Episode #68: Having More Presence As A Speaker

Two different presenters and a big occasion. The five star hotel ballroom was packed and a lot of attention was being given to these two leaders, both new to their roles. Presenting is a cruel world. It has no respect for position or pedigree. Like the first presenter, you can be a big shot at your mega company, but unless you have the goods, no one will be impressed and in fact you will damage both your personal and company brand. In the case of the second presenter, you might be a VIP and in Japan this is a big deal and pretty good, because of the way everyone fawns over you. The gloves come off though when you get up on stage to do your presentation. If you are a dud, average, mediocre or uninspiring, then the sheen on that old VIP status starts to look a bit dull and tattered.

If the big shots are having trouble, how about the rest of us? How do we have a presence on stage when we speak? I teach our High Impact Presentations Course and do a lot of one-on-one Executive Coaching for presentations. Often, I hear the request from the participants and from the executives around how to have more presence when on stage.

It is true isn’t it. The vast majority of people we meet in life have very little presence. Why would they suddenly be transformed into a presenting god at the podium? It is the same inside companies. The Japanese executives are often requesting help with having more “executive presence” when they are attending large, high level, internal meetings. Part of it is language skills in English. Part of it is cultural – be humble, play yourself down, don’t stand out, be respectful of those older or more senior than you in the room. Part of it is a complete lack of training.

When we present there are three levers we need to pulling on hard and they are the words, our voice and our body language. The words obviously relate to the content and it has to be excellent. If what we are saying is boring, obvious, unremarkable or insignificant, then don’t expect to be carried from the hall on the shoulders of your supporters, as they parade your triumph along the cobbled streets to the town square.

Japanese presenters need to lose their obsession with linguistic perfection. The audience just doesn’t care. So what if a grammatical mistake is made or a word mispronounced? In this multi-cultural, global, matrixed world, native English speakers are used to hearing non-native speakers mangle the English language. Actually they don’t have a problem with it, because they are used to it. We correct what is being said, inside our minds and connect the dots, so we can follow where the speaker is going. We are doing this without conscious thought because it has become so standard and natural.

The voice is a powerful instrument. This is where we need to rise to the occasion. A presentation should be delivered as if we are having a fireside chat but at a volume and strength, that is made for the public occasion. We keep the intimacy, but we elongate the vocal range. We are creating variety and are staying as far away from a monotone delivery as we can get. Japanese language is a monotone, so it is handmade for putting the audience to sleep. Even in Japanese though, we can use variety in speed and power in our delivery to give us sufficient vocal range to keep the punters awake.

Body language includes gestures, posture, eye contact etc. The hidden key to having more presence really requires skills in this area though. I have been training in traditional karate since 1971. I also did ten years of taichiquan before I had to stop when I came back to Japan. In both cases, called chi in Chinese and the ki in Japanese, there is magical energy in the body. All martial arts are devoted to harnessing that power.

Does this mean you have to take up martial arts to be a speaker and tap into the energy source. I don’t believe so, based on our ability to coach people to have more ki when they present. The amateur presenter is consuming all the energy within themselves. They haven’t worked out that you have to project that energy into the audience. They miss this because they are focused on themselves and what they are doing, rather than being focused entirely on their audience.

Here are a couple of simple things to adopt from now on whenever you have to present. I will condense 47 years of training down to key points. When you speak, look straight into the eyes of the individual in your audience, for about six seconds, before moving your gaze on to the next person. Keep this up throughout, with no wavering. Also, do it in a random fashion so that it cannot be predicted. Cover all areas of the room, front, back, left, right, middle as you look at individuals.

At the same time as using your eye power, project your energy to that person. Imagine it was like an energy laser beam you were projecting to the people sitting in front of you. Use your voice to shoot the words out to these people you are looking at. Gestures add power to the words. Combine your body language together to direct more presence to the person you are speaking to.

All of this is taking place at the same time. What it means is that you are directly 100% of your attention to one person at a time when you are speaking. Many speakers are looking everywhere and nowhere when they are talking. Instead use this total power direct into the audience.

By the way, in a big hall, the 20 people sitting around your target person, will all feel your attention is being directed toward them. What the audience feels is your full energy and power when you present.

This is what they mean by having “presence”.

Engaged employees are self-motivated. The self-motivated are inspired. Inspired staff grow your business but are you inspiring them? We teach leaders and organisations how to inspire their people. Want to know how we do that? Contact me at greg.story@dalecarnegie.com

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About The Author

Dr. Greg Story: President, Dale Carnegie Training Japan

In the course of his career Dr. Greg Story has moved from the academic world, to consulting, investments, trade representation, international diplomacy, retail banking and people development. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia he never imagined he would have a Ph.D. in Japanese decision-making and become a 30 year veteran of Japan.

A committed lifelong learner, through his published articles in the American, British and European Chamber journals, his videos and podcasts “THE Leadership Japan Series”, "THE Sales Japan series", THE Presentations Japan Series", he is a thought leader in the four critical areas for business people: leadership, communication, sales and presentations. Dr. Story is a popular keynote speaker, executive coach and trainer.

Since 1971, he has been a disciple of traditional Shitoryu Karate and is currently a 6th Dan. Bunbu Ryodo (文武両道-both pen & sword) is his mantra and he applies martial art philosophies and strategies to business.