I just returned from the National Speakers Association (NSA) Winter Conference in Orlando, Florida. I had the privilege sharing the platform with NSA President-elect Philip Van Hooser and his wife Susan. Well, not exactly. Phil and Susan were affected by the recent ice storm that ravaged their part of Kentucky. Susan, or as Phil calls her, 'Mrs. McGiver" chose to stay home and literally, "Keep the home fires burning".
Which presented a huge problem for Phil and I. The session was a case study of a successful book marketing campaign we conducted via the Internet. It focused on how we created a virtual team using carefully cultivated business relationships and communications technology to make "Willie's Way: 6 Secrets for Wooing, Wowing and Winning Customers and Their Loyalty" become the number one business book on BarnsandNoble.com in less than 24 hours. The problem? With our "Ringmaster" and project manager (Susan) hundreds of miles away, our most valuable team member could not share her important role in completing the project.
Since desperation is often the mother of invention, we chose an ageless visual aid to sell our team concept. Using a stuffed doll, a downloaded portrait and a sports headband we created "Jogging Susan".
Propped up by a stack of foreign language editions of Phil's book Willie's Way, on top of a tall stool, Susan participated, if only in spirit. The subterfuge put a positive spin on her absence, endeared us to our audience, and helped bring Susan into the meeting room.
All of which got me to thinking about the concept I call, Breaking the Fourth Wall. As a presenter with technology expertise, I seen an evolution in presentation style and format. When I joined NSA a decade ago, professional speakers were often categorized as motivational experts who handed down pearls of wisdom to mesmerized, attentive audiences , who bestowed thunderous standing ovations. After which, the speaker would exit with a flourish while attendees returned to their status quo business environments.
Boy, has that changed! During this recent presentation, Roxanne Emmerich, a prominent NSA member approached me after the session and thanked me for publishing our online session resource center, which she accessed during the presentation.
I believe it's no longer enough to be present during the presentation. Pre and post session dialog, interactivity, and follow up have gone from interesting novelty, to presentation necessity.
Breaking The Fourth Wall
Successful meetings are no longer confined within the four walls of the meeting room. Here are some tips successful presenters use to not only demonstrate relevancy, but enhance the value of client events and meetings.- For smaller meetings that lack a A/V services, offer to provide an audio recording of the session.
- If your presentation includes a computer slide show, use a digital white board to capture ideas from a brainstorming activity.
- Build an online resource center attendees can access after the presentation. Include contact information both on the site and within any of the printable resources you provide.
- Invite attendees to use a web-based contact form to submit their burning follow up questions.
- At your next breakout activity, instead of instructing attendees to break into groups of two, invite them to turn their cell phones back on, and call someone who couldn't make the meeting.