I know it’s been a while, however when it comes to speaking I believe it’s best to show not just say how to do it.

Here’s a presentation I just made that illustrates a lot of great points:

Let me know what you think.

I’ve got some great news and some really bad news. The great news is that speakers are starting to realize, since that infamous DOD slide of how we’re going to win in Afghanistan, what a data dump on steroids really looks like. More good news…inertia is starting to form a new set of ,yes… you biz school grads, best practices. By they way…can anyone tell me who decides what constitutes a best practice and when an accepted best practice becomes an old best practice or just a ridiculous never should have been?

The bad news…a new practice has been creeping into the presentation world. It’s always been there but now with the increased amount of networking groups with their 8-12 minute member “Who am I and why you should you recommend me to you sphere of influence” presentations” of which in the last 8 weeks I have listened to over 50 excruciating of these. The one thing that’s common to all is or how shall I describe it…Verbal Vomit”.

Now “Verbal Vomit” is quite different than “Oral Diarrhea”. Let me explain:

1. Verbal Vomit comes at you from all directions…as the speaker looks from one side of the room to the other everyone gets covered
2. It comes in waves,. Spewing chunks of partially and completely undigested information. Whether germane or not
3. It stinks! And continues to leave a stench long afterwards.
4. It causes other to do the the same kind of presentations, just the way..well you know…I don’t have to get graphic.

There is hope and as a speech coach it’s become my mission to make the world aware of first the disease and then the cure.

Stay tuned.

I have so many speaking and presentation topics to discuss that I’ve decided break my thoughts and advice about public speaking and presentations into two separate blogs:

1. This blog are my comments and  observations on presentations that I attend both professionally and personally or hear on the radio or TV.
2. My new blog http://coachingcredibility. WordPress.com which will cover the how-to’s and tips for speakers of all levels and abilities.

I promise that this blog will look at the current level of acceptable (the bar is so low that one can crawl over it on one’s belly) presentations and show them for what they really are and how they could be approved. I’ll give you my comments and opinions on current “best practices” that many coaches and presentation experts teach.

Stop by at Coaching Credibility in the next couple of days. I think you find some very useful practical information. Also, please become a fan of Coaching Credibility by going to my Facebook Fan page http://facebook.com/coaching.credibility.

Who says people under 20 don’t read newspapers. Here’s a 20 something student reading the LA Times. Taken at Kean’s Coffee House in Newport Beach Ca.  Click to view slideshow.

This is total trauma for some; terror for others, and for some a  learning curve and for others second nature. Some in the room’s  first introduction to high technology was the manual typewriter and the rotary dial phone. For others it was touch-tone dialing and fax machines. For others it was word-processors. For the new information givers of the new technologies it was full blown PC  and/ or Macs already tied to the internet.

These newest and youngest members seem to assume that their audiences are their peers. Now I’m not going to lament for the good old days when we all had two distinct languages…the English language of business that was expected as common communication and our  generational slang that made us separate and totally incomprehensible to the generations ahead of us.

From what I have observed (I’ve been to over 2 dozen new media presentations) this new generation of techno-jargon founts of knowledge makes no attempt to find a common ground for communication. They expect their audiences to absorb the knowledge and the new minute by minute ever-changing language that they present at the same breakneck speed at which the technology  is evolving and changing.  Then when asked a basic question they answer the question in new jargon, just invented and tweeted to them, which not only confuses the one who asked but also  frustrates those who may understand or even partially understand.

So here some advice from someone in another generation:

1. Slow down. Give the basics. You’re judged not by how  treat and explain to those who understand…but how you understand and treat those who don’t get it at all.
2. Jargon is great. Don’t use it to prove how smart you are and that’s why people should hire you. If I understand what you’re saying in plain English, it it’ll benefit both of us. If I understand what your telling me I’ll be more comfortable with you and your services. Remember, adjust this to be both generational and knowledge level appropriate.
3. Not everyone and everything is Web 2.0. Get to know your audience and don’t be afraid to adapt and adjust. Be ready with different presentations for different levels of understanding. Some of us grew up with computers before there was windows and browsers. We need time to update our  mental operating systems and overwrite our existing mental programs. We need the time and understanding of how it all fits together. We had to learn it and understand it, for you the basic and advanced technology was already developed  and in use.
4. Because you’re so willing to embrace new ideas and then discard them just as quickly, don’t expect the older members to be so quick as you. For us it’s an investment of precious time and resources.
5. Because you are given a specific time frame don’t fill it to the last minute with information you must get through. Less is more. Leave time for questions. Leave time for those who understand some or little.

It’s not that we want to be difficult, it’s just that we need you, the generation that’s bringing us this new and wonderful information that we need to have and understand in order to be successful. We’re thankful for those who make the attempt. But we ask you meet us, if you can half -way. Otherwise, we’ll need  a whole new field of experts called “generation translators” at our meetings.

Here I am explaining the other 4C’s needed to be successful in business, public speaking or in life.