A Quick Look at all Seven Rules

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The Authenticity Rules are seven basic rules that are insights into the shared knowledge areas of highly effective presenters.  These rules and one basic tip in each area are listed below.

The Gravity Rule - Know Thyself

Gravity always exists.  You can only overcome it temporarily.  You must know what you personally bring to the presentation that no one else can or that no one else can just like you.

The Iceberg Rule - Know Your Content
The majority of an iceberg's mass is under water.  Great presenters are the same way.  The presentation they deliver only reveals a small amount of the total content he/she has about the subject.

The YourSpace Rule - Know Your Audience
Audience members love to be understood.  This begins with you understanding their needs, the amount of prior knowledge they have about your topic, what the barriers might be to them engaging, etc.

The Surgeon Rule - Know Your Tools

You would never allow a surgeon to cut into you if he/she were not an expert with the operation room tools.  The audience feels the same way about you.  Know how to operate all the tools you must use during your presentation - microphone, projector, computer, props, etc.

The 7-Iron Rule - Know Your Flow

When a golfer learns how to hit a 7-iron they have learned 80% of what they need to know to hit all the other clubs in the bag (except the putter.)  Your flow works the same way.  It is how long you spend on one thing before moving to the next thing.  Learn how to be an expert at moving the presentation along and you are 80% of the way there.

The Mask Rule - Know Your Enemies

Bad guys wear masks to disguise who they really are.  Every presenter has enemies in masks keeping them from giving their best.  Know what these are for you and work to overcome them - nerves, under-prepared, under-qualified, not an expert, sickness, etc.

The Mavericks Rule - Know Your Difference-Makers

Just south of Half Moon Bay on the northern California coast line is an area called Mavericks.  This small stretch of water creates 25+ feet waves that crazy surfers live to ride.  If you can safely surf the Mavericks, everyone knows instantly you are a different (IE - insanely good) surfer.  Every great presenter has at least one thing that is a difference-maker for them; something that sets them apart from other presenters.  Figure out what your's is and never lose it.

If you need individual or group coaching on presentations, let me know.  I spend a good amount of time every year coaching people to be authentically awesome up in front.  

Big List of Tips from Recent Training

Following are twenty plus tips that were listed by the audience as the biggest take-aways from our two-day intensive effective presentation skills training.  This is a great list to bookmark and keep handy as a reminder before and during your next presentation planning moment.  


Top Learning Lessons from a Recent Effective Presentation Skills Training


* CAKE - The four techniques for controlling nerves. 
* http://authenticityrules.blogspot.com/2008/07/nervousness-its-piece-of-cake.html

* PowerPoint Upgrading - Less content, full-bleed/high-res images, keep lights on, use stark contrast in colors between font and background. 
* http://authenticityrules.blogspot.com/2008/01/tips-for-putting-together-powerful.html 
* http://authenticityrules.blogspot.com/2007/08/putting-power-back-into-powerpoint.html 
* http://authenticityrules.blogspot.com/2007/10/10-no-nos-for-powerpoint-use.html 

* Give Larger Packet At The End - This helps with focus. If you need to give them something during the meeting, give them pads to take notes and/or a one-sheet with the most important content over viewed in bullet-point form. 

* It’s Always My Fault - Take full responsibility for whatever happens in the presentation room. Never blame the audience, the time of day, the environment, the projector, etc. Learn how to leverage and make the most of every situation. Remember the example I gave about giving a presentation at the end of a conference where only 25% of the attendees are left. Celebrate that - those are the committed ones. 

* Pay The Debt - Leaders give unconditionally and step up with a smile on your face and love in your heart to help where others can't or won't. 

* Simple is Good - Keep the moving parts of your presentation to a minimum. Only include a prop, PowerPoint, handouts, etc. if it is the absolute best way to communicate that portion of the presentation. 

* Small Things Add Up - Everything in the room either adds, subtracts or distracts from your credibility. 

* SPG - Debrief/processing technique. Solo, Pair, Group. Most times when I use it I leave off the Solo. 

* Use Beliefs and Values as Evidence - If you need to convince someone to implement a change in meeting or presentation technique, you will need evidence that is convincing. The best kind takes you and that person out of it. 

* Positive Self-Talk - Biggest barrier for most professionals to take their speaking abilities to the next level is the words, "I am not good in front of people." Stop using these words. If you can't stop, just add the words "right now". I am not good in front of people right now. You can get there. 

* 7-Minute Rule - Most important single strategy to increasing audience engagement and content retention. 7-Minute Rule - Change the way the audience inputs information every seven minutes or so. Options: listen to you, listen to a peer, think, take notes, read notes, read flip chart, watch video, watch PowerPoint, do an activity, partner talk, group work, etc. 

* Have a List Goal When Flip-Charting - When getting group ideas on a flip chart, set a goal for the number of submissions the group needs to give. This creates an open loop in the room that everyone will naturally want to help close. 

* Emotional Connection - To increase engagement, include the human element in every presentation. Tell a story, let us know you better, etc. 

* Engagement Options - Emotional, Intellectual, Social, Physical. 
* http://authenticityrules.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-to-get-keep-manage-attention.html 

* Just the Right Amount of Data - Less is more. 

* Metaphors - Use easily recognizable metaphors to explain concepts that not many people in the room (or the elevator) understand. 

* Put Yourself in Their Shoes - Think about how you would like to be approached or spoken with if you were an audience member. Also, plan your presentation according to their barriers, understanding level of your content, how they can connect with you, what you have in common with them, how they will want to or need to apply your content, etc. 

* CVS - Every time you see this pharmacy, you will think of this tip. CVS - Concrete, Visual, Simple. Keep your content and presentation structure simple and easy to follow. 

* Know Your Enemies - Understand what will be barriers to the audience checking in fully and plan strategies to leverage these. 

* Hook it - Use acronyms, list, etc. to provide the audience a better chance to remember your content a week later. Give them hooks to hang your content on. 

* Have a Clear Purpose - Start with this. Why are we here? What is the purpose of today's meetings or presentation. Be specific and audience-focused here. 

* 30/7/90 - The three Flow time rules. 30-Seconds - The audience decides in the first 30-seconds whether they want to fully check-in or not. 7-Minute Rule. 90-Minutes - Take a full break every 90-minutes. 

* List of Questions - http://authenticityrules.blogspot.com/2012/12/questions-to-ask-before-your-next.html 

* 7 Authenticity Rules 
 * Gravity Rule - Know your self 
 * Iceberg Rule - Know your content 
 * YourSpace Rule - Know your audience 
 * Surgeon Rule - Know your tools 
 * 7-Iron Rule - Know your flow 
 * Mask Rule - Know your enemies 
 * Mavericks Rule - Know your difference-makers 

* Misc. Resources Mentioned

 * http://www.AuthenticityRules.com 
 * http://plileadership.blogspot.com 
 * http://www.YourNextSpeaker.com 
 * http://www.evernote.com 
 * http://www.DropBox.com

7 Authenticity Rules Quick Lessons

A few quick lessons for applying each of the seven Authenticity Rules.

1. Know Your Self - What is your unique take on your content? Give them your opinion, your viewpoint, a story from your life, etc. Quotes from famous people work, but anyone (and everyone) can do that. Give us something new, fresh and, therefore, more interesting.

2. Know Your Content - Prepare your material early. Become intimately familiar with your content so when you present you can focus on the audience, not on what you are going to say next.

3. Know Your Audience - Ask yourself these questions:

• What specific action(s) do you want your audience to take after the presentation?
  
• What barriers are going to exist between you/your content and the audience?
  
• How are you going to connect early and often with them?
  
• What do they already know about your topic?
  

4. Know Your Flow - Follow the 7-Minute Rule: Switch up the way they input information every seven minutes or so. IE - listen to you, take notes, do an activity, watch a video, share with a partner, reflect, listen to a peer talk, group discussion, look at a slide, etc.

5. Know Your Tools - Less is more. Keep your props and resources simple and easy to use.

6. Know Your Enemies - Control your nerves; don't get rid of them. Use CAKE:

C - Change your perspective. Think of nerves as a good thing.
A - Audience-focused. Put your attention on them, not you.
K - Knowledge. Know your stuff top to bottom.
E - Experience. Speak and speak often.

7. Know Your Difference-Makers - Advanced speakers need to continue to learn more and get better. Rookie speakers need to ask questions, overcome your fears and get good.

 

New Authenticity Rules E-Book

The new Authenticity Rules E-Book is here.  Following are just a few of the questions answered in this complete speaking and facilitation handbook.

• What is the best way to control nerves?
• What are your three biggest enemies?
• Why is authenticity so important?
• What is the CVS Formula?
• What makes a great keynote?
• How do you keep an audience engaged?
• Why does it matter how you give driving directions?
• What can you learn from a kangaroo?
• What is the Can’t Ignore Club?
• How do you make boring content engaging?
• What is the 7-Minute Rule?
• What are energy gaps?
• What is the difference between effective and non-effective coaching?
• How do you establish credibility?
• What are the steps to effective workshop planning?
• How do you handle difficult audience members?
• How do you know what the audience wants to hear?
• Why does your personality determine how you should build a speech?
• How is a surfer like a great presenter?
• What is the MOVE Formula?
• What do you do when a herd of water buffaloes attack your presentation?

Click here to purchase your copy today ($5).

Authenticity Rules #4 – Know Your Tools

Authenticity Rule #4
The Surgeon Rule - Know Your Tools.

 

(Review AR #1 – Know Thyself, AR #2 – Know Your Content, AR #3 – Know Your Audience, AR #6 – Know Your Enemies)

 

You are in the unfortunate position of needing surgery.  Its not the favorite chapter in your life, but you know you have to go through it. 

You are on the table. Everybody is ready to go.  Right before they put you under, the doctor comes in and you hear her say to her staff, “What does this thing do?   How do you turn this one on?  What are those numbers for?” 

The last thing you remember thinking before you slip off to la-la land is, “Goodnight room.  Goodnight moon.  Goodnight life.”  You are scared to death you will not wake up.  You have been given a rookie surgeon.

 

This scenario will, of course, never happen.  Unless our modern health system goes entirely off-course, surgeons not only know how to use the tools of their trade, but they will be complete masters of them.  You wouldn’t even consider going to a doctor that didn’t have hours of experience and absolute confidence using their tools.  So, why would any presenter ask their audience to sit through a presentation where the speaker didn’t know how to use their stuff?

 

Authenticity Rule #4 states:  Your authenticity can show through more powerfully when your presentation tools become natural self extensions.

Here is a quick, non-comprehensive list of this “equipment”:

• Microphone
• Music
• PowerPoint
• Projector/Laptop
• Handouts
• Flipcharts
• Tape/Pins/Velcro (anything you are using to secure visuals to the wall)
• Props
• Room set-up
• Interaction techniques with audience
• Interaction techniques with co-presenter(s)
• Stories

 

What are the downsides of not having total command of your tools?

1. Damages Credibility – Trust between you and your audience is the foundation of everything.  The moment you are vulnerable because of a lack in competency, that foundation begins to crumble.   We don’t care if you are perfect, but we do expect you to care about being close.
2. Distracts – You can only have your focus on one thing at a time.  That one thing should be connecting with the audience.  If you are wasting your “one thing” on how to get your laptop to talk to the projector, someone in the room is getting ignored.  Plus, you want your audience’s attention to be on the message and how it applies to their life, not on the flipchart that keeps falling down because you didn’t think ahead of time to bring push-pins with you.
3. Drains Time – Your audience has chosen to give you two of their most valuable resources – their time and attention.  If you don’t spend time before the presentation getting your tools right, you will have to waste time during the presentation doing it.  This is disrespectful to your audience and is the same as saying to them, “My time is more valuable to me than your time.”  Not good.

How do you get better at using your tools?

1. Learn Great Techniques – Read some books, blogs, tweets, etc. written by ninja level presenters.  Seek these people out personally and ask them how they use ____ successfully.  Here is a great portal for finding great presenters – Speaking Alltop.
2. Practice – After you learn good techniques, practice them.  The best speaking practice is in front of an actual live audience.  In front of the mirror is better than nothing, but not the best practice.  After you finish a presentation, sit down right then and do a Plus (what you did well), Minus (what you didn’t do well), Delta (what you are going to change or find out how to change) list. 
3. Do Recon Work – Call ahead and find out what the room is going to be like.  How is the audience going to be seated?  Are there tables?  What are the walls like?  Can you put things on them?  Do they have a screen, projector, wireless microphone, corded microphone, podium, etc.?  Everything about the room impacts your presentation and should be included in your “tools list.”
4. Start here.

Authenticity Rule #6 - The Mask Rule: Know Your Enemies

Authenticity Rule #6
The Mask Rule: Know Your Enemies

You have a variety of forces working against your ability to be the best of yourself as a presenter. These forces mask your authenticity and should be viewed as enemies, i.e. you need to know them intimately and you need to fight them.

Following are three of the most enduring enemies presenters have battled for centuries:

1. Tepidness

You must be engaging as a presenter, especially in today's busy and noisy world. If you take a tepid approach to either your content, your topic, your audience or the actual act of presenting, you are telling your audience to not listen. This tepidness comes across primarily from your non-verbals, which make up 60% of the meaning of your message for your audience members.

Lukewarm Non-Verbals

• Monotone speech pattern
• Lack of eye contact
• No variety in facial expressions (as well as no smiling)
• No variety in volume
• Lack of gestures

Tepidness is also revealed by using weak language. Weak language includes wishy-washy words like "kind of, sort of, maybe, possibly." These words suggest that you may be saying one thing, but either you really don't firmly believe it or you aren't passionate enough about what you are saying to take sides. Effective, authentic presenters don't sacrifice passion for diplomacy.

2. Separation

Our second enemy is the most relevant to your audience because it concerns their world - not connecting with your audience. You should be very concerned with separation from your listeners. This enemy can be defeated both on location and during the preparation process.

On location you can start connecting with your audience even before you start speaking. Mingle with them, ask questions, demonstrate interest in their answers by asking follow-up questions and learn names (and use them in your presentation). During your presentation, make direct eye contact, avoid using a podium, and be aware of any sensory needs they might have (lights, temperature, microphone volume, outside noise level, etc.)

You can also help ensure a strong connection with your audience by doing your homework far in advance. Ask yourself questions about your audience and then build both your content and your technique around the answers. Nancy Duarte, author of the great presentation slide development book Slide:ology, suggests putting together an audience persona. Click here to view a PowerPoint slide with her seven audience research questions.

3. Blandness

Your job as a presenter is to move your audience in one or many of the following ways:

Intellectually (to teach)
Emotionally (to inspire)
Physically (to direct)
Conceptually (to show)

Movement requires attention. Attention requires motive. Your audience will listen to you, believe you/your content and even act upon this belief if you give them a good enough reason. One of the best reasons to listen is newness, freshness, creative ideas, etc. If your presentation is bland, your audience will start checking out the second you start. The blandness enemy shows up most commonly in two areas, logistical and content.

Logistical Blandness - When a presenter does things the way they have always been done: same room set-up, same visual aids, same presentation length, same audience interaction, etc.

Content Blandness - When a presenter uses content that is safe, but over-used: commonly used quotes, stories, facts, data, etc.

Your audience members' brains require fresh stimuli to motivate attention. Give it to them. Give your presentation some life, zest, excitement, and flavor. They will not only thank you for it, but they will also be more willing and able to take action. This is the hallmark of all truly authentic presenters. The experience and their content have a long life because it is unique and thus easier to remember.



This list of enemies is in no way complete. However, if you tackle just these three enemies, you are well on your way to creating a room full of friends.

Newest Version of the Rules

Well, the rules are constantly changing, evolving and (hopefully) improving. Check out the new pics and the new verbiage at...

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=42334&id=751126186&l=fa42df36ec

Click on each image and the explanations will be at the bottom. Enjoy.

Authenticity Rule #3 - Know Your Audience

Authenticity Rule #3 is Know Your Audience.

(Review AR #1 - Know Thyself and AR #2 - Know Your Content)

Why is knowing your audience so important? Well, unless you are a "one-act presenter," you need to vary what you do and what you say based on each particular audience. Tony Bennett doesn't need to change what he does each night because he is a one-act presenter. These songs. This voice. This band. And his audience wants exactly those three things. Save a few comedians and magicians, presenters need to adjust their "act" each time to serve the needs and expectations of that particular set of humans. Zig Ziglar prepares three hours for each presentation. He invests this time to get intimate with that event's audience members, their company, their expectations and the content he will deliver.

The more familiar you are with your audience's challenges, questions, needs and expectations of you, the better equipped you are to help them move forward, to give them value and to connect with them.

When you are preparing for your next presentation, ask yourself a list of audience-focused questions...

What will the audience expect to learn from me?
What type of mood will they be in?
What questions will they potentially ask me?
What will they absolutely not want me to do?
What barriers will they have up?
How can I connect with them at the very first?
How will they be dressed?

The answers to some of these questions will be event-based and some of them will be audience-based. If you are speaking at a conference, the event will drive most of the answers because everyone will have more in common (at a once-a-year event, away from home environment, by myself or with only a few peers, expecting to be entertained, looking for next-level information/inspiration/ideas, etc.). If you are speaking to a group in their home element or at a very regular meeting, the answers will be driven more by individual needs, small group dynamics or whatever the focus is of that particular meeting (new employee training, monthly leadership meeting, weekly staff pow-wow, etc.)

The Geniune Gem - By investing a large amount of time focusing on the audience and thinking about their world you are able to be more authentic because you will better understand how to bring value to that particular group using your expertise, your experience and your style. Your authenticity is layered. There are many real parts of you. Once you understand your audience, you will know which layer(s) they will best connect with their genuine needs.

BONUS - Another quick AR #3 tip is to mingle with your audience before the event/meeting to learn names (that you can reference in your presentation) and to ask "in the moment" questions (what are you expecting, what challenges are you facing right now, what needs to happen in the next 45 minutes for this meeting to be a 10 for you, etc.)

The Complete Authenticity Rules Collection

The Authenticity Rules book is in the works.  Each chapter will focus on one of the seven Authenticity Rules.  The current version of the book cover and the full rules list are below...

 

(Thanks to everyone on Facebook for voting on their favorite.)

 

Authenticity Rule #1 - Know Thyself

This chapter is about the basics of why authenticity as a speaker, trainer, teacher or executive presenter is so powerful.  It outlines ways to know if you are being authentic and how to leverage it when you are.

 

Authenticity Rule #2 - Know Your Content

Effective communicators bring tremendous value to the table when they are real experts in their topic area.  This chapter is about how to reach expert status.

 

Authenticity Rule #3 - Know Your Audience

You have to spend a large amount of time not thinking about yourself if you are going to be your true self as a presenter.  This chapter covers how to better understand your world by getting into your audience's world.

 

Authenticity Rule #4 - Know Your Tools

Tiger Woods would be just another Joe if the 6-iron didn't exist.  Yet, Tiger can do things with his 6-iron Joe can only dream of doing.   Know Your Tools is about mastering the tools at your disposal as they relate to your unique style.

 

Authenticity Rule #5 - Know Your Flow

Genuine communicators understand human nature, the inner-working of the human brain, learning theories, crowd think, etc.  Chapter 5 breaks these down into tangible, relevant, and actionable strategies.

 

Authenticity Rule #6 - Know Your Enemies

The evil forces working against you being an authentic communicator are addressed throughout the book, but they are tackled individually here.

 

Authenticity Rule #7 - Know the Rules

I have coached speakers for over ten years.  This chapter is dedicated to the truck load of tips, strategies, suggestions, ideas, concepts and stories I have that will help you be a more authentic speaker, trainer, teacher or executive presenter.

Authenticity Rule #2

Know Your Content

Quick recap of Authenticity Rule #1 - Know Thyself

Authenticity Rule #2 is Know Your Content. The human brain can only consciously handle one thing at a time. The main thought on your mind while giving presentations shouldn't be, "what am I going to say next?" You need to know your content so intimately you don't have to think about where you are or where you are going. Its important to note we aren't talking about memorizing content (click here if you do need to memorize something). This content knowledge is about being an expert on your presentation's subject.

This content-intimacy does three things:

1. It allows you to be more authentic because you aren't worried about being perfect. Presenters who don't know their content very well or whose topic-knowledge extends only to what they have planned to say are very self-conscience about getting everything right. If they have to get off the beat and path, their shallow expertise may be exposed. When you know your content top to bottom, you are comfortable with being exposed, presenting in a polished, but raw manner and in messing up from time to time. When you know your stuff, the real you is released.

2. It fills you with a tremendous amount of confidence. Knowing what you are talking about is the number one way to control your nervousness.

3. It allows you to free up your "one thought at a time" for other more important things - like thinking about your audience and connecting with them.

So, how do you get there? Well, I'll be covering a number of these strategies throughout this month. However, strategy number one is to think of your next important presentation like it is one of your really good friends. A good friend is close to you because you have spent a ton of time together. You have to invest an enormous amount of time getting to know your content. Thinking about it. Writing about it. Talking about it.

Authenticity Rule #1

Know Thyself

Effective communicators share a common goal of cutting straight to the hearts and minds of their audience. AR #1, therefore, is to Know Thyself. Self-intimacy cuts the deepest path to understanding others. It is also completely impossible to be authentic if you don't hold a firm understanding of who you are.

Achieving Authenticity...

1. Reflect often on your beliefs and values
2. Journal
3. Attend conferences to exercise your self-awareness
4. Think about why you do things
5. Gather around you friends and family that let you be yourself and challenge you to be the best of yourself.

The thing that is really hard, and really amazing, is giving up on being perfect and beginning to work on becoming yourself. -- Anna Quindlen

People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motion of the stars; and they pass by themselves without wondering. -- St. Augustine

Everything that irritates us about others can lead us to an understanding of ourselves.
-- Carl Jung

One of the secrets of life is to be honestly who you are. Who others want you to be, who you used to be, and who you may some day become ... these are fantasies. To be honestly who you are is to give up your illusions and face today with courage.
-- Bill Purdin