Present Naked

Give up the mask . Present naked .

Have you noticed that there are a lot of fake presenters around us? And who can blame them?

In school, they were likely taught to be like everyone else.

Most business presenters have attended at least 16,000 hours of school (approximately 15 years x 180 days/year x 6 hrs/day). How many of those hours were they taught or encouraged to express their uniqueness?

Did you receive any messages in school that may influence your authenticity in your presentations today? Question to ponder:

Politics hinder authenticity. Politicians often tell others what they want to hear, and not what they really think.

Do you ever show up in front of an audience and deliver a message that you don’t believe, but you know it might please others? Question to ponder:

Media often weakens authenticity. Focusing on sound bites, celebrity hype, and drama with no depth or truth, is often more important to some people than focusing on issues of importance.

Do you ever show up in front of an audience and approach a topic superficially? Question to ponder:

Advertising messages remind us how we should be on a constant search for a better car, body, spouse, or retirement plan. Consider these sobering statistics. Since 1997, there has been a 457% increase in the total number of cosmetic procedures. Americans spend on average $109 million on dieting and diet-related products…daily! Authenticity killer: advertising

Self-esteem = Success Potential Advertising constantly remind us of the balance between how much we’ve achieved (success) and how much we could achieve (potential). Imagine the day when we don’t have to worry whether we are young or skinny or popular. Unfortunately, advertising and society remind us constantly of how large the gap is between what we are and what we could be.

Are you ever too concerned about your image in front of an audience (more so than the message)? Do you ever feel inadequate to present? What specific messages (from media, marketing, advertising) may be impacting your authenticity and therefore your presentations? Questions to ponder:

Different institutions as well as media, politics, and advertising can influence authenticity and presentation style because of one factor present in all of us: our ego , the force that can propel us to the front of the room with confidence, or hold us back, paralyzed by insecurities about our image.

Protecting our image used to be taken to extremes. In the 17 th -18 th century, it was quite common that men would rather die than be perceived as a failure or a fool. In Paris, in 1678, a man killed another because he said his apartment was tasteless. In Florence, in 1702, a literary man took the life of a cousin who had accused him of not understanding Dante. And in France, 2 officers fought over the ownership of an Angora cat.

Even though examples of a duel are far-fetched historical examples, the need remains for many of us: to protect the ego and be perceived favorably. Not achieving your goals or not being seen as smart and resourceful may be as haunting as losing your honor in the 17 th century.

We often want to project “good impressions” by adopting a different persona (a social façade) that helps us survive through tough situations, where we do not want to (or are afraid to) show who we are for fear we may be rejected.

Presenters often seek acceptance from an audience. They feel that their ego is like a balloon, constantly requiring the helium from an audience’s validation to remain inflated. Do you ever surrender your identity to someone else’s validation? How would your presentations be different if you gave less importance to how you were perceived?

How do we fix the ego’s desire to be always be perceived favorably ?

Don’t seek acceptance outside, look for it inside

If you want to correct the desire to be liked by others, do a brief investigation of their true character. Have you ever found out that somebody you admired was in fact boring, hypocritical, or devious? Why would you surrender your self-esteem to fake people?

Sometimes, insecurities and lack of authenticity occur when we feel we are not anchored in a secure spot. To be more authentic, strengthen your roots into an easily identifiable spot.

Have enough energy to respond to any audience remarks. If you don't have enough energy, you just end up playing by others’ rules (and missing opportunities for authenticity).

It’s easy to hide. However, advanced presenters do not play it safe . They stay true to their message, even if this might imply disagreement from the audience.

Presentations without some risks have tedium. Present intensely , not tediously.

Sometimes the ego dictates that we copy others just in case we might be perceived as smarter, funnier, or more resourceful. Often, we end up disappointed with the results.

Showing what’s not yours makes an audience wonder what the real you looks like.

Nourish your individuality.

Born an original. Didn’t die a copy. And keep in mind this ultimate image of authenticity…

As a presenter, you are a visible person, and the more visible you are, the more perfect you might feel you need to be. To protect an unrealistically positive image, some presenters become defensive . Just listen to someone’s reaction when you tell them “let me give you some feedback” after a presentation and they sense it’s not exactly going to be positive. Listen to their excuses.

Advanced presenters do not have excuses .

If you ever feel the need to be defensive and protect your ego, have some sentences ready that give you a chance to calm down. “ You might be right” or… “Even though it's hard to hear, I am glad you're saying something”… or “Let’s talk this one through”.

… get curious, ask questions… What do you mean? (clarity) What are you seeing? (context) What are you assuming? (assumptions) Instead of getting defensive….

The mask can come off more easily and the ego does not cause as much trouble when we stop focusing on ourselves.

Instead of being concerned with our own image …

… we focus on others .

te Unfortunately, we are becoming more and more a lonely society.

We live in transitory places, we are more and more unattached.

There is a new phenomenon called living together, apart (LTA). LTA couples maintain separate residences and reconvene for fun. Loneliness leads to narcissistic behavior; it feeds a selfish ego and does not lead to opportunities for authenticity.

You get to know who you are when you are around others.

Pets do not count.

Your luxurious condo is not going to tell you whether you’re a nice person or an idiot. But other people might.

Business presentations are starved for authenticity
Correct this with…
 Honesty
 Vulnerability
 Social connections

When was a time you faked it? When was a time you were truly yourself? What is one thing you could do differently in your next presentation, based on this information, to be more authentic? Questions to ponder:

For more advanced presentation tips, download Presenter Pro E-mail ego @reximedia.com if you need advice on authenticity for an upcoming presentation.

Give up the mask . Present naked .

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Present Naked

by Carmen Taran on Dec 07, 2009

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