The Seven Strategies of Master Presenters - Lifecycle Performance ...

248 / THE SEVEN STRATEGIES OF MASTER PRESENTERS
Brad: I practiced and practiced; worked over the content and delivery,
in addition to audio and videotaping the presentation.
It was good, but not the excellent presentation that I
wanted. I had the foresight to hire one of Canada’s best
speaking coaches, Fraser McAllan, to coach me. We spent
two hours together. I was surprised that Fraser suggested
very few changes to the content. The main focus of his suggestions
was to increase the frequency of my dramatic use
of hand gestures to help me tell the stories that I used to
illustrate my points. My first reaction was that I wasn’t comfortable
with his suggestions and that I couldn’t do them.
Fraser suggested that I try them and eliminate them if I didn’t
like them. I had also brought along my video camera so we
could see what they looked like. Although this was way out
of my comfort zone, I agreed to give it a try. I had to admit
that the gestures increased drama and poignancy of the story
and made the point I was trying to make much more impactful
and memorable. I would also like to point out that Fraser,
unlike some of the other coaches I have had, puts equal
emphasis on telling me the things that I do well in addition
to targets for improvement.
The result was that the added hand gestures and more dramatic
body language increased the effectiveness of my presentation
by 100 percent. Not only that, but I learned to use gestures
more effectively in all of my presentations and the coaching I
had continues to help me teach my course on The Seven Strategies
of Master Presenters and in the speech coaching I do
with individual clients. All in all, it produced a huge payoff.
Whenever I am coached, I ask if I can videotape the session.
There is simply too much feedback and this feedback
is too valuable to risk not being able to remember it all. I
also like to compare the “before coaching” version with the
“after coaching” version.
The second way to find a coach is by chance. You may not be
looking for a coach when you accidentally discover someone whose
talents match your needs. The key to this approach is being alert to
opportunities when they present themselves. Chris Beckett is the
manager of a television studio at a local university. Brad hired Chris