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"We live in a culture that barely acknowledges and rarely celebrates the arts or artists."  Dana Gioia, Chair for the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts

How many writers, artists, scientists can the average American name?

In a speech delivered to the graduating class of Stanford University, Dana Gioia decried the lack of interest in cultural figures (other than pop culture) in America today.

He claims that the cultural entities of today are all for the sake of entertainment. And so ultimately it follows that everything today comes with a price tag. When celebrities appear on radio or TV talk shows, their main, and often only, purpose is to push their book, movie, new TV show, or a new vote.

What has happened to American culture?

More on Communication: Is Our Culture Failing Us?

Some of us think holding on makes us strong, but sometimes it is letting go. Herman Hesse

What are you most afraid of?

For most people, it’s public speaking. And for some, the fear of public speaking is so dramatic that it’s right up there with the fear of death.

People are often terrified that the panic and the anxiety they feel will overwhelm them, render them speechless and weak-kneed.

So what could possibly be the value of all that potential "freaking out?"

Del Jones, in a USA Today article, writes: "To first-time parachuters, the ‘freakout point’ arrives 2 miles above the ground when the plane door opens to a sky of noise, the pressure drops and jumpers are struck with such anxiety that they can hardly breathe."

Jumping out of airplanes, climbing mountains, flying airplanes – what a lot of possibilities for freakout points! Jones goes on to write: "Freakout points don’t require the risk of injury or death, just enough fear to take the breath away, enough that it takes fortitude to keep from backing out. Perhaps the most common freakout point comes with public speaking, and Iron Mountain CEO Richard Reese remembers being drafted early in his career to do a last-minute presentation on a technical subject he knew zero about."

In any risk — in life, in sport, in business — crossing that freakout point will teach us many things, but most importantly it will teach us that we can survive. We also learn to concentrate – a valuable tool in a situation where it seems nearly impossible to focus, a situation where we’d rather scream and run away.

No matter what activity you are engaged in, what can you do to get over your fear, especially of public speaking? What can you do to make yourself cross that freakout point to arrive at self-confidence and strength?  

More on Public Speaking and The Value of Freaking Out

"Everything in life cannot be grasped by the logic-centered left brain." D.T.Suzuki

Sometimes you need more than your own dynamic self to get your message across. Just standing there and talking is not very creative and not much of a strategy. You might be a great speaker or think you’re a great speaker, but don’t take any chances that you might miss reaching your audience. Especially if you’re giving out complex and/or technical information.

To be as effective as possible in your presentation, you will need unique tools to motivate your audience and to implant the desire in them to take the action you desire for them. A highly effective tool in any presentation is the use of SYMBOLS.

A symbol, according to the American Heritage Dictionary, is: "Something that represents something else by association, resemblance or convention, especially a material object used to represent something invisible.  You see a red stop sign. What do you do? You know.

The reason humans created symbols in the first place, according to Carl Jung, was to try to understand human nature beyond language. In his investigation of various, unrelated cultures, Jung found a similarity in the images – or symbols – they displayed.  Though fewer and less complex than the plethora of symbols we see in today’s culture, they nonetheless evoked in those ancient people a universal meaning that resonated in each person.

The symbols – or familiar images – of today evoke such a familiar message to most of us, that we all "get" the message as soon as we see them. McDonald’s golden arches, for example. And what about the apple on the phones or laptops you’re using today? Granted, these are both very commercial symbols, but nonetheless are images most of us can instantly relate to.

So what about symbols in your presentation?

More on Using Symbols In Your Presentation

Have you ever noticed that the most charismatic people all share the power of being able to tell a good story?

Nonetheless, storytelling is not a static art: as new media evolves, so does the way in which we tell stories. Recently, with the interconnectivity of media and the power of the Internet a new way of storytelling has emerged: the Alternative Reality Game or ARG.

The ARG is revolutionary in several ways: it is a complex and subtle way of telling a story that utilizes multiple media sources and requires a large and collaborative audience to work together to progress forward in the story; it is through the overlapping of fiction and reality that the ARG gets its name. Thus the ARG is powerful in a different way than the usual story: it is more about the audience than about the storyteller. By breaking down the traditional “fourth wall,” the audience has an active and essential role in the development of the story itself. Anything that includes the audience in such a way cannot help but be thoroughly engaging.

Now what can be gleaned from the new ARG phenomenon? Well, one of the places that the power of the story can be most effective – but is often underused – is during presentations and public speaking.

During your next presentation, try taking a page from ARGs: instead of standing rigid on the stage, try moving into the audience; instead of just using your voice, try using several media sources to get your point across; instead of turning your presentation into a lecture, try getting the audience involved in the story by asking questions and letting their answers help guide the way you tell it.

Once you’ve become an accomplished storyteller, you will have mastered most of the skills necessary to be a charismatic speaker.

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If you liked this article, consider applying for a workshop >>  Our work has to be experienced to truly understand its value.  Once a quarter The Henderson Group holds a "By Invitation Only" Art of Presentation workshop in San Francisco, led by our VP of Services, Terry Gault.  With that in mind, we set aside a couple of free seats for the right candidates.

Some of the seeds we offer will bear fruit immediately, others will germinate for a time and pop up to surprise you in communications to come.

Do not become discouraged if at first your mind is numbed by the number of things we are encouraging you to be aware of and to try.

This video was sent to me by my meditation teacher.  It's a talk by neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor.  Having a stroke the thought hits her, "This is so cool." 

As the caption reads on the TED Talks page:

Neuroanatomist Jill Bolte Taylor had an opportunity few brain scientists would wish for: One morning, she realized she was having a massive stroke. As it happened — as she felt her brain functions slip away one by one, speech, movement, understanding — she studied and remembered every moment. This is a powerful story about how our brains define us and connect us to the world and to one another.

From a public speaking / presentation skills standpoint:

• Dr. Taylor uses movement extremely effectively. 
• Her use of a very surprising prop may shock you but will certainly compell you to pay attention.
  
• Her expressive (though thin and reedy) voice expresses her emotional journey very effectively.
• She also demonstrates great humor, vulnerability, and passion.

She also offers her personal and scientific observations about how the two halves of the brain function:

• She uses an ineresting metaphor comparing the Right to a Parallel Processor and the Left to a Serial Processor. 

She says that the Right:

• Is concerned with This Present Moment.
  
• Thinks in pictures.
  
• Learns kinesthetically.
  
• Unites and connects us with others.

Meanwhile, the Left:

• Thinks linearly and methodically.
  
• Is focused on the past and the future.
  
• Picks out details, categorizes and organizes.
  
• Thinks in language. 
• Is the voice that says, "I am" and, hence, separates us from others.

It's a compelling and powerful story - well worth watching. BTW, this is an 18 minute video and it takes awhile to load. Or you can go directly to the TED Talk video here. 

Who doesn’t love a story?! Whether it’s ours or theirs, fiction or non-fiction? Who doesn’t want to be drawn in and captivated?

From the days of humans exchanging tales around a flickering cave fire to watching today’s widescreen TV, storytelling as a way of embellishing or improvising an event is an art that will always be with us. Ancient times as well as our current high-tech times have provided stories which educate, entertain, convey information, put forth the morals of a particular culture and more. 

Powerful personal stories increase the impact of any presentation. Include a story in your speech, your meeting, your one-on-one and you will capture their interest and help clarify your message. Add the drama of a personal story, including a difficulty you have overcome.

Don’t relate a personal success but illustrate a struggle. Everyone can relate to a struggle.Give your story characters, thereby giving the story life which will reel in your audience and help them relate to you on a deeper level.

Learn the elements of effective stories and how to create a story. It’s the best way to create an effective and powerful presentation.  Learn More >>  

 

Below, Professor Brian Sturm of the UNC at Chapel Hill School of Information and Library Science presents storytelling as a way of organizing information, conveying emotion and building community.  Though his presentation skills need work, the points he makes in his lecture are useful. 

As always, the wisdom and humor of Scott Adams' Dilbert strip uniquely captures the corporate culture.  This speaks to the importance of authenticity and credibility.  Those of you in sales organizations should get a kick out of this.

Tim Lee is a comic based in San Francisco.  After obtaining a PhD, he decided to enter the lucrative field of stand-up comedy.  (That's a joke, BTW.)  He uses his scientific background, PowerPoint, and personal life to great effect in his comedy sets.  This one is particularly funny and demonstrates that PowerPoint (and Keynote for you Mac users) are versatile medium - they can do comedy, too!