Public speaking, as four experts reminded us at the recent American Bar Association annual meeting in Atlanta, is a precise skill that anyone can enhance with the proper preparation, practice and repetition.

The experts were:

• Presentation, Client Development and Communications Consultant Tim Hrastar.
• PM Forum Regional Director for North America Larry Bodine, Esq.
• Legal Technologist, Web Site Consultant Client Development Specialist for Martindale-Hubbell,                                        Chris Fritsch, J.D.
• Robert M. Kincaid, Esq., Litigation Partner (trial lawyer) Baker & Hostetler LLP
• Leah Pappas, Esq., Partner Government Relations  (lobbyist) Calfee, Halter & Griswold LLP.

Moderator Tim Hrastar started the seminar producing his list of 10 presentation problems:

1.      Lack of audience rapport

2.      Stage fright caused by fear of failure

3.      Uncomfortable appearance—awkward stage presence and posture

4.      Too serious—no sense of humor

5.      Lack of eye communication, facial expressions, gestures

6.      “Data dump” -- spewing out facts only with no emotional appeal through the use of stories, examples, etc.

7.      Not being prepared

8.      No enthusiasm, passion or energy—monotone delivery

9.      Use of annoying non-words, or useless words or sounds (like "um") instead of pauses

10. Little or no use of visual aids, gestures or movement

He counseled us on posture and movement, using natural gestures, having welcoming facial expressions, and of course making eye contact.  He reminded us that energy, passion and enthusiasm are infectious and show confidence.

Larry Bodine followed and hit the nail succinctly and directly on the head.  To overcome stage fright he advised to prepare well, rehearse your performance until it becomes natural, speak on a topic you know well,  study your audience in advance,  study great public speakers to find what you might want to replicate.

He suggested using the following presentation formula:

o       Tell the audience what you're going to say.

o       Tell them.

o       Tell the audience what you told them.

Larry talked about the importance of doing what he did so well:  making the audience like you by making eye contact, leaving the podium, smiling, having fun, talking to people individually in the audience by name if you know them. 

Over and over each speaker addressed the importance of visual aids. Bodine talked about the value of PowerPoint and gave an excellent demonstration on how to and how not to use PowerPoint. He gave some practical technical tips to use one’s own equipment, having a back-up of your slide show, using a wireless remote for slide advancement and using pictures and graphics.  In order for a PowerPoint presentation to be most effective as an aid, not a distraction, he advised that each slide have a:

·         Headline no smaller than 44 point

·         Second Level no smaller than 32 points

·         Third Level no smaller than 28 points

·         Maximum  6 words to the line

·         Maximum 6 lines to a slide

·         Use 1 font almost always and never more than 2

·         For an aggressive or warm message use red, orange or yellow

·         For a receding or cool message use blue, green or purple.

Costumed with a stove pipe hat and beard, he finished his presentation with a hysterically funny depiction of a bad oral and visual presentation of the Gettysburg Address.  His oral presentation was clumsy, verbose and fawning. His PowerPoint slides were too wordy, unclear, had too many fancy effects, emphasized unimportant points, ….you get the idea!

Chris Fritsch, makes sales presentations all the time and so she organized her talk into three main parts of the speech:  Before, During and After. 

Before:

She emphasized the importance of preparation regarding the subject, content, audience and presentation technology.  Like Larry and Tim before her, she emphasized the value of rehearsing and timing the presentation.  To make herself feel comfortable with the audience, and the audience comfortable with her, she likes to meet and greet at the outset.

 

During:

She asks questions and encourages the audience to do the same, and she offers giveaways as rewards for audience members who ask questions.  She moves around the room, with her cue cards in hand and a remote slide “clicker.” To accommodate all learning styles she relies on text, images and sounds. While being as relaxed and evenly-paced as possible, she never forgets the time demands and always allows for questions at the end.

 

After

The work has just begun.  As a salesperson she works the room and encourages persons who want further information to leave a business card for her to provide requested information and for her follow up.

Robert Kincaid is a trial lawyer who addressed the litigators about their understanding of communicating with a jury.  He provided some new statistics showing the persuasive value of evidence that includes both verbal and visual aids when persuading a jury.  He also indicated that a vast majority of the bench accept multimedia presentations. 

So many unexpected things can happen in front of a jury that surprise counsel and challenges their resolve.  The wrong responses by lawyers include blame, denial, nonchalance, avoidance, minimizing.  It's better to be prepared for technical failures and have a backup approach ready when Murphy's Law applies.

The final speaker, Leah Pappas, uses her public speaking skills to influence legislation and legislatures on behalf of her clients.  The emphasized three points:

• Know your audience.
• Recruit support for your position through other communications.
• Repeat your message.

She gave a treatise on the power of preparation, covering your bases, understanding resistance points, coming to terms with the needs of the persons you're trying to persuade and their constituencies.  She said it is important not just to know who your target is, but also what your target’s interests are, their personal and family life, demands of the target’s superior, relevant current events that could affect your ability to be persuasive and the district that the person represents.

Before presenting, she determines the opposing view and all of the arguments and interests that she must overcome to be effective.  She also anticipates the style of the contrasting argument.  Because her work is political in nature, she must acknowledge and empathize with the political concerns of those whom she is trying to influence. 

To convey her message effectively, she has others articulate her position by:

·        Researching op-ed pieces that are favorable to her position.

·        Encouraging ordinary citizens to voice their views in an effort to influence.

·        Using press releases and print communication to convey the power of her message in order to break down resistance. 

In conclusion, I took away from this session an understanding of the power of preparation, mixing verbal with visual messages, and presenting in a confident and comfortable style that makes your audience want to listen.

So, basically, know your:

·        Subject

·        Audience

·        Equipment

·        PowerPoint presentation