The Exceptional Presenter

“Exceptional Presenter” is an amazing book. There are tons and tons of ideas, examples that help you to become an exceptional presenter. Trust me…its true! I strongly suggest everyone must read it.

Here are some points that I would really like to share …..

From his two decades of experience, Tim Koegel says in his book “The Exceptional Presenter,” that anyone can become an exceptional presenter. It is not any rocket science. We call a presentation “excellent”, “extraordinary”, “outstanding” or “average”, “ordinary”, or “mundane”…..What make us use these words for any presentation? Becoming an exceptional is not a herculean task…we just need to discover what it mean OPEN UP! And Own the Room.

An exceptional Presenter is:

Organized – Exceptional Presenters always sound prepared. They look poise and polished. We can sense then that they are not there to waste time.
Grabbing the undivided attention of audience is one heck of a job….Studies suggest that the average adult “undivided attention span” is 20 to 30 seconds. It is not possible for any single topic or speaker to maintain the audience attention for a very long time…The mind always drifts in multiple directions…the audience has pretty good reasons to lose the connection if the presenter is not reengaging then to the topic.
A long lasting presentation structure is:
· Tell them what you’re going to tell them (opening)
· Tell the(body)
· Tell them what you just told them (close)

Therefore always try to keep your presentation short, focused and relevant.

Your presentation must and should:
1. Begin with a purpose
2. Objective/Mission/Purpose/Goal
3. Position/Situation/Issues
4. End result/Benefits/Consequences
5. Next Step/Action Plan/Time Line

Passionate – An exceptional presenter radiate Passion, conviction and enthusiasm.
Passion is expressed entirely through delivery. A presentation to be heartfelt or turn into a lullaby, is totally depends on the presenters passion.
The degree of enthusiasm and passion the presenter has is expressed only through delivery…so focus on
1. Posture
2. Gestures and commands
3. Voice command
4. Elimination of hesitation and verbal graffiti

Engaging – Exceptional presenters always connects with their audiences. They build a rapport quickly and involve audience early and often.
Five missiles to alienate yourself from your audience
1. Talk about yourself
2. Avoid eye contact
3. Don’t smile
4. Read your entire speech
5. Use inappropriate or sarcastic humor

Natural – Exceptional presenters are Natural. They look completely at ease in front of the audience.

As an exceptional Presenter, you must:

Understand the Audience – The quickest way to connect with an audience is demonstrating them that you understand their business, their issues and their concerns

Practice – The skills discussed in this book are quite basic. Mastering them is making them our habits.

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit – Aristotle.