Recently I listened to a group of senior sales and marketing executives speak at a networking meeting. I also served as a judge at a speech contest for 12-year-olds. Guess who was more engaging, attention grabbing and memorable?
The answer is the 12-year-olds. The sales & marketing executives were boring, uninspiring and easily forgettable. They needed improvement.
Why did 12-year-olds deliver better presentations than senior sales and marketing executives (SME)?
Compete
The 12-year olds were competing in a speech contest. Many of their parents were there. Money and prestige were on the line, so they were well rehearsed.
Have Focus
Each presenter had a focused message. Their presentation was designed to deliver that message. Some were deep and serious while others were light and whimsical. In all cases the message was clear and easy to summarize.
Relate to Audience
The presenters spoke to the interests of the audience. The topics ranged from "the influence of the media", "tourism in third world countries", "the family van", "peculiarities of the English language", and "homework". Yet each speaker related the topic to the listener.
Use Stories
Each speaker told colorful stories. That sparked images in my mind. Many said things that were funny and made me laugh. Some statements challenged my opinion. I was impressed by the carefully selected words and phrasing. All were simple and understandable.
Be Passionate
Each speaker conveyed passion for their message. Each radiated that they were happy to be speaking to us.
Be Bold
These speakers were bold. They stood before the audience, looked people in the eye, delivered their statements and performed.
Don't Wing It
The SME presenters seemed to be winging it - even though they were competing for attention, memorability and jobs. These SME were between jobs but seemed reluctant to compete and rehearse. Yet, clearly a lot of money was on the line.
What's the Pain
Each SME speaker seemed to be caught in their own self-centered world. Most didn't relate to me or how they might fix my pain or that of my contacts. How could I help them if I didn't know what they were offering? Stating "who you worked for" tells me little. They needed to speak of pain and solutions.
Too Much Blah
Facts, history and blah, blah, blah. Some SME presenters related recent experiences but none that were worth remembering. Many used filler, self-sabotaging and jargon words. I was bored, confused and unimpressed.
All of the SME sat while speaking, crunched in their chairs some with an arm draped over the back of the chair. It was as if this was a family picnic instead of a possible career defining meeting. I found it curious that none of the men wore a tie. Did they want to be taken seriously? Or was this just a social club?
Some of you might think that I'm too hard on the Sales & Marketing Executives. That I'm expecting too much from them. Maybe - but I bet that I'm not the only one.
About the author:
George Torok is the Speech Coach for Executives. He coaches business leaders to deliver deal-closing presentations. Find more free presentation tips at http://www.SpeechCoachforExecutives.com
