Bottom line, Romney won. He comes across as a bit strident to me at times, but in a situation like a presidential debate, it’s better to err on the side of being too aggressive, than not aggressive enough. And aggressive he was. He had a very strong command of facts, quick, concise answers to complicated questions, and he utilized a direct gaze, looking intently at the president, or directly at the camera. Obama on the other hand, cast his eyes down repeatedly, fumbled a bit for words, apologized for his policy too much, and deferred to a hard-charging Romney on more than one occasion. Full disclosure, I’m an Obama fan, but c’mon buddy, this election is far from decided. Romney is a formidable opponent; time to take off the kid gloves, re-direct your gaze, and up your prep time.
So how does this translate to you and your presentations? I would guess the most important factor in Romney’s victory was his preparation time. He obviously rehearsed repeatedly, crafted his answers carefully beforehand, and thought about his non-verbal communication (by the way, 80% of our impression of a speaker is non-verbal). Putting together a 30 minute presentation can take a few hours of preparation; pulling together your ideas, weeding through them and filtering out redundant information, adding interest in the form of quotes, comparisons, contrasts and stories, pulling together your Powerpoint deck ( after
you’ve got your speaking points down, they are very different things folks), and finally running through the presentation 5-6 times to be sure you have all the transitions down.
If you could use help with crafting and presenting your next presentation or speech, contact me
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