Browsing Category: "presentations"
Today I found a little black dress.
There it was hanging on the clearance rack, all unassuming, half-dangling from the hanger, slotted in the wrong size, looking plain, simple and even a bit forlorn.
In my desperation to get a dress – any dress – for an upcoming special occasion, I grabbed it, raced to the fitting room, threw it on, tugged it down, double-checked the ridiculously low price and declared that it was “fine.”
As a woman, there’s almost nothing worse than looking “fine.” Now “fine” is not bad. But, trust me, “fine” is not good.
More importantly, “fine” is not “wow.”
Not by a long shot.
Fortunately, I tried the dress on once again; this time at home, accompanied by the appropriate unmentionables and my most spectacular bejeweled necklace.
Wow.
What a difference a little polish and finesse makes.
I look great.
Not the dress.
Not the accessories.
Me.
I look and feel amazing.
And so it is with your presentation.
A presentation that’s “fine” will probably help you get the gist of your message across. It may even have a humorous anecdote or an interesting tidbit. It may be well received by the audience in the moment. It may even have been your best effort to date. But a “fine” presentation will lack a crucial element — the wow factor.
To guarantee a wow factor you must create a total presentation package that includes:
- An idea worth sharing
- An opening hook that shocks, surprises, invites, cajoles or otherwise instantly engages the audience
- A cohesive story threaded together with rich examples and vibrant stories
- A well-practiced, natural presentation style that transcends venue, circumstance or audience bias
- Visual and verbal presence
- A provocative or thought-provoking ending
Get presentation help here.
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The year was 1989. I was a newlywed armed with a degree from Otterbein in Speech Communications when I started working at Ohio Magazine. My first day on the job they gave me a stack of magazines and said, “Here. Read these.”
Read these? Read all day long and you’ll pay me???
I thought I’d won the lottery.
But read I did. I studied the written word, the turn of a phrase, the crafting of a story.
But because I’m, um, gregarious and outspoken, and because my boss was sharp enough to put people where they would thrive, he dubbed me Ohio Magazine’s first-ever promotions manager.
I traveled the Buckeye State, rallying small towns from here to there in celebration of various cover stories. And although I become the defacto spokesperson, I still yearned to stretch my editorial wings.
(Somewhere there’s video of a thinner, younger me dressed head-to-toe in cream-colored business attire in front of an outhouse. Oh, how, OMag loved the unusual angle.)
I adored my job as promotions manager — until they published my first article.
I simply could not contain my joy at my very first byline and promptly quit to pursue a freelancing career.
In the 17 years since, I’ve been fortunate enough to combine both loves — writing and communications — to a highly rewarding career.
I’m one of the few writers I know who has deep experience in interactive and print communications, as well as in marketing communications and feature writing.
In my consultancy, I bring everything I’ve learned in 20+ years of writing, speaking and communications to clients who want to create and deliver an impactful message. My sweet spot is cutting through the clutter and helping people find their true voice and message.
Of course, I continually look for new ways to service my clients, so last December when friend, mentor and genius collaborator Ruth Milligan approached me to explore her re-ignited passion for helping people with their presentation style and substance, I was in, hook, line and sinker.
Together, we could take all that we knew and learned through decades-long careers in the field and deliver something useful and radical.
Together, we could serve an under-served contingency, elevating people’s ability to communicate beyond what they think they’re capable of.
Together, we could help people find their voice and deliver their worthwhile and worthy ideas in ways that are meaningful and memorable.
And with that, we’re beyond thrilled to announce the launch of ar.tic.u.la.tion. (Read Ruth’s post for her story.)
I won’t be giving up my copywriting, content and communications practice; rather, I’ll be extending my offerings through ar.tic.u.la.tion.
The creative, strategic and collaborative work I do will continue. I’m simply expanding it to include public speakers and presenters and tapping a bit more into the coach I’ve been all along.