Phraseology

The ultimate phase of bringing your presentation story to life is the words you use to tell your story, or what I call Phraseology .

You'll remember from Chapter 4 that the Flow Structure I use in my Power Presentations program and in this book is Problem/Solution. That is, in each of the essential aspects of a presentation, I show you how not to do it, and then how to do it right. To maintain that consistency in addressing verbiage, I've collected a handful of the most commonly used phrases in presentations (I'm sure you'll recognize them, too), each of which creates a problem for the presenter. I'll then provide you with the correct way to state the same idea. The first example is perhaps the most common of all:

"Now I'd like to "

Sound familiar? You've probably heard this phrase almost as often as I have. It's virtually boilerplate not only in business presentations, but also in political speeches, college lectures, church sermons, award acceptances, wedding toasts the list is endless.

What's wrong with this phrase? It's presenter-focused . It implies that the presenter is making an exclusive decision without any regard for the audience: "I don't care what you'd like to do; this is what I'd like to do."

It's also vague and indefinite. If you'd like to do it, why not just go ahead and do it? How many times have you been on an airplane and, upon landing, heard the flight attendant say, "I'd like to be the first to welcome you to San Francisco." How about simply, "Welcome to San Francisco"?

The fix: Make the phrase audience-focused, inclusive, and very definite. Drop the word "like" and simply say:

"I'm going to talk about "

Or become even more inclusive by inviting the audience to join you: Shift to the first-person plural using one of these options:

"Let's look at "

"Let's "

What does the following phrase imply?

"Like I said "

This phrase is a form of backward reference, an attempt to link to a point earlier in the presentation. Unfortunately, the specific language suggests that your audience didn't understand your pearls of wisdom the first time you said them, and so you are now going to have to repeat yourself to bring them up to your speed, all of which is condescending to your audience.

The phrase is also poor English. "Like" is the wrong word; it should be "As."

Now this doesn't mean you should avoid backward references. Use them extensively (have you noticed how often I've used them in this book?). Backward references are powerful tools for continuity and reinforcement.

If you do use them, however, do so with the proper connecting word: "As I said," not "Like I said." But that still leaves the phrase presenter-focused. Better to give your audience credit for having understood and remembered what you said by using one of the following options:

"As you recall "

"We discussed earlier "

"You saw "

"Remember "

What's the problem with the following phrase?

"I'll tell you very quickly "

This phrase implies that you're apologizing for your own material, that what you have to say isn't very important, and so you will hurry through it. By apologizing, you're saying that you didn't care enough about your audience to have prepared your presentation carefully .

There are many variations of the apology, as the following phrases demonstrate :

"I'm running out of time "

"If you could read this slide "

"This is a busy slide "

"This isn't my slide "

"Disregard this "

"Before I begin "

I'll bet you've heard every one of these at least once in your career.

Never apologize, and always prepare properly. Omit any topic that does not deserve your audience's time and attention. Present with pride any topic that is important enough to include in your presentation.

What's wrong with this next phrase?

"Acme listens to its customer and meets his requirements."

The problem with this phrase is that it's gender-specific. Are all of your customers males? Most likely not, unless your company makes a product like after-shave lotion. The issue here isn't political correctness, but rather accuracy. Make your statement universal by going plural:

"Acme listens to its customers and meets their requirements."

In the English language, the plural pronoun "their" has no gender marking, so you can use it to refer to men, women, or both.

Here are three other problematic phrases:

"We believe "

"We think "

"We feel "

Each of these phrases introduces an element of uncertainty. You believe something to be true, but is it really? You introduce doubt, even if only subliminally, in the minds of your audience. Your job instead is to convey certainty. The way to get from doubt to certainty is to switch from the conditional to the declarative mood. Recast the entire sentence to eliminate the offending phrase.

Rather than saying:

"With this large opportunity and our superior technology, I think you'll see that Acme is positioned for growth."

Say:

"With this large opportunity and our superior technology, you'll see that Acme is positioned for growth."

The simple removal of the "I think" phrase strengthens the impact of the entire sentence.

This is not to say that, when the outcome is uncertain , you should make forward-looking statements or forecasts. That's risky business. In such cases, use the conditional mood, but instead of using the weak words "think," "believe," and "feel," shift to any of these much stronger options:

"We're confident "

"We're convinced "

"We're optimistic "

"We expect "

What's wrong with the following sentence?

"Acme does not view the competition as significant."

There are several problems here. For one thing, the statement is arrogant . It suggests that Acme's management isn't taking the issue of competition seriously. For another, it's stupid. Any competition is significant.

On a purely verbal level, however, the sentence is also negative, because of the dreaded "not" word. Most human beings, businesspeople in particular, react negatively to negativity. Recast the sentence to remove the arrogance , the stupidity, and the dreaded "not" word:

"Acme has strong competitive advantages."

Here's another form of negativity:

"What we're not is "

Far too many presentations begin with a description of the company's business by telling what they are not; instead, they should tell what they are .

For the final problematic phrase, let's flash back to January 1987. President Ronald Reagan had not expressed his position on a very sensitive subject roiling in the media: the involvement of his administration in the Iran “Contra scandal. Reagan finally agreed to tell all in a press conference. The headlines in the next day's newspapers carried his key statement:

"Mistakes were made."

But Reagan didn't say who made the mistakes.

Now, let's flash forward 10 years . In January 1997, President Bill Clinton had not expressed his position on a very sensitive subject roiling in the media: the involvement of his administration in improper, possibly illegal, fundraising activities. Clinton finally agreed to tell all in a press conference. The headlines in the next day's newspapers carried his key statement:

"Mistakes were made."

History repeats itself. Both Reagan and Clinton couched their statements using the passive voice . This grammatical construction tells what was done, but it doesn't say who did it. The result is that the speaker sounds as if he or she is trying to avoid responsibility through fudging and obfuscation.

This is accepted practice in politics, where Reagan and Clinton (and generations of politicians before and after them) were striving to protect their associates , their constituencies, and themselves . This is not at all acceptable in business, where accountability is paramount. Passive voice sentences remove the doer of the action, and with it, remove management and the presenter from any responsibility or culpability for the action, whether bad or good.

All the previous examples are not meant to be merely a lesson in syntax, but a lesson in persuasive psychology. The difference between the passive voice and the active voice is subtle in grammar, but profound in impact. Avoid the former; use the latter. Put the doer back into the sentence; put management back into the equation.

Instead of saying:

"Mistakes were made."

"Progress is being made."

"The error rate is being reduced."

Say:

"We made a mistake."

"We're making progress."

"We have reduced our error rate."

When you put the doer back into the action, you put management back into the equation. The subliminal takeaway is Effective Management .

Summary

After you've developed your lucid story and expressive graphics, verbalize your presentation in advance. Do multiple Verbalizations spaced out over time. As you do, think about and practice the specific language you'll use to convey your ideas. Select and plan clear Internal Linkages. Monitor your Phraseology to develop a positive, respectful, and confident vocabulary.

Just as there are particular styles of slide design that can hinder or enhance your presentations, there are particular words, phrases, and sentences that can offend your audience, or help to win them over. By studying your verbal options in advance and by diligently practicing your best choices, you can make your words sing, help your story flow, and bring your presentation to life.