
How to give a great presentation: advice from a legendary adman (2012) - c0restraint
https://www.brainpickings.org/2012/12/20/writing-that-works-roman/
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AndrewKemendo
I have been giving presentations professionally since ~2007.

The only thing I agree with is the end:

"The most effective speeches and presentations sound as if they have been
spoken, ad-lib, and not written down at all. Great presenters and speakers
make it all sound so easy and so natural that one assumes it just pours out of
them. It almost never does."

You'll never see an amazing talk/brief/speech like described above, follow the
formula outlined in the "How to organize a presentation."

The "How to organize a presentation" is great for someone who has never given
a presentation to be able to give a tolerable presentation.

However going from tolerable to good takes a completely different pathway and
most people never get there.

I suggest if you're serious about being influential as a presenter you try an
open mic for poetry, improv or standup comedy. You'll bomb probably, but the
exercise is really important.

Practice storytelling. Write more. Understand your audience before you even
start building your presentation. There's so much to do that is never ending
but at the end of the day you're trying to build a relationship with your
audience so that they trust you and what you are trying to convince them of.

~~~
tootie
My line of work requires a lot of time presenting. We typically tag team our
presentations so experts are presenting their own slides. It definitely adds
to the authenticity. Typically I'll write up slides relevant to the audience,
but it's usually on topics that I already know inside and out and don't need
to follow a script and can easily respond to questions and tangents. Then pass
to another expert who can talk about their stuff with equal vigor. Speaking
about something that's actually interesting is also hugely important.

I think the exact inverse example is probably Donald Trump. He has little
relevant expertise to his job and hasn't really bothered to learn much along
the way. Instead, he speaks at length without a script and without breaking
tempo unburdened by facts, experience or even coherence. Just a lot of
confidence and a lot of emotion. And it evidently works really well for a lot
of people.

~~~
joshuaheard
Scott Adams (Dilbert creator) has written several books on persuasion and
persuasive techniques. He analyzes Trump's communication style very
positively.

~~~
TwoBit
Does he recommend lying so much?

I'm not sure how to categorize Trump's lying. He just says whatever he wants,
completely made up.

~~~
nordsieck
> I'm not sure how to categorize Trump's lying. He just says whatever he
> wants, completely made up.

My charitable view of Trump's lying is this:

He is one of the first high level public officials to take Scalia's opinion in
Republican Party of Minnesota v White seriously

> Campaign promises are, by long democratic tradition, the least binding form
> of human commitment.

His speech is in essence poetry rather than prose; he focuses almost
exclusively on evocative imagery and emotional impact and disregards facts as
largely irrelevant to his audience. To my dismay, this is much more effective
than I would like it to be.

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JoeMayoBot
Lots of good tips here. I've been speaking and teaching for several years
(software development) and it's a process of continual improvement. Here are
my thoughts on a few of the items:

\- Involving the audience: People often ask questions and this can be the best
part of the presentation because I learn about what I might not know, I
understand what other people care about, and it often introduces fun
interactions. Sometimes, giving away swag is fun by asking questions at the
end of the presentation and giving a prize to the first answer.

\- Give them a book: I always include a slide at the end of the presentation
so people can contact me, find related material for more info, and the URL to
any code used in the presentation.

\- Making it sound like you: Non ego driven sharing for the benefit of the
audience. Sometimes, I'll go listen to a speaker because of who they are,
regardless of the topic.

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cl42
Oh man, Ogilvy’s writing is so great and he has such good advice.

I remember reading some of his other writing... One anecdote about superglue:
want to show people it’s strong? Don’t just say it in a billboard ad; glue a
car to the billboard!

Brilliant.

~~~
smacktoward
Timeless advice for writers: _show, don’t tell._
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show,_don%27t_tell](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Show,_don%27t_tell)

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BossingAround
An interesting lecture on the topic is also How To Speak by late MIT professor
Patrick Winston [1]. Very much recommended!

[1]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unzc731iCUY](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Unzc731iCUY)

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cbanek
This is some great advice. I totally agree with the "it feels natural and ad-
lib but it's not." If something is really well organized, one topic will
naturally flow into the other (also, it's easier to adlib with well organized
presentations, I find).

One way I frame the first bit of advice (about having a theme, and keeping it
to the theme) is my favorite line from Planes, Trains, & Automobiles:

"When you're telling a story, have a point! It makes it so much more
interesting for the listener!"

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JLbAePwoHQ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JLbAePwoHQ)

