Just this morning, I learned of a very cool event being held at Stanford this coming Saturday, Feb. 28.

It's called "Presentation Camp."  It's a participatory "open source" conference on Presentation.

Some of my presentation blogging associates including Olivia Mitchell  will be in attendance and I will be there.  Olivia recently wrote a guest post here.

Here's the shpiel:

What Is It?

It's a BarCamp, the Open Source Version of a Conference

PresentationCamp is an ad-hoc gathering of passionate folks who want to share, interact and spread the love around the topic of presentation design and delivery. Come to learn, come to share: everyone walks away knowing a little bit more.

No More Death by PowerPoint

Spending your days and nights toiling away on a killer slide set? Need to develop one? Hearing about the new trends set by Nancy Duarte, Guy Kawasaki, Garr Reynolds and others? Wondering if the new trend toward visuals and storytelling are really going to take you to the next level? Did you see a fantastic presentation and want to emulate it?

Yes? Then let's get together and talk about it.

Is it a Conference?

Yes. It's your conference. Giving a presentation is open to anyone, and encouraged! Want to talk/present, or see who's talking? See the Sessions and Schedule below for topics submitted by attendees (and add your own if you're coming). The event schedule will be determined from 9:30-10:00 AM, and all attendees are invited to host a session. You do not have to host if you don’t want, but it is encouraged. Once the schedule is set, the fun begins! Expect to be engaged, educated, and hopefully entertained as well.

Go here to sign up or learn more.  I hope to see you there and will be posting more after the event.

It’s clear to me that in today’s business climate there is no such thing as security.  I think that employees are often lulled into a false sense of security when they should constantly be positioning themselves for their next role.  All the entrepreneurs I know are scrambling to figure out how to stay in business.

Andy Grove had it right, “Only the paranoid survive.”  I am also reminded of a saying I heard in a workshop presentation from 21st century mathematician James Yorke: “The most successful people are those who are good at Plan B.” (Yorke is renowned for his work involving the theory of chaos.)

As a client told me recently in an email exchange, in this market “companies ought to be reinvesting in themselves.”  I could not agree more and this is precisely what I convinced a client to do.  We’ll be working together on a revenue growth project that involves communication, presentation and sales skills but is much more strategic and much more hands on than anything I have done previously with The Henderson Group.

And the only way that the client agreed to pull the trigger was that the compensation is based largely on results.  So, if I deliver results, then the client will win and so will I.  If not, there initial investment is modest and they are exposed to very little risk.  This comp structure also motivates me to deliver results.

We are passing through a period of creative destruction.  As Wikipedia states, “Austrian economist Joseph Schumpeter popularized and used the term to describe the process of transformation that accompanies radical innovation (or change).  In Schumpeter's vision of capitalism, innovative entry by entrepreneurs was the force that sustained long-term economic growth, even as it destroyed the value of established companies that enjoyed some degree of monopoly power.”

It is not only companies that need to innovate; it is employees who must innovate to remain competitive in an increasingly competitive world.   As Thomas Friedman observed, “The World Is Flat” and we all need to keep reinventing ourselves to remain competitive.  The Internet injected Darwin's process of evolution and natural selection with steroids.

It’s time like these that we must learn to be comfortable in a state of uncertainty.

The following technique, couched in terms of public speaking, will help in ANY stressful situation when panic tends to take over.  I've used this technique when I locked myself out of the house, on turbulent airplanes, and on difficult calls with clients. Invariably, things go better and I make better decisions when I remember to do this practice.

More on Passing through Creative Destruction

One of my old acting buddies, Matteo Troncone, posted this video on Facebook. It's an ad he shot for a local auto dealer in San Francisco. I am confident his video was edited heavily for the client. But even if the off-the-cuff remarks were not used in the final video, his willingness to improvise wildly infused his style with so much fun and humor that it simply HAD to come out in the final product.

A few other observations:

• Notice how Matteo uses the coffee cup, the espresso machine, the cars themselves, and even food as props to make his presentation active and dynamic.
• He's clearly throwing out lots of ideas as the videographer shoots knowing that not all of them will be used but his freestyle creativity results in some real gems that WILL be used in the final video.  This is a good way to practice and prepare for any presentation.
• He returns to an earlier theme "don't forget to flush" for a strong conclusion.

It demonstrates the value of having fun and is a useful lesson for anyone who has to present themselves in person, on the phone, or on video.

Thanks, Matteo

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The importance of having a strong conclusion in presentations is driven home by this article by Martin Miller of the LA Times about the new trend in television shows that drive toward a conclusion.

Series finales: Going out with a bang For long-running shows such as 'ER' or 'The Sopranos,' there are expectations.  By Martin Miller, LA Times, January 25, 2009

Now that the trend has been set by shows such as ‘Friends’ and ‘Seinfeld’, it creates an expectation that plays into a powerful human urge: the drive for completion.

How many times have you seen a speaker take pause, look at their notes, mumble an extended “um”, and finally look up uttering, “That’s it.  Does anyone have any questions?”  This is NOT a satisfying conclusion.

After the Opening, the Conclusion has the second highest impact of your presentation. It leaves the audience with the final impression of you and your message. Human beings seek completion and resolution. Without a clear Conclusion, audiences feel left hanging. Provide your audience a powerful sense of completion by crafting a strong Conclusion.

The Bottom Line: Make sure your presentations conclude with a bang, not a whimper.

How to Structure a Presentation>>

Alexei Kapterev of Real Time Strategy offers this video on how to make a real impression with your presentations. Following Alexei's suggestions can bring your presentations, and audiences, to life.

Learn more about Speakfearlessly and The Henderson Group here >>

Your non-verbal behavior is the Meta Message that audiences take away from your public speaking style.  It is the overall impression that you leave with them.   If your style is tentative, audiences will see you as tentative.  If your style is thoughtful and passionate, you’ll get labeled as that.

When your behavior does not align with your message, which will the audience believe?  For example, if you heard a presenter say, “I am completely confident that we will meet the project deadline” but he is ringing his hands, looking at the floor, and his vocal intonation and facial expression are flat, would you believe him?

Notice this guy’s behavior when he says, “I’m really excited …”

Do you believe that he really is excited?

If you’ve been given the feedback that your voice is monotonous or your face lacks expression, this may be an area of exploration and development for you.

Practice delivering messages in a way that feels over-the-top or exaggerated but looks genuine to others or when you see yourself on video.

The Bottom Line: Be sure to align your non-verbal behavior with your message.  Choose behavior that supports your message and projects the style that you want people to associate with you.

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I am a big fan of "30 Rock" on NBC and think that Alec Baldwin is hysterical on the show. He is channeling the same character for this commercial for Hulu, my favorite during the Super Bowl.

In this ad for Bud Light (a close second), Conan O'Brien demonstrates the power of being willing to make a fool of one's self.

Bridgestone uses a common cultural reference, Mr. Potato Head in a truly ingenious way.

This video captures a common dynamic in corporate presentations and is aptly titled.

It reminded me of an existentialist play by French playwright Jean-Paul Sartre titled, "No Exit." It's Sartre's vision of hell. This is a vision of hell as delivered by PowerPoint.

Learn more about The Henderson Group's workshops here >>