• Don’t preamble – parachute in

Your first mission is to grab attention. Some of the Ignite speakers started with an interesting question or statement, such as,”I’m pissed off!” or “Who feels like they’re in control of their future?” Straight away we’re paying attention.

So often we’re taught to “to tell ‘em what you’re going to tell ‘em, tell ‘em then tell them what you’ve told them.” But let’s face it, that can be very boring when you’re in the audience.  So how can you grab attention as well as outline what you’re going to talk about?

• Tease don’t tell

Curiosity has got to come before content. Imagine the presenter puts up a slide with 8 bullet points of information.  We read all the points and the presenter is still discussing point 1. Now we’re bored. But what if there had been 8 questions instead? Or just 8 letters? We’d stay awake for the answers.

One of my favourite Ignite talks was called Patents, Pending.  This was inspired by an old book outlining  incredible inventions which hadn’t yet (and were probably unlikely to) make it into existence.  From a mother’s modesty bra to a sheep herding device to an air ship lifted by vultures, I was intrigued the whole way through.

• Stories and examples are the building blocks of a presentation.

We love stories. But most presenters sprinkle them like garnish. The number 1 mistake people make in presentations, the authors of Make it Stick say, is that they’re too abstract.  Offering concepts and conclusions but no evidence is a sure fire way to a forgettable presentation.

One of the most memorable talks was the story of two girls rowing across the Atlantic. Another was about the lives that have changed as a result of small loans.  So even if your subject matter is a bit dry – resist the temptation to lead with your data. How can you tell a story about it? It’ll be more engaging and memorable if you do.

• Let your main points hog the spotlight.

If you say 10 things you say nothing. What’s the main point of your presentation? How much of your speaking time is on those points? The “Unplan your Business” and “Take Responsibility” talk were memorable messages because all the info related to the core idea.

• Bring reality into the room

Using small details helps enormously to bring your idea alive. For example, Rachel Kiddey, an archaeologist, packed her 5 minutes with personal stories as she talked about homelessness and heritage (heritage isn’t just posh or old stuff it’s about what’s happening now).

It was also littered with small and memorable details (she owns and dog and smokes, which makes easy for her to befriend some of the homeless people).  Ultimately, she really made us care about her subject and the people she talked about.

So next time you’ve got a presentation coming up, run through your content and ask yourself will it stick and will they care? And I urge you to read Make it Stick by Chip and Dan Heath.

For more info:

Made to Stick
Ignite Bristol

Well I have a number of things that tend to work well… earlier in the conversation, I will have tended to ask – “who are useful contacts for you to meet at these type of events?”

So when the conversation is coming to an end… I’ll say something like, ” I really enjoyed meeting you and if I come across any (insert useful contacts) would you like me to introduce you?”   At which point they’re incredibly grateful.  If you’re not good with names – that’s the ideal place to double check you’ve got their name right too.

Another thing I do is say something like – I’ve really enjoyed meeting you and I promised myself I’d speak to 5 new people tonight and I’ve still got quite a few to go, so I’m going to keep moving.

Other options include introducing them to someone else in the room you know they should meet.

Or you could suggest approaching another group together to meet some new people. As soon as two people join an existing group,  the larger group tends to separate into new, different conversations.  And so you’re naturally disengaged.

So be generous, gracious and good humoured!

I usually go up and just introduce myself and say something like I saw you standing on your own and I don’t know anyone here so I thought I’d come and say hello…

Or I’ll go to the bar, or tea/ coffee area and just make some random comment to someone who’s also there getting a drink -  it doesn’t really matter what you comment on as long as the other person can comment too – so it could something on the setting or venue tend to be good ones.

One thing you know you have in common with the other person is that you are both at that event. How they came to be there, who they know, who invited them or the benefit they get from attending are all conversation starters that are more likely to help you identify other interests you share and lead to a more productive discussion. Once you’ve done that initial bit – you’re in.

If you can’t find anyone on their own, check out people’s body language. Look at the groups and pairs around the room. Avoid those in deep in conversation and approach those who are  in groups with space between them.  Watch people’s eyes – are they making direct, intense eye contact or looking around the room?

Most importantly, show respect. I’m sure you wouldn’t, but don’t interrupt and introduce yourself. Wait for a natural break in the conversation, join in if appropriate or wait to be invited. If it feels as though you’d be interrupting a deep conversation, smile nicely and walk away. You can always reintroduce yourself later.

What follows is some things that I’ve learned over the years ( having also done the cold sweat thing).

Networking is a way to meet lots of people in the creative sector. If you put the time and effort in, it’s a great way to build strong relationships.  People tend to be open to talking and sharing information – which isn’t always the case when you’re trying to make contact using the phone.  And it’s a quick way of being able to keep your finger on the industry’s pulse.  However, in terms of generating work, you’ll probably need to give it time.  So be patient.

How to do it?
There are reams written on this but here’s a few basics for before, during and after.

Ultimately to be a successful networker – you need to have good manners and the ability to chat.  If you’re curious about other people that helps enormously.  And if you talk less and listen more, you’ll be streets ahead of many others in the room.

If you go along with an intention to GIVE rather than what you can GET, you’ll have more success. Strong relationships are the basis of effective networking and trust is key.

• Who’s the audience? – make sure you’ve really thought about the slot, if it’s for TV, what the commissioning editor for that slot likes.  If it’s a Channel 4 slot – make sure you get yourself along to events where the commissioning editors will explain what they’re looking for.
• A pitch is a dialogue – draw the panel in – whet their appetite – so they’ll ask questions.  Create space so that they can input their ideas and ask questions.
• How is your idea fresh?  How is it different?  “It’s got to be a new story which can be quite hard or a fresh angle on an old story,” Says Charlotte. What are the benefits of going with your idea?
• What’s the competition like?  Don’t let the panel make links with similar films without you having first flagged them up.
• Make your pitch easy for the panel to hear – ie don’t tell the entire story and all the characters.  Give the structure – start, middle and end.
• Ensure the panel feel that they’re in safe hands with you – what have you done before? Who’s working on the film with you?
• Work out carefully who is going to pitch – if the director’s not part of the pitch, the panel may think they’ll need to meet him… so you’re making the panel have to work harder which may put them off.
• What else have you got?  What happens if they really like you – but don’t like your idea and ask you for something else.  Make sure you don’t miss this golden opportunity by just having one idea.
• What do you want from the meeting?  Be clear on how much money etc you need before you go in.
• What are you going to leave them with?  A script?
• What else are you going to leave them with?  What do you want them to say about you when you’ve left the room?  How can you demonstrate that with your behaviour? What do you want to teach them about you?
• Take control of the space, speak slowly, use pauses – they’re so powerful, careful not to over do your hand gestures, make eye contact and enjoy your chance to shine.
• You may want to bring along a visual – a photo of the main character, if it’s an animation – bring along a sample of artwork
• Enthusiasm is better than confidence – why are you connected to this story idea?
• People buy people ultimately – this may be the start of a long relationship – they want to feel like you’re somebody they can work with – so be yourself.

You panic. Your breathing almost stops. Your mind is wildly searching for something sensible and vaguely related. No nothing. Still nothing. Only silence and stares. You can feel your face getting hot. Now you’re doubly embarrassed.

Here’s a trick to stop that happening.

Recognise what you feel when you’re being asked something you don’t know.
What are you saying to yourself?
What are you seeing?

These answers are your fluster triggers.

Now imagine the pitch is a film and you’re the director.

Sitting in the big black director’s chair, watch the question-time scene in your imagination. You have a clear idea of how you’d like to see yourself handle this tricky question. Perhaps you smile, think for a bit and then calmly say, “Excellent question.” You write it down on your pad. “I’ll get back to you tomorrow with an answer if that’s OK?”

Now leave the chair and take up your role on the screen. To do this you need to imagine looking out of your own eyes in the imagined board room. You see the MD frown…you know what’s coming. See, hear and feel your fluster trigger. And at this point launch into your new practised response.

Keep practising it and build up the muscle memory. And sooner or later you’ll bust your flusters.

As Henry Ford said, “Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right.” Go for it.

Visualise the pitch going well…

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.”
George Bernard Shaw

So, in the same way that Beckham visualises his perfect free kick over and over again, fire up that vivid imagination of yours. See yourself connecting with the audience, smiling and being enthusiastic. Visualise the audience interacting with you…see the key decision maker agreeing to do what you want.

Use music to set your moods…

You’ll know only too well that music can massively affect how you feel. It has an awesome ability to access many different parts of our brain. Put something on your ipod while setting up the room or travelling to your meeting so you feel like you’re riding a crest of a wave.

Dress the part…

We all choose our outfit carefully before a hot date. So make sure you pick something that you feel great in. Don’t wear something new – unless you’re really comfortable in it.

Act like you want to feel…

Your body can fool your mind into feeling more confident. The way you sit and carry yourself will alter the energy that you feel. Posture is key to performing well. If you breathe from your tummy not from your throat – you’ll also feel more confident.

Put your shoulders back, stand tall and keep your head up. Remember this particularly for the first 30 seconds (when most people are deciding if they like you or not). Act, act, act.

Smile – it takes something like 43 muscles to frown but only 17 to smile. Why make it hard for yourself ?

If you smile, you will be happier than if you didn’t. If you’re happier, you will think more clearly, you will perform better.

Rely on ritual…

Fixed patterns of behaviour allow us to function more efficiently. Whether in sports, the military, medicine or business, the more demanding the performance, the more people rely on ritual to do the job. I used to go out with a surgeon who had a very particular way of selecting his music, washing his hands and putting on his gloves prior to an operation. Start devising a pre-pitch confident-boost ritual.

Reduce anxiety…

Anxiety is like the static on the radio when it comes to getting your message out. Turn as many of your unknowns into knowns during your preparation to prevent the static.

Shut the chatter up…

Notice the tone of your inner chatter – is it stern-headmistress-esque? Or perhaps it has a you’re-such-a-loser tone? Have a word with yourself. Be nice. Turn the volume down or change channels – tune into something that’s more encouraging, useful and fun.

Vision Express…

Using your peripheral vision is a trick that a brilliant speaker taught me. Look at something opposite you REALLY hard. Then while all your attention is on that one spot, you begin to notice what’s at the edge of your vision – as if you’re using wing mirrors but keeping your head straight ahead of you. A minute or two of this will enable your brain to do its best creative, lucid thinking. Do it when you’re heart’s thumping.

Some of these ideas came from Tony Jeary’s book, Life is a Series of Presentations.

As a member of the Association of Coaching, I subscribe to their code of ethics and conduct. I can assure you of the quality of my work, and will refund your entire fee if you find evidence that I have not performed in a professional and ethical manner.

It’s also worth saying that not everyone can be coached. Coaching isn’t for people who are happy staying where they are. Or who operate from an agenda of blame or prejudice. If you’re not up for raising your game or moving yourself forward then coaching isn’t for you.