Suddenly, AI is everywhere – from Elon Musk to the Italian government. Here's six ways to stay ahead of it when it comes to your next presentation.
People have goldfish memories and the subtlety of words makes all the difference. Start boldly and keep their attention with a strong headline. Don’t use phrases like, ‘Let me tell you.’ Instead, try ‘I’m going to show you.’ One is asking for permission, the other is being directive. If AI is directive in what it says, your voice has to be just as directive. But warm!
Daniel Kahneman (who won a Nobel Prize for his research on how the brain actually works) says that when we speak in long, convoluted sentences, our audience will not trust us. When we speak in short sentences we become trustworthy. AI knows this. Donald Trump won the US election on short sentences and ran his presidency via Twitter using short sentences. It worked. What messages do you need to bring? Bring them with short sentences. And with a smile.
We all want to be trusted and to trust someone. The best way to do this is to weave a personal story into your presentation as soon as possible. AI can’t do that. Tell personal stories that either reveal your identity as the Wise Mentor, or tell a story of what you have discovered in the data you are presenting to reveal your identity as the Wise Analyst. Become a Wise Mentor or a Wise Analyst and the whole game changes: the presentation becomes about your capacity to open up wisdom to the room. It requires boldness and AI can't come close.
I was coaching in Canary Wharf last week and the take away from a client was nothing about the numbers and the market, but about making adrenaline your friend. Everyone experiences adrenaline when they speak – it propels some of us to greatness, but causes most of us to retreat. Here are three steps you can take to make adrenaline your friend.
4. Take four deep breaths before you speak (you can do this subtly). It keeps you focused on your breath. AI has no breath. Use this to your advantage.
5. Over-pronounce your sentences just slightly by imagining the words are coming from your lips. It keeps you focused on your words and means you can be playful with them. This is how you unlock your voice.
6. Send your voice not just to the screen or the audience in front of you, but to a few metres beyond them. This is will amplify your voice to presentation mode and make sure you fill the room. AI can’t fill the room. You really can.
These six steps will mean you beat AI every time. Because no matter how good AI gets, it will never actually be human.
Presenting to the best of your ability reveals the full human within!
