the storyboard

Your company probably spends a pile of money on designing logos, marketing materials and packaging that are consistent with its brand. Your company likely has a budget to train staff so they deliver a consistent experience for everyone who comes into contact with you.

I work with a lot of companies that do this. But with many I do end up wondering, after spending all this money to build a brand, why do they leave presentations to the whims of the presenter?

It doesn't take much to chip away at your image. A grotesque hot pink chosen for a bar graph, a crazy new font that doesn't appear anywhere in your marketing materials, a bootlegged photo from Google Images and, all too often, a message that is obscured by a clutter of information...these are all ways your brand is undermined in presentations.

Last month, in the U.S., the battle over SOPA happened. Wikipedia and Google launched dramatic campaigns against the bill and, convinced of their rectitude, I sided with them. This month, in Canada, our government is proposing an online surveillance bill that will give police unfettered access to our online activities. The Canadian government is framing this bill around child pornography insisting police are incapable of dealing with this heinous crime without these powers of surveillance. I thought about my position. I decided that any concern over the police seeing my inane Facebook posts or boring banking activities are meaningless compared to slowing down an internet industry fueled by the horrific abuse of children. And so I argued in favour of the bill.

But wait. My positions are inconsistent. On the one hand, I said the government should butt out and allow us our liberties. On the other, I was passionate with my, "Yes! Let the police in and protect these kids."

Why did this happen? It came down to emotion. Instead of logically assessing my position to see if it fit with my overall view, I went with my gut and my heart.

The truth is most of us do. That's why, in all likelihood, the Canadian government is making child pornography the bill's flagship target. It's smart presentation skills. It's smart storytelling.

The truth is I still want the government to come up with a way to track bad guys online...but my emotions prevented me from looking closely at what they were proposing and wondering if there were alternatives.

Thanks to Chuck Bean for this one. Imagine arriving at your hotel late at night, weary from travel and all you're looking for is a sign that says, "Parking." Instead you get this overly complicated sign. You'd probably drive right past. No connection.

In your business presentations remember that your audience is weary from information overload. The best way to stand out is to keep things simple and clear - your language, your visuals and your ideas.

Last week in Stand and Command a question came up about questions. In my experience most presenters dread Question & Answer period because they feel they are being grilled, put on the hot seat, or challenged.

The truth is a lively Q&A is the best indicator you've engaged your audience, given them something to think about and persuaded them that your idea is worthy of discussion.

So why dread the Q&A?

Usually, it's because of the elephant. The one objection, hurdle or point of contention you know could prevent your idea from moving forward - that's the elephant. If someone mentions the elephant surely it will kill your story, destroy your idea and your presentation will be a flop.

Not if you mention the elephant first.

For every Q&A, predict the questions you'll be asked and rehearse your answers.

If there is an elephant, work it into your presentation and address it as logically and persuasively as you can. You have now neutralized its power and strengthened your idea.

I'm reading a fantastic book right now by Daniel Kahneman called Thinking, Fast and Slow. (A must read for anyone who wants to understand how we make judgements, form impressions and develop beliefs). Kahneman talks about the power of the halo effect - which is really just another way of describing a great first impression.

For presentions, the halo effect is critical. If you deliver a compelling and meaningful story with clarity, confidence and enthusiasm your audience will assume you do your job well and they will want to work with you or do business with you.

Consider this:

What if you don't deliver a compelling and meaningful story with clarity, confidence and enthusiasm?

I went to see a high school friend, Jen Grant, perform her stand-up routine at Yuk-Yuk's last week and I learned a lot about the power of a great presenter. The place was nearly empty - an audience of about 12 people. Before the show, I sat there thinking, "Man, this is going to be tough." The Yuk-Yuk's manager did well. He squished us all into the front two rows and set the chairs up so we'd be right next to each other. He made the room feel smaller than it was. In spite of his efforts the first comedian out (not my friend) didn't handle it well. My impression was that it had put him off and he had trouble hiding it or changing his routine to suit a smaller group. It was awkward at times and we didn't laugh a lot. I kept thinking, "Too bad the audience is so small." My opinion changed, however, after my friend's performance. Jen used the intimacy to her advantage, made us all laugh hard, and it seemed like she could stay on stage forever. She didn't let it phase her or, if it did, she refused to let it show.

As presenters it is our job to commit to our story and be flexible enough to respond to less than ideal situations. You may be looking at a sea of dead pan faces, your key decision maker may have skipped your presentation, your technology might fail. Be flexible, don't let it faze you and remember, you are there for them - your audience. Whoever they may be and whatever mood they may be in.

After the Yuk-Yuk's show, Jen told me about her training at Second City in Improv. I've done other classes and I think improv is the best training you can get in flexible thinking, risk-taking, and active listening - all important skills for great presentations.

Over the last eight weeks I've been immersed in some of the most technical presentations I've seen. All of my clients struggle with the same problem when presenting evidence to support their story: how much information should I put in my presentation and how do I keep it interesting?

And yet keeping the audience interested might not be the problem. Further entrenching them in the story they thought was true is the challenge. Here's an example. Let's say you want to convince the C-suite to invest in technology that will help everyone do their jobs faster and with more accuracy. The C-suite consists of guys well over 50 who did their jobs just fine without technology and they don't want to spend the money. So you pack your presentation full of hard evidence and data that supports your argument. Projects are taking six months to complete when they could be wrapped up in four. You have charts that demonstrate how much time it takes just to find a document on an overstuffed hard drive. You have charts up the yin-yang.

Will the guys in the room be convinced? The research says no.

We hate to admit we're wrong and researchers at the University of Michigan say if we're faced with facts that tell us we're wrong we hate to admit it even more. That makes the presenter's job tough.

Thankfully there is a solution. Take the power out of the objections. Present the audience their evidence and then punch holes in it. Then present your evidence. I've read this a few times (most recently on Andrew Abela's blog, The Extreme Presentation Method) and it makes sense. It's what I used to do when selling.