This morning I went to a local business breakfast meeting, I was lucky enough to rub shoulders with some of the leading business minds in our county. One these gentlemen is a guy called Ken, Ken runs NewTricks, a company that specialises in  Presentation skills training, public speaking techniques, effective presentations in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Gloucestershire. Below is a short article which I thought some of you might find helpful.

Presenting – it’s all about Distraction Management.

Even before the bank’s senior franchise manger stood to give his talk
I was transfixed by the hole in the bottom of one of his scruffy
shoes. On closer inspection his suit was shiny through wear & tear and
his shirt had a frayed collar. The over-riding thought going through
my mind was, “Surely, on his salary, he can afford a decent suit and
shirt. Surely he can afford a decent pair of shoes – or at least clean
the ones he’s wearing.” I was really quite cross. So distracted was I
by this thinking that he was a good five minutes into his presentation
before I realised he’d started. What he talked about I couldn’t begin
to tell you.

Isn’t that mad? I’d turned up because I was interested in what he had
to say, but when push came to shove, once I’d clapped eyes on him, I
couldn’t bring myself to listen.

When you leap to our feet to give a presentation you are fighting for
your audience’s attention. They’ll only remember what you said – if
they heard it in the first place! And of course they’ll only hear it
if they are engaged and stay focused on you throughout. So, we have to
fight against other things vying for their attention. Some of these
distractions could be external; the room might be cold, someone’s
mobile phone goes off, a fire-engine goes by. These can be difficult
to control – but can be anticipated. Other distractions might be
internal, i.e. within the presenter’s control. Messy hair, scruffy
shoes, flies undone, comedy ties, short skirts, plunging necklines,
lack of eye contact, reading from the screen etc. etc.

So, the lesson here is: make sure that what you wear doesn’t distract.
Always project the smartest image you can, and an image that will
impress (not distract) the audience. We have trained National Trust
Gardeners in the black art of presenting and whilst I wouldn’t suggest
they wore a suit and tie to give talks on Capabilty Brown’s Landscapes
I do suggest they kick the mud off their boots, give them a clean and
that they wear a clean fleece (not the one they were wearing when they
spread organic matter on their marrows.)

Here are five key pointers on holding an audience’s attention:

Before speaking put yourself in your audiences shoes (especially if
they’re shiny) and ask “What’s in it for them?” Make sure you speak
about something of interest or value to them.
Dress smartly, shine your shoes, brush your hair.
Give your audience eye-contact (not the screen)
Interact with them, ask them questions
Tell stories or anecdotes to which your audience relate can relate

These are lessons the senior franchise manager at the bank would do
well to heed. Ironic then that in the audience were two of the
smartest chaps you could wish to meet. After the talk I met Alex
Edwards & Richard Demczak whose sartorial DItchley (Alex) & Heythrop
(Richard) suits were as sharp as sharp could be. Turns out they run
Aptus Suits tailoring bespoke made to measure gents and ladies suits.
Suits of exceptional quality. But here’s the rub; they keep down their
overheads running their operation, away from the bright and expensive
city lights, from a modest studio in the Cotswolds. So, even a senior
bank manager on his significantly reduced bonus can afford to look
smart and therefore be taken seriously.

Ken Norman
New Tricks Training
www.newtricks.co.uk

http://www.tailored-suits.co.uk