Good presenting isn’t about a perfect, polished, scripted performance. It’s about connection, authenticity and trusting that who you are is enough.
Catherine Allison explores how your real voice can be your superpower; you just need to drop the act and be yourself.
Being an actor doesn’t always help you present well.
I learnt this the hard way. Twenty or so years ago I was a newly appointed Account Director and was asked to join the team working on an Abbey National pitch (yup, it was that long ago). I saw this as my chance to shine; to really show everyone what I was capable of. Yessss; this was my moment!
I spent days crafting my script (error no 1). I was desperate to impress (error no 2). I wanted to write something that sounded intelligent and professional, so I threw in lots of fancy long words and lengthy phrases (error number 3). And all the while I was thinking, “I’m going to nail this. I’ve got a background in acting. I’m good at learning lines and delivering a script.” (Error no 4).
And that’s exactly what I did. I learnt my script and I delivered it in the pitch, word-for-word, just as I had written it (error no 5). I was determined to play the part of an experienced Account Director who impresses her clients with her in-depth knowledge and expertise (error no 6).
We didn’t win the pitch. The section I presented was, well, let’s say flat. It had no colour, no passion and zero personality. It sounded automated and inauthentic,
regurgitated and robotic; I was like a parrot repeating fancy words without any real understanding of what I was saying.
I’ve since learnt that good presenting isn’t about giving a perfect, polished, scripted performance. It’s about sounding conversational and relaxed, trusting that who you are is enough. It’s about being entirely yourself; finding a way to know and trust your mind and speak it powerfully so that people notice your ideas and really listen when you present.
Because if you can trust that who you are is enough and truly relax into being yourself, people will listen because it’s YOU. You on your best day, sounding conversational, authentic and expert, all at the same time.
When we consider the role of an actor versus a presenter, it’s interesting to note that we phrase the roles differently:
- An actor performs a monologue
- A presenter delivers or presents a presentation.
An actor’s role is to embody another character, generally speaking words written by someone else, in order to entertain and transport the audience into a fictional world.
A presenter’s role is to inform, persuade or inspire, generally by speaking their own words and ideas and staying true to who they are, even when in a professional setting.
So what steps can we take to get closer to reaching that holy grail of seemingly effortless presenting; sounding conversational and expert all at the same time?
Here are my top 3 tips:
- Don’t be desperate to impress
Rather than focusing on how you can impress, shift the focus to your audience instead. What are they thinking and feeling? What do they need to hear? When prepping for a presentation, always prepare with your audience in mind. We often fall into the trap of presenting what we want to say, not what our audience needs to hear. Always ask yourself, “What is going to be of real value to the people listening to me speak?” Then filter your content accordingly.
Don’t be tempted to show off by throwing in lots of fancy words that you wouldn’t use in everyday conversation. It’s better to use short words and simple phrases that your audience can easily digest.
It’s worth remembering Nancy Duarte’s* quote:
“You are not the hero. The audience is the hero.”
Stop agonising over how you’re going to impress and place the focus on your audience instead.
- Ditch the script
Regurgitating a script or reading from a script – aka reading aloud – is, in essence, performing. The performance of reading can weaken your authenticity, sap your spontaneity, crucify your credibility and reduce your ability to emote as you speak. That’s when you get a ‘flat’ presentation devoid of sparkle or personality.
Remember, this isn’t about a perfect, polished performance, it’s about informing, persuading or inspiring your audience by speaking your own words and ideas and staying true to who you are. You are not an actor embodying another character, performing a script written by someone else. You’re YOU.
So step away from the script. By all means write a script if it helps you get your thinking clear, but make sure you then distil it right down to the key points and use those to keep you on track. It can feel like a scary step but it makes all the difference. This doesn’t mean winging it, far from it. You have to do the prep to get your thinking crystal clear and the key is to:
- Distil your content and work out your signposts
- Practise the links and transitions so you can go smoothly from point to point and where you falter, alter. Remember that good links come from the connection in your mind between ideas.
- Get it conversational and relaxed – practice so you can speak freely around your subject matter, thinking your way through what you’re saying, even if it’s not exactly the same words every time.
By getting your thinking crystal clear, the presentation becomes as easy as conversation.
- Aim for dialogue, not monologue
No-one likes being talked at for an hour. Besides, after 18 – 20 minutes we reach cognitive load and tune out. If a presentation is going to last more than 20 minutes, it’s important to introduce something to vary the tone or pace. Get your audience talking, throw out a question, switch speakers or introduce some interactivity. Do all you can to engage and re-engage your audience.
Presenting well doesn’t involve playing a character or performing a script. It’s not about sounding impressive, polished or perfect. It’s about being relatable, clear and authentically YOU. When you stop trying to impress and start trying to connect, you shift from performance to presence. I wish I’d had the confidence to ditch the script, to be more ME when I was in that pitch room all those years ago. Because if you can confidently be yourself when presenting, that’s when your presentations will engage, inspire and resonate. That’s when people will really start listening.
*US CEO, author and presentation skills expert