Garr Reynolds's Blog, page 5

10 tips for improving your presentations & speeches

In September of this year, I was asked back to the TEDxKyoto stage to give a few words regarding tips from storytelling as they relate to modern presentations. The 15-minute talk can be viewed below. The title of the talk is "10 Ways to Make Better Presentations: Lessons from Storytellers." But as I say early in the presentation, perhaps a better subtitle would be "Lessons from watching too many Pixar films." Below the video I list the ten (actually eleven) lessons. It's not an exhaustive list by any means. But it's a start. (Link on YouTube.)



(1) Turn off the computer.
Most people open a computer and create an outline. Don't do this. Preparation should be analog at the beginning. Turn off the technology and minimize the distractions. You've got to get your idea out of your head and on the wall so you can see it, share it, make it better. We've got to see the details and subtract and add (but mostly subtract) where needed. And we've go to see the big picture. Ideas and patterns are easier to see when they are up on the wall or spread out on the table.

(2) Put the audience first.
Even when we are "telling our story" we are really telling their story. If designed and told well, our story is really their story. Yes, the plot—the events and facts and the order in which they are arranged—may be unique to us, but the theme is universal. The message or the lesson must be accessible and useful for your particular audience. The advice may not be new and it may not sounds exciting, but it's true: Know your audience.

(3) Have a solid structure.
The structure can be very, very simple, but you need it there to help you build your narrative. Once you give the presentation the structure will often be invisible to the audience, but it will make all the difference.

Most presentations will not follow a classic story structure, but there are many narrative structures such as explanatory narratives, slice of life, and so on. The simple and obvious structure in my TEDxKyoto talk above follows a sort of "top-10 list." Any variation of a top-10 list (or countdown, etc.) creates an easy structure for both the presenter and the audience. The down side of a top-10 style is that it is nearly impossible to remember each point without writing it down. This is why I am providing this list in text form as well. For the live talk, my aim was not that the audience would remember each point, but rather that one or two points would stick with each person. And I hoped that the overall message would resonate and give people something to think about after the talk was finished.

(4) Have a clear theme.
What is your key message? What is it you REALLY want people to remember? What action do you want them to take? Details are important. Data and evidence and logical flow are important. But we must not lose sight of what is really important and what is not. Often, talks take people down a path of great detail and loads of information, most of which is completely forgotten (if it was ever understood in the first place) after the talk is finished. The more details that you include and the more complex your talk, the more you must be very clear on what it is you want your audience to hear, understand, and remember. If the audience only remembers one thing, what should it be? Write it down and stick it on the wall so it's never out of your sight.

(5) Remove the nonessential.
This applies to the content of your talk and also to the visuals you use (if any). Cutting the superfluous is one of the hardest things to do because when we are close to the topic, as most presenters are, it *all* seems important. It may be true that it's all important, but when you have only ten minutes or an hour, you have to make hard choices of inclusion and exclusion. This is something professional storytellers know very well. What is included must be included for a good reason. I'm quite fond of the advice by the legendary writer Anton Chekhov: "Remove everything that has no relevance to the story. If you say in the first chapter that there is a rifle hanging on the wall, in the second or third chapter it absolutely must go off. If it's not going to be fired, it shouldn't be hanging there."

(6) Hook 'em early.
The fantastic filmmaker said we must "Grab 'em by the throat and never let 'em go." We've got to hook our audience early. Don't waste time at the beginning with formalities or filler talk. Start with a bang. Get their attention and then sustain that interest with variety and unexpectedness, built upon structure that is taking them some place. Audiences usually remember the beginning and the ending the most—don't waste those important opening minutes. Too many presenters—and writers for that matter—get bogged down in back stories or details about minor—or even irrelevant—points at the beginning and momentum dies as audience members begin scratching their heads in confusion or boredom.
 
(7) Show a clear conflict.
No conflict, no story. Not every presentation topic is about a problem that needs to be dealt with, but many are. And we can certainly improve almost any talk by being mindful of what is at stake and what the obstacles are to overcome. Here's a definition of Story from the book Story Proof: The Science Behind the Startling Power of Story: “A character-based narration of a character’s struggles to overcome obstacles and reach an important goal.” This is based off of the ol' Protagonist-complication-resolution story structure. It may not apply directly to every kind of talk you give, but many examples that we give or experiences that we share to illustrate a point will be about a problem that needed to be dealt with. Make things clear, engaging, and memorable by illustrating the struggle.

(8) Demonstrate a clear change.
Affecting a change is a necessary condition of an effective speech. "A presentation that doesn’t seek to make change is a waste of time and energy," says business guru Seth Godin. Presentations and talks are usually a mix of information, inspiration, and motivation. Anytime we get on a stage to speak we are talking about change. You can think of change in two ways. First, the content of every good presentation or story addresses a change of some kind. Second, an effective presentation or a story told well will create a change in the audience. Sometimes this can be a big change and sometimes it is quite small. Too often, though, the only change the presenter creates in the audience is the change from wakefulness to sleep.

(9) Show or do 
the unexpected.
When we are surprised—when the unexpected happens—we are fully in the moment and engaged. In classical storytelling, reversals are an important technique. Do the opposite of what the audience expects (their expectations were based on your earlier setup). Your surprises do not have to be overly dramatic ones. Often the best way is more subtle. You could, for example, pose questions or open up holes in people’s knowledge and then fill those holes. Make the audience aware that they have a gap in their knowledge and then fill that gap with the answers to the puzzle (or guide them to the answers). Take people on a journey of discovery. And this journey is filled with bits of the unexpected. This is what keeps the journey moving forward.

(10) Make ’em feel.
Storytellers—filmmakers, novelists, etc. — know that it is emotion which impacts people most profoundly. Yes, facts, events, structure are important, but what people remember—and what is more likely to push them to act—is the way the narrative made them feel.



(11) Be authentic.
In the live presentation I mistakenly said that vulnerability was the formula for authenticity. I misspoke. What I meant to say was a willingness to take a risk and be vulnerable was a necessary condition for authenticity. There are no formulas. Vulnerability is what makes us human. We are attracted to characters like Woody (Toy Story) because we see ourselves in their fragility. It’s what makes them "human." Even super heroes are interesting only when we know that they have weakness, including the perceived weakness of self doubt. What made Robin Williams such a remarkable and beloved entertainer was his humanity and his authenticity. This is not something you can fake. Faking authenticity is like faking good health. Sooner or later its all going to come crashing down. Authenticity is built on honesty and a willingness to be vulnerable. It is risky, which is why authenticity is relatively rare, but so appreciated when it is found.

Wired for story
We are a storytelling animal. We are not a bullet-point-memorizing animal. We are wired to be attracted to story and to learn from them and to spread them. "The best stories infuse wonder," Pixar’s Andrew Stanton says. Everything depends on the context of the presentation, but in most cases a good presentation is a mix of logic, data, emotion, and inspiration. We are usually OK with the logic and data part, but fail on the emotional and inspirational end. Certainly leaders and educators need to infuse a bit of wonder into their talks that inspire people to make a change. A good presentation should not end when the speaker sits down or the class comes to an end.

We will not impact everyone in even our greatest presentations. But if we can get enough people talking about the content in the hours or days after our time on stage, then that may be enough. That's something. That's a small victory. Maybe we have lit a spark or motivated someone just a little to explore our message more deeply in future. That is change. It may not be a big change, but it is a change...and that is making a difference. And that is worth getting out of bed for.

Bill Murray on storytelling

If you are any kind of fan of Bill Murray at all, then you will enjoy this interview he did with Howard Stern last week. Murray, who is famously hard to get a hold of, does not do a lot of interviews like this, so it was a rare treat. It's not a performance. This is just two guys talking, but there are some gems in there and even a few bits relevant for presenters and speakers of all types. You can listen to the audio here, but I highlight two of the more relevant points for presenters below.

On story and storytelling
At 18:55 in the audo track above Howard asks Bill how it is that he makes people laugh? Were there any secrets for making people consistently laugh? You and I may not need to make people laugh the way a comedian must, but for us we could frame the question more something like "how do you make people feel something? How do you make them care?" As for being funny, Bill says the key is having the ability to tell stories.

Howard Stern: "Who teaches you to tell a story? Is it something you are born with?"

Bill Murray: "No, I don't think you're born with it. You have to hear stories and you have to live stories. You have to have a bunch of experiences and be able to say 'Here's something that happened to me yesterday....' And if you can make people laugh by telling them what happened to you, then you are telling the story well. So that's what I learned in improv...." But you have to live to have the stories, says Murray. You need the experiences.



The more you do it, the more relaxed you become
Howard Stern says he is amazed at how Bill Murray is able to seem so relaxed. Being relaxed and natural is something that is very engaging as a performer or communicator in general, but how do you do it even when you are nervous? How does one get loose and relaxed? Stern asks Murray if he was nervous the first time he was on Saturday Night Live (SNL). The stakes were high and the TV audience of millions was live. Surely a young Bill Murray was nervous. (Discussion begins at about 23:40 in the audio).

Bill Murray: "The more relaxed you are, the better you are. When you get on the stage...you go into like a professional state. Your state changes. You get higher."

Bill Murray says he learned how to be loose and relaxed through his early improv work at Second City and on National Lampoon Radio, performing in an off Broadway show, etc. He had the confidence he could do it because he had done it before, albeit on a smaller stage. There is a lesson in there for us, of course. If you want to get good at being relaxed, natural, and comfortable on stage or speaking to any kind of group as part of your work, the secret is to give yourself opportunities to gain the experience over time. It will not happen overnight, but over time—including both success and failures—you can develop into a master.

Public speaking and improv should be part of our education. It should not just be for a few students in the speech class or the even fewer students in the drama department. All of us can learn from the experiences with improvisation, and with performances such as plays and music, etc. This idea of "state" is very important. Over time, with experience, you learn to put yourself into a different state when communicating before an audience. This is something that even experienced teachers do, perhaps without even thinking about it. Step by step, with experience, almost anyone can become much, much better.

 

Presenting a lunar eclipse

Last night we were treated to a lunar eclipse here in Nara, Japan (and elsewhere in the world, assuming you had clear skies). As it's the harvest season here with very much a feeling of Autumn in the air, the majestic orange tint of the moon seen just above the trees lining our house seemed very fitting to the season. As you know, a lunar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes directly behind the Earth and into its shadow or umbra. The orange Moon or "blood Moon" is really something to behold. But why does the Moon turn red/orange? It's a simple phenomenon and it's explained clearly and visually in this video presentation by our friends at NASA (below).



Capturing the mood
Below are a few images I snapped outside an upstairs bedroom window at home about 8:10 PM Japan time last night. No filters or editing at all, and yet that is one intensely orange Moon. Beautiful. Before science, imagine what kind of super natural explanations one could have come up with to scare the pants (or loin cloths) off of people. We use the term "awesome" too much in daily conversation, but this gorgeous Moon was a truly awesome sight.







(click images for larger size). The snaps are from my old Nikon D90. But I was too lazy to find my tripod, so I balanced the camera on the window ledge upstairs. That was steady (sort of). But pushing the shutter with my finger was still enough to get a bit of a blur, but I did not mind as I rather like the effect of the imperfection. Besides, my father in-law—an amateur astronomer—was taking much better photos with his high-tech telescopes down the street.

Link
• Fantastic shots from last night's eclipse on Flickr

Communication lessons from Frank Sinatra, 1963

The legendary Frank Sinatra (1915–1998) can teach us a thing or two about engaging an audience. I stumbled upon this 1963 Playboy interview with Sinatra recently, and it's pure gold. "When I sing, I believe," says Sinatra. "I’m honest. If you want to get an audience with you, there’s only one way. You have to reach out to them with total honesty and humility." Whether we're talking about an entertainer or about life in general, you can't be indifferent, Frank says. People do not connect with indifference. "This isn’t a grandstand play on my part; I’ve discovered—and you can see it in other entertainers—when they don’t reach out to the audience, nothing happens."


Keynote slide (click for larger view).

Playboy asks Sinatra why he thinks he has been so successful. Is it his vocal range, his styling, his phrasing? To what does he attribute his success? "I think it’s because I get an audience involved, personally involved in a song—because I’m involved myself." Audiences connect with authenticity, and the way to show your authenticity is to be willing to be vulnerable and honest with your audience.

Simple, direct, and honest
This clip below is a great example of what Sinatra was talking about in the interview. This song is from a June 20th, 1965 special called Frank Sinatra's Spectacular, featuring Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., and hosted by Johnny Carson. Damn, this is good. Frank Sinatra is singing live while his friends Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr. (and Frank's daughter) are ribbing him off stage. As this clip shows, audiences will have a great time if you have a great time (and are giving something to them worth sharing). I love Sinatra's cool reactions to the banter and his subtle phrasing. They do not make ’em like this anymore.

The key to storytelling is not your perfection but your humanity

The Irish Times has a good, short piece on The Moth, the not-for-profit organization dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. The Moth started in George Dawes Green's living room in 1997, but soon the storytelling club founded by Green started hosting events in cafes and clubs throughout New York City. The name "The Moth" came from the idea that people are attracted to stories the way moths are attracted to a flame. From The Moth website: "Each show starts with a theme, and the storytellers explore it, often in unexpected ways. Since each story is true and every voice authentic, the shows dance between documentary and theater, creating a unique, intimate, and often enlightening experience for the audience." The storytellers are usually novice storytellers who have something interesting to share. Yet, The Moth directors work with the speakers before each show to help them find their stories and shape them. The focus is on meaning and quality but also on naturalness and authenticity, therefore, no notes or scripts are allowed.

Below is a wonderful story presented at The Moth in 2009 by Malcolm Gladwell. It's well worth your time watching.

 

The Times article quotes the New Yorker writer and essayist Adam Gopnik as to what makes for a good story. “A good story has to be extremely particular and peculiar to your life. It has to have an element of singularity and yet – and this is the alchemy and paradox of storytelling – it has to be something immediately universal, part of something that we all experience,” Gopnik says. A great story is never just about you or something that happened to you, no matter how seemingly interesting the characters or events may be. A great story, no matter the subject, is always really about a them (the audience) with a universal appeal. The theme must get at something truly human. A cautionary tale of greed and excess or an inspiring narrative of resilience and persistence. The plot of your story — the events and the order in which you arranged them — are important but only to the degree that they illuminate your message or theme and illustrate clearly the arc of change.

Vulnerability and the courage to talk about failure.
Some of the best stories are about failures and defeats. The Moth founder and writer George Dawes Green says in the Times article, "Nobody wants to hear about your triumphs. We want to hear about what a fool you are, because that’s what we are." Most people, however, do not want to talk about their failures or their struggles with their weaknesses. But your honestly and willingness to be vulnerable is what draws your audience in. Though the stories are well planned and have a solid structure, The Moth's Lea Thau says in this Nieman Storyboard interview that the delivery is more about sharing than performing. "The one demand is that you are willing to step out there and be completely present with the audience and say, 'I am not performing something to you, for you, or at you, I’m sharing something with you in this moment that is true for me.' When people do that, the audience becomes so invested in them. The audience understands how inherently terrifying it is. Most people say it feels like they’re standing naked." The naked approach is what connects with audiences.

Your own storytelling situation may be very different from being on stage at The Moth, but there are some things we can takeaway. Here are just a few things to remember when crafting and delivering your story. Your story must:

• Be Particular to your life
• Be Peculiar
• Have a universal theme
• Expose a vulnerability or a weakness
• Illustrate a transformation
• Be naturally told with energy, engagement, and presence

No struggle, no story. No obstacles to reach your goal? Who wants to hear about that? Where is the lesson in that? Moth is a great storytelling resource. People are indeed attracted to story the way a moth is attracted to the flame...and we can all get better at telling our own stories.

A Story of courage: Hiro Fujita on ending ALS (TEDxTokyo)

With all the attention the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is receiving this past week, it is a good time to share with you the most touching and most important presentation I saw at TEDxTokyo back in May of this year. The presentation was by a young Japanese man named Hiro Fujita. In November of 2010, Hiro was working happily as Planning Director at McCann Erickson in Tokyo when he was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). His TEDxTokyo talk is his story and a moving call to action.

Perhaps we throw around the word "inspiring" too much. But Hiro inspires me...and thousands of others. After Hiro's talk in Tokyo, which was voiced largely by his boss Dave McCaughan, I felt an odd mix of inspiration from Hiro's courage and spirit but also sadness at the great difficulties he faces everyday just to survive. "I am 99% grateful for all that has happened in my life," Hiro says, "but 1% angry." Hiro is angry at the disease and at the government regulations which are slow and burdensome. His END ALS movement is taking concrete measures to make a difference. As Dave McCaughan said in the TEDx talk, "The END ALS movement is about getting the government and medical authorities to realize the desire and the need of the people who have this terrible, terrible disease to help solve this problem themselves." Hiro's story and the END ALS movement are important. Please watch Hiro's story below. And please pass on his video to others.



Please share Hiro's story
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is admirable. It's good that so many people are getting into the spirit about raising awareness of ALS, and making a donation. The videos I have seen are all well-intentioned, but many videos—including those by celebrities—often do not educate the viewer much at all about what ALS is or how we can help. Please do not misunderstand: the bucket challenge is a very good effort and it has indeed thus far raised millions of dollars. That's all good. I have been "called out" to do the bucket challenge and I have  made a donation in response. Sometimes, though, the spectacle of pouring water over one's head can take away from the actual issue. (Besides, me pouring cold water over my head in the sultry weather we have here in Japan is hardly a challenge—it would simply be refreshing. Instead, please watch Hiro take the challenge here.) However, instead of pouring water over my head—which would not be interesting to anyone—I do have a challenge for you of a different sort: First, would you please share Hiro's TEDxTokyo talk with your own network? Second, please go to the END ALS website and checkout the important work they are doing. You can donate there directly and donate by purchasing an "END ALS" t-shirt as well. And read Hiro's blog too.

Hiro lost his voice, but not his will to communicate and to make a positive impact in the world. Hiro's friends and coworkers have rallied around him to help him start a movement and to make a difference. Let's all be at least a small part of it. Thank you.

Important links
• END ALS website
• Donate to the END ALS movement
• END ALS Store
• END ALS Facebook page
• Hiro Fujita's blog
• ALS Association (donate)

 

Robin Williams on the TED stage

At the 2008 TED Conference held in California, the BBC's "The World Debate" set up a panel discussion to be broadcast worldwide from the TED stage. When they went live with the show there appeared to be a major technical problem followed by several moments of dead air. As my friend Patrick Newell recalled the incident to me today (Patrick was in the audience that day), someone in the back of the room started heckling and dropping f-bombs, wondering why they can't get the technology to work at a technology conference. At first the audience was stunned but then broke into uproarious laughter once they realized that the "heckler" was Robin Williams. Williams continued his comical rant as he walked down toward the stage (nothing else was happening due to the tech glitch, so why not?) From there Williams ad–libbed for about ten minutes on stage. Fortunately the BBC kept recording and put together about three minutes from William's improvised bit. This seems to be very typical of Robin Williams. This was not just a celebrity taking another chance to be in the limelight. In stead it was a man who used his talents to actually make the situation better. The panel surely benefited from it. Chris Anderson appreciated it. And the audience loved it. This seems to have been done very much in the spirit of contribution. This one was recorded, but from what we hear, Williams did this kind of thing all the time when the camera's were not rolling. Norm Macdonald has a great story that exemplifies the spirt of Robin Williams.

A message to TEDxTokyo
Patrick Newell, co-founder of TEDxTokyo, ran into Robin Williams at that same TED Conference in 2008 and asked him if he would mind saying a few words regarding the first TEDxTokyo to take place the following year. Being the kind man that he was, he said "sure," and proceded to riff for about 45 seconds. He also mentioned the other similar TED event which was called "BOB." Watch below.

Williams was brilliantly funny and a great actor. Obviously. But more importantly he was kind and generous. This came across in his standup performances especially. His authenticity and his vulnerability were visible to all. This was one of the things that made him such a wonderful performer and human being.

7 things good communicators must not do

In this simple but informative TED Talk, Julian Treasure offers up seven things that effective communicators must exclude from speech. This list of seven is a kind of "bad habits to avoid" list. They are not the only elements that can derail effective communication, but it is a good list from which to start. "I call them seven sins somewhat tongue in cheek," Julian says in the comments section on the TED Website. "I am not saying these things are bad or wrong, simply that they tend to make it harder for people to listen, especially when they become habits." Yes, suggesting that one avoid these behaviors always and forever can become a sort of dogma as well. However, he is right that these behaviors are for the most part injurious to our reputations, credibility, and over all effectiveness.

Julian's presentation is short, clear, and concise. Still, to help you remember the contents after you've watched the talk, I summarize the key points below and include a few of his slides that display the key points. The last one (number 8) is one I have added to the list. You surely may have some more to add.

7 (or 8) things to avoid when speaking
Here are the seven (well, I added one of my own). These can be applied to any context from banter with friends, meetings with coworkers, and of course, presentations in all their myriad forms.

(1) Gossip
Yes, we all do it from time to time. But there are some problems with it. For example, says Julian, "we know perfectly well the person gossiping five minutes later will be gossiping about us." This reminds me of that Eleanor Roosevelt observation: "Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people." 

(2) Judging
"It's very hard to listen to somebody if you know that you're being judged and found wanting at the same time," Julian says. Judging, of course, is very human and is not necessarily a bad thing. Context is important. But when judging gets in the way of honest dialog, then we have a problem. Judging can be a great barrier to the receiver actually hearing what is really being said.

(3) Negativity
It's very hard to listen to someone who is seemingly always negative or has a great habit of looking on the bad side of things. When one's default reply or approach is to focus on the negative, it becomes hard to take their words seriously. Negativity, of course, is not to be confused with critical thinking or even skepticism. Negativity keeps us from seeing the possible in the seemingly impossible.

(4) Complaining
This one is very close to negativity above. We all hate "the complainers" even though we may find ourselves in this role without knowing it. We must be mindful that we do not enter into a kind of downward spiral of negativity and complaining. Complaining is different from venting feelings or frustrations with a trusted friend. This can be quite healthy for getting things off our chest. Complaining refers to, I think, an approach to daily living with is always "glass half empty." Chronic negativity and complaining does not help anyone. Most importantly, it does not help you. As the Dalai Lama says "Your sadness will not solve the problem. More sadness, more frustration only brings more suffering for yourself. No matter how tragic the situation, we should not lose hope."

(5) Excuses
"Some people have a blamethrower," Julian says. "They just pass [blame] on to everybody else and don't take responsibility for their actions, and again, hard to listen to somebody who is being like that." It is a natural thing to want to make excuses for our failings. After all, no one knows our inner struggles or our external antagonists better than we do. But deep down we know better: We must take full responsibility for our mistakes and our failures. Far from being a kind of acquiescence, it takes courage to admit failure and to apologize without making even a single excuse.

(6) Exaggeration 
Embroidery and exaggeration, says Julian, demeans our language. For example, he says, "if I see something that really is awesome, what do I call it?" Exaggeration can become out and out lying, and we don't want to listen to people we know are lying to us." A lot of this depends on which culture we find ourselves in, however. Julian called this bad habit lying, but I have listed it as exaggeration. We know lying is wrong, obviously, but we should be careful too when our enthusiasm results in the kind of exaggeration that distorts facts.
        
(7) Dogmatism
Julian refers to dogmatism as "the confusion of facts with opinions." And he says, "when those two things get conflated, you're listening into the wind. You know, somebody is bombarding you with their opinions as if they were true. It's difficult to listen to that." I would add to this deliberate obfuscation. For example, when an individual will not answer a simple question clearly—one that everyone knows the answer to—because they fear not adhering to a predetermined narrative.


Julian Treasure's slide listing the 7 bad habits in communication.

(8)Self-absorption. Egocentricity, selfishness, and conceitedness. A presentation, or even a conversation, is not just about you. Not caring about your audience is one of the easiest ways to ensure failure in communication. Don't waste their time, ever. Be brief, be concise, then be done (a version of FDR's "Be sincere; be brief; be seated." One needs to have great empathy for an audience and be fully attuned to the situation. Regardless of the context, it is never appropriate to just plow ahead with one's monologue regardless of how the audience is feeling.   

Four things that good speech must have (HAIL)
The list above are things to avoid. "But is there a positive way to think about this?" Julian asks. "Yes, there is. I'd like to suggest that there are four really powerful cornerstones, foundations, that we can stand on if we want our speech to be powerful and to make change in the world." The first letter of these four foundational pillars of good speech form the word HAIL: Honesty. Authenticity. Integrity. Love. The latter being not a romantic love, Julian says, but rather the spirit of wishing the other well. Love in this case refers to human compassion and empathy for others. I would argue that empathy is certainly one of the keys to effective communication and healthy relationships of all kinds.


HAIL: Slide from Julian Treasure's presentation

Improving your voice
It's not only what you say, but how you say it. Many of our conversations or presentations are not effective in part because of how we speak. That is, how we are using our voices. In this section Julian touches on a few tools that we can use to improve the sound of our voice so that our messages may become even that much stronger or clearer. Julian begins with register. Some people talk a bit through their nose. Most people are talking through their throats as they strain to be heard or be listened to. The key is to bring our register down a bit lower. "If you want weight, you need to go down here to the chest....We vote for politicians with lower voices, it's true, because we associate depth with power and with authority." Julian finishes by suggesting with use other speech tools such as, timbre (smooth, rich, and warm—like hot chocolate), prosody, pace (including silence), pitch, and volume. In the end Julian makes a good point that we need to warm up our voices before we step on the stage to make a speech or give a presentation.

The toolbox: Slide from Julian Treasure's presentation.

"We speak not very well into people who simply aren't listening in an environment that's all about noise and bad acoustics" Julian says in closing. But, he says, "what would the world be like if we were creating sound consciously and consuming sound consciously and designing all our environments consciously for sound? That would be a world that does sound beautiful, and one where understanding would be the norm...."
 
Using this video as a teaching tool
I used this video in a 90-minute communications class at my university this week. First I have students (in groups) come up with their own list of "7 things you must avoid" when communicating effectively. I explain to students that this could apply to presentations or speeches, or even one-to-one conversations at work or with friends. Each group then writes their ideas on the whiteboard and we discuss as a class. Then I ask them to discuss what they think are the "foundations of good communication." In other words, what are 4-5 foundational elements that effective communication is built on. I draw a roof with four empty pillars on the whiteboard—each pillar represents a foundational element. Their ideas, I tell them, are what they think are the foundations of good communication. After some small group discussion they share their ideas again. About 40 minutes has passed by now. Then I tell them we are going to watch a 9-minute TED talk where a communication expert will outline "7 bad habits" or "7 deadly sins." Following this the speaker will name his ideas concerning the four foundational elements. At the very end the speaker will touch upon several key items concerning our voice with tips for improving how we can improve the sound of our voice. Julian does not go deep with any of the content in he video, but this is fine as the class does indeed go deeper with myself acting as facilitator.

 

George Takei's bold story at TEDxKyoto

George Takei knows how to tell a great story. In this case, a true story of his life. The famed Star Trek actor, activist, and social media star was in town recently to give a remarkable talk as part of a very special TEDxKyoto event. I was invited to watch the rehearsal just before the live event, so I arrived early and grabbed a front row seat. George did not give a speech in the traditional sense. There was no lectern, no notes, no teleprompter. George obviously was reciting the speech from memory—his live version was exactly the same as in the rehearsal—but the speech did not seem memorized. That is, when I was listening I was not aware that he was giving a speech or a prepared talk, I was just lost in the narrative flow of his story.

George begins his talk right away with a kind of prelude that touches on a few themes that will actually be touched on in his talk. "I'm a veteran of the Starship Enterprise," George begins with a smile. "I soared through the galaxy driving a huge starship with a crew made up of people from all over this world—many different races, many different cultures, many different heritages. All working together. And our mission was to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one had gone before."

The audience got a kick out of his Star Trek references, but this little prelude transitioned well to his story which begins for real at about the one-minute mark. "I am the grandson of immigrants from Japan who came to American boldly going to a strange new world," he begins. Watch the talk below.

George uses a visual language by describing events with contrasts, juxtapositions, and irony. For example:

"I could see the the barbed wire fence and sentry tower outside my schoolhouse window as I recited the words 'with liberty and Justice for all.'"

What's your story?
We always hear that this is the era of telling your story. "The world needs to hear your story," our friends keep telling us. But this raises the question—a question I hear perhaps more than any  other: How can I tell my story and not bore the audience? The answer is actually quite simple. Your story is really their story. Often we find ourselves in a situation where the audience members have diverse backgrounds and specialties. In this case "Your story is really their story" means that your contents (events, experiences, lessons, and how you arrange them — the plot in other words) must illuminate universal themes such as justice and fairness, over coming great odds, sacrifice & reward, a person's struggles with societal pressures, and dozens of others. All the universal themes, of course, involve a goal and obstacles and conflicts that must be dealt with and that lead to a change. While the theme or themes must be something that the audience can relate to, the specific details of your talk do not need to be something your audience has ever experienced personally. The audience is hearing your contents for the first time, but the themes that your contents illustrates are familiar and therefore easy to grasp. In the case of George's talk, most people who listen are not themselves Japanese-Americans who experienced internment, but all can sympathize with his experiences and can empathize with the hardships and the struggles, and in the end be inspired by the lessons he learned and shared with his audience.


George Takei on the center stage at TEDxKyoto earlier this month.


It was an honor to meet George back stage in Kyoto after his wonderful talk. Pictured here with George and his husband Brad on my right, and US diplomat Patrick Linehan and his husband Emerson on my left.

A similar but different must-see presentation by George
I really like the way they put this interview with George together by mixing in images from his past and historic images to give a visual amplification to his narrative. This video is from a new series, according to their website, "that shares LGBT celebrities' personal stories of struggle and success." But like all good stories, his story is really our story. The "plot" if you will are the facts of his life—internment as a child, discrimination, hiding his true self, etc.—but the themes appeal to all because they are universal: over coming the odds, struggling with fears and doubts, finally breaking on through, and so on. In other words, you do not need to be LGBT or Japanese-American to relate very well to the struggles George is talking about.

George Takei's talk is nicely agumented with the insertion of vintage visuals.

Thanks to TEDxKyoto for hosting the event and for the photos above. More photos from the event available here.

Related talk: Patrick Linehan's "Embracing Different" TEDxKyoto presentation.

George Takei's bold TEDxKyoto Talk

George Takei knows how to tell a great story. In this case, a true story of his life. The famed Star Trek actor, activist, and social media star was in town recently to give a remarkable talk as part of a very special TEDxKyoto event. I was invited to watch the rehearsal just before the live event, so I arrived early and grabbed a front row seat. George did not give a speech in the traditional sense. There was no lectern, no notes, no teleprompter. George obviously was reciting the speech from memory—his live version was exactly the same as in the rehearsal—but the speech did not seem memorized. That is, when I was listening I was not aware that he was giving a speech or a prepared talk, I was just lost in the narrative flow of his story.

George begins his talk right away with a kind of prelude that touches on a few themes that will actually be touched on in his talk. "I'm a veteran of the Starship Enterprise," George begins with a smile. "I soared through the galaxy driving a huge starship with a crew made up of people from all over this world—many different races, many different cultures, many different heritages. All working together. And our mission was to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one had gone before."

The audience got a kick out of his Star Trek references, but this little prelude transitioned well to his story which begins for real at about the one-minute mark. "I am the grandson of immigrants from Japan who came to American boldly going to a strange new world," he begins. Watch the talk below.

What's your story?
We always hear that this is the era of telling your story. "The world needs to hear your story," our friends keep telling us. But this raises the question—a question I hear perhaps more than any  other: How can I tell my story and not bore the audience? The answer is actually quite simple. Your story is really their story. Often we find ourselves in a situation where the audience members have diverse backgrounds and specialties. In this case "Your story is really their story" means that your contents (events, experiences, lessons, and how you arrange them — the plot in other words) must illuminate universal themes such as justice and fairness, over coming great odds, sacrifice & reward, a person's struggles with societal pressures, and dozens of others. All the universal themes, of course, involve a goal and obstacles and conflicts that must be dealt with and that lead to a change. While the theme or themes must be something that the audience can relate to, the specific details of your talk do not need to be something your audience has ever experienced personally. The audience is hearing your contents for the first time, but the themes that your contents illustrates are familiar and therefore easy to grasp. In the case of George's talk, most people who listen are not themselves Japanese-Americans who experienced internment, but all can sympathize with his experiences and can empathize with the hardships and the struggles, and in the end be inspired by the lessons he learned and shared with his audience.


George Takei on the center stage at TEDxKyoto earlier this month.


It was an honor to meet George back stage in Kyoto after his wonderful talk. Pictured here with George and his husband Brad on my right, and US diplomat Patrick Linehan and his husband Emerson on my left.

A similar but different must-see presentation by George
I really like the way they put this interview with George together by mixing in images from his past and historic images to give a visual amplification to his narrative. This video is from a new series, according to their website, "that shares LGBT celebrities' personal stories of struggle and success." But like all good stories, his story is really our story. The "plot" if you will are the facts of his life—internment as a child, discrimination, hiding his true self, etc.—but the themes appeal to all because they are universal: over coming the odds, struggling with fears and doubts, finally breaking on through, and so on. In other words, you do not need to be LGBT or Japanese-American to relate very well to the struggles George is talking about.

George Takei's talk is nicely agumented with the insertion of vintage visuals.

Thanks to TEDxKyoto for hosting the event and for the photos above. More photos from the event available here.