My friend is preparing for a presentation. And she is experiencing the same problem as many of my clients.
Her bosses have told her she needs to talk about the office move and provide a few slides of information.
But ‘talk about the office move and provide a few slides’ is the WHAT.
And the presentation is the HOW.
But if all you want to communicate is information, their ‘WHAT’ objective could be met by writing an email.
What they are missing is the WHY and the WHY FOR THIS AUDIENCE?
Here’s the problem:
WHAT = Normally DEATHLY BORING - it’s presenter-centred and less entertaining than a vasectomy.
Whereas:
WHY = INSPIRING + ENGAGING - it’s audience-centred and memorable.
Without the WHY it’s just data being transferred.
I’ve studied the behaviour of audiences who are sitting through a ‘WHAT’-based presentation.
They look bored, disengaged and they’re probably on WhatsApp.
I’ve studied the behaviour of audiences who are experiencing a WHY-based presentation.
They are smiling, attentive, leaning in and interacting with the speaker.
Now which one do you want to sit through?
And which one do you want to give?
Mark Westbrook
Speaking Coach