Squiggly sprint 24: Day 3 - Presenting

Day 3 of the 2024 Squiggly Sprint, and today the topic was Presenting.

One of the points that Sarah made on the podcast was that you can try to think of two words that you want to be used to describe you after a presentation. Some of the examples on the podcast were “Enthusiastic”, “Credible”, and “Optimistic”.

I’d argue that the most important word to think about is “Natural”. In much the same way that everyone has different ways of communicating, everyone has natural ways of presenting. My style tends to be quite relaxed and spontaneous, and I work better with talking points than a  script. 

I recall giving a presentation at a conference where I had to submit content for approval, so the presentation had a lot of text and content. That was fine, and got me approved. But in the end I spoke without looking at the slides once, other than to make sure they had changed. I just left them up as visual aids and spoke off the cuff.

Some people work better with very data-driven presentations, some with scripts, and some without. I would find it more stressful to talk to a script than to ad-lib on a topic I know about. It’s important to understand this, know what you are good at, and let people know.

That’s not to say that one should refuse to present in a different way, but be careful and open when you are going to have to. Perhaps the people that you are presenting to expect a certain format or a certain style. If it doesn’t play to your strengths, take it as a learning experience.

There is also a converse to this. If you are working with someone that is going to present to you, you should allow them space to present in their style. Not only is it less stressful for them, but it is more inclusive, especially of people that don’t have experience or confidence in presenting. If someone is presenting to you, and that isn’t working for you, help them. Offer them practical advice on what they could do differently, and have a conversation about how you can meet them in the middle. This will help them become a better presenter, and help you become a better listener.

This can help your whole organization as well. If people are only receptive to feedback if it is presented in a certain way, then people that don’t understand this, or don’t have the experience, are not going to be heard.