Presentation 101

Read this article on BusinessWeek, the Online Version, which gave 1o tips on how to present like Steve Jobs. You can read the article here: http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/jan2008/sb20080125_269732.htm?campaign_id=rss_topStories

Well, I had to make many a presentation myself over the years, and had to host an event on stage yesterday. Well, some of the tips the writer gave are common sense, and I totally subscribe to. Such as "practice practice practice", or that you had to have a theme, and how not to be Kang Cheong Spider, army lingo for getting flustered when little things go wrong. The rest talks about stylistics and how to capture more attention by using multi-media and having as little text as possible on screen.

I cannot say that I am a pro, but here are my views on what makes a great presenter.

In my opinion, what sets a great one apart from a mediocre, or even a totally bad one, is how one handles nerves, more commonly known as butterflies in one's stomach. Some are born with the gift of having stage presence, some need to force it out of his/her innermost depths, and some, just do not have it, no matter what you do or how hard they try. With that aura, no matter what happens, or doesn't happen, the presenter will have done his job. Even if the audience goes away without anything of value to take back with them, they will go home happy. These would be the best salespersons in the world, just like Steve Jobs. Even if the product was so-so, more likely than not, people will be impressed, and be convinced of whatever little virtue there was on offer.

The other quality a great speaker must have is the ability to think on one's feet, and react quickly in a decisive and convincing manner, and to know when to use the correct humour for the occassion.

There were essentially 2 speakers at the event yesterday, a lady and a gentlemen. What they tried to do was to sell a psychometric tool. They did brilliantly, when they were eschewing their product, and following the slides. But, the lady did one cardinal sin. When asking for questions, and when none came, instead of making a joke, she did a self destruct by saying" I guess my presentation was so lousy that nobody knows what I am speaking about". At that point, I guess it kinda got testy, until her boss butt in and saved the day by changing the subject. I guess, it could have gone very wrong.

A good presenter vs a not-so-good presenter can be discerned in 30 secs. An excellent presenter can be destroyed by 1 wrong word/sentence. So I guess the final virtue is to have the stamina to last the distance, and to be on one's toes from the moment it starts, right till the very end. And its never the end till the last guest has left the room.

Thank you.

A Whole New World

Another year. Another beginning.

Yes, the year 2007 has been an eventful one, to say the very least. Its a year of highs, a year of lows. And that is to put it in mild terms.

Let's see, it was a year that sent me to far flung places, America, Europe, China. Places I never imagined I'd visit when I counted down to this millennium. I achieved much too. Transformed the department, made good connections, and enjoyed a senses of fulfillment, albeit an uneasy one. It was also the year where I travelled more with the Singapore gal than the bus captains. A good year, you'd think. Yes, it certainly was.

Life is all about choices. But I am more inclined to say you lead your life by the choices you make. Good choices are those that you can live with, and bad ones are those you are unable to reconcile with your set of value systems. So, I made the good choice of leaving Great World. I made the good choice of ..... Strange, I cannot think of any more good choices I made in the year.

Bad choices? I guess its a plenty, and I could go on and on and on and on. I shall not delve in them, but what I'll instead is to list my resolutions for the Year of the Mickey Mouse.

Be productive. err, maybe the better word is maybe, have take control of my life.
All this while, I was living in a deluded world, where I thought I was in control of my life. Its become clear to me that, what I have been doing all this while, is to live a life inside a glass bowl. Everything seems so detached, I have had little control over my destiny. Oh well, I have been moving so fast, from one frame to another, that I have lived little of myself, for myself. Its been one hectic journey, and I am weary. What do I really want? *blank* Where do I really want to go? *blank*

In these months where I have been idle, and unproductive, I have had the good fortune to meet a couple of people, who have added new perspectives to my life. Be an entrepreneur. Be my own boss. Maybe that is the way to go. Should I? Should I not? Its certainly a risk worth taking. But, then again, I have this mentality now... have you ever come across the phrase Midas Touch? Well, its this king in ancient folklore, where everything he touches turns to gold. Well, I too have Midas Touch, but on the contrary, whatever gold I touch, will become meaningless. Lets coin a new phrase, shall we? Let's call this the "Special touch of BJ" Well, In order to have any chance of survival, let alone success, I need to snap out of this mindset.

Yes, snap out of BJ. But how do I do that? I guess I need to find peace with myself. Peace with myself. Peace within myself. Peace with all those around me. I have burnt a couple of bridges. And have a few regrets. How can I ever rebuild London Bridge? Will I be able to.... find forgiveness?

The Year of the Rat is the start of a new 12 year cycle. In these 12 years, I have worked non-stop. I have achieved much in my career. I have tasted various degress of success. I too have made blunders, and made bad choices. Well, with this new cycle, there is a whole new world to explore. But one thing is for sure, I will have to continue to make choices, and I will continue to change people's lives. The only difference I hope to make, is to make more good choices and less bad choices, to enhance people's lives, rather than to destroy others', and my own along the way.

'nuff said. Now to put it to action.