My presentation on Social Media and Sustainability opened with the following words from the conference’s two famous keynote speakers:

On September 27th, the charismatic former California Governor Jerry Brown said, “We have choices.” Al Gore’s excellent speech included,  “We have to go far… quickly!”

How do we do that? In order to create social impact, I believe, we have to go beyond talking to like-minded people. We have to reach what I call “the mildly curious.”  Not the converted.

Our Presidential Debates last week demonstrated social media in action in using a 10-foot interface (television), whereby the audience in the live debates had handheld devices and by clicking on buttons voted positive or negative or no reactions. When Barack Obama was talking, the Democratic approval rating rapidly rose. When McCain spoke, it radically fell. The same occurred when McCain spoke – the Republican approval rating rose and fell when he stopped. To me this social media example is more of a gimmick than a reflection of true action or true influence. Why? Because the already converted were voting for their chosen party. I believe to “go far…quickly, “ we need to talk to the “mildly curious.” The mildly curious will review something if it lands in their lap in a meaningful way (i.e. in their language, style of media [audio, video, text, etc.]) and on their style of device (i.e. mobile, laptop, Xbox, etc.) and within their chosen community (i.e. Facebook, Myspace, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.).

I feel the mildly curious are absolutely crucial to spreading consumer choices we have around sustainability. They are our connectors to the subconscious of the unconscious (the uncurious) people out there: The ones in denial or who literally have zero interest in learning more about a particular subject they feel is ‘opposite’ to their beliefs or interests. The mildly curious will come across less radical than the curious and certainly less annoying than the evangelically converted. The unconscious will listen and often times follow. Celebrity advertising has shown us this for years. The non-radical, stunning looking Hollywood star starts driving a sexy looking fuel-efficient car, and hybrid sales climb within the mildly curious sector. However, when Ed Begley (a converted evangelist) pushed his fuel-efficient cars back in the early 90s only the other evangelists followed, and they followed FAR from quickly.

All this is to say, we have to start talking to people outside our circles, and we have to reach these people in a way that is meaningful to them using social media tools and applications. Social media is about facilitating dialogue, encouraging participation and welcoming debate. It is about taking your content to where your audience is virtually, and geographically in the case of device. It does not stop there, however. Once people are participating the value comes from how we collect, store, aggregate and use the data/information gathered and how we use the results to guide our next moves.

We will post the video and presentation next week for the curious.

If anyone has any examples of how they have successfully used social media to create social impact(s), please let us know.

-c

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What is the definition of a ‘powerful presentation?’ In my eyes, it’s when a crowd gathers after the presentation to ask more questions. And you are invited to give the same speech elsewhere by someone in the audience or the sponsors of the event.

Most lecturers and “gurus” on the subject would be content to rattle off helpful directives on the topic, each one being a derivation of the same theme. “It is the synergy of 1) content, 2) design and 3) delivery that makes a presentation,” they would say. Yes, that’s helpful… but it’s vague and I feel does not answer the question in a way one can truly learn from.

There is no checklist for you to follow that would prepare you for every situation. What will work in some instances will not work in others. But to truly deliver a powerful presentation I know I need to understand the following:

1. Design your presentation ‘tools’-i.e. PowerPoint or Keynote-well. There is no need to have dull slides.
2. Preface well. Tell your audience what you hope they will get out of it right up front.
3. Know your objectives. If you don’t understand what you’re talking about then it’s doubtful anyone else will.
4. Be truthful. Grandiosity ends up being boring and not factual.
5. Know your audience. What sorts of people will be attending the presentation? What are their learning styles and levels of understanding on the topic?
6. Know how you’re planning on arriving from point A to point D to avoid waffling. Rehearsing helps a lot. Try it, and do this with people you respect and who are able to give you objective/constructive criticism. Time yourself and edit your slides to the desired time slot. This doesn’t mean you should become ‘staged’ in your presentation.
7. Your content should be engaging and interesting, certainly, but it’s just as important that the steps you take in communicating your message be clear and unambiguous.
8. Know your desired outcome. What do you wish to parlay? And what is the desired take-away? What do you want the attendees to learn? A successful presentation always leaves the audience wanting to know more.
9. Know your fellow presenters. What are their areas of expertise, and in what ways could they bolster your argument?
10. Anticipate the difficult questions. Make a list of the most difficult, controversial questions that could be asked of you. Make sure you can answer them clearly and effectively.
11. Wear something you feel fabulous in. It helps. Trust me.
12. Feel confident in being spontaneous.
13. Don’t be pedantic. You have know idea how many people in your audience already know this subject and/or know it better than you. You are merely a good communicator of information.
14. And don’t bang on too long. No-one is interested in dullards.
15. And, have fun for goodness sake. Life is short. For all of us.

Engaging the audience, that intangible fourth step after “content, design, and delivery,” is a lot easier to do if you understand the above.

The readiness is all—well, at least all you have control over. The rest happens during the presentation itself and unfolds differently each time, depending on your personality, your confidence level, and your accessibility as a public speaker.

Enjoy and good luck.

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