Present Your Message Without Getting Bored!

What can small business owners learn from actors and tour guides? These three tips will help you present your message, over and over, without EVER getting bored.

Written May 21, 2009, read 918 times since then.

How do small businesses keep themselves in the limelight? By taking every opportunity to present their message to all sorts of groups.

But how can you repeat yourself over and over without becoming so bored you turn people off? These tips from actors and tour guides will help!

1. Remember that even if the material is the same, nothing else is.

As one actor says: "The energy is totally different with every show. Every audience is different." With different people come different dynamics-but you'll never experience that unless you engage your audience. Once the audience participates, you've entered an entirely new experience-one that has never transpired before and that will not happen again.

Not only the audience, but YOU are different each time you present. Your energetic, emotional, physical, and hormonal balances constantly shift. As a result of these changes, you are in a different place and engage with your material in a new way each time you present.

Keys to Remember: Audience interaction makes each presentation different. Enter each session as if you've never done it before.

2. Shake it Up!

One tour guide says, "Although you are talking about the same stuff on each tour, the way you talk about it can differ each time. It can depend on the weather, the audience, questions, the bus being held up behind a donkey..."

Though most of us won't experience the drama of having a donkey in our sessions, (some might debate this-) we all have two choices: shake it up big, or shake it up little. I have found both choices enormously refreshing and stimulating.

Shake it up Big
Try a new exercise or activity. Go ahead, take a risk. It may not be totally successful the first time, but don't let that deter you-it may be the best thing you ever did.

Shake it up Little
Make subtle changes in your delivery. Alter your emphasis or pacing. Get loud when you typically would not, and slow down when you might normally go fast. Sharpen your sensitivity to your own delivery.

Keys to Remember: When you shake it up, you are engaging in a life-giving, energy-injecting re-design of your presentation. This "fix" may be the breath of fresh air that keeps your session vibrant, no matter how many more times you deliver it.

3. Perhaps hardest to remember: It is fresh for THEM.

No matter how "old" your materials seems to you, remember that your participants have never experienced it. They are seeing everything with fresh eyes.

Carol Channing said that she mentally put someone she respected in the audience every night and pretended that he or she had never seen the show before. Then she went out to give this imaginary person the best performance of her career. It always worked for her-and she played the same character well over 5,000 times.

Key to Remember: Try to "get into the audience's shoes." Present as if the material is new and exciting to you. Be passionate!

The "Three E's"

Energy, Enthusiasm, and Enjoyment-they can be yours if you present five or 5,000 times. Just integrate the tips above, and your business message will always remain fresh.

Learn more about the author, Guila Muir.

Posted by Bill Doerr, Berlin, Connecticut | May 21, 2009

Thank you, Guila. Excellent points . . . especially about remembering that the 'show' is new for your audience even if you'd done the role 1,000 times before.

Converting competence into compensation
Posted by Anne Walker, Seattle, Washington | May 22, 2009

Terrific article Guila. Concise, Convincing, and Charismatic! As always...
Posted by John Dover, Portland, Oregon | May 22, 2009

Great ideas. I find much of this useful when I am performing as well. Thanks for the article:)
Posted by Receptionist Administrative..., Bellingham, Washington | May 22, 2009

Guila - I agree that connecting with your audience is the key. Being genuinely passionate about your topic certainly helps keep them engaged.

The point you made about it being new for the participants can be applied to so many life situations. Great article.

Ava
Posted by Crystal Warren, Olympia, Washington | May 22, 2009

This is such a great article for anyone that interacts with others. Follow these tips when at social networking events, meeting new people, speaking in front of others, etc. You will notice the change with how others perceive you and you will get RESULTS!

Guila, thanks for sharing this great article with all of us on Biznik!
Posted by Dennis Henry, Seattle, Washington | May 22, 2009

Guila, your thoughts have refreshed my enthusiam for my next presentation! Thank you.
Posted by Joyce Dierschke, Nashville, Tennessee | May 22, 2009

Great article. Another good point is to always just go in being yourself. As you point out - your own energy is not always the same, so that makes your tone and vibe different if you just relax and be whoever you are at that moment.
Posted by Pamela Ziemann, Bellevue, Washington | May 22, 2009

So true Guila!

A study done at UCLS says 84% of business success is due to being able to 'play' the voice. I love your point about vocal variety. Keeps speaker and audience awake!
Posted by Mark Combs, Fernandina Beach, Florida | May 24, 2009

Very helpful Guila!

Your point is right on target. The dynamics of every presentation are different and in many cases our familiarity with the material blinds us to the very important fact that it is NEW to our client or audience.

Loved the Carol Channing reference!