I’m giving three presentations/panels this week at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress. It made me think of the little tweaks to my approach that I’ve made over the years and the people that I’ve learned them from.
1. Don’t wear your name tag.
People know who you are. Your name is in their program book. They signed up to hear you talk. You don’t need to wear those large, obnoxious lanyards with your name on it.
via Pat Flynn
2. Write a customized introduction.
When people introduce you, they either pull your bio off the Internet, which can be out of date, or they read from the program book, which can be long and boring. Write a short, three sentence introduction that tailors your bio to both the presentation and the audience. Make it easier to read than your long bio.
via Mike McCartney
3. Start with a long pause.
Start with a story, but before you begin open with an almost uncomfortable long pause. Part of the magic of a good speech is the tension you build in storytelling and delivery. Pausing before you begin, even counting down in your mind if you have to, sets the tone for the talk. Too many times a presentation begins with “Hi, I’m so-and-so” or “Can everyone hear me?” or “Thank you for coming today, I am so excited to share . . .”
via Simon Sinek
4. Your clothes should connect to your brand.
I almost always wear an orange tie and a blue jacket or shirt. If I wear a suit, I make sure the tie is either orange or blue. Why? Because my website logo and color palette is orange and blue. My slides are orange and blue. Most of my books have orange and/or blue covers. It’s subtle and I don’t even know if people notice it, but it is a subconscious reminder of who I am and what I offer.
via Joe Pulizzi
