Shannon Alter: Welcome, everyone. Thank you for joining me for our mini course on mastering presentations, how to improve yours in under an hour.
Shannon Alter: My name is Shannon altar, and I am delighted to take this journey with you so that you can take your own presentation from stage to spectacular.
Shannon Alter: Quite often, I'll chat with clients or team members or colleagues who will say, Gosh, you know, I'm just not comfortable and making that presentation.
Shannon Alter: Or having that communication. What can I do to improve it.
Shannon Alter: And so I'm here to help you with that everything that I show you here in this session and everything that I demonstrate to you, you can take back and put into practice right away. So let's roll.
Shannon Alter: My goal is to have each of you be batting 1000 by the time that you're done. And so here are some strategies that we're going to look at
Shannon Alter: Do you want to go from ordinary to impactful. I'm betting. That's why each of you is here. So take a look at all of these tips. We also have some downloadable information for you as well.
Shannon Alter: Here's our agenda for this session. And it's just four things. So first one of the seven benefits of communication that wins. I believe that
Shannon Alter: Presentations any kind of presentation is really a communication and we have to communicate.
Shannon Alter: With everyone in our daily lives, sometimes people will say, well, gosh, I'll make a big, big presentation or I don't usually talk to large groups, it's still all pertains and I'm going to show you how
Shannon Alter: And then number two, what are the five biggest mistakes. Think of pitfalls or roadblocks and how could you avoid them. And number three, what are some myths and truths that I know you'll want to hear. And number four, what our next steps you can take to implement this yourself.
Shannon Alter: So you might be saying, hey, Shannon. What do I do first. Sometimes it's just overwhelming. I have all these ideas are all this information, how can I get it straight and onto my plate.
Shannon Alter: So let's look at module one, I have three modules for you. So first, we're going to talk about communication and that wins. And in this module, we'll talk about those seven benefits. Why I think you'll really want it. Number two.
Shannon Alter: How can you get your message across. Because it's really all about not only communication, but conversation. And that leads me to number three.
Shannon Alter: How can you turn any communication into a conversation I think often when we we can have that communication, but when it's not a community conversation you can really tell. Right. You can tell when somebody is stiff or stayed. So we'll talk about how to get to that conversation level.
Shannon Alter: Here are some benefits that I think you want to know. So these are seven benefits of communication that wins. So, number seven.
Shannon Alter: First, on my list is be ready. So if you're ready, if you can go through all of the things that I'm going to teach you
Shannon Alter: And show you in this mini course then you'll be ready, no matter what that communication is not only will you be well positioned for your presentation or communication, but you'll be ready, you'll know what to do.
Shannon Alter: And you'll be flexible. Number six convey. You want to be able to convey your message clearly and concisely.
Shannon Alter: So we'll talk about that often, people want to include everything in their communication or their presentation. And here's the news, you can include everything
Shannon Alter: Or maybe you don't want to because people aren't going to hear that. Number five. It's about that conversation. If I could have figured out how to put this
Shannon Alter: In neon lights with balloons around it. I would have because it's that crucial. So you want to be able to make your communication or your presentation into that conversation.
Shannon Alter: And I would urge you to think about how do you chat with someone, you know, and someone you respect. So it could be a family member, it could be a colleague or friend. Think about that same
Shannon Alter: Calm type of conversation and what you do there and how you can segue that or translate that into your own presentation.
Shannon Alter: And number four is learn so will be very specific here. How can you learn to structure a presentation or a conversation because sometimes that's where we go sideways, we have
Shannon Alter: Again, a lot of information, a lot of stuff we want to include everything. So how can you structure it
Shannon Alter: Number three, sometimes we all get nervous. And so how can you manage those jitters, sometimes people will say, Well, I'm so nervous. I'm sweating. I don't know what to say.
Shannon Alter: And sometimes you just have to get over it. Sometimes you need to know how you can manage each of those things. And then number two.
Shannon Alter: refinement is key. So I would bet if I talked with each and every one of you that you already have some great communication skills that you can use.
Shannon Alter: The trick is just using them for yourself in your own presentation, we'll talk about that. And number one is delivery. How can you put all this together and deliver it.
Shannon Alter: So let's talk first about getting your message across a couple of years ago, I was asked to coach a gentleman who was an engineer and he was going to speak at a big conference and his topic was pretty technical and
Shannon Alter: So when we chatted. I said, you know, let me see your slides and what you're talking about. And I thought, I don't understand what he's saying.
Shannon Alter: And so that is similar to what we have here on the screen. I was kind of jibberish to me.
Shannon Alter: And so my first thought was, Okay, who's his audience. And that was my question to him is your audience a technical audience or they cannot understand what you're saying.
Shannon Alter: Or are they non technical and they might just go to sleep. And he thought about it. And he said, Well, you know, you're right. They're not a technical audience. It's a lay audience.
Shannon Alter: And so what we worked on was how to make him not only relevant, but make sure his message was concise. It was clear it that people understood what he was saying.
Shannon Alter: So that he could relate that to the audience that he was going to have in front of in front of him. So think about your message. Sometimes
Shannon Alter: What we do is we may use lingo. I had a client who said she looked at this and she said,
Shannon Alter: Ha, you know, my team tells me all the time that I'm kind of guilty of using lingo or a lot of technical terms. So think about how you get your message across.
Shannon Alter: Clarity counts. Again, if I could have put this in neon, I would have
Shannon Alter: Be as clear as you can. I like to think of this as kind of the old journalism school of thinking five things, who, what, when, where, why, he might expand that last one to house. So who, what, when, where, and why or how
Shannon Alter: And if you're not clear on that message, you know, if you're veering right or you're veering left, you're not being clear
Shannon Alter: I also think it's worthwhile to maybe deliver your presentation or have someone else listen to it, who is not familiar with what you're talking about. That can be a colleague or friend. It could even be your mom.
Shannon Alter: So, ask them, hey, am I being clear. Do you understand what I said or what does this mean to you.
Shannon Alter: I'll do that a lot. So I'll say, hey, this is what I'm thinking. Here's how I want to display it to you and I'll take it to someone else and say, what do you think, and immediately they say I don't get that. That causes me maybe to rethink how clear I'm being
Shannon Alter: So think about clarity. Think of what you're going to include and make sure that you're staying absolutely on track.
Shannon Alter: Go ahead, hook them. I like to borrow this phrase from advertising master David Ogilvy open with the fire.
Shannon Alter: What does that mean that means if you've got something important to say whether it's in a verbal presentation or an email or a written presentation. Tell us right away. Don't make me wait until the very end to hear something that was important than it should arrive at the beginning.
Shannon Alter: I was working with a client who badly wanted to include all of the information that she was getting ready for a board presentation.
Shannon Alter: And she was concerned that she wouldn't be able to answer their questions or she just wanted to make sure of course that everything was perfect.
Shannon Alter: And so she was including everything pretty much chronologically. And I said, well, this is great backstory. You need to know this and have this in your head, because that lends to your credibility for sure.
Shannon Alter: But you don't need to tell them everything. Make sure you understand what they want to know and hook them from the start. And then you're going to have
Shannon Alter: All of this in your back pocket, so to speak, so that you can address those things as they come up.
Shannon Alter: And when you hook your audience. You're painting a picture of what you're going to be talking about. So here in this course, for example.
Shannon Alter: I painted the picture for you that we're going to talk about how you can master your presentations and some things you can do in under an hour to do that. So I want to show your audience how it relates to them.
Shannon Alter: And you'll remember that I did this at the beginning of this course by saying, hey, sometimes
Shannon Alter: Clients colleagues and team members will tell me they're a little uncomfortable and they want some solid tactics and then you're going to reinforce your message throughout. So whatever your hook was you're going to reinforce that again and again and again.
Shannon Alter: Here are some tips I have for you when it comes to getting your message across. Stand up and look up. This is true whether you're doing a presentation in person or virtually a little different for each but the same things apply
Shannon Alter: I was attending a virtual conference recently. And there was a colleague of mine who is a really good speaker very engaging guy only I was looking at the top of his head, the whole time.
Shannon Alter: We don't want to do that. We want to see your face. So stand up and look at look up
Shannon Alter: And surely, if you're in a more informal conversation. You might be sitting down. But for example, if, if you see me doing a virtual conference for a virtual presentation I'm standing up. And the reason I do that is I think that when you stand
Shannon Alter: Things are a little bit different. You breathe a little bit differently. Your voice might be different, your posture is different.
Shannon Alter: So whichever you choose, you want to be screen ready and I use that in the virtual sense, but think of it in person as well. We want to see some light on your face. You'd be surprised how many times
Shannon Alter: People are actually literally in the dark when they're on screen. So it pays to go invest in in an inexpensive LED or bring light or something like that. We want to see you.
Shannon Alter: Try and look i to i. And you may have heard this before, but make sure you position your camera, whether it's your laptop or external so that it is meeting your eyeballs, otherwise you're going to be kind of looking around at other things and not us. So think of that camera as me.
Shannon Alter: And the other side. Always. Always check your tech, whether it's for a virtual presentation or whether you're in person stuff can go sideways.
Shannon Alter: I've been in situations where there's an earthquake. There's a power outage.
Shannon Alter: Various things can happen. The tech goes sideways. I was speaking of a power, power outage. I was doing a presentation. A few years ago in
Shannon Alter: A country other than my own. And there was a power outage. And so fortunately we were prepared. We'll talk about that plan B. But it was darkest night in our room and so
Shannon Alter: I was teaching from my laptop and I fortunately had my plan B. My iPad and so was able to whip that out and teach from that and my colleague also had an iPad. And so that's how we did it.
Shannon Alter: And then last but not least, get some help. It's okay. Whether you're in person or doing it virtually to have kind of a producer on the side or somebody who can help you, especially if you're looking at a virtual situation where you have audience members coming in, get some help.
Shannon Alter: Once your job. All of our job when we do a presentation or telling communication is to tell the story. So it's that who, what, when, where, and why
Shannon Alter: Tell people what they want to know. First, why are you here. So in this virtual course. We are here to chat about and tell the story about how you can be able to deliver your own presentation in the best way possible.
Shannon Alter: So what's up next. Let's talk about module two. So in this module, we're going to talk about some pitfalls that can occur. And I already already shared a couple with you.
Shannon Alter: But even the best presenters and speakers and actors among us can make a mistake. So it's great to know what these are ahead of time so you can plan for them because that flexibility is key.
Shannon Alter: So first is not having a plan B and I shared with you a situation I had when there was a power outage. So I like to have a plan B. That was my iPad.
Shannon Alter: And a Plan C and maybe a D. So my plan C in that case was well I had my iPad, my colleague had hers, but we're in a dark, warm room and it's simply got too hot. And so we said, hey, we are taking this outside. That was my plan see
Shannon Alter: We'll talk about body language. So don't forget your body language, whether you're in person or your own screen.
Shannon Alter: I had a client, not too long ago. And this was both virtual and in person, where she when you talk to her, one on one, she was fine when she got up in front of a group, even a small one.
Shannon Alter: SHE SEEMED TO SHRINK inside herself, if you know what I mean. Her arms were kind of wrapped around her. Her
Shannon Alter: Stance was very close and even her voice got very soft. And when I asked her about it. And I said, Hey, you know, tell me about this, what's going on. She said, Oh, you know, I didn't know I was doing that in my head I'm speaking louder.
Shannon Alter: Or in my head I'm using an approachable stance, neither of which was true. So that was something we were able to work on to get her to do.
Shannon Alter: Number three. Big mistake being disorganized for that conversation or communication and
Shannon Alter: When it happens you know it, you'll be you'll be thinking, oh my goodness, you know, I don't really know what I'm going to say next. I'm not prepared or I thought they were going to talk about this or want to know that.
Shannon Alter: You can't account for everything and you have to be flexible enough to answer those questions that may come up and that's a whole different course but being organized is key. Lack of rehearsal another case where I'd love to put this in neon lights, times three or four
Shannon Alter: Sometimes people will say, Well, you know, I want to be spontaneous. Well, that's true, that's true. We do want it to act to seem like
Shannon Alter: Is conversational right. We want to be conversational, but you have to rehearse and I'll give you an example. So for me, for example.
Shannon Alter: When I prepare I do a certain amount of rehearsing and I may have everything on a slide or I may have a bullet point or a picture that I want to refer to, or you know i've i've written out my script in advance, but
Shannon Alter: Sometimes it doesn't come out of my mouth. The same way that I planned and so that rehearsal is key.
Shannon Alter: And think about it this way. When you attend a play or a movie, you see the seamless performance. You don't see everything that goes on in the background. So we'll talk about that and
Shannon Alter: In flexibility. We've talked about this but flexibility is really key because different things are just going to happen face it.
Shannon Alter: So again, if there's no plan, you're in trouble. You got to have a plan. And I think that, again, I recommend you have a plan B and even a Plan C.
Shannon Alter: Because you have to adapt to what your audience is asking for. So for example, if I'm doing a presentation.
Shannon Alter: Or whether for a client or for a conference. I like to ask what people's challenges are. And there are a couple of reasons for that. A. I want to know and be
Shannon Alter: Maybe there's something they come up with that I hadn't thought of or. Hmm, this is an area that I could answer in our communication because I want to make sure that it's relevant. So always have that plan.
Shannon Alter: structuring your conversation. This is a big topic for people and I have a downloadable tip sheet for you. So be sure and access that. Here are six steps that you can take.
Shannon Alter: First, think about the story. So what are you trying to say. So always go back to that roadmap and that story. If you're very right. You're very left. Not going to happen. You need to think about the story.
Shannon Alter: To outline your thoughts. So I use the word outline a little bit loosely whatever floats your boat here for me.
Shannon Alter: I love to use a whiteboard. I do two things. So I like to use a whiteboard and I use that to get all my deals out of my head because I have a lot of ideas, a lot to say. As you can imagine,
Shannon Alter: So I may write things on the whiteboard. I might just take
Shannon Alter: A deck of post it and slap them up there with different things so that I can move them around and be. I can see what's necessary for the conversation or the presentation at hand.
Shannon Alter: And so what I'll do. For example, if, if I'm using post its on that whiteboard or if I'm even writing it down, say, on a notepad.
Shannon Alter: Then things that don't apply. I can move to the side because maybe they're great for another conversation or maybe it just doesn't apply at all. So outline your thoughts.
Shannon Alter: Number three, get yourself organized. So that's part of it when you're going to do that presentation or communication, figure out
Shannon Alter: How you can organize it. When I first started out, I wrote everything down. And I mean on law on yellow legal pads. I wrote everything down. Well,
Shannon Alter: within about five minutes after I got up to deliver my talk, I realized this is not going to work. So you have to figure out what kind of organization is better for you.
Shannon Alter: Number four, settle on a topic, you can't talk about everything in every conversation. So you'll notice
Shannon Alter: Earlier I mentioned a couple of things that might be in another course but that we can't detail here or you might say in your presentation. Hey, this is words a whole topic.
Shannon Alter: All to itself. So settle on your topic. Number five, have a purpose. So our purpose here is to show you how you can master presentations in under an hour. That's our purpose.
Shannon Alter: And then number six. So decide on a style. It could be formal. It could be informal right sitting across the table from someone whether virtually or in person.
Shannon Alter: Or are you presenting in a big board meeting, for example, what's your style going to be. And once you have those six things that will help you structure your conversation.
Shannon Alter: Mind your body language. We talked a little bit about this, but whether your virtual or in person. Think about
Shannon Alter: What that non verbal communication is saying. So whether your, your arms are tight across your chest, your maybe
Shannon Alter: jiggling the change in your pocket, your eyes are somewhere else. What is it non verbal communication saying and what is your method of communication. So,
Shannon Alter: Think about your body language a little more expansively again. Are you doing it virtually. Are you over the phone, are you
Shannon Alter: In person with somebody. And number three, think about your eyes and your voice. So you'll recall, the example I gave you a short while ago about a client, whose voice turned really soft.
Shannon Alter: Or when she got up in front of somebody. And she wasn't aware of it. Or maybe if you're in person or even online. Maybe your turn around and someone can't hear you.
Shannon Alter: So think about your voice. We want to hear some energy from you. We want it to be strong and we want to have that I contact, whether you're in person or virtually. So here's a little trick you can try.
Shannon Alter: The idea is that you try this task for full day, although I tell you it. That's kind of hard. I've done it for a half a day and it can be tough. So what I want you to do.
Shannon Alter: Is try. Remember the eye color of every person you meet, but maybe a little more difficult virtually but you can do it, Try remember the eye color.
Shannon Alter: And that's not so that you're staring at somebody, but it's to kind of get you used to that eye contact. And then the fourth thing is, of course, smile. If you're not smiling. We can hear that in your voice. So again we want that. We want to hear your smile.
Shannon Alter: What can a rehearsal do for you again think of this and neon lights. So to go back to my example of
Shannon Alter: Thinking about a great play or a movie. We don't see what happens in the background. Typically, we don't see the actors rehearsing their lines or
Shannon Alter: setting their marks or the lighting director figuring out the cues for the stage manager figuring out what should happen next, we don't see all of that. And there's a reason for that. Right. That's called rehearsal, so
Shannon Alter: We want to make sure that we've rehearsed our presentation or communication to have that same great experience on on the audience side.
Shannon Alter: And for me, what I like to do is I like to rehearse three times. And typically, I do it three times. Early only. So after I
Shannon Alter: Write or put together my presentation all rehearse the first time to make sure, as I said earlier that what comes out of my mouth is.
Shannon Alter: Flowing right because sometimes I might make a note or I might change it around so I want to make sure I do that. So that's my first rehearsal. My second rehearsal.
Shannon Alter: If I have the opportunity is about a week before my presentation. And then my third
Shannon Alter: Rehearsal will be probably the day before. I don't want to do it any more than three times because then it tends to become over scripted and over rehearsed.
Shannon Alter: So think about what rehearsal can do for you and
Shannon Alter: Rigor so rigor can certainly apply to the discipline that we're going to use and putting our presentation together, but it could also mean in my mind a little bit of flexibility.
Shannon Alter: And you've got to be flexible because people will ask you all kinds of questions. Other things might come up. Your job is to tell that story and in your presentation and lead them to where you want them to go.
Shannon Alter: So what should I look out for.
Shannon Alter: Let's talk about some myths and some truths here in module three, so we'll talk about what you've heard and where you could listen best some myths and some truths and then talk about how you can boost your impact.
Shannon Alter: So what have you heard, I'll share as story with you when I first started out, I would have a dream and you might call it a nightmare. Every time I was going to get up and present
Shannon Alter: And it would go somewhat like this, it would be one of these variations on the theme. So get to the venue, or the office or the ballroom
Shannon Alter: And the door be locked. I'd be in the wrong place, or it was the wrong time. Or maybe I had severe bedhead or I showed up in my PJs so that was kind of in my mind I was expecting that.
Shannon Alter: Every time so that part. You just have to get over here are some myths and truths one number one you can wing it.
Shannon Alter: Well, even the best amongst us probably don't wing it. There is rehearsal going on in the background. You want that conversation to be spontaneous and that's the idea of a conversation, but you need to have that rehearsal in the background and that preparation is key number two.
Shannon Alter: No one gets nervous. Well, not true, everybody gets a little bit nervous right and that's okay. Number three.
Shannon Alter: Another myth is that you should put everything in your presentation. Well we we chatted about how you can get organized and that's the first key to deciding what's most critical to your presentation. So some truths.
Shannon Alter: As I mentioned, DIY ah counts. So if you've been with me before you know that I love this acronym.
Shannon Alter: given to me by a former boss, actually. And this is, do your homework. So that doing your homework, whether it's the organization.
Shannon Alter: The presentation. That is what really counts and will get you to success in delivering your presentation.
Shannon Alter: Number two, that storytelling again is key. Why are you there. What's the wider audience there. What's the who, what, when, where, and why. And then number three. We want to make sure that we connect, right. You want to connect with that story. And that's how we're going to convey
Shannon Alter: I have a white colored version of this. So a lighter colored but I chose red because again we want to make sure our impact is high. And so all of these tactics will take you there.
Shannon Alter: And I have some ninja moves that I think you can use
Shannon Alter: So solutions that you can practice. And here are a few of them. Number one, owning the room. So that's, again, whether you're a virtual or whether you're in person.
Shannon Alter: You want to have that presence that's going to make people pay attention. So think about your voice, your eye contact your body language.
Shannon Alter: How you can own that room number to get organized again repeating it. So making sure you do your homework I'm pretty diligent about that because everything you do in the background is going to make all the difference when you get up to deliver
Shannon Alter: rehearse it live. There's no excuse today for not being able to do that. That could be in front of a colleague, a team member
Shannon Alter: Your mom in the mirror so rehearse it so that you know what's going to come out of your mouth. Number four, make sure you hook them. You got to tell people why they're there, and don't save it till the very end when they forgotten about it.
Shannon Alter: Number five, use a little stage craft. So remember that seamless effect that you see as an audience member when you go to
Shannon Alter: Play or to a movie and what it takes to get to that point. And then, of course, what is your final presentation going to be
Shannon Alter: That's what you want to practice. And here's some homework for you. So again, if you've been with me before, you know, I'm a little fun of giving homework.
Shannon Alter: And this really works. You can do it, I do it two ways. In my workshops. I do it either a selfie video. So that would be you.
Shannon Alter: Or two people. So if you have someone else you can do it work with that works great, too.
Shannon Alter: And I think today we we all have various methods to record something, whether it's online, or whether it's using your phone. I recommend you just take your phone.
Shannon Alter: And for example, if you have two people you could each video each other's talk
Shannon Alter: And video and record that and then if it's just yourself. Go ahead and just record yourself. And the reason for this is, it's great practice. And you can see what you do. So at the very least.
Shannon Alter: You never want to just rehearse by reading what you've got, or, you know, reading your slides or or snapping through them on your laptop.
Shannon Alter: At least practice in front of a mirror. Better yet, do it in front of somebody live and better yet, even better yet video it so you can see what you do. So maybe
Shannon Alter: You're fidgeting with your outfit or maybe your jingling change in your pocket or maybe your eyes or elsewhere or your voices too soft. So that's your homework, and I'd love to hear from some of you as to whether this worked for you.
Shannon Alter: I like to say finally put it on the board. So you remember I mentioned to you. I love to use a whiteboard. That's a great way to get all of my ideas out and help organize my conversation.
Shannon Alter: And I'd like you to think about. So a little more homework. Think about what you would put on the board. And if I'm you. I will put it right in front of you. So on your phone on a posted on your own whiteboard.
Shannon Alter: What are you going to do to master your presentation. So what are your takeaways from our course here today.
Shannon Alter: And some reminders for you. We want to make sure that we're connecting. So we have that conversation in order to convey
Shannon Alter: And then we want to structure that conversation. We want to make sure that we're organized in the background. And we have that stage craft and we want to make sure that we have a plan B. C. And, well, maybe even a D.
Shannon Alter: Overall, we want to tell the story we want to let people know why they're there and lead them to where we want them to go.
Shannon Alter: And then we want to rehearse times three. Now you don't have to actually do it three times. If that's not your thing.
Shannon Alter: But you want to rehearse so that you get that presentation just the way you want it. I think each of you can go from stage to spectacular.
Shannon Alter: If you'd like to hear more. Here's my contact information and of course you can sign up for my newsletter to stay in the loop and I will be doing more more mini courses so stay in the loop for those. Thank you for joining us here.