Another classic ad

Seriously good ads Number 2

There's not really so much of number two about this one. Its probably my number one. Hard to beat.

Seriously good ads: Number 1

Just for fun, here are one or two ads that I really like. There are some great examples of how to get your message to stick, but never mind the theory, just admire the result. More to follow later...

Change the world

It has been said that the only acceptable reason for standing up and giving a presentation is the wish to change the world. Not the whole world of course, all in one go, but some small part of it.

Be that as it may, here's something that comes one step before that:

"Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself."

Leo Tolstoy

From WHY to HOW

A wonderful example of communicating from "why" to "how". Here's the video I possibly won't have time to show in my talk 15 feb i Stockholm. I've put it up before, but it's well worth repeating.

Check this out!

The three best kept secrets of good presentations

These seem to be very well-kept secrets.

Think about this next time you prepare a presentation:

1. It's about being human, not a fact-producing machine
2. It's about sticking out and being different, not about doing what everyone else does in their presentations
3. It's about first explaining WHY, then what or how

"Make sure you finish speaking before your audience has finished listening."
Dorothy Sarnoff

Natti natti!

The power of authority

Authority is truly a powerful thing! Have you read Robert Cialdini's book, "Influence, the psychology of persuasion"? A classic, check it out. (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Cialdini)

A figure of authority is such a powerful thing that, when presented with one, the higher functions of our brain that are responsible for decision-making simply stop functioning!

In one interesting experiment a man dressed in casual clothes standing at a pedestrian crossing crossed the road against a red light. Of course a few people followed him. Then he changed into a suit and tie, a dark overcoat glasses and briefcase so that he represented a much more authoritative figure. This time 350% more people followed him over the road, walking straight out into the traffic. There are many such examples (and if you want some references just contact me) and plenty of evidence of the power of authority. The classic way of course to demonstrate your authority when you give a presentation is to say something about your background and qualifications. One small problem I have with this however, is that this is what everyone does. In other words it's predictable, and doesn't help you stand out from the masses.

So, while I think it's perfectly okay of course to say something about your qualifications, it would be nice if you could find a slightly different way to do it. The best way, in my opinion, is to demonstrate your ability rather than just stand there and say something about it. In other words, talk about the subject as if you really do know what you're talking about! Sounds a bit strange maybe but it starts with being well-prepared and speaking fluently.

Imagine the speaker who is constantly consulting their notes, seems a little surprised by each new PowerPoint slide they show and who can't get through a whole sentence without stumbling and repeating themselves. Doesn't work does it? No matter how much of an expert they are.

Apart from being professional, you can also consider how a figure of authority in your world dresses. Sometimes it's a formal suit-and-tie style that is needed, other times it may be a T-shirt and old jeans. Whatever it takes.

More charisma

In my continued search for the perfect definition of charisma I came up with another thought. The idea wasn't particularly well formulated in words until I read a blog post from Nick Morgan. He managed to capture it perfectly with the words "charisma is focused emotion". Exactly!

The other aspects of my definition are: self-confidence (the belief you have something important to say and are worth listening to), positivity and enthusiasm, and presence (that you are completely present in the moment). Yeah, there's a bit more too but I'll leave it at that for the moment.