitted from 20% greater yields at the same cost.
Overtime their competitors adopted the same bovine hormone - often for cheaper as increased sales volumes & recouped R&D costs reduces the extent of margin required - and competition drove prices steadily downward.

E-mail
The first companies to adopted benefited from faster communication, higher productivity and reduced communication costs.
As subsequent companies adopted this technology their first-movers' advantage was nullified.
The outcome was that all companies simply had to operate at a greater pace for essentially the same profit margin.

When adoption reaches saturation, competitive advantage is neutralised for all as it becomes the new default, the de-facto standard expected by consumers.

What considerations determine the design of products?

In order to understand the decisioning behind the design of a product you must look at three factors - The CUT Principle:


- COSTS - How can we minimise costs?

- USAGE - What are we trying to achieve with it? How can we optomise usage?

- TRADITIONS - How can we minimise the disruption of the innovation?

Often its a combination of these factors.

Usage Example:
- Cups developed handles based on usage. Initially they were simply mini tin canisters. Over-time based on feedback from usage the design changed.

- Tennis rackets were originally wooden because that was the most abundant cost effective resource at the time. Over time the heavy weighted racket was replaced with lighter metals. The strings were tightened to give extra force and the handles were modified to optomise grip.

Cost Example:
- Coins that contain potraits always display only a side profile. This is because less complexity and time is required to generate a side profile versus a full-face profile. This thus reduces the cost. On paper notes we can achieve this more easily plus it also acts as a detterant for counter-fitters.

Tradition Example:
- Women's clothes button from the left unlike mens because during the middle-ages women who wore blouses tended to have servants who dressed them. From the servants position it was easier for the servant to dress them when the clothes were buttoned from the left.

Possible Exceptions:
Despite the fact that cost would be greatly reduced if beverage cans were rectangular as opposed to cylindrical - more containers could fit on the shelf, be transported, be more easily produced - the usage factor overrides the cost factor. It is a lot easier and more comfortable to hold and drink from a cylindrical container than from a rectangular cannister.

How can I leave an impact in a conversation?

We have conversations with peers, friends and clients each day. This interaction gives us an ideal opportunity to increase the stocks of our "personal brand", to leave a positive impression for them to relay, to leave an impact. Here are some tips I have garnered:

Use Descriptive Language - the more tongue in cheek the better
Use metaphors, similes and analogies to describe concepts.
- It is a tenous plan - It doesn't hold water
- Using the wrong approach - Using a screwdriver to hammer a nail
- It is the same - It's six of one and half a dozen of the other
- Encourage - add fuel to the fire

Use Examples
Use the phrase "I CAN GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.." or "LET ME GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE.."
Followed by a concrete easy to grasp example.

Smile :)
This makes others comfortable and thus encourages them to share more.
This also increases your likability which is key to getting your point across.

Always Playback
This encourages you to listen attentively and capture all key points.
This shows the listeners that you care and builds rapport.

So, what you are saying is ..
So, let me just playback what we have discussed ..
So, let me see if I have captured this correctly ..
Would I be right in saying ..

Articulate fully & fluctuate tone + strategic pause
Listen to all the great speakers - Bill Clinton, Obama, Churchill, Blair - They all articulate their words fully and fluctuate their tone. They use strategic pauses to capture listener's attention.
Conversely, think of your most boring lecturer, didn't they speak with a monotone voice!?

Ask Questions
Show you are interested by asking questions. Also, it keeps you focused by knowing you have to ask questions.

1. Why is that?
2. What are your ideas /opinions /thoughts) on _________?
3. What did you mean when you said __________?
4. Why is that important/ essential/ relevant in your opinion?
5. How does that look /feel/ seem to you?
6. What are some examples of _________?
7. What’s your definition of __________?
8. Can you elaborate on _________?
9. What does _________ mean for you?

Show you are listening
Use gestures to show you agree, understand and are interested:

• Right, OK, Yes, Sure, I agree, That is true, Oh really, I see, That is interesting,..
  

• Could you possibly illustrate with an example, explain further,..

How do be more confident when speaking- just ask Obama?

1. You confront a sales meeting.
2. You instantly become timid.
3. You suck.

"So what do I do?!"

Try this:

1. Think of Barak Obama.
2. You = Obama.

In his book, dreams of my father, Obama explains that from a young age his mother had told him how his father was of royalty in kenya. Before every action Obama subsequently performed he would ask himself - What would a Prince, soon to be King, do in this situation.
This gives Obam his air of confidence and majesty.

Done.

Imagining yourself as someone else's persona helps you adopt that person's persona.

You start asking:

* What would Brad Pitt do in this situation?
* How would Brad Pitt respond in this situation?
* How would Brad Pitt talk to this person?

Magically, you start:

1. standing up straighter
2. having more conviction in your voice
3. doing stuff you wouldn't have done minutes ago

Productively-Confident You.

And if something undesirable happens to you, you experience this gem:

1. "I didn't get rejected."
2. "Brad Pitt got rejected."

Result: You take more risks that propel you forward on your freakish journey of total domination.

How can I get more done in less time?

The Gem to Get Productive

First, do this:

1. Take out a stopwatch. Start it.
2. Work for XX-minutes straight (e.g., 60 minutes).
3. Stop the stopwatch. Relax.
4. Return to #1.

Do that throughout the day.

Rules:

1. When the clock runs, you have to work.
2. When the clock stops, you can stop working.

(It's like you're clockin-in and clocking-out of work. HOORAY!)
Why You're More Productive

When you do something -- anything -- with the clock running, you force yourself to work.

* No distractions (or you clock-out).

Phenomenon:

1. Simply forcing yourself to work as if a tidy-whitey baby-bunny has a gun to your sternum if you don't work a gets you doing something.
2. The little "something" gradually builds your productivity momentum to get more things accomplished.

That enforcement to-work-or-bunny-offs-you gets you thinking:

1. "I can work like a bored-unproductive piece of shizzit."
2. "OR, I can work like one happily-productive mofokoko."

Unless your momma dropped you down the elevator shaft when you were two-months old (because you = ugly), chances are, you'll choose the latter:

* "I have to work. I might as well have fun and get things done!"

More fun = More productive = More tasks accomplished.
Now, Beat Your Records

Example:

1. "Yesterday, I accomplished 100 minutes of good work by 11 pm!"
2. "Today, I will accomplish 100 minutes of work by 10:30 pm!"

Or:

1. "Last week, I completed 1500 minutes of work!"
2. "This week, I'll go for 2000 minutes of work! WHO'S THE MAN?!"

You start taking the deliberative approach to improve your daily productivity (e.g., "Let's save time by not checking NYTimes this morning!") -- constantly looking for different ways to improve how efficient you work.

Result: Freakishly more work done everyday.

Why don't better products win hands-down?

Why "Better" Products Don't Sell
Posted August 02, 2006 in Innovation, Sales & Marketing, 4 Comments »

*
"We'll build a better product. We'll win, easily."
*
"We have so many more features than the competition. We'll win easily."
*
"Our product has an extra __. Dude, we'll so win easily."
*
"Let's choose our Porsches!"

Not quite, our beloved amigos.

Most entrepreneurs tout their better features. The theory goes: "If my product has more features, that means I have a better product. Then, people will buy my product instead."

Who can fault them? The so-called business experts encourage them: "Get your competitive advantage. Get better capabilities. If they have one widget, have two," they say.

Sure that's common sense talking: people buy products that are feature-rich, right?
But, folks: common sense is wrong.

People don't buy "better" products.

People don't buy rationally.

People buy emotionally. Then, they try to rationalize their purchases.
See: The Feature-Rich Zen Vs. the Stylish iPod

The Creative Zen murders the iPod in features and cost: bigger hard drive, FM radio, voice recorder, among others.

But, the iPod offers something the Zen doesn't: an emotional connection.

Zen sells features. iPod sells style.
People buy on emotions, says the fabulous research.

Building on research on the mind, Harvard Business School Professor Gerald Zaltman states that 95% of our purchasing decisions happen in our subconscious:

What we really think is largely hidden from us. In other words, most of what we know we don�t know we know. Probably 95% of all cognition, all the thinking that drives our decisions and behaviors, occurs unconsciously�and that includes consumer decisions. That�s not to say that the 5% we�re privy to is unimportant�just that marketers overemphasize its importance, because it�s so visible and easy to access.

Bob: "I bought a Mercedes. It has better stuff."

Sure, it probably does have better capabilities; but, like most non-car buffs, Bob bought his sweet ride based on emotions. He bought status.

Then, he tried to rationalize his purchase with choosing "better capabilities."
How to sell your new product

If you want to sell your new product, touting features won't compel your customer to buy your product. You're targeting the customer's rational side --- when the irrational side does 95% of the talking.

What do you do then?
Forget selling features.

Sell status. Sell luxury. Sell solutions. Sell hope. Sell inspiration.
Sell dreams.

(Gosh, we're feeling cheesy today. Apologies.)