by Gilda Bonanno LLC
Lean manufacturing is a management
philosophy which has its roots in the Toyota Production System and focuses on
creating customer value while eliminating waste.
These principles have been applied to many industries and services. And as a
presentation skills coach and consultant with experience as a project manager
using Lean principles to run process improvement projects, I believe Lean
principles have a valuable application to presentation skills.
A key Lean element is "respect people," which means creating an
environment of mutual trust, engaging the people on your team and valuing their
creativity and contribution. "Respect
people" is directly applicable to presentation skills and translates into
"respect your audience."
Here are 8 ways to respect your audience:
1. Know Your Audience
Find
out as much as you can about their background, interest level and what's
important to them. For example, do they prefer details or big picture, data or
stories, problems or solutions?
2. Follow the Golden Rule
I define the Golden Rule of Communications as: to communicate unto others as
THEY want to be communicated to - not as YOU want to be communicated to. So
once you understand how the people in your audience want to be communicated to,
you can shape your presentation accordingly and make an effort to "speak
the audience's language."
3. Know Your Subject
This
should be obvious but we have all seen speakers who lack a solid understanding
of their subject matter. Before you present, take time to do your homework and
prepare so that you something valuable to share with the audience.
4. Set Expectations
Somewhere
near the start of your presentation, set the audience's expectations about your
message, the level of detail you will provide (introductory, intermediate,
advanced, etc.), how long you will speak and whether or not/when you will take
questions.
5. Stay Within the Time Limit
No
one will object if you end your presentation a few minutes early, but if you go
over time, you are disrespecting the audience. Practice your presentation so
you know how long it takes to deliver and cut out anything that is not essential
to your message.
6. Tell the Truth
In
order to set up an environment of trust with your audience, be honest. If you
don't know the answer to a question, admit it and commit to finding out and
getting the answer to them later. And if you have to communicate something
controversial or negative, I strongly recommend that you tell your audience the
full truth upfront. Honesty – especially upfront rather than after the truth is
discovered - is the best policy.
7. Make Eye Contact With Everyone
Eye contact is an important element of non-verbal communication and allows you
to connect with the audience, helps you keep their attention and demonstrates
your confidence and sincerity. Rather than looking at the screen or your notes,
make a conscious effort to make eye contact with everyone in the audience. If there are too many people in the audience
to make eye contact with every individual, be sure to make eye contact at least
with every section of the audience. And if you’re presenting virtually, make
eye contact by looking into your camera, not at the videos of people’s faces on
your screen.
8. Engage the Audience
An
engaged audience is more likely to understand and retain whatever you are
presenting. Make sure they can hear you clearly and use relevant stories and
animated body language to capture the audience's attention.
If you follow these 8 guidelines, you will demonstrate your respect for the people in your audience, which will help build a positive environment in which they are more likely to pay attention to you and appreciate your effort in sharing your knowledge, skills, experience, expertise and stories with them.
© Gilda Bonanno LLC - Gilda Bonanno serves as a trusted advisor to executives and entrepreneurs to transform their communication, presentation and leadership skills. She has worked with companies on 4 continents, from Chicago to Shanghai and Rio to Rome. The instructional videos on her YouTube channel have received over 2 million views and her e-newsletter has reached subscribers in over 45 countries since 2008. For other articles or to receive Gilda's e-newsletter, visit www.gildabonanno.com