Session 3
1:00-1:45 PM
1. How to Engage Your Audience with Twitter
Olivia Mitchell (remotely from New Zealand)
2. Creation Myth: Brand Yourself or Your Organization
Terry Gault outlined six key elements needed in developing a corporate Creation Myth. They are:
1. Memorable characters: Characters need names, because audiences have a hard time rooting for a nameless protagonist.
2. Vulnerability: the protagonist must show a vulnerable side, because it makes your character human, and your audience can relate to that.
3. High stakes: for a story to be truly compelling, stakes have to be very high.
4. Details: Providing details that make it easier for your audience to visualize the story is key. In fact, details are far more powerful than adjectives.
5. Be Selective in Details: How do you know what details to put in and what details to leave out? The answer: If the details don’t enhance the scene or contribute to the myth, they should be left out.
6. Dialogue: In describing a scene, give the characters first-person dialogue. Instead of saying, he was panicking, demonstrate it with visual details. His hand shook as he held the phone. Sweat poured down his face.
http://www.kevinfergusonconsulting.com/speechwritingblog/the-creation-myth-%E2%80%93-brand-your-organization/
3. Social Games and the Alexander Technique
Olya Lapina
Alexander technique as a tool to help with any performance: public speaking, acting, presentations, dancing and other activities in all aspects of life.
Release tension and obtain comfortable relaxation when performing, with a series of commands:
"Let the neck be free,
to let the head go forward and up,
to let the back lengthen and widen"
Trian yourself on the posture, that allows you to remain relaxed, releases tension, and exibits confidence. Posture, that allows you to stand comfortably without a feeling of fatigue for long periods of time.
How do you get up? How do you stand? Do you engage musles unnecessarily and become tired quickly?
Recources: "The Alexander Technique. Joy in the life of your body" by Judith Stransky.
Social games for quick group connection.
Recources: BATS Improv, and new! twitter SFimprov
4. Sliduments: Slides, Documents or Both?
Don Campbell
In this session we talked about how many presentations get "overloaded" by trying to be both a presentation and a document containing all of the details. We discussed the tradeoffs of presentations that are designed to be a tool for a presenter to make her point vs ones who are made to stand on their own.
- Presentations are all about intent, which should inform the delivery solution (big problem -- delivering presentation for the wrong purpose)
- importance of audience analysis at outset of creation/planning
- importance of establishing audience's trust that you will provide the info they need
- Danger of reliance on Powerpoint or other template structures / confines
- discussion within the group on idea of best practice re: notes, with many believing that if MUST deliver notes, should distribute as a separate document to attendees at conclusion / after [however, some felt could tackle this differently, such as by including an Executive Summary upfront within the presentation to provide audience comfort it's addressed.]
- tip: use of black (blank) screen as a simple technique to draw the audience's focus to the speaker (also helpful if there is audience chatter)
- tip: DotSub ( http://dotsub.com/ ) translates any video into any language via subtitles, leveraging a community of volunteers
- tip: need a hook to REIGNITE audience interest every 10 minutes or so
- helpful resources:
Also, Heyward mentioned that it's okay to be bolder / more expressive or animated than in your normal dealings. During a past training program, they emphasized going beyond your normal comfort zone and that it really is an extreme to cross into the "Bozo zone." Move around, project your voice!
