External Linkages

While the Internal Linkages in the previous chapter bond together the components of your presentation, it's equally important to bond your presentation (and you, as the presenter) to each specific audience. You can achieve that with External Linkages: words, phrases, stories, and other materials that you insert throughout your presentation to make it fresh. There are seven External Linkages:

1. Direct Reference. Mention specifically , by name , one or more members of your audience.

2. Mutual Reference. Make reference to a person, company, or organization related to both you and your audience.

3. Ask Questions. Address a question directly to one or more members of your audience.

4. Contemporize. Make reference to what is happening today.

5. Localize. Make reference to the venue of your presentation.

6. Data. Make reference to current information that links to and supports your message.

7. Customized Opening Graphic. Start your presentation with a slide that includes your audience, the location, and the date.

Let's consider each External Linkage, along with illustrative examples.

Direct Reference

A Direct Reference is a specific mention, by name, of one or more members of your audience. This is the technique that Professor Ormond Drake used during my orientation at NYU, and you can measure its effectiveness by the fact that I still recall the moment, decades later.

There are several ways to incorporate Direct References. One is to refer to audience members to illustrate your key points: "Our services can help reduce the amount of time you spend traveling on business. Take Steve, here, as an example. Steve told me that he's been on the road 12 days this month. With our services, Steve can "

Another way is to tell a story related to the audience or to specific audience members: "As some of you may know, I've worked with your firm before. Last year, Sharon and I developed a joint plan for launching a new program "

"During the break, I was speaking with Howard, and he told me that your company is about to move to new headquarters. You'll be interested to know that our product can help streamline the process "

Be careful to make all Direct References positive and non- controversial . Only quote statements or tell stories that reveal the audience member in a positive light. And, of course, never violate a confidence.

Mutual Reference

A Mutual Reference is a reference to a person, company, or organization that is in some way linked to both you and your audience. Think of a Mutual Reference as a tasteful, appropriate form of name-dropping. For example, in pitching your services to Company A, you might want to describe the work you did for Company B, which has a close business alliance with Company A; or, the work you did for Company C, whose CEO sits on the board of Company A; or, the work you did for Company D, which is Company A's largest and most-respected industry rival.

Before using a Mutual Reference, however, check into the politics of the three-way relationship. Avoid stumbling into a personal or business feud that you didn't know existed. Be certain that your audience will view every connection as an affirmation.

Ask Questions

While a question is effective as an Opening Gambit, you can also use the same technique at any point in almost any presentation. By addressing a question directly to one or more members of your audience, you create an effective External Linkage.

There are several ways to use questions. One is the Scott Cook approach of polling the audience. This is a quick way of gauging their interest in or receptivity to a particular concept in your presentation: "How many of your companies plan to increase spending on information technology during the next year? May I have a show of hands? Quite a few, I see. Our new software system can help you get the most out of any new technology you do purchase. Here's how it works "

If you do use this technique, however, be prepared for all contingencies: all of the above, some of the above, and none of the above. Be prepared with a follow-up to each contingency.

Another question technique is to invite audience members to share ideas, reactions , or stories, which you can use as a springboard for further discussion: "Think back to the last time you had a negative experience with airplane travel. What was the problem? Any volunteers? Okay, Reggie, tell us about it "

Yet another technique is to use questions to point the audience toward a pre-determined conclusion: "What sort of features would your company need in a new communications system? Where on the list would you rank reliability? And why is that? What happens when your system is down? To address that concern, let's look at some independent data on the reliability of our latest system "

Asking questions is an excellent way of engaging your audience. Getting people to think about issues and discuss them aloud turns your presentation from a one-way transmission into a two-way interaction, increasing your audience's interest and involvement.

However, questions do inject a note of unpredictability . It's possible that an audience member's response to one of your questions may raise an irrelevant issue or jump ahead to an idea you will cover later in the presentation. Avoid such detours by politely defining the parameters of your topic.

Pre-plan the questions you will use, and phrase them carefully . Don't make them heavy-handed and obvious. Based on your knowledge of the audience, word the questions to maximize your chance of eliciting the kinds of answers you want.

Contemporize

This technique involves making a reference to the most current of events, what is happening today. When you Contemporize, you make it very clear that you have specifically tailored your presentation to your present audience. You send the message that all your information is up-to-the-minute and highly relevant.

Contemporizing is favored by many entertainers, especially stand-up comedians. No monologue by Jay Leno or David Letterman is complete without an assortment of one-liners playing off the day's headlines.

But the technique is equally effective in business presentations. Did the stock market take a sudden nosedive, or make a remarkable rally yesterday ? Consider linking the news to an explanation of how your company offers its customers increased financial security. Did a local sports team win a major event last night? Consider referencing the event and drawing an analogy to the competitive environment in which your company is operating. In each case, be sure you make the current information link clearly to your main idea.

You can also Contemporize right up to the minute. Refer often to prior speakers , to statements they made, to earlier questions from the audience, or to moments that occurred from the instant you entered the presentation environment: the conference room, the auditorium, the office, or even the building. Weave these references throughout your presentation at every opportunity. This technique is the zenith of contemporizing in its immediacy and potency. It is also the easiest to do. All it takes is concentration and memory, and it keeps you fresh every time.

Localize

Localizing involves referencing the venue of your presentation. As with contemporizing, it's a favorite among entertainers. Many rock concerts begin with a localized greeting like, "Hello, Philadelphia!", which never fails to draw an appreciative roar in response.

You can Localize your presentation by finding facts about the venue that relate to your message. For example, you can talk about a particular client or customer of yours located in the same city, then go on to illustrate the benefits your company provided to that client.

You can cite an interesting fact about the city or state that supports your message: "Last year, over 500 patients in this city's hospitals died from drug interactions. Many of those deaths could have been prevented with our automated drug dispensing system."

Or you can refer to a noteworthy local person, landmark, or incident, drawing a connection to your offering:

"It's good to be here in St. Louis, where one of America's favorite treats was invented almost 100 years ago. An ice cream vendor at the St. Louis World's Fair ran out of paper cups on a sweltering afternoon. Desperate for a way to keep serving his customers, he got together with the waffle vendor next door and the ice cream cone was born. Today, we're presenting a new product that embodies the same kind of entrepreneurial creativity "

Data

You can also create an External Linkage by citing current Data that links to and supports your persuasive message. The more up-to-the-minute and closely linked to your specific audience the Data is, the better. If the Data you mention is news to your audience, they will be impressed by the depth and currency of your information. If your audience members are already aware of the Data, they will be quietly pleased that you are as knowledgeable as they are. Either way, you create a positive link.

To add a touch of emphasis, use the source of your Data as a prop: "Have you seen today's Wall Street Journal ?" (Hold it up.) "There's a striking graph on the front page that shows just how serious our industry's infrastructure problems have become." (Quote the most relevant number.) "This is exactly the issue our new system has been designed to address."

Customized Opening Graphic

The final and simplest type of External Linkage is the Customized Opening Graphic. Begin the visual portion of your presentation with a slide that shows the audience, the location, and the date of your presentation. I use such a slide at the start of every Power Presentations program.

A Customized Opening Graphic may seem like a small item, but it has a powerful effect on both the presenter and the audience. For the presenter, it forces a final double-check to avoid the embarrassment of the wrong slide. It's also an up-front prompt that will give impetus to the style and content of the rest of the presentation.

For the audience, it sends the message that you've prepared this presentation especially for them; that it is not a canned recitation, but rather a custom-made work, tailored to their needs and interests. Thus, the slide launches the presentation with a fine stroke of Audience Advocacy, promising in effect that you are there to serve them.

Roger McNamee, the co-founder of Integral Capital Partners and Silver Lake Partners, is one of the most influential investors in the technology sector, and one of the best presenters I know. He is always in great demand to offer his unique views at major industry conferences. Roger carefully crafts each speech in advance, and is keenly aware of the importance of Customization. Here's how he puts it:

Speaking engagements are great branding opportunities, but only if you do a good job. You can do enormous harm to yourself by not understanding the opportunity. It's a crime to give the "windup doll" speech, one that should be punishable by more than just not being invited back.

If you don't feel some level of affinity for the community you are addressing, don't do it. If you do, you will only lessen the value of your brand. A speech is like a shark. It can't sit still; it either is building or destroying your brand.

Personal brands have a life of their own, dependent on the perceptions of others. It's like cartoon characters who run off the edge of a cliff: they keep running in space until they realize there is nothing supporting them, at which point they plummet. A brand is the same: It's at the moment when everyone comes to believe that there is nothing supporting you that your brand collapses. Public perception is everything.

It's death if you give a speech or a presentation that sounds like a pre-recorded announcement. Odds are that you don't understand the critical success factors in your business well enough if you don't understand this truth.

Roger heeds his own advice by starting each speech from scratch, but his words are applicable to every iteration of every presentation.