Session: The Art of Enchantment.
I have seen too many bad presenters. I have seen a lot of good presenters. But I have only seen a handful of great presenters. Guy Kawasaki is one of them. His performance blew me away. And I am not easily blown away.
In the time-saving world we live in, people have less and less patience for those who waste their time in boring and unproductive presentations. I definitely do. At Guy’s presentation, I was so mentally engaged I didn’t even realize when an hour has passed. Even more, I was sad that the hour has passed already. I could have stayed an hour or two longer and listen to what he had to say. But it was not only what he was presenting, it was also how he did that. He made me feel like I was the only person in the room. And I could swear he even smiled at me a few times. He just enchanted me.
And no surprise here. Guy is an expert in ‘enchanting’ people. In his book “The Art of Enchantment” he teaches his readers on how to become more likable and trustworthy – that’s how he defines enchantment. During his speech, he shared some of the tips & tricks on how to do that.
Smile – The key to a great smile are the eyes. Smile with your eyes.
Dress to suit – Don’t over or under dress. Know you who are speaking to and dress to make them feel like you are one of them.
Have a great handshake – The perfect handshake has a certain amount of eye contact. So look people in the eye when you meet them.
Customize your introduction – Think about who your audience is and make sure you’ll get their attention and make yourself relevant already with the first slide. Talking to someone is Scotland, have a picture of haggis.
Tell a story – The power of a great presentation lies in storytelling. Storytelling has the ability to motivate, inspire, engage, and lead. And sell.
10-20-30 rule – Have 10 slides, do them in 20 minutes and use a 30 point font and you’ll be fine.
Visualize – Use images instead of words.
Make it short, sweet and easy to swallow.