Episode #73 Speaker First Impression Mastery

If you are in Tokyo, are you enjoying the early flowering cherry blossoms yet? A fantastic pink canvas is heading our way. Today we are talking about in this Age of Distraction you have two seconds to establish a positive first impression as a speaker. Don’t leave this to random chance. Plan to establish authority and credibility with your audience in that vital initial window. Today we look at just how to do precisely that.

According to the survey by Women Political Leaders and Kantar Public Compared to other industrialised nations, both Japanese men and women were uncomfortable having female leaders. Fifty two percent of British men feel comfortable with a woman as head of government, but only twenty three percent of Japanese felt the same way. In Britain, sixty five percent of women feel comfortable with a woman as head of government, but Japanese women scored the lowest at twenty six percent. Seventy percent of American women were confortable with a woman at the top of a major corporation, but only twenty eight percent of Japanese women agreed.

In other news, the National Police Agency has put forward a draft bill that will allow vehicles with a high level of autonomous features to run on public roads. With an eye to implementing the legislation in early twenty twenty. This would be a class three level which authorizes drivers to be able to shift their attention elsewhere and let the system drive, except during emergencies and system glitches that would require them to take back control. They would be able to watch television and talk on mobile phones. The self driving vehicles will have to record their travel data.

Finally, Ibaraki prefecture neighboring Tokyo is adopting cashless payments using smart phones. This is a means of tapping into data driven marketing. The idea is to allow small to medium sized firms to offset the scheduled consumption tax rise by rewarding consumers for non cash purchases. The prefecture is tying up with Origami, a QR code payment service. Ibaraki Governor Kazuhiro Oikawa said, “I want Ibaraki to become a promoter of cashless payments”. Consumers who use credit cards or cashless payments will receive a five percent rebate on purchases made at small shops.

How long does it take on average for you to form a first impression of someone new? My presentation’s course students tell me we are down to two seconds today. Wow. What does this mean for the speaker? It could be in the boardroom, at the networking event or at the pitch to the client. Regardless of the location, one thing is sure – everyone is a critic and everyone is rushing to judgment.

Think back to the last time you saw someone present – be it an update, a project submission, an overview or a fully fledged speech. Were you indulging in a little mental aside, “I hope this is good”, as you swiveled around in your chair to view the speaker? Did the speaker get right into it? Or was there some logistical finessing of the laptop, adjusting the height of the mike on the stand or the positioning of the lapel mike? Were they busy fiddling with their notes sitting on the rostrum? Was the speaker looking at the audience, or behind them up on the huge screen or down on their laptop? Did we have some good old hand mike thumping to see if it was working properly, asking “can you hear me?”. If there were any such diversions, then our two seconds, first impression formation has come and gone completely.

What would help us to maximize this vital two second window? We should have arrived early and checked all the equipment beforehand. Getting straight into the content without any distractions, allows us to set the tone for the occasion. Traditionally we could thank the organisers for the opportunity to present. Doing this with a huge smile would be a good use of the two seconds. Even if nature has not blessed you with a killer smile, give us the best you can do.

Or we could jump straight into it, by telling an episode, an incident, a story. We love listening to interesting stories involving real life and real people, because we can easily identify with the content. We could refer to a member of the audience, immediately shattering the mental barrier between speaker and audience. “Anne Smith from XYZ and I were chatting earlier and she made a very good observation about….” This is very smart, because audience and speaker become one unit this way. We can build stronger personal connections with this group of strangers sitting there listening to us.

After having launched into proceedings, we can now backtrack and use the laptop, our notes, the spreadsheets or whatever we need to explain the content. Rather than wasting our initial two second window on these adjustments, we instead capture the attention of our audience from the very start. Once captured, let’s keep them so. What else do we need to worry about?

Japan has a few set pieces. I am sure you will have seen some of these: have trouble with the technology; not be conversant with the content because one of the underlings prepared it; kick off with a perfunctory apology for being a poor speaker; go straight into the boring corporate video. To really set the tone as low as possible, they often look down and read every single word on the laptop screen or on the notes in front of them. Non-Japanese speakers though, are often guilty of the same things, especially jet setting big shots, winging in from afar for a cameo appearance. They think their big brand will insulate them from any damage to their personal brand when they give a subpar presentation. Wrong!

Another powerful tool, left in pristine condition through underuse is voice quality. Again nature may not have blessed you with a deep throated baritone or mellifluous instrument that harkens the angels, but no matter, do the best with what you have. That means speak clearly, with sufficient volume, so that you can easily be heard. Use the microphone properly by holding it just under your chin and speaking across the mesh.

Have some variation in the delivery so it is not totally predictable. Hit key words with a roar or a whisper to highlight them. At the start, go for the roar rather than the whisper. Show confidence through voice power. Slowing the words down for emphasis is equally powerful. For example, “This--is--the--moment” and delivered slowly with a dramatic pause after each word. Our attention is all yours and we are bursting to know where you are going with this talk.

Eye power is a must. Pick a single person about half way down the middle of the venue and start by speaking directly to them. Look them in the eye. We have now personalised our interaction in that first few seconds and created a connection with the audience.

I recommend holding the gaze for six seconds, as this allows for engagement without generating fear of radiation burn. Spend the entire talk selecting one person after another, randomly selected and speak to them without allowing your sight lines to stray to the floor, ceiling or the back wall. Keep your eyes glued on your audience. This means carefully instructing the venue organisers beforehand to not drop the lights on the audience or yourself. You want to be able to read their faces for confirmation they are with you. We also want them to be able to see us clearly rather than disappearing into the shadows on stage.

We need to commit to owning the first impression and then we can enjoy the glide to the finish. As with most things in life, if you start well it is easier to finish well.

Action Steps

1. Realise you only have two seconds, so plan accordingly
2. Get straight into your talk with no interruption or delay
3. Start with an episode, incident or story
4. Highlight keys words by using vocal variation
5. Keep eye contact with your audience throughout