Get Good at Presenting
Presenting Masterclass
Lee Jackson has written a new book, Get Good at Presenting. If you are looking for tips on improving your next presentation, this podcast will shine a light on how to replace bad habits with good.
Lee Jackson is an International Speaker, Presenting Coach and author of 12 books. Having worked in the voluntary, public and private sectors over the years he now works in businesses and education helping people
Get Good at Presenting
The book.
Lee Jackson talking on The Next 100 Days Podcast about Get Good at Presenting
How did Lee know he was a natural at presenting?
Everything he’d done up to that point was basically communication.
- He’d written books
- Youth Worker
- DJ
All were about communicating with crowds. Connecting with people. Then he had a penny drop moment. Listen carefully to where people validate you. You are really good at that. So what have you been validated in?
He got the feedback that his presentations were good. People had enjoyed and valued his talks.
He started to listen to the validation he was getting. Lee found out that he could make a living from this work.
One of his first talks was in front of 600 school kids. Teenagers will tell you instantly whether you are good or bad. Other people see things in you that you dont see in yourself.
When are you in your element?
Lee mentioned Ken Robinson’s book The Element
Also see Finding Your Element: How to Discover Your Talents and Passions and Transform Your Life
I’m in my element when I’m upfront, make people laugh, breaking down the barriers of a business crowd. Staff don’t want to be there. Introduced as a motivational speaker can be daunting in front of people who don’t want to be there!
Presenting Tips
When people make presentations they often think about delivery of a script or content. When Lee thinks about a presentation, he thinks about engaging an audience.
Those 2 things are quite different.
A Politician delivers a script. Stay on script. Not say something they shouldn’t do. In fairness, that can be done extremely well. On the whole, that doesn’t engage an audience. Business presenters must be about engaging audiences.
That means you have to make connections.
How Good is Donald Trump at Presenting?
Was he unbelievably engaging? Arguably, Trump adopted the multi-level marketing sales presentational style around America and won hearts and minds. Was it a question of Trump being a Lion and Hillary tamed by the Establishment?
“as a presenter I think he is shocking”
Lee Jackson
Some presentational coaches are very keen to get a transcript of a talk. If you get a transcript of Trump’s talks it will make no sense to you whatsoever. Because of his grasp of English, according to Lee.
The message still had to be presented. If everyone was the same, wouldn’t everyone get the same results?
Lee advises: the last thing I want you to be is Lee Jackson.
As a speaker, trainer and coach in this area, it is not about being the same as your mentor.
You need to be 125%. That is 100% YOU and 25% bigger when you are up front.
Trump did that really well.
Dont take your EGO to stage. Whether you pitch to 6 people or 2,000. The worst talks are from people so full of themselves. They are the worst presentations.
What is in it for the audience? More profit, relationships better, work/life balance improved. Allow them to take something away.
Kevin mentioned THINK FEEL DO. Add what do you audience to… in front of those three words.
Lee says if the audience think of him as a man of the people he’s happy.
Planning Stage
Do your research before your presentation. Get the essence of the talk sorted. Dont miss the trees for the wood. What do you want your audience to walk away with is a big question to ask and then focus upon in your material.
Lee asked Graham what he thought about it. Here’s what Graham wrote to former podcast guest Karol Thornton a few before the recording…
Lee said it was one of the best things he has seen in a long time. His sermon was appropriate for the day. It will go down that will go down as one of the best talks. 2 billion people, 14 minutes. Not bad.
Watch it on catch up. Graham was spellbound. If you haven’t heard it since, it is masterful.
Lee advises, once you have got to the core of your talk, presenting becomes easier.
Tell a story
We all have little stories. In business, you’ve saved someone money, etc. Lee talked about the NHS. They have an amazing story. Get rid of death by powerpoint!
Lee wrote a book called POWERPOINT SURGERY
It might be good to visit SLIDESHARE: Powerpoint Hall of Shame
there you will see some awful examples of presentations!! Don’t let yours be like them.
Powerpoint has an epidemic. Why? Its about anxiety. If I write down everything, I won’t dry up. The problem is you are making it the worst presentation ever seen.
The other reason, is bad managers pass on their bad habits. Habits are passed to staff.
It is a shocking addiction.
The Next 100 Days – Practical Steps
Lee advises:
- Beware cognitive load theory. I can listen to you as a speaker OR look at your slides. NOT BOTH. We can only hold 4-6 pieces of information in our brains. We are not good a short term retention.Use images on your slides with as FEW words as possible. If talking about your client, show an image of your client. Or you with your client. It is much more effective than a series of clicked bullets…Dont slow the whole thing down.YOU can use cards to put information on. To remind you. All the information doesn’t need to be on the screen.
By all means contrast Lee with Dan Kennedy – No BS Public Speaking Tips
Lee does not advise memorising presentations.
Presentations change over the years. He wouldn’t do the same presentation more than once, because the audience is different.
Tailor your messages when he is presenting to different audiences (his boxing story).
Clive Gott – Lee told a story that Clive, an inspirational speaker, who died age 52, wanted to find me-too moments – when the audience as one says they have that experience too. That’s their reality too. Me too. When you raise your hand.
Lee demonstrating a ME-TOO moment
Comedians do that a lot. Michael McIntyre’s sketch about “that” drawer in the kitchen.
2. As a speaker aim for those ME-TOO moments
3. Tell more stories.
4. GET GOOD. Change a few minutes in the middle of a presentation. Testing new things. Don’t change the whole thing en masse.
Lee’s keynote is about 45 minutes. Talks are getting shorter. TEDTalks are max 20 minutes. An industry trend for shorter.
5. Move around the stage. Be bigger in real life.
6. Educated and entertain. You are not an actor. Be 100% you.
Lee’s 3 Tips
- Get the Core of the message sorted before you write your presentation
- Tell More Stories – can make content 22x more stickable
- With Anxiety in mind – get into a good routine without nerves taking over.
Plus
Simplify! Sift the information. Use a complicated graph then click and show a simplified version. So you can focus on a specific area.
Contact Lee Jackson
YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/user/leejacksonspeaker
