archive: November 2010 page: 1

When you find the pain.

While executing a public speaking and presentation training for rising executive at a national manufacturer recently, we inadvertently found a deep breaking point. While she broke down weeping we knew that it meant one thing: we found her pain.

Her boss had employed us for a day of evaluation and experimentation.  She suspected that there was a problem with her ‘short presentation’ that she often gives at national conferences and to large clients.  Her analysis was that it was “too practiced.”

Indeed, it was.  But for an unsuspecting reason.  She was bored.  Deeply bored.

She had rehearsed it to the point that she didn’t have to think about it anymore.  Her delivery wasn’t bad, actually.  The content – no narrative transport, captivating visuals or concrete lessons – she admitted, it was painful.  Awful.  She felt trapped.  She hated having to use slides.  Didn’t know how to make it better. And while she was in a bit of a somber industry, it didn’t meant that she had to be.

Through some dialogue, we found out that she can do impressions of major performers (I don’t think I’ve seen a better “Proud Mary” by Tina Turner), teaches Zumba classes, still loves Lawrence Welk (a childhood obsession) and designs buttons, really intricate buttons. Oh, and when we asked if she’d ever written a narrative story, she said, like a screenplay?  Yep, done that too.  SO… How could she be BORED?

First, she said that everyone at the conferences uses power point. She felt compelled to do the same.

Second, she was constantly worried that the c-suite executives would be critical of her presentations.  Even though, in reality, she was the only one with this intellectual property that she was presenting. (Remember you usually know 90% more than your audience).

Lastly, she had recurring nightmares about involving the audience in any way – for fear they would take over.

So… she got her slave-to-the-slide routine down to a science where no one could interject or add feedback to help make the presentation seem real and relevant.  At one point she asked us a rhetorical question only to say “Oh, I never get any answers,” and moved on like a passing freight train.  She didn’t want any answers.

We’ll follow back up with her in a month or so to see how the new version of her talk is going and if our menu of ‘creative spark’ techniques worked.  One that is  narrative-based without slides,  lots of relevant case study/examples and some opportunities for audience feedback.  And I bet, even if she isn’t comfortable with all the content – yet – she won’t be bored anymore.

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Are 6 minutes or 20 slides more important?

If you were invited to share your story or idea at an event with 400 progressive minds in a contemporary art museum, how could you refuse, right?

Welcome to Pecha Kucha.  It means “chit chat” in Japanese and the concept started about 7 years ago and is now in over 350 cities worldwide.  Around 10 talks are accepted for each gathering (4 per year); each speaker presents 20 slides for 20 seconds each, totaling about 6 minutes.

Let me first say that I love this event: if we were to catalog the things that give Columbus its “inner go,” this would be on the list.   This week we heard about serious non-profit endeavors to the “let me share a conversation in my head with you” talks – it’s a menagerie of rapid fire concepts, trends and new endeavors.

But dare I say from a presentation orientation, if I was a speaker, I’d be prepared for failure.   When Pecha Kucha was started, it was for architects to quickly share their concepts.  The slides were meant to probably get their best images culled down to a ‘top 20’ and make them get through the story really quickly. Apparently, architects are a chatty bunch.
Since then, as with most good ideas, it has morphed into dynamic local gatherings of creative thinkers feeding a pent-up hunger to be inspired and enlightened.  But does the 20 slide rule work for someone wanting to tell a story about why you should care about the smells and scents in your life?  About how a writing program in an arts institution is influencing local schools?  About the multitude of benefits of community gardening?

So I asked myself, what’s more important?  Is it keeping to the 6 minutes or being forced to create and talk to 20 slides when maybe 4 would work?   And does the format take away from the ability for someone to visualize a rich, colorful story (which is often more memorable, case in point here) ?  Indeed, some topics require slides to demonstrate a design, illustration or comparison graph.  I particularly loved the one of a young professional’s demonstration of how he process a simple math problem with dyslexia against how the rest of us mutants tackle it.  But did he need 20 to do it?

When you take any stage I claim that you have a ‘contract’ with yourself that you are prepared, with the organizer to technically support your talk, and with the audience that you will deliver your ideas, concepts, inspirations, vision and dreams in the best way you know how.  I couldn’t help but think if some of them just had a timer and buzzer — and the license to tell their story in 6 minutes however they wanted — would we have more impactful, memorable talks?

The 20×20 slide format of Pecha Kucha will likely continue, but there’s one thing the speakers can hope for: a monitor in front of them to let them know when the slides advance (since they are on an automatic 20 second timer).  After all, every time a speaker turns their head to look at the slides behind them, they create barrier #1 in presentations: turning a back on the audience.

The next Pecha Kucha Columbus is February 10, 2011 at the Columbus Museum of Art.

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TEDxColumbus Saves the Cat

Two weeks ago we produced the second TEDxColumbus.  Huzzah!!!  A wonderfully moving and inspiring afternoon of 13 different short talks and performances over 5 hours.  I adored helping talented, articulate people find their inner voice to share their riveting ideas.   And from our feedback and evaluations, we gave 400 enlightened audience members a moment (or two, or ten!) that they’ll likely not forget.

My observations to this exhausting but exhilarating experience was similar to last year:  those speakers that took the time to answer one key question, use slides only to support (not tell), and killed all their ‘little darlings’ resonated with the audience best.

But unlike last year,  I overlaid each talk with an additional storytelling lens and found came up with another predictor of success.  For each topic being addressed, I asked myself do they have a hero and a villain?  Do they have a path that people will follow and cheer for?  Do they address primal needs that the audience can relate to?    Sure enough, the same questions that screenwriters answer for full-length screenplay pitch also applies to a 15 minute TEDx talk.

Instead of “Tell me a story about a guy who…”  I just inserted “Tell me a story about an idea which…”   Thanks to author Blake Snyder of Save the Cat, I’ve got one more way to help our speakers excel not only at how they tell their story, but what they tell.   No wonder when TED was founded, it was halfway between Silicon Valley and Hollywood.

To see the amazing array of TEDxColumbus talks from this year’s event, click here.  We’ll let you be the judge which ones became superheroes to the audience.

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