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So what is the difference between public speaking & a presentation?

Nobody seems to have a clear answer. Even the Oxford English Dictionary does not clear up the confusion. If you look at the OED definition of the word “presentation” it says “a demonstration or display of materials, information etc; a lecture” So if you are giving information about the life of Abraham Lincoln it would seem you are giving a presentation. If you are telling a customer about a new product similarly you are giving a presentation. So what the heck is public speaking, because most people I come into contact with would reckon that the two previous examples could be classified as public speaking?

I mean do you need to have great presentation skills AND public speaking skills? Or can you get away with just one of them? Or are they the same blinking thing?

In my travels the phrase “public speaking” is more widely used in the USA to cover the whole spectrum of speaking to an audience than in Britain. In Britain, public speaking is something politicians & lawyers do (along with the father of the bride, the after dinner speaker, the captain of a sports club at their annual meeting… oh dear it is getting confusing again)whilst any form of speaking to an audience in a business context seems to be called “a presentation”. My American friends will still call this sort of communication “Public Speaking”! Grrr it all gets very confusing.

Maybe we should dwell on the common British usage of the word “presentation” as when we speak to an audience in a business setting. Could there be something in this neat division. Upon reflection, there are some unique demands placed upon a speaker or speech writer when making a business speech aka “Business Presentation.”

An intimate audience.

You won’t be speaking to the masses. Often a business presentation will be less than a dozen, it might even be just to one person. This can lead to willingness for members of the audience to interrupt and to challenge mid way through your presentation.

You are on away turf

Rather than a conference hall where all speakers, chairmen, mc’s and the audience are on neutral territory, many presentations are held in a clients or your boss’s office. Not only do they feel very at home (& you feel very much ill at ease) but it is often harder to set the room up as you might prefer.

Facts and Figures are important

In a smaller business presentation (to people for whom facts and figures are critical to financial and organisational results) your facts and figures are likely to be challenged. It is essential that you are 100% sure of the accuracy of the content in a presentation.

Seniority of Audience

Very often the audience at a business presentation are likely to be in a more powerful organisational position than you (they are your CEO; they are your client etc). This can be intimidating.

Time is Money

At a conference, the audience have chosen to attend. With a business presentation there is more a feeling that you, as the presenter, are interrupting them. The challenge is to help your audience think that you have not wasted their time; that you have given them something valuable.

The need to get a Decision

The purpose of most business presentations is to get a decision. Rather like a contestant on a show like “Britain’s Got Talent” or “The X-Factor” you are mentally trying to impress the audience and nervous that the buzzer may sound!

“Death by PowerPoint”

Many people automatically think they need PowerPoint slides in a presentation. In fact when I have heard people talk about “putting a presentation together” what they mean is putting a slideshow together. Far too often the production of the slides becomes more important than the construction or the delivery of the message.

But after all this fundamentally presentation skills are very similar to effective public speaking skills.

And I still cant work out if speaking on behalf of your company at a major conference is public speaking or a business presentation.

Both are powerful business communication skills – I can’t remember ever coming across a business leader who cannot deliver both a speech and a presentation with equal confidence, clarity & style.

They rely on the same three core components:

· Understanding & speaking to your audience

· A clear & compelling message

· Engaging delivery

These are the Holy Trinity of Public Speaking.

If you understand these key components, know how to apply them & practise them you can deliver engaging, powerful, and successful presentations and speeches alike.

So at the end of all that it seems rather academic as to whether you call it a presentation or public speaking. The crucial thing is that you want to get a message across to an audience (however big) and get them to take some sort of action.

How do you actually do that?
Ah well, I will tell you that story soon.

Many of us use PowerPoint to convey a message to both small and large groups. Too often we see “death by powerpoint” in the corporate environment where people don’t use it effectively. Get clever when using your PowerPoint – this article has 20 tips for becoming a more engaging presenter when you use this tool.

Only use a maximum of six (6) words on each line. Too many words is too much clutter and hard for your audience to read.

Only use a maximum of six (6) lines of text on each slide. If you have too many lines of text your audience will spend their time reading your slides and not listening to you speak.

Keep slides clear and uncluttered. Avoid using many graphics or too busy with information – make your message clear.

Use animation where relevant but don’t overdo it. This feature can really highlight a key message… or distract your audience if not done correctly.

Use sound effects and movie clips to enhance your presentation. This is a great technique when it works! Be sure to test your presentation in the live environment before you show your audience. Just because it worked at home or your office… doesn’t always mean it will work when your audience appears.

Don’t talk to your Powerpoint … remember you have an audience that can read. Don’t insult the intelligence of your audience and assume they can’t read your slides. Use different words to the ones on your slides.

Keep your slides to a minimum - people want to hear your message not be distracted by too many slides. They have come to hear a real person, not an electronic presenter. Only use slides to enhance and reinforce your message.

Don’t use dark coloured backgrounds – this makes it hard to read from the back of the room. Be aware of the effects of different background colours.

Use large font only as small font is too hard to read from a distance.

Change the font size of words on the same slide to emphasize key words. Don’t make every word the same font – if you want to make words stand out, use different colours and fonts.

Don’t rely on your PowerPoint – technology can sometimes fail us – know your content and also have a hard copy of your presentation with you at all times.

Get creative with photos and images Don’t use Italic font – it is too hard to read.

Avoid using all capital letters as it is also difficult to read. In email etiquette this is seen as shouting, PowerPoint could be interpreted the same way.

Test the colours on a large screen as some may change from your laptop to the large projection.

Create a master slide – this might include your logo and in your corporate colours to reinforce your brand.

Use a remote controlled mouse or plan your movement and slide design so that you are not bound to your keyboard location.

Know how to navigate Powerpoint – in the event you press your mouse incorrectly or your system falters it is important to look like you know how to use this tool.

Learn how to insert tables, graphs, graphics and photos to enhance your presentation – rather than just using text.

Attend a course to increase your Powerpoint skills and learn creative ways to use this tool.

Don’t kill your audience with ‘death by PowerPoint’ – find creative ways to use this tool and you will become a more engaging and on-purpose presenter.

Negotiations are comprised of small groups of people struggling to accomplish a mission. Such groups can be viewed as teams. Teams are management challenges. When viewed collectively, the two opposing negotiating forces actually comprise a potential team populated by competing forces. This discord threatens the team environment.

If you are expanding your team, you are adding the management challenge of having to manage the people on your team. You assume responsibility for your team’s preparation, pre-engagement research and the role each co-negotiator will play. You need most importantly to establish a global goal for the team and strategy for the pending session. If you are part of a negotiating team but not the team leader, make sure you know the team’s goals and objectives. If they are not clear, ask for clarification. Success is being part of a winning team; not knowing why your team failed. Worse yet is to not know why!
If the other side brings in a team of negotiators, You need to take steps to engage and manage their team.

If you are facing a team of negotiators, welcome the opportunity as a management challenge. Apply basic team building tactics to begin to merger the two teams:

- Welcome the other team to the negotiation.

- Observe the other team’s pecking order and note who your prime opponent defers to, if anyone. This may tell you who the real decision maker is.

- Don’t assume the primary speaker is the actual team leader or decision maker.

- Pepper random members of the other team to uncover latent leaders or issues that need to be addressed.
Interview each new member of the team as to their role, qualifications and specific area of expertise.

- Establish your role as the overall discussion leader stating clearly and concisely the objective of the day’s discussions.

- Look for areas of disagreement or conflict between the other team members. Typically non-verbal communications reveal such discord.

- Take time to fully debrief the other team, individually, before launching into the issues of the day.

Negotiating is small group management challenge. Seek to engage and involve the other team as part of the collective team. This will predictably come as a surprise to them. Confusing your opponent is often a viable negotiating tactic.

The group is dysfunctional at the start. Their are conflicting goals and objectives. You can establish an informal leadership role if you are able to establish a common goal for the collective group. This is not as hard as it sounds. You have all invested the time and money to attend the meeting. That presumes a common goal. Try to find a way to establish that goal as the primary purpose of the meeting in a fashion that addresses the needs of both sides.