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5 Things That Can Ruin Your Presentation

September 19, 2018 by Muhammad Noer

Not everyone can deliver an amazing presentation with a single try. It takes practice and experiences to be able to do that, like the world class presenters. The great presenters also started with a few mistakes and of course, nervousness.

But, everyone definitely doesn’t want to look bad when delivering a presentation. The worst thing during a presentation is when the audience looks unenthusiastic and bored. They’re yawning, back and forth, or busy looking at their clock, playing their gadget, or even asleep. It’s not their fault. It’s yours, as the presenter. It’s your responsibility. It also means, your presentation is bad and boring.

Well, there are 5 things that you may not realize, but you do it when presenting. These 5 things could ruin your presentation, make it look bad and boring. So, you better avoid doing those things when you have to deliver your presentation on the stage.

1. Make yourself look small

For example, you said ‘I don’t really master at this thing’, ‘I don’t know what to say’, or ‘Hopefully this presentation won’t bore you’.

Those things could make the audience feel bored immediately. When you say that you don’t master about something or don’t know what you are going to say, then the audience will think ‘then why I am here and should listen to you?’

Maybe the presenter said those things because they don’t feel confident. This lack of confidence can affect the audience, whether they will continue to listen to your presentation, or decide to get busy with themselves.

So, whatever you feel, try to look confident. If you’re nervous, take a deep breath. The most important thing to do is to prepare your presentation as good as possible.

2. Not making an eye contact

Making eye contact with the audience means you respect your audience. You also make contact and communication with them. With an eye contact, you show them that you will give something to them through your presentation.

If you don’t make an eye contact with your audience, it means that you are talking to yourself. You’re not trying to involve them in your presentation. If the audience doesn’t feel involved, they will think, “Why am I here?”

So, never forget to make an eye contact with the audience. No need to look at the audience one by one. Just select a point in each of your points of view, which you think can represent each group to your audience.

3. Not checking the equipment for your presentation

Before you walk to the stage to deliver your presentation, make sure that the equipment, like the computer, projector, or pointer, are functioning properly. If there’s an equipment that suddenly get stuck during your presentation, it will make it look bad.

Waiting is boring. So, the audience will boring if they have to wait while the projector suddenly fails. Moreover, if there are some important materials that they must read or see from it.

Yes, the equipment damage can occur suddenly. But, we can minimized it by checking and rechecking the equipment, at least half an hour before you deliver your presentation.

4. Alienated your audience

It mean is there some of your audience that actually not your choice. Maybe you say that your presentation is not for them. For example, you said, “Maybe some of you ever went to Japan. If there is, than you don’t need to listen to this presentation.”

Then, maybe half of your audience will immediately leave the room because they have been to Japan.

If you say something like that, it means you don’t know your audience. If you know that, then you will only say things that suit them.

So, it’s very important to know your audience. Learn about their backgrounds, so you can be in touch with them. By getting know them, they will enthusiastically to your whole presentation.

5. Extend the presentation time

Sometimes, a presenter feels that his or her presentation is interesting to their audience, so they add more time. This is very unnecessary to do because maybe the audience has other interest.

Even though the audience looks very enthusiastic about your presentation, make sure that the presentation goes according to the time set or planned.

Delivering a presentation is not just making a good material and conveying it to the audience. There are special arts and tactics, so that the material can be prepared and made, and delivered interestingly to your audience.

Successful Public Speaking Tips from the Top CEOs

September 5, 2018 by Muhammad Noer

Public speakers are not only required to master speaking techniques, but also must be able to convey the substance. It’s like, if you’re a CEO, then you have to look and sound like a leader.

The substance has to be your main focus. Your main concern is “what”, then later on “how” you can convey it clearly and convincingly.

The top CEOs give secrets about how to give a strong message. The message is the foundation. Without it, yo’re only a speaker, not a leader.

Secret #1: Talk about the Great Ideas

Every speech, presentation, or other form of communication requires one big idea that is most attached to people’s minds. A big idea is able to stand on its own, not requiring prolonged or passionate speeches. The idea is great because of its power, not the length.

The 16th United States President Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” speech consisted of only 271 words and was delivered in just 3 minutes, but the speech became one of the best and most frequently cited in American history. In November 19, 1863, the people was actually came to the Soldiers’ National Cemetery not to listen to the president’s speech, but to listen to the most famous orator in the country, Edward Everett.

Everett made a 2-hour speech, but it was Lincoln’s short speech that inspired the American people who were there. In his speech, Lincoln talked only about one idea: to convince Americans to continue struggling. It was indeed the Civil War at that time and Lincoln’s speech was delivered about four and a half months after the Union army defeated the confederation in the Battle of Gettysburg.

No one likes long speeches. Short speeches plus big ideas, that’s the secret. Another example is President Kennedy’s speech in 1961 which inspired the United States to send people to the moon. Kennedy said confidently that America would go to the moon and it turns out they did successfully before 1960s ended.

Secret #2: Talk about Present, not Past or Future

Honestly, no one likes written speech, which has been prepared. It’s boring. You should talk about what happened at that time right away. In public speaking, your message must be about your audience and about what is happening at that time. In that way, you will be able to reach an audience who didn’t even believe you would listen.

When the Sovereign Bank in America, which is now changing its name to Santander Bank, opened its branch offices in New England, many people doubted if the company could compete with other banks in the region.

The chairman and CEO of the bank, John Hamill, decided to hold a meeting and invite 500 of his employees to remove the doubts. Hamill thought that the only thing he could do was to deal with the doubt directly.

According to Hamill, the meeting had to solve what was raging in the minds of the employees, immediately, so he talked about the reason why he joined the Sovereign and why he was sure they would succeed.

When you are able to connect with what your audience is thinking or feeling, you can prepare them to listen to the important messages in your speech or conversation.

Secret #3: Make It Simple

The biggest problem in public speaking is too much thing to convey. In fact, in good public speaking, a message must be simple and easy to remember.

Roger Marino, founder of the high-tech EMC, grew up in a working class environment on the north coast of Boston. He obtained his electronic engineering degree from Northeastern University, however, Marino was actually a seller.

EMC sells the least sexy products of its services at the time, that is a storage system for computer information. But Marino and his two partners were able to sell it and from there they could build a company that eventually dominated the information technology industry.

What’s the secret about it? Marino learned about the importance of communication in business — especially when it comes to making things simple. When he was in college, he was disturbed by the professors who were unable to make him understand what they were teaching on campus.

For Marino, a brilliant professor is one who can communicate ideas in ways that are understood by common people, as simple as possible. Then, Marino made this as his strength in doing business, keeping things simple.

You can learn those secrets to make your presentation even more amazing. If you still want to deepen your ability to deliver presentations, you can take part in the Amazing Presentation and Effective Communication training with Presenta Edu.

How to be a Confident and Attractive Presenter

August 8, 2018 by Muhammad Noer

A goal to be a fascinating speaker are highly require a good public speaking capability. This specific capability will makes you up to be an outstanding and motivated speaker. A good public speaking capability is also beneficial in your daily basis, particularly when your have to deliver an idea in an office meeting or when you want to convince an important client.

Obviously everyone has a public speaking capability, in contrary most of us do not think so. We usually blame a lack of talent in speaking and a minimal scale of confidence in our personality. In fact, with a good training, all of us can be a good public speaker. A fortitude to learn and practice was a requirement to be a good and fascinating public speaker.

How to be a better Public Speaker

A basic requirement for a proper public speaking is a good confidence. A basic level of confidence will help you to avoid some troubles. Getting stuck in a phrase or continuously trembling during your speaking session result a terrible presentation.

Contrasting a low level of confidence is an over confidence. When you feel you are so fascinating, you start to fail to notice your audience. The result is clear enough, an over confidence speaker will perform a terrible presentation as well.

For most people, delivering a presentation were a daily business, even so they didn’t get their most favorable performance yet. Then, a goal to be a better speaker is going to a constant effort.

There are some guidelines for you in order to be a more interesting and effective speaker:

1. Arrange a Clear Plan

A good presentation contain a clear and understandable objective. If your objective is become a better speaker or better presenter, you have to arrange a plan to help you get an excellent performance.

Initially you have to organize a bunch of presentation materials in accordance with your specific theme and audience.

Once you organize the presentation materials, a detailed delivery plan is a basic requirement. With a comprehensive plan, the way you deliver you presentation will be clear enough for yourself and reach the audience flawlessly.

2. Practice

Practice makes perfect. Your regular practice will help you to deliver your arranged presentation in a better way. Afterward the practice will improve your confidence gradually. The better technique to deliver a presentation and a higher level of confidence will help you improve your presentation quality.

You can organize your practice in two ways. First of all try to practice your speaking skill individually by speak up your idea in front of a mirror. Your reflection in the mirror can be act as an impersonation of your audience. Examine the way you speak. Whether it is interesting or boring, your examination will be a good way to improve your skill.

On the other hand, you can try practice your speaking skill with closest people around you. Your family or friends at your office can act as your audience. They can help you with their honest examination. Base on their review, you will improve your skill by avoiding many mistakes or irrelevant gestures in real event.

3. Stay Close with your Audience

The ideal way to be close to the audience is to be familiar with them. Once you have a strong connection, you will obtain a best way to communicate with your audience.

There are many ways to familiar to the audience. It will be much easier if your just have small number of audience. When they are about 15 people you can examine their profile personally.

Sometimes a personal profile examination was impossible. A wide range approach still a basic must. You have to know their educational and occupational background or whether they belong to a similar or random community. A basic knowledge of the audience profile provides you many material to arrange your communication plan.

A presentation that emerging from the audience profile create a strong connection. The speaker gives the impression of being familiar with audience for his/her idea share a similar concern with the audience.

Once a speaker and the audience get along in a familiar atmosphere it means you are successful enough to be named as a good and interesting speaker.

4. Apply a Proper Body Language

A number of speakers didn’t realize that body language shape the way people communicate. Sometimes a speaker feel he was ready enough when his presentation material was well arranged and was close to his audience.

However a speaker can ruins his presentation when he didn’t coordinate a proper gesture or body language. Inappropriate body languages generate an awkward moments and produce a meaningless presentation.

Sometimes an appropriate body language simply originates from a natural performance. You just have to carefully orchestrate how to walk properly on stage, decide a specific moment to go closer or make a short distance from your audience, set up a modest eye contact with the audience, or strengthening a statement with a hand gesture.

Some speaker consider to deliver their presentation on a platform. The decision seems more comfortably since they didn’t have to perform such body language. The speaker will simply stand on a best position on stage while speaking and sometimes illustrate the presentation with a video or slide show on screen.

There’s nothing wrong with the technique, the audience still love your presentation, anyway. Especially if you are a famous figure and you have a great idea in your presentation. However, you will bring your presentation to a next level if you dare to leave the platform (it is not a UN general assembly then). Audience will love you more when you walk on stage, come closer to them, or use a modest hand and facial expression.

Performing a proper body language while you speaking is a indication of a good confidence. The more confident a speaker is, the more interesting his presentation.

All these guidelines and steps give you an idea that to be a confident and attractive speaker/presenter is a possibility, depend on your constant practice.

Sometimes it seems that learn it all alone was the way too difficult. That’s why we’re here to give you a hand. We’re happy to support you to be a confident and attractive speaker with a great skill to deliver a fascinating presentation.

If you want to join us and learn it all together you can get the information here.

The Power of Vulnerability Inspirational Presentation by Brene Brown

July 25, 2018 by Muhammad Noer

Brené Brown is a US Public Speaker, research professor and book author. She is also a Doctor of Philosophy in Social work. She has spent last fifteen years studying vulnerability, courage, shame and compassion. Her three books on the subjects were in the #1 New York Times Bestsellers list.

The books inspired many people to recognize themselves as imperfect human being. A consciousness of our imperfection is a starting point to grow as a better, stronger and happier human being.

She has mentioned the statement in her presentation. Brown reveals an idea about how various weaknesses make up someone’s vulnerability. In turn, the vulnerable individual will uncomfortable with their life, and lost their capability to be respect and loved. The following clip is Brown’s Inspirational presentation in TEDXHouston:

Brown’s Opening Presentation

Brown opens her presentation in a remarkable way. She start it all by tell a story. She tells an experience when an event planner called her because she was going to do a speaking event. She tells the audience how that person was confused with Brown’s profession.

“I think, I’m afraid if I call you a researcher on the little flyer, no one will come.” The event planner said. Then she goes on with, ”But the thing I liked about your talk is you’re a story teller. You tell many things as a story. So I think what I’ll do is just call you a story teller.

In a comical approach, Brown tells how she responded about the idea, “You’re going to call me a what? Why don’t you just say I’m a researcher-story teller.”

Opening her presentation in this way, Brown delivers a great trick for an exciting presentation. Brown’s relaxing story in the beginning of her presentation successfully binds people to her during the presentation.

Insipration from the Presentation

In an e-book of Astonishing Presentation, the most important factor in a presentation is its content. When you can deliver a presentation with a deep inspiration for your audiences, it means you have a success and effective presentation.

In Brené Brown’s presentation, there are some powerful contents. One of them is an idea about shame. When speak about shame Brown said, “Shame is understood as the fear of disconnection that other people know it or see it.”

Shame arises when people start to think I’m not good enough, I’m not beautiful enough, I’m not smart enough. The insufficient feeling in turn will underpinned vulnerability, especially when connect with others.

Brown brings her own experience in to play. She tells a period of her life when she become so vulnerable and need a help from a therapist. Brown articulates how she has her own vulnerability and struggle hard to overcome it. Drawing on her own experience as a case in point, the audiences accept the presentation as a true and meaningful speech.

Brown encourages her audience to embrace their vulnerability, “We have to be familiar with our vulnerability. If we numb our vulnerable self we lose our ability to be grateful.”

At this point Brown gives confidence to her audience to accept everything in their life, accept their vulnerability, and learn to be grateful. An ability to be grateful is a condition to grow happiness.

Brown is a professional social worker. She meets various people and bridges a connection between them. The connection requires an unconditional love. In order to love people even the one that she didn’t know before, we have to be kind to ourselves first and then to others. Because as it turns out we can’t practice compassion with other people if we can’t treat ourselves kindly.

A Closing that Melts Your Heart

A good and effective presentation should left a deep meaning in audience heart. Beside its opening part, a good closing part of a presentation must get enough attention for its crucial role.

Brené Brown closed her presentation in a remarkable approach when she presented some encouraging idea. Her closing statement assembles up many ideas in her presentation and helps her audience understand her presentation in a good way.

Brown presented an idea about vulnerability. A vulnerable aspect of an individual’s life must be seen as an opportunity and not as an obstacle instead. On a ground of interpersonal connection, someone vulnerablity can act as a bridge and a strong point to build up a good and helathy connection.

The advantage of vulnerabilty aspect in someone’s life will arise if he or she embraces it. This act of acceptance encourage self to understand that we have are worthy enough to be loved and to love everybody.

Brown underlined the idea in her closing part, “Because when we work from a place, I believe I’m enough, then we stop screaming and start listening. We will kinder and gentler to the people around us, and we’re kinder and gentler to ourselves.”

In her modest appearance, Brown shows us that she’s in a master speaker category, thanks to her academic ability. Brown seems to realize that she has to build a strong connection with her audience first. This is a very reason why she deliver her idea in a non-academic style and choose a more popular way instead.

Anaphora: World figures’ outstanding Presentation Technique

July 11, 2018 by Muhammad Noer

Some world figures are widely known for their outstanding presentation act. For instance we can see some figures such as the late Steve Jobs, Al Gore or Barrack Obama. Each of them seems to have a specific and unique style, but when we try to observe them closer there is something emerging. All of them were united by a single exceptional technique, anaphora.

Anaphora is a Greek word for a repetition of a similar phrase or word at a beginning of a sequential sentence.

The world figures commonly use Anaphora as a technique to deliver a motivational or inspirational speech.

They bring into play the technique with the aim of persuade and encourage their audiences to remark upon the presentation.

A presentation with anaphora technique is widely confirmed as an effective method to inspire audiences. The well known world figures are prove of the technique’s effectiveness.

Undoubtedly their reputation was one of the reason of why many people were astonished by their presentation or speech. Nevertheless, a good result will not appear when they deliver the speech in a bad and uninteresting way.

By these following examples we can see how anaphora applied as the world figure presentation’s technique.

1. Barrack Obama

In his 2008 Berlin speech, Barrack Obama addressed, Will we stand for the human rights of the dissident in Burma, the blogger in Iran, or the voter in Zimbabwe? Will we give meaning to the words ‘never again’ in Darfur? Wiil we reject torture and stand out for the rule of law? Will we welcome immigrants from different lands? This is our time.

In the speech Obama use anaphora when he replicated ‘will we.’

2. Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Churchill was a book author before he became prime minister of Great Britain on the era of world war II. In the following speech we will look at Winston Churchill oration before the House of Common June 4, 1940.

We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight with growing strength in the air, we shall never surrender.

In this speech we learn that Winston Churchill constantly repeat phrase “We shall”.

3. Martin Luther King, Jr

Marthin Luther King, Jr was a central figure for African-Amrican equality movement. He was well known with his phenomenal speech I Have a Dream.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the the true meaning of its creed. I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of the former slaves owner will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judge by the color of their skin but by content of their character.

You can see that King empower the phrase I have a dream to astound the audience.

Those three examples show us that the world figures in fact have several points they demand to deliver. They did it by constantly repeat a similar phrase. Draw on a specific phrase as their anaphora’s instrument they lead their audiences to focus on their demanded points.

The certain repetition conducts the audiences to go behind and convicted to the orator.

The anaphora technique was already confirmed as a constructive technique in order to inspire many people. However you have to remember that there are several detail to be pointed out in your presentation:

· Do not overuse

When you decide to use a repetitive to you have to carefully consider when you do it. You don’t want your presentation is just a bunch of meaningless repetition. When you overuse such repetition it will be a boring presentation.

· Use a simple and important phrase

Anaphore will be powerfull when you find a short and simple phrase. A long and complicated phrase will be uneasy to remembered.

· Point out a specific tone

A repetitive phrase will sound more familiar when you use a specific intonation each time you said it. The intonation compose a stimulation to the audience to feel a special message behind a repetitive phrase. Once you bring

master the intonation you have to manage your rhytm. Take a short pause before repeat the phrase. This way will create a wonderful anticipation to the audience.

You can learn from the wold’s figures to become an outstanding presenter or orator. Anaphora for sure, is just one of many presentation techniques, there are still many technique to learn.

Beside it you can try to use a short story or a joke to make an interesting presention for your audience.