Have just finished two days of a presentation skills course. Am rather taken aback by it all. It was one of those times where many things you already know take on new significance, and things that you ought to have known become clearer. It was also an amazing experience.
We were told the seemingly obvious, but none the less profound truth that a presentation is not about imparting facts. Rather, the goal is for the audience to enter a shared experience of that information. Presentations are about creating a shared community of relationship which when the right bridge occurs, ironically the content passes more freely and change occurs more readily.
I was challenged to bring more of ‘me’ to my talks. At work, I find that hard, and indeed regretted not having the courage to become more personal. Even in my sermons, I think at times personal experience is perhaps a little light. I was also challenged to pay more attention to the audience,and be more ‘present’- pausing and engaging nonverbally in an intentional way.
I was described in feedback as a complex individual. I guess that is true on so many levels- am I a technogeek, or a doctor, or a psychiatrist or a scientist or a salesman or a marketeer or a manager or a preacher or a father or a husband or a friend? Am I confident or secretly concerned that people might not like me (who isn’t?). Am I a good communicator or someone who has a tendancy to gallop and ignore his audience far too much? Am I over-serious or a silly clown?
I have tended to compartmentalise my life, and I found these two days rather disconcerting as it advised us to bring ‘ourselves’ authentically into our work. Will my workmates like ‘the real me’- can I afford to be that open?
To be honest, I still think I can only cope with chinks coming through from time to time, which is probably just as well. I am not sure that they could cope with too much of Adrian. Possibly my wife is the only one who can. An overdose of Adrian is something she has never complained about. It is nice to have at least one person in your life you can be totally open with. I am not at all sure that we are even meant to have too many others that is true of.
Still, it is still amazing to me that people find each other so interesting. The one thing about watching a roomful of medics open up is that none of us found each other boring. In fact, I don’t think I have ever found someone boring who was authentically sharing something personal to themeselves.
Striking that balance of open-ness vs professionalism is going to be an interesting challenge as the months and years go by.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In