Presentation Secrets: Do What you Never Thought Possible With Your Presentations

LEARNING FROM OTHER PEOPLE

Several years ago, I discovered an amazing way of becoming a passionate presenter. It is really quite simple. It's been around for ages. But we've managed to use it better most recently, as video cameras have became widespread. The method is to watch other great presenters.

If you want to write like Shakespeare the first thing you can do is read Shakespeare. Once you have read it all, you will realize that, while you can never write like him, you are now infinitely better read.

writes Lea Carpenter, a literary expert. I suggest you go even further. Don't just read Shakespeare, write Shakespeare. Become Shakespeare. Don't just watch great presentations; you are probably doing this already, anyway. Copy them. Imitate them. Clone them. Become them.

I know what you are thinking: “What's the point of becoming Steve Jobs; the spot is already taken! I will be laughable! Also, the key is not to clone anyone but to discover my own style, right?” Right. In fact, that is precisely the reason to try this approach. You can't really understand who you are in isolation.

You can, however, copy other people and discover who you are by contrast, by discovering who you are not.

We typically don't know who we want to become—that is, until we meet another person who is doing precisely what we think we should be doing. We believe that by becoming that person, we will become ...