This past weekend, I had the pleasure of watching my Sunster give his very first TEDx talk. He had spent many weeks preparing for it, and I was definitely one proud wife in that audience. Our two oldest flew down from school, while Shaan and I drove, and our oldest even had three friends join us. A few team members also drove down, so needless to say, he had a huge contingent of supporters in the audience.
What surprised me the most about the experience was the amount of preparation it takes. From content to presentation, it’s a complete process. All of the speakers were invited to come two days early: one day for a group dinner and another for a practice run. You could see the camaraderie that had been built among these speakers as they prepared for their individual sessions, and you’d be surprised how nervous someone can get on stage. Each speaker group was comprised of four individuals, with three different sessions, for a total of 12 speakers. Each speaker was given 12 minutes to complete their presentation. Within that time, they were supposed to tell their story, its purpose, what lessons were learned, and how it’s applicable to others.
When we, the audience, arrived at the facility, we were handed surveys to complete for all of the speakers. We were asked to rate the speakers from 1 to 5 in terms of who had the best presentation, and then in a separate column, to rate which speakers we felt would have the most views online. Now that we all knew there was some form of competition, obviously, everyone was paying attention. We started grading each of the speakers as we went along. Were they clear in their communication? Did we understand what they were trying to convey? Did they stay on topic? How did they present themselves?
There was one speaker who shared his story about how he developed his product. His presentation was funny, but he did not present himself well. He was dressed casually in a pair of jeans and an untucked shirt, with uncombed hair, and so he did not score as highly as he possibly could have.
Another individual spoke to the audience about being a “Santa for Nerds.” He had all these cool products that he developed over the years for Nickelodeon and other large organizations. He presented himself well, was articulate, and he actually scored higher than the previous speaker, who had better content in his presentation. Why? Because he presented himself well and had cool gifts to show the audience. But what was the purpose of his presentation? What did we learn from it aside from the fact that he got to make cool toys?
There was also one lady who looked extremely sharp and very well put together. The content of her presentation was top-notch; however, she delivered it in a monotone voice, making it hard for people to understand what she was communicating or to stay engaged. While the premise of her entire presentation was spot on, she lost the audience’s attention because her voice was so flat. People were disengaged. All the other speakers used emotion and varied language to keep the audience engaged, but her single tone of voice negatively impacted her presentation. She scored the lowest, even though her content was probably one of the best.
Obviously, I am biased 😊, but my Sunster was a rock star. He was funny and witty, spoke well, and shared personal experiences. I promise to share the TEDx talk once it’s released with all of you.
Coming away from the experience, it really got me thinking about how important presentation is when we communicate a message. Whether that’s in a TEDx format or in our offices, it’s not just what we are communicating; it’s how we are communicating it. Did we take the time and effort to put it together properly? Did we look prepared? Did our voice have the right inflection points to keep the audience engaged? It all matters. If we all took the same amount of time these individuals did for our presentations, there’s no way we wouldn’t be successful. So, the next time you walk into a room to win a crowd over, remember that and take the time to prepare yourself because presentation matters.
