It’s the way you tell ‘em

Presentation skills are often more important than your presentation

This week I laughed – a lot. And the reason was Seth Godin. He’s been described by Forbes.com as: “..a demigod on the Web, a best-selling author, highly sought-after lecturer, successful entrepreneur, respected pundit and high-profile blogger.” I’ve mentioned him before. His book All Marketers Are Liars is crammed full of useful insights into the world of corporate storytelling. It’s one of almost a dozen he’s written, all with arresting titles (how could you resist Purple Cow, Meatball Sundae or The Big Red Fez?). His presentation too has a title that’ll make you look twice: Sliced bread and other marketing delights. In a wide-ranging talk, Godin explores how marketers get our attention. And yes, he mentions sliced bread (it took fifteen years to catch on) together with otaku (the Japanese for obsessive behaviour) and turning your grandmother into a piece of jewellery. His point is that strange ideas (even bad strange ideas) stand out. Ordinary ones just get ignored. The most compelling argument in favour of his theory isn’t anything he says. It’s what he does. Notice how entertaining Godin is. That makes his message easier to understand and digest. He’s a skilled performer who knows just how to get the audience on his side – and that’s important when you’re standing on a stage, peering into the darkness. I should know. In a past life, I did many hundreds of presentations, and it’s a fine art to read the mood of the audience and carry them with you. If you want to see a performance that doesn’t work as well, check out Chris Anderson’s presentation. There’s no reason why it should be any less interesting. Anderson has a wealth of solid experience behind him. For seven years, he wrote about technology in The Economist. He’s editor-in-chief of Wired magazine and he coined the term ‘the long tail’. In fact, his presentation is probably more compelling than Seth’s. On paper. Right from the start, he looks uncomfortable. He rushes through his slides, and skips over the humorous slides with obvious embarrassment (they’re always a great idea when you’re at your desk – but less great when you’re in front of 1,000 pairs of squinting eyes). Two presentations. But only one stands out. And that’s the one you’ll remember.

Seth Godin: Sliced bread and other marketing delights
Chris Anderson: Technology’s long tail

Kevin Communication, Marketing, TED.

It’s the way you tell ‘em

Presentation skills are often more important than your presentation

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