The Straight Talker's Manifesto

The word itself is an anachronism.  Why do we still talk of "presenting"?  Nineteenth century diplomats may have had to present their credentials at court; the same approach is unlikely to resonate for the ipod generation.

Instead of setting out to present, why not excite, stimulate or inspire instead?

Over the next couple of weeks I want to present a five point manifesto for transforiming the conventional and often mind-blowingly dull business presentation into something fit for its 21st century purpose.

For purpose it certainly has.  In an age where everyday communication is increasingly derisory - a bleep in your pocket, a buzz in your ear - a presentation ought to feel like the real deal.  You and your audience are, for once, together, same time, same space.  Genuine engagement should follow.  But most presenters are like the archetypal embarrassing parents, showing up with their bunch of scratched 45s hoping to impress an increasingly tech-savvy, sophisticated audience.

If you want to make an impact, if you set out to persuade, if you really want to engage hearts and minds when you speak, then you need to understand how a mixture of technology, politics and the emergence of generation Y have profoundly changed the rules for communicating with an audience.

We'll start tomorrow with point 1 - why insight rocks...and information sucks.