{"id":195,"date":"2015-03-20T17:42:29","date_gmt":"2015-03-20T17:42:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/box5167.temp.domains\/~leapica1?p=195&preview_id=195"},"modified":"2023-02-21T17:33:25","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T17:33:25","slug":"five-reasons-audience-hates-you","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zohf.me\/lp\/five-reasons-audience-hates-you\/","title":{"rendered":"If You Want to Lose Your Presentation Audience, Do This"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThat…was the worst presentation I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/h2>\n

\"Lea[dropcap style=\u201dfont-size: 90px; color: #9058A3;\u201d] T[\/dropcap]he words you\u2019ve just read could strike\u00a0terror into the hearts of the most seasoned professional presenter. A statement so sweeping, so final, it seems almost improbable. And yet, I overheard that exact remark at a recent conference I presented at. I was scheduled\u00a0to go on stage within the hour. I was terrified.<\/h3>\n

After observing this presenter\u2019s descent into oblivion, I pondered the missteps presenters often make most (including yours truly) that can turn an audience off. But first, a bit of perspective.<\/p>\n

I see presenting as a harmonious blend of passion, storytelling, and showmanship. It has the uncanny ability to change minds and hearts in a few brief moments. And it’s a practice that challenges and terrifies me, but I find tremendously rewarding when done right.<\/p>\n

But for many of my digital marketing\u00a0 and web analytics peers, presenting is a necessary evil they must accept as part of the job. Once done with, one can return to their desks and\u00a0do their real jobs of number crunching and dashboard updating.<\/p>\n

If this sounds like you, today is your chance to change your perspective in a way that will turn your audience into raving fans. I offer you five simple ways to lose an audience fast, in the hope that you\u2019ll do the exact opposite.<\/p>\n

Alrighty, let\u2019s get losing<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

Setting the Stage<\/h2>\n

For demonstration\u00a0purposes, I’m going to flesh out a persona for our unfortunate presenter; let’s call him Stan. Stan has occupied a web analyst role at his e-commerce startup for 3 years. He likes what he does, but is looking for ways to grow his personal brand.<\/p>\n

When asked to present a case study at an industry conference came along, he jumped at the opportunity. Until now, his presentation experience was limited to internal presentations. His process for this consisted of throwing a few slides and charts together and speaking off the cuff. This approach worked OK for him with internal audiences of colleagues who knew him well.<\/p>\n

[bctt tweet=”If You Want to Lose Your Presentation Audience Fast, Do This #presenting”]<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, his conference audience isn’t familiar with his natural charm. When he climbs on stage and rambles through a mess of incoherent, text-laden slides and charts, they aren’t impressed. His nerves kick into overdrive when noticing his audience’s stone-faced stares.<\/p>\n

Predictably, he doesn’t exactly kill it. He\u00a0murders it<\/strong>. As in DOA, over-dramatic CSI music, murder<\/strong>. Let\u2019s break down the five things Stan did oh-so-very wrong.<\/p>\n

[box type=”download”] BONUS: Don’t forget to download a free Presentation Technical A\/V Sanity Checklist<\/a> at the end of this post.[\/box]<\/p>\n

\"Lea<\/p>\n

#1: Decide not to\u00a0prepare or rehearse<\/h2>\n

I am a real food Paleo convert and amateur homesteader, which means I cook three meals a day for my family. Every day. This requires a lot of advance planning, and sometimes the assistance of my husband for preparing dinner while I\u2019m in the office. I\u2019m also pretty Type A in the kitchen and like to know what I\u2019m having for dinner. So when I send a recipe to my hubby,\u00a0there’s one response that instantly spikes my cortisol:<\/p>\n

\u201cNah, I\u2019ll just wing it\u201d.<\/h3>\n

Now, my husband has many talents, but Bobby Flay he is not. I\u2019ve come home ready to chew my arm off, only to be greeted by steamed blocks of ground meat, sadly undercooked Pad Thai noodles and an emergency dial for takeout. Who\u2019s coming over for dinner?<\/p>\n

The same idea goes for presentations. There are a select few people on this planet that can step onto a stage and captivate an audience without any preparation. Even storytelling luminary Steve Jobs spent months planning and rehearsing his Apple keynotes<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you think your audience won’t notice you haven’t prepared, think again<\/em>. The human brain is adept at detecting this, and it won’t hesitate to mentally check out. According to the National Center for Biology Information<\/a>, you have exactly 8 seconds to grab your audience\u2019s attention. 8. Seconds. That is a shorter attention span than that of a Shubunkin goldfish. (And yes I said Shubunkin to see if you were still paying attention.)<\/p>\n

\"Lea<\/p>\n

And\u00a0despite what some may say, this doesn’t change depending on your audience demographics.\u00a0Every audience is composed of human beings with human brains. The stodgiest of C-Suites is\u00a0going home after your meeting to catch up on Breaking Bad. Why? Because every human being loves great storytelling<\/strong>. Use that to your advantage.<\/p>\n

What this means for you is, yes, more preparation. No more slapping piles of bullet points and pie charts together\u00a0and expecting miracles. Nope, this means:<\/p>\n