The Right and Wrong Ways to Present

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist”

– Pablo Picasso

I recently participated in an interesting online discussion about whether there were “right” and “wrong” ways to do business presentations. As with all semantic discussions, it eventually boiled down to how you defined the words. Does “right” mean it is the morally correct way, the way that it is prescribed by those in authority, the generally accepted practice or the way that is most effective in achieving the goal?

However you define right and wrong, to me it begged a more interesting question; SHOULD we always present in the right way, even what we ourselves consider the right way?

The right way also means the predictable way and predictable is, almost by definition, boring.

The “right” way to open your presentation is with a provocative statement, an intriguing question or an evocative story. But if your purpose is to seize the attention of the audience, wouldn’t something more bizarrely unexpected work better?

The “right” way to present yourself is as a calm, rational, confident authority on your subject. But might not a softer, less confident image, that of a fellow seeker rather than an expert, sometimes be more effective in establishing a true rapport with a hostile or ambivalent audience?

The “right” way to structure your material is in the standard “tell them what you’re going to say, say it and then tell them what you said”, form. But wouldn’t a less rigid, more impressionistic, blend of stories, thoughts and images sometimes work better at breaking through skepticism and doubt?

The sun rising in the east doesn’t strike anyone as remarkable or noteworthy. That’s the right way for the cosmos to operate. But if, one day, it rose in the south, it would be an historic event, never to be forgotten.

The right ways to present are accepted as right for good reason; they usually work better than the wrong ways. But if your goal is to create a sensation, to upset the corporate apple cart or to stir up trouble, doing it wrong just might be the right way to go.