When on a long drive for business purposes I often turn to the radio to keep me from utter, mind-numbing, boredom.
Some drivers find listening to music or the inane chatter of DJs engaging, but I find that news, documentaries, and political debate keeps my mind alert for the business presentation that doubtless lies ahead.
That said, I often find interviews with (supposed) topic-experts on news programmes extremely irritating. For there is nothing more toe-curlingly painful than an interviewee who is simply unable to refine their knowledge into meaningful and digestible "soundbites" of information for their audience.
This common failing is often exacerbated further when the interview is conducted under significant time pressures. In such circumstances the need to deliver concise commentary becomes even more important. A failure to do so can leave the audience with an incomplete or misleading message at the end of the interview.
This same dynamic is doubtless also repeated daily in business-to-business presentations. Indeed, it’s not uncommon to find a 30-minute business presentation compressed to 15 minutes or less as the result of overruns or poor organisation.
These clock-pressured moments are the moments that really test the skills of a presenter. The unprepared or novice presenter will probably still embark on their expected and planned-for delivery oblivious to the time guillotine now waiting to sever their half-delivered message from content and conclusion. Such an approach will leave both the audience and presenter short-changed at the end.
Whereas a well-prepared presenter will be aware that time is not their friend and will instead aim to canter through the more superfluous details and slides whilst still delivering their killer presentation points with authority and style. This ability to talk in soundbites is a key presentation skill, and one that does get easier with practice. But what steps can the novice presenter take to shorten this learning curve?
My advice here is always the same. Look through your slide deck and work out what your three key messages are in advance. Your messaging, like a book, should include a beginning, middle and end, although in a business presentation the components may be closer aligned to the following headings:
As long as you can deliver these soundbites of information your job will be done, even if the time-pressures prevent you from delivering a fuller explanation. To borrow from American humourist Art Buchwald;
Whether it's the best of times or the worst of times, it's the only time we've got.
Best regards,
Steve