I am excited about the re-launch of our public seminar called Presenting for Results^SM.

On Oct 19th and 20th, 2010, we kick it off at the Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, NJ, which is right on Rte. 3, just east of the Garden State Parkway.

I’m excited about Presenting for Results^SM because it allows me to do what I deeply want, and what I think so many of my clients need.  That is to leave behind, for a short period of time, the culture of measurement and analysis, of information and knowledge, and explore instead aspects of being. 

Big phrase there: “aspects of being.”  What I’m getting at is stuff like “being in the moment,” “being spontaneous,” “being present, “ and “being authentic,”  “being empathic,” and “being assertive.”

Do you remember the album, “Stop Making Sense.”  Something liberating about that phrase.  It urges me to trust my imagination and do or say something out of the ordinary.  It relieves me momentarily of the obligation to be predictable and safe.

I read somewhere recently that any new idea that isn’t shocking and rejected out of hand upon first hearing is probably not a very good idea.

In what state of being does one have to be in order to create a breakthrough idea?  And in what state of being does one have to be in order to be (there’s that word again) a dynamite communicator?

Knowing how to define excellence in public speaking does not confer that excellence on the knower. The excellent public speaker is in a state of being that has to be experienced, and can only be experienced through  practice and coaching.

There’s a book on improv called “Improv Wisdom: Don’t Prepare, Just Show Up.”  At first glance, that doesn’t seem like a good idea.  But if you are a performer, and you’ve trained yourself for the requisite 10,000 hours, it makes a lot more sense, because preparing means you walk onto the stage (i.e., the boardroom, the meeting room, the sales meeting, the client’s office) with a fixed set of responses, whereas, if you just show up, you can respond to whatever happens in a spontaneous and authentic manner.

I recognize it takes knowledge of your subject to be a good speaker, and training to be a good improvisor.   But the knowledge of how to be on the stage is just as important as your knowledge of finance, or law, investing or drug development.

Being needs to be taught and learned, and can  be taught and learned, and that’s what Presenting for Results^SM is about—not all about—but  largely.

To register, or to download the brochure, go to http://www.simswyeth.com/services/pfr/  And if you know people who could benefit from an invigorating educational experience, would you please forward them this post?

Sims Wyeth is an executive speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.

Robert Selander, the former CEO of MasterCard, had a thing for “presence.”

When asked what he looked for in those he hired, he said, “Leadership, results, and presence.”

About presence he said, “At varying levels of the company you deal with different stakeholders.  Having somebody spend time with a member of Congress is very different than having somebody go downstairs and see that they were appropriately replacing a torn carpet.

As I’ve gone through my career, I’ve been challenged to deal with different stakeholders.  Internally when I was younger and more junior, I probably did pretty well with peers.  But how do you credibly communicate with more senior people, who are not as concerned about details, but want a bigger picture?

So it’s a combination of how you convey things and what you convey to various stakeholders.  Presence is learning to deal with different audiences in a way that allows them to get what they need out of interactions and ensures that the well-being of the company is looked after.

I think you can be a good communicator and you still may not have presence.  There may be someone who is very articulate on a subject and they know levels of detail.  When you get with a particular audience it may not be appropriate to go into those levels of detail, or you may create doubt by even going into the subject matter.

Some people are not very good communicators, but boy, when you get them into their subject matter, they know exactly where and how far to go.

Others are brilliant communicators, but because of the connection between their thoughts and the synapses firing and the words coming out, there isn’t enough time and introspection.  Therefore, they brilliantly communicate something that they shouldn’t be talking about.

Presence is knowing what to communicate, and how.”

Sims Wyeth is an executive speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.

Gary Forman is a speech writer I work with.  He was developing a stump speech for himself, and he came over to read it to me and get my feedback.

It was fabulous, and so was he, although I did have a few nits to pick here and there.  (It was a little long and I wanted a bit more problem definition.)

But what I really liked was a magical and playful phrase evoking the importance of bringing yourself into any talk you make: the youie youness of you.

Gary was adamant on the subject of authenticity, self-expression, and presence.  He made the case that if you hold yourself back, or try to be something you’re not, you are absent, not present.

We debated about the universality of that claim.  What if, I asked, the youie youness of you is monotonous, tentative, and disorganized?  Does that still work?

Gary is smart, opinionated, and experienced as a writer and performer, so the Gary-like Garyness of Gary is ready for prime time. 

But if my name is Casper Milquetoast, the Caspar-like Casperness of Casper may not serve me well if I’m presenting myself in public.  Caspar must learn how to project his ideas effectively.  He can be Casper, but he needs to learn a few techniques, like how to write a speech, how to craft a presentation, use PowerPoint effectively, and project a stage presence.

It is liberating to hear Gary speak about the Youie Youness of You.  He gives us permission to let our talents take over, to trust ourselves, and to say, “I AM GOOD ENOUGH.”  He holds out the possibility that there is joy in public speaking and presenting, because it is a deep experience of self-expression for the speaker. 

I suppose I’m a bit of a technician.  I don’t think the average guy should walk on a wire between two buildings without some serious training.  Nor do I think he should walk out on stage to deliver a speech or presentation without an adequate amount of knowledge and skill.

Nevertheless, Gary is right.  No matter what you talk about when presenting, your audience is thirsty for the youie youness of you.

Sims Wyeth is an executive speech coach in Montclair, NJ specializing in presentation skills and public speaking training in order to give accomplished people the knowledge and skill they need to become accomplished speakers. Learn more public speaking tips at www.SimsWyeth.com.