A truly botched presentation…but Samsung are happy!

 Jul 02, 2014

If we strip back the word “presentations,” we get to the verb to present or to give, and of course, that is what we do in a presentation; we give information. However, we could play on this word ‘present’ and use one of its other meanings; the here and now. To be a really good presenter, you need to really be in the present. Sounds easy enough, because in a presentation you are concentrating on what you are saying. The problem is a lot of presenters are not. They are either concentrating on what they are going to say, what they have said, or hiding behind their technology (flash data show). At the launch of the Samsung ‘curved’ TV, the director of the movie ‘Transformers,’ Michael Bay, probably did all three. Check out the video here and then come back for an analysis and tips on how you can avoid this from happening to you. Be ready to cringe! Ironically, Samsung got more exposure for their TV because of this gaffe than they would have, had the stuff up not occurred but it wasn't great for Michael Bay’s reputation – at least, as a presenter. He tries to connect to the audience by saying, “How is everybody?” You will see he has a barrier of his hands, so he is feeling nervous and apparently he misses the first line on the autocue because he is meant to be asked a question. The autocue person rolls the copy back, and Michael Bay is confused to where he is meant to be. This is an example of technology stuffing up and not being able to be in the moment with the audience. The problem is that he probably gives himself a bit of a serve (internally) for stuffing up, and you see him turning his back to the audience to protect himself from showing his feelings at that time. Then he has another go, but he is either stuck worrying about what has happened or what might be the consequences for the future. So, even though the host tries to help him out with a prompt, Michael Bay cannot connect with the audience in the moment and just give his real opinion on the television. His final body posture is very telling. He again turns his back to the audience and walks off with his head held low. To be truly in the moment, you must be truly ‘present’ and connect with your audience. How can you be present? Firstly, focus on your stance and breathing. If we say, we need to be centred, it doesn’t happen in the head; it happens in the central part of our body. The unfortunate thing is, this is the place where we experience the bulk of the ‘negative’ emotions that occur in our body. So the second thing is we need to get comfortable with having the front of our body open to our audience without feeling like we are going to ‘die’ because of it. Again, this happens with breathing but also practice and allowing ourselves to be a bit vulnerable. Thirdly, really connect with the audience. Michael Bay tried this, but it was really a throw-away line, because then he went to the autocue, and that’s where he missed his line and started to disconnect. Owning the stage, and connecting through eye contact and a smile to the audience is important and when an error happens, reach out to them even more or make a joke at your own expense. Be present to present!

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About the Author:

Tim Higgs  

Tim has been involved in the corporate training industry for over 15 years; seven of these have been as the Portfolio Manager and Senior Facilitator at New Horizons. Tim holds a Graduate Diploma (Psych/Couns), a masters' degree in Cultural Psychology and a bachelor's degree in Business, giving him a unique theoretical backdrop for understanding human performance in the workplace. This complements his actual experience of working within the corporate sector in sales and management positions and owning and running a small business. Having worked with individuals and groups in both clinical and business settings, Tim has a fantastic insight into human behaviour, motivation and the issue of human change.

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