Every Second Counts

NPR recently did a study of how quickly people lose interest in a video if it takes more than a few seconds to load. “What we found was that people were pretty patient for up to two seconds,” said Ramesh Sitaraman, science professor at the University of Massachusetts.

The research showed that viewers begin to abandon video if it does not start up within two seconds. And, as if that weren’t bad enough, each additional second of delay resulted in a 5.8 percent increase in the abandonment rate. In other words, by 10 seconds, half of the viewers had already bolted.

So, what’s our takeaway from this? You’re not the latest season of “Arrested Development” or the music video someone needs to see from their favorite band. You have about two seconds to convince your audience that the content is going to be there.

Tell them right up front what’s coming and why they should pay attention. Let them know it’s going to be worth sitting tight for 15 minutes. Be incredibly clear and deliberate in your opening, and you will have your audience with you the whole time.          

The Black Screen

Ugh … PowerPoint. It isn’t my favorite presentation tool. Apart from the usual complaints about PowerPoint, it’s the use of technology that, for me, can bring with it too many risks. There is one thing that makes it better for me, though – a black screen.

We’ve all waited while a speaker or presenter boots up their PowerPoint right in front of us, right? And we stare at their desktop while we wait. Sometimes it’s a picture of family, or a car, or a random field in Iowa. Desktops can be a window into the soul. Or sometimes they’re just a window into the speaker’s dirty laundry … yuck.

My antidote? I color in an all-black slide and make it Slide #1 for my presentations. That way the projector can be on, the PowerPoint ready to go, but it looks like I haven’t plugged in or booted up yet. I was recently told this is a “brilliant idea” … by the very same woman who “did me a favor” and deleted my black slide.

The backstory is that I recently presented to a group in San Francisco and had sent them my slides ahead of time. However, when I arrived in the room, my logo slide – Slide #2 – was up, and Slide #1 was nowhere to be found. I was calm, but I worried about my slide deck because I knew it wasn’t what I sent over (the logo as an opening slide makes it look like it’s all about me – cardinal sin! – and I would never open that way). Long story short, the woman responsible for the event had assumed the black slide was some sort of mistake and she deleted it for me! We had a good laugh after I explained the method behind my madness …

Bottom line:  You have less than 10 seconds to grab an audience’s attention when you get up to speak or present. Yes, audiences decide in less than 10 seconds if you’re worth listening to, or if you’re going to be just the usual. Don’t squander those precious seconds by fiddling with technology!

Short, Sweet, Simple

Did you know that the Toyota car company was founded by a man with the last name of Toyoda? Why the change? Simplicity. They changed the name because it took fewer brush strokes to render the version that translates to the T.

People like simple things. Colloquialisms not jargon. Short is better than long. Business does better when supply lines are short and simple. Speeches do better when they are easy to understand and to the point.

That’s it, short and to the point.

Today’s Teacher: Comics

You're thinking, "How could comics teach me anything about making a presentation?"

Well, what are comics? I know, there’s a bit of a stigma attached. Kids’ stuff. Or socially awkward guys crowded into small, obscure shops in desolate strip malls. But there actually is a lot in those thin tomes. Comics are stories. They are images with limited text. And, almost magically, they are exactly what their audience wants.

Stories. People read comics because they tell a story that readers can relate to, laugh at, or just ponder. You can do the same thing by using a story; a short, simple, and to-the-point story speaks volumes. Think about how your story fits in with the bigger point or goal of your talk. Hmmm, sort of how one volume of a comic fits in the scheme of the series.

Images. A picture is worth a thousand words. Comics are full of pictures. The author can say less when you can see more. You can reinforce your message by showing them a picture; hand something out, draw on a white board ... PowerPoint if you're desperate.

Audience. This is the most important one. Some people like Spider-Man and his average Joe roots. Some prefer Batman for fighting on behalf of what he is not: average. There are as many reasons to read comics as there are volumes. But every one of those reasons is ultimately because they relate to their specific audience. Knowing your audience will help you tell the right story.

So maybe it is time to think about comics. How does your story drive the message? How do your visuals make your story come alive? And most importantly, who is your audience and what grabs them? 

New Year's Resolution 2013

Lists. 86 the lists. No one remembers all the items from a list. If I could make one New Year's resolution for all my clients for 2013, it would be No More Lists! 

Allow me to play armchair psychologist for a second ... You're dreading the preparation for your next presentation, aren't you? Perhaps you're feeling a bit insecure or defensive, like you need to demonstrate to your audience how knowledgeable or smart you are? Maybe time is running short, you're in a rush to prepare your presentation, and you need some filler that a list or two would provide? Or, you're feeling the urge that if only you could tell your audience absolutely everything you know about your topic, they would be more easily persuaded? Any of these sound familiar?

If you find yourself preparing to use lists, consider it a red flag of warning ... you may be entering a zone of TMI (too much information!). Check yourself. If it's absolutely necessary, use a list. If not, then ditch it, or prioritize so that you share only the most important items. Or, even better, think about the importance of your list and speak more fully to its significance, but not to the list itself!

And 2013 will be a happier year for you and your audiences! 

Quote of the Day

“Three things matter in a speech: who says it, how he says it, and what he says – and of the three, the last matters least.” 
– John Morley, British Politician

When it's Time, it's Time

Have you ever run out of time during your portion of a meeting, panel discussion, or during a presentation? And did you stop when your time was up, or did you keep talking because you had just one more really important point to make?

I had the most interesting experience watching more than 25 presentations in a row at a corporate retreat about a week ago. Even though there was a timekeeper, and presenters knew when they had reached their limit, more than a handful busted right through and kept on going. They had just one more point – or in some cases, several more points – to make. They even called themselves out and said, "I'm out of time, but I just need to tell you this one more thing ... " 

Ouch. Really? Who is that all about? Is it all about the audience? Or is that all about the speaker? You know the answer.

So, here's a reminder about Rule #1 ... It's all about them, the Audience! It's not all about you. You need to respect your audience's time and attention. You were lucky to have it in the first place, don't abuse it. If you build your presentation effectively and organize your content so that messages (e.g. summary statements, statements of significance) are well constructed and primary, and then information (e.g. background, supporting detail, data) is dispensable and secondary, you'll always be able to cut yourself off. Rarely is a speaker that special, or their material that compelling, that time limits don't matter.

Trust me on this, there are two things about audiences you should keep in mind:

1) when an audience wants to know more, they'll ask for it; and 

2) audiences never complain when a speaker finishes early or on time!