My youngest boy starts school this autumn, and the other day every parent was invited in to hear the head teacher and the teachers walk us through all the new routines waiting for us.
We had barely settled into our seats when one of the teachers came bounding up to the front, talking as she went, in a quick, clipped voice with no pauses at all. In other words, she had not exactly set herself up for success. But the thing that really sank her was that she threw herself straight into logos: facts, figures, and then even more facts.
Happily, she then handed over to the head teacher, who took the stage calmly and began by shining a light on the parents' unshakeably important role in our children's lives. And because we had all shown up out of genuine interest, he invited us to give ourselves a round of applause. The mood shot through the roof. After an opening like that, the whole room was with him.
The big difference I noticed between those two performances comes down to one thing. The "respect section", which so often comes right at the start of a presentation, is astonishingly important for how warmly an audience will receive you as a speaker. But be careful never to serve up a fake one. Praise without genuine feeling and credibility will sink you lower than the floor.
How to build a good respect section
- Praise your listeners for their decision to learn more about what you are going to share.
- Praise them for taking the time to come to your presentation.
- Praise them for something they have done that genuinely delights or interests you.
- Praise them for the organisation they represent.
- Praise whatever you like. You can be as creative as you please, as long as it comes from the heart.
Thank you for the time you took to read this. You are a little wiser now than you were before.
Want to become a better presenter?
This is a short piece from David's knowledge bank. To go deeper, the best places are a keynote, a course, or one to one coaching.