How to give a forgettable presentation

Have you ever been to a presentation that you couldn't remember the content of a mere hour afterward? I'm sure everyone has been to at least one of these. For me, sometimes the problem is that the content of the presentation is not particularly interesting or maybe it's too basic or too advanced for me to relate to. Most often, though, the issue is that the speaker himself was not terribly interesting or memorable and didn't capture my attention or failed to hold it for more than a few minutes. In today's world of pervasive technology, I am as guilty of multitasking on my phone if I'm not enthralled with a presentation as anyone.

In December's VISION session we heard from Peggy Kennedy about making your presentation memorable by including personal elements. I certainly agree that storytelling and personal elements are very important to making a presentation, and the presenter himself, interesting. However, I also learned from Barbara Hall in the morning portion of this session that in my DiSC personality assessment that I am a high dominance personality type. That can (and does) mean that I bore easily or get distracted if a presenter is giving me too much fluff and not enough direct, hard substance. There's probably a reason I loved Dragnet re-runs and Joe Friday's "Just the facts, ma'am" approach as a kid. So, what's the best balance? For me, I love a presenter who interjects real-world experience into their presentations as a way of adding a personal element but still conveying important information and not straying too far from the facts. That's what I strive for when I give a presentation as well, so hopefully all you other personality types out there can relate!

a new year's resolution for 2013 & after

                                            Early 20th-century New Year's resolution postcards
                                                     
Now that 2013 has arrived and many of us are setting new goals and resolutions for the new year, it's a good time to recall what Barbara Hall shared with us at our last Vision session.  One of her suggestions was that we focus on our areas for potential rather than on our weaknesses.  After taking the DISC online assessment provided by Unlimited Potential and reading our personalized reports, we are equipped with a greater knowledge of our individual behaviors and the motivations that drive our actions.  We have, also, gained a better understanding of our own strengths and weaknesses, which with practice, can enable us to communicate more effectively with others and achieve deeper satisfaction both at work and in our personal lives.

In the book titled, "StrengthsFinder 2.0," which we read prior to our Vision session #2, Tom Rath informs his readers just how prevalent the sense of disengagement is in the workplace.  He writes, "Over the last decade, Gallup has surveyed more than 10 million people worldwide on the topic of employee engagement (or how positive and productive people are at work), and only one-third "strongly agree" with the statement:  'At work, I have the opportunity to do what I do best every day.'."  He goes on to say that their studies show that people are three times more likely to report having an excellent quality of life when people have the opportunity to concentrate on their strengths each day.  This latter statement urges us to take the time to know ourselves better so that we can put our strengths to use rather than neglecting them.  Focusing on our strengths, Rath says, will lead to a more fruitful, enjoyable life.  This is a new year's resolution we can't afford to lose interest in.