There’s a multitude of reasons why you should seek to get your vital message across in human-to-human presentations to audiences of all sizes…
…providing, of course, that you do it brilliantly.
Most of the benefits of presenting in person to live audiences are self-evident.
When you do it superbly, it’s powerful, it’s persuasive and it’s profitable.
But one of the less obvious benefits is that when people have heard you do a successful authentic presentation, they feel as though they’ve come to know you personally.
They may even get to the stage where they feel know, like and trust you – inspired in the first instance by your memorable presentation.
And marketing experts have concluded people tend to do business with those they know, like and trust.
After your inspiring presentation, audience members may feel this way about you – even if they didn’t get the chance to have a one-to-one conversation with you at the event.
Having that immediate one-to-one conversation with everyone who witnesses your presentation can be difficult – partly because a throng of well-wishers that may surround you immediately after your witty, insightful and uplifting conclusion.
Let me use, as an example, the celebrity, Stephen Fry…
DEPLOY RHETORICAL DEVICES – LIKE STEPHEN FRY
I now feel as though I really know the British comedian, actor and writer.
Why do I feel I know Stephen Fry? Because I heard him speak during a literati-packed annual summer awards night at the Society of Authors in London.
One of the advantages of writing a book is that you get to join the Society of Authors and you have the chance to hear presentations from inspiring fellow authors – like Stephen Fry – and mix with literary judges like Bangladeshi British novelist, Tahmima Anam.
Since hearing Stephen Fry present, I’ve taken more of an interest in what he does.
I’ve come to learn that we share a close interest in rhetorical devices – devices which sometimes help Stephen Fry come across so effectively on TV, on radio and in person.
Many of these rhetorical devices were discovered, developed and defined by those erudite Ancient Greeks and Ancient Romans.
You can use them too!
BORROWING FROM THE ANCIENT WORLD
Students learn about Ancient Greeks, Ancient Romans and their rhetorical devices at ancient seats of learning like University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and at Sydney’s Manly Boys’ High School with Mr Goodman.
PICKING UP TECHNIQUES FROM TALKING BOOKS
You can also find out more about utilising rhetorical devices through an audio programme Stephen Fry has made about them.
You can get the programme on your phone or ipad in the form of a talking book.
It’s called “Fry’s English Delight” and in the first series Stephen Fry explores some of these devices in a show called “Rhetoric Rehabilitated”.
If you’re tempted to get into talking books you can purchase “Fry’s English Delight” by clicking on this image:
And if you find yourself liking the new medium of talking books, you can even acquire the talking book version of “Great Answers To Tough Questions At Work” by clicking here:
Remember, the splendid thing about boosting your ability to present and answer questions in front of your audience is that they are learnable skills.
1,2,3 HERE’S THE TRICOLON
If you listen to Stephen Fry’s advice, you can pick up all sorts of ways of enlivening your presentations and your great answers to questions with the help of those Ancient Greeks and Romans.
For example, Stephen Fry explores the power of the so-called “tricolon”.
This is a rhetorical device in which just three words are used to convey a profound sense of roundness, completeness and wholeness.
The tricolon also tends to create a surprisingly satisfying effect at the end of a sentence, making it sound more dramatic.
It doesn’t tend to work in the same way with just two words – because that’s not enough.
And it doesn’t work in the same way with four, five or six words – because that’s too many.
Astute readers (that’s you) may have noticed that I deliberately used a tricolon near the start of this column when I referred the benefits of presenting – when done superbly – as being powerful, persuasive and profitable.
I then slipped in another tricolon when I spoke of people doing business with those they know, like and trust.
And you might have even noticed me referring to the conclusion of your presentation as being witty, powerful and uplifting.
Three Dodd tricolons is probably the right number, so I will stop with mine there.
But remember that William Shakespeare was keen on the device.
He deployed the tricolon in his version of Julius Ceasar’s famous speech, declaring “Veni, vidi, vici.”.
And for those very few readers of this enlightened column who are not Latin scholars (perhaps because you didn’t study at Manly Boys’ High School), this means “I came, I saw, I conquered”.
WANT ANOTHER TECHNIQUE? I BET YOU DO!
Stephen Fry explores another rhetorical device you might be able to use with great effect in your next presentation.
It’s called “hypophora”.
This is where you ask a question of your audience – and immediately answer it yourself.
“Do you know what I mean? Of course you do!”
Astute readers (that’s still you) will note that I also utilised the hypophora technique early in this column when I said:
“Why do I feel I know Stephen Fry? Because I heard him speak at the annual summer awards night at the Society of Authors in London.”
More mature readers (that may or may not be you) might recall that the hypophora technique was also used by Winston Churchill speaking in 1940 about the war against the Nazis.
“You ask, what is our aim? I can answer in one word. It is victory, victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory, however long and hard the road may be.”
Well, Churchill didn’t quite answer his own question in a single word as he promises.
But does he make his point effectively by using hypophora? Yes, he certainly does!
If you need some guidance with the content, structure and delivery style for your next presentation, there’s more here about how I can help you do this one-to-one, in small groups or at your company conference at: http://www.michaeldoddcommunications.com/presenting-with-confidence-impact-and-pizzazz/
Is utilising hypophora in your next presentation optional?
Yes it is, but making a success of your next presentation should be compulsory.
Will I be using both hypophora and tricolons when I run a two-day master class in Reading on the banks of The Thames this week?
Participants will have to wonder, wait and watch.
You might now be asking: What are my master classes on presentation skills called? The tricolonic answer is: “Presenting with Confidence, Impact and Pizzazz”.
And you may ask if these three words were ever put together as a tricolon by William Shakespeare?
Or you may ask if these three words were ever put together as a tricolon by Winston Churchill?
Or you may ask if these three words were ever put together as a tricolon by Stephen Fry?
The answer, dear reader, is probably not.