Episode #244: You Don't Need To sell From Stage

The organisers of public presentations are usually not very happy for the presenter to start flogging their company’s products to the audience. They are looking for good information for the assembled masses and no propaganda. This makes sense because if you are sitting in the audience and you start to hear what sounds like a commercial for the speaker’s products or services you feel offended and belittled by the presenter.

I was in such a gathering when the host of the Chamber of Commerce event introduced himself as an “expert”, in his particular line of work, when kicking off proceedings. It immediately had a bad smell about it. If you have to go around telling everyone you are an expert, then we will question just how much of an expert you really are. Participants will also complain to the organisers about you and your blatant self promotion and you may not be invited back to speak.

Obviously, we give these public presentations to promote our personal brands and our companies. Exactly where is the tipping point to know when you have pushed it too far? Subtlety is always the best policy. I still remember visiting the German Pavilion in the Tsukuba Expo in 1985. There was a long, winding staircase to the second floor and all along the wall were framed photographs of all the German Nobel Prize winners. There was no banner announcing “we Germans are smart”, but the huge number of faces peering down, as we wound our way up the stairs was a subtle tour de force of sustained German intellectual power. It was impressive.

We should rely on some key elements when selling ourselves when presenting. Bald faced telling people you are an “expert” is completely ridiculous in my view, but showing through the quality of what you present that you really know your stuff, is very convincing and makes you highly credible. There needs to be some fresh data or perspective to cut through all the competing messages floating around the internet and media.

I like Jesper Koll’s presentations. He is a perennial favourite of different Chamber events here in Tokyo. He is a leading economist in Japan and I have probably seen Jesper present twenty times or more over the years. Every time he is super engaging as a presenter and always has new and high quality information on the Japanese economy. He is the master of the pregnant pause when asking his audience members questions. Just as the victim is ready to bumble out their answer, Jesper slips in the answer, revealing that was a rhetorical question after all and not requiring an answer. As an audience member it certainly keeps you on the your toes! He doesn’t have run around telling us he is an “expert”. His content and delivery tell us that.

Delivery is the other indicator of expertise and professionalism. You can be beautifully attired, shoes with a mirror shine, hair perfect looking like a Hollywood idol and still be a dud if the presentation isn’t done correctly. I was watching a VIP visitor to Tokyo, representing a major division of a huge multinational energy company, who gave a very dull presentation. The information was fine, because some minions in the marketing department had cobbled it together in a workman like fashion. The perfectly coiffed, suited and booted presenter delivered the whole thing slowly, clearly and completely devoid of passion. It was painful and decimated his personal brand. If he thought he was selling his organisation to the audience, he was completely wrong. In fact, he was damaging the company brand severely, as well as his own personal brand.

To be credible and prove you are the goods, have first class content and deliver it in a completely professional manner. Blatant self promotion is self defeating and your speaking career will be short lived, as the invitations dry up. Please never allow the claim that you are an “expert” leave your lips. We are not that dumb.

The best advertisement for your firm is you and the best advertisement for you is to provide value to your audience. We judge everyone in your organisation on you. If you are great, we think everyone in your firm is smart. If you are a dud, we doubt the whole organisation. Is this fair? Probably not, but this is how things work and we have to be aware of that. Push your company brand by being an excellent presenter, proffering real value, all totally relevant for the audience. That is an unbeatable combination.