Start with specific, written objectives and a strategy. You need a theme to give your presentation unity and direction, and to fix your purpose in your audience’s mind. Make it a simple theme, easy to remember, and open with it, using a headline to state it. Tie every element in your presentation to the theme.

1. Keep things simple — keep them on target

Play games with them. Invite people to guess the answers to questions, or to predict the results of research — before you reveal them.

4. Involve the audience

Show an agenda that lists the points you are going to cover. Describe the structure of your presentation, and say how long it will take. Estimate time conservatively — err on the long side rather than the short side.

2. Tell your audience where you’re going

What does your data say? Headings on charts should tell the audience how to think about the numbers. … Use headings to establish your main points.

3. Think headlines, not labels

Summarize your main points at the end of your presentation. Remind your audience of your theme and objectives, review the key points you covered, and restate your conclusion or recommendation. End with a strong closing statement that reinforces your message and calls for action.

5. Finish strong

5 tips to help your presentation have a lasting impact on the audience.

career

Career

marketingandsales

Marketing & Sales

education

Learning & Education

communication

Communication

business

Business

How to Give a Great Presentation: Timeless Advice from a Legendary Adman, 1981

If you often find yourself participating in small talk about topics you have no interest in or have already discussed to exhaustion, the solution may be asking people unexpected, thought-provoking questions that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no.
It’s a good idea to have stock questions so you don’t have to think them up in the moment.

Prepare Your Conversation Starters

<ul>
<li>Where did you live before this? What are the biggest differences you see?</li>
<li>What did you think you were going to be growing up?</li>
<li>Do you have any hidden talents or surprising hobbies?</li>
<li>What’s the most unbelievable thing that’s ever happened to you?</li>
<li>Who’s the most important role model or mentor you’ve had in your life?</li>
<li>What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?</li>
</ul>

Conversation Starters: Small Talk Questions About Someone’s Life

<ul>
<li>If you were in charge of picking the eighth wonder of the world, what would you choose?</li>
<li>What do you wish you had placed in a time capsule 15 years ago?</li>
<li>What’s the strangest compliment you’ve ever gotten?</li>
<li>If you could teach a college course on any subject you want, what would it be?</li>
<li>What would be your ideal superpower?</li>
<li>If you could have any type of animal for a pet, what would it be?</li>
</ul>

Random Small Talk Questions

<ul>
<li>What’s the best “hidden gem” around here?</li>
<li>If you could fly anywhere for free, where would you go?</li>
<li>What’s the coolest road trip you’ve ever been on?</li>
<li>Where’s the last place you traveled? What did you do there?</li>
<li>Do you prefer action-packed vacations or relaxing on the beach?</li>
<li>What’s the next trip you have planned?</li>
</ul>

Small Talk Questions About Travel

<ul>
<li>Are you reading any good books right now? How about shows?</li>
<li>Are there any apps on your phone that you can’t live without?</li>
<li>If you could only watch one genre of movies for the rest of your life, what would it be?</li>
<li>Do you have any podcast suggestions for my commute?</li>
<li>What’s the last movie that made you cry? Or laugh aloud?</li>
<li>Who is your favorite person to follow on Instagram?</li>
</ul>

Small Talk Questions About Entertainment

<ul>
<li>If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?</li>
<li>What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten?</li>
<li>What’s your go-to comfort food?</li>
<li>Are there any foods that you absolutely would not eat?</li>
<li>What are the best cheap eats around here?</li>
<li>Does your family have any “secret” or famous recipes?</li>
</ul>

Conversation Starters: Small Talk Questions About Food

<ul>
<li>If you weren’t working here, what would you probably be doing right now?</li>
<li>How did you become a [job title]?</li>
<li>What’s the craziest thing a boss has ever asked you to do?</li>
<li>If you were guaranteed to be successful, what job would you want?</li>
<li>What was your first job? Did you like it?</li>
<li>What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received? How about the worst?</li>
</ul>

Small Talk Questions About Work

Good conversation starters for any social situation

corporateculture

Corporate Culture

teamwork

Teamwork

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

Conversation Starters

Conversation starters that'll make awkward small talk so much easier

How many times per week do you find yourself participating in small talk about topics you have no interest in or have already discussed a million times-just for something to say? Whether it's waiting for a really slow elevator with a co-worker, talking to an acquaintance at an industry event, or chatting with a complete stranger at a networking event, it happens to all of us.

48 Questions That'll Make Small Talk Easier

Conversation Starters That'll Make Small Talk Easier

a) Palm Up/Down Positions<ul><li>Show submission/dominance or agreement/disagreement respectively</li></ul>b) Finger Pointingn<ul><li>Can indicate aggression, direction, or focus</li></ul>c) Handshakes<ul><li>Strength and grip can show dominance; quickness can signify eagerness or insincerity</li></ul>Palm position, finger pointing, handshake strength: Signals dominance, agreement/disagreement, or emphasis.

Hand Gestures:

a) Territorial Space Claims<ul><li> People protect personal areas based on comfort levels</li></ul>b) Pacing, Fidgeting, or Stillness<ul><li> Reveals group dynamics such as leader/follower, tension, or consent</li></ul>Personal space invasions or territorial marking: Shows social distance boundaries between individuals.

Group Dynamics:

a) Temperature Sensitivity<ul><li>Cold environment causes crossed arms or huddling together for warmth</li></ul>b) Lighting Effects<ul><li>Dim lighting encourages relaxation and open body language, whereas bright lights promote formality</li></ul>Affective response to environmental factors like temperature, lighting: Determines body movement patterns during communication process.

Environmental Factors:

a) Smiling<ul><li>Indicates happiness or politeness</li></ul>b) Eye Contact<ul><li>Direct = confidence</li><li> indirect = disinterest or dishonesty</li></ul>Smiling, direct eye contact, raised brows: Conveys feelings like happiness, sincerity, or curiosity.

Facial Expressions:

a) Gestures, Customs, and Norms Vary Across Cultures<ul><li> Recognizing differences helps prevent miscommunications</li></ul>Culture-specific gestures, norms, customs: Influence appropriate interpersonal relations among diverse groups.

Cultural Differences:

a) Slouching vs Straightening Up<ul><li> Slack posture shows low self-esteem or boredom; upright pose indicates alertness or confidence</li></ul>b) Leg Crossing<ul><li>Crossing legs towards someone signals attraction; away, defensiveness or impatience</li></ul>Posture changes, leg crossings: Reflects person's emotional state or level of interest in interaction.

Posture & Movements:

Uncover the secrets behind human behavior with "Body Language" by Horace Webb. This insightful guide reveals the powerful role nonverbal cues play in daily interactions, allowing readers to better communicate and connect with others.

The Hidden Language of the Body - Insights from "Body Language" 

a) Speaking Pitch and Tempo<ul><li>Higher tone can indicate nervousness or excitement; slower pace can show hesitancy</li></ul>Speaker voice modulations: Changes in pitch, speed reveal sentiment like calmness or anxiety.

Voice Modulation:

a) Adapting Your Style for Better Communication<ul><li>To improve your communication skills, study the reactions to different expressions you make. Experiment with adapting your style according to various situations, and note how people respond differently. As a result, you will become more adept at conveying your message effectively.</li></ul>Adjustments to verbal techniques based on observations: Enhances effectiveness when addressing diverse audiences and circumstances.

Using Body Language Consciously:

a) Analyzing Nonverbal Behaviors<ul><li>Observe consistency across multiple channels before jumping to conclusions</li></ul>Accurate assessment of nonverbal behaviors across contexts: Identifies inconsistencies that may convey false messages or intent.

Reading Others Accurately:

"A single gesture can be more eloquent than a thousand speeches." (Unknown) ["Body Language"] [Horace Webb]

The Hidden Language of the Body - Insights from "Body Language"

Challenging all of our old assumptions about the subject, Rethinking Body Language builds on the most recent cutting-edge research to offer a new theoretical perspective on this subject that will transform the way we look at other people. In contrast to the traditional view that body language is primarily concerned with the expression of emotions and the negotiation of social relationships, author Geoff Beattie argues instead that gestures reflect aspects of our thinking but in a different way to verbal language. Critically, the spontaneous hand movements that people make when they talk often communicate a good deal more than they intend. This ground-breaking book takes body language analysis to a whole new level. Engagingly written by one of the leading experts in the field, it shows how we can detect deception in gesture–speech mismatches and how these unconscious movements can give us real insight into people's underlying implicit attitudes.

Understand yourself and those around you.

psychology

Psychology

philosophy

Philosophy

books

Books

artsandculture

Society, Arts & Culture

Geoffrey Beattie

Rethinking Body Language

The ability to really listen is perhaps the most important skill you could develop.
Why don't we listen?
<ul>
<li>We like to rather talk because when we talk, we're in control. We don't have to listen to anything we're not interested in.</li>
<li>We get distracted. We can listen to 500 words per minute, yet the average person talks at about 225 words per minute. So our minds fill in the other 275 words.</li>
</ul>

Listen

We live in a world where every conversation can turn into an argument. Pew Research found that we are more polarised, more divided than we have ever been in history. It means we are not listening to each other.  A conversation requires talking and listening, and somewhere we have lost the balance between them. In the 21st century, it's more important to sustain coherent, confident conversations. We might not like the person or might deeply disagree with them, but we should still be able to have a great conversation with them.

The art of conversation

Start your questions with who, what, when, where, why or how.
For example, instead of asking "Were you terrified?", which will produce a "yes" or "no" answer, try asking, "How did that feel?" They might have to think about it, but you'll get a much better response.

Use open-ended questions

People don't care about the little details you struggle to remember. The names, dates, years, they don't care. What they care about is you. What you're like, what you have in common.

Stay out of the weeds

Enter every conversation assuming you have something to learn as everybody is an expert in something. A true conversation means setting aside your personal opinion. In sensing this acceptance, the speaker will become less vulnerable and more willing to open up.

Don't pontificate

A good conversation is brief enough to retain interest but long enough to cover the subject.

Be brief

People on the radio are more aware that they're going on the record and will be more careful about what they claim to be an expert in. Do the same. Err on the side of caution.

If you don't know, say that you don't know

If they're talking about losing a loved one, don't start talking about the time you lost a loved one. If they talk about the trouble at work, don't tell them about your own troubles at work. It's not the same. The conversation is not about you. You don't need to prove how amazing you are or how much you've suffered.

Don't equate your experience with theirs

We may listen to someone who talks for several minutes, and then thoughts will pop into your mind and draw your attention away from the conversation. Stories and ideas will come to you, but you need to let them come and let them go.

Go with the flow

It's condescending. It's boring. Yet we all tend to do it a lot, especially in work conversations or with our kids. We have a point to make that we keep rehashing. Don't do it.

Try not to repeat yourself

Be present in that moment.
Don't look at your cellphone. Don't think about what you're having for dinner. If you want out of the conversation, then get out, but don't be half in half out.

Don't multitask

A collection of 7 Ted talks to inspire you and help you get better at CSM

problemsolving

Problem Solving

Top 7 TED Talks On Customer Success

When your job hinges on how well you talk to people, you learn a lot about how to have conversations -- and that most of us don't converse very well. Celeste Headlee has worked as a radio host for decades, and she knows the ingredients of a great conversation: Honesty, brevity, clarity and a healthy amount of listening. In this insightful talk, she shares 10 useful rules for having better conversations. "Go out, talk to people, listen to people," she says. "And, most importantly, be prepared to be amazed." Visit http://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more. The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You're welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know. Become a TED Member: http://ted.com/membership Follow TED on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TEDTalks Like TED on Facebook: http://facebook.com/TED Subscribe to our channel: http://youtube.com/TED TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com

videos

Videos

When your job hinges on how well you talk to people, you learn a lot about how to have conversations -- and that most of us don't converse very well. Celeste Headlee has worked as a radio host for decades, and she knows the ingredients of a great conversation: Honesty, brevity, clarity and a healthy amount of listening. In this insightful talk, she shares 10 useful rules for having better conversations. "Go out, talk to people, listen to people," she says. "And, most importantly, be prepared to be amazed."

Visit http://TED.com to get our entire library of TED Talks, transcripts, translations, personalized talk recommendations and more.

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You're welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know. 

Become a TED Member: http://ted.com/membership
Follow TED on Twitter: http://twitter.com/TEDTalks
Like TED on Facebook: http://facebook.com/TED
Subscribe to our channel: http://youtube.com/TED

TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy (https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy). For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and more. You're welcome to link to or embed these videos, forward them to others and share these ideas with people you know.

TED's videos may be used for non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons License, Attribution–Non Commercial–No Derivatives (or the CC BY – NC – ND 4.0 International) and in accordance with our TED Talks Usage Policy: https://www.ted.com/about/our-organization/our-policies-terms/ted-talks-usage-policy. For more information on using TED for commercial purposes (e.g. employee learning, in a film or online course), please submit a Media Request at https://media-requests.ted.com

Celeste Headlee: 10 ways to have a better conversation | TED

<ul>
<li>👌 is a gesture that means "ok" in most English speaking countries, but not that in many other countries.</li>
<li>👊 is considered a "punch," but some people use it as a fist bump.</li>
<li>🤗 is officially named "hugging face." Don't send it to anyone you wouldn't hug - in the face.</li>
<li>Some people use 🙏 to mean a high five or a thank you; others use it to mean prayer.</li>
</ul>

Potentially confusing emoji

Every time we communicate, we create three distinct statements:
<ol>
<li>What we meant to say.</li>
<li>What we did say.</li>
<li>What our audience thinks we said. </li>
</ol>
Communication is the ability of aligning these three ideas as closely as possible. If you're ever uncertain about the meaning of an emoji, ask your coworkers what they think the emoji means.

Three sides to every statement

The emoji is inherently ambiguous. Symbols only have meaning because of a shared cultural context. 
We can't assume everyone is interpreting emoji the same way. It can lead to tension and embarrassment - especially in a work context.

Emoji may create misunderstanding

Consider 😉. To some, the wink emoji is a way to show that a statement is intended as a joke or a way to be friendly.
Not everyone understands this emoji. For some, the wink emoji implies you're flirty or suggestive, which will change the context of the intended statement.

The wink emoji

Symbols only have meaning because of a shared cultural context, which means you can't assume everyone is interpreting emoji the same way.

How to Give a Great Presentation: Timeless Advice from a Legendary Adman, 1981

48 Questions That'll Make Small Talk Easier

Rethinking Body Language

It's time to
Read like a Pro.

Celeste Headlee: 10 ways to have a better conversation | TED

CURATED BY

How to Give a Great Presentation: Timeless Advice from a Legendary Adman, 1981

48 Questions That'll Make Small Talk Easier

Rethinking Body Language

It's time to Read like a Pro.

Celeste Headlee: 10 ways to have a better conversation | TED

CURATED BY

It's time to
Read like a Pro.