Leadership and Presentation Skills Go Hand-in-Hand: The Case of Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg
By Alexander Lyon
A few months ago, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, delivered an important presentation. In it, he introduced Facebook’s new video conference feature to the general public. Thousands of people watched the presentation online. To put it kindly, the presentation was not well received. A CNN.com headline read, “When it comes to presentations, Zuckerberg is no Steve Jobs.” As was the case with Apple’s Steve Jobs, most people associate strong public speaking skills with strong leadership. In contrast, when we present poorly, it hurts our perceived leadership skills and credibility overall.
So where did Zuckergerg go wrong? It really boils down to three lessons we should all keep in mind when crafting our presentations.
First, we should tailor our message to our specific audience. As one writer mentioned, “Jobs speaks in a way that appeals to a normal audience, Zuckerberg speaks in code.” It’s very difficult for people to enjoy and grow from our presentations if we speak in the jargon of our special area of knowledge. Instead, we should speak in plain English as if to a general audience. Substitute everyday words for technical words. If we must use a technical word or two, we should smoothly explain what they mean so that we don’t alienate our audience.
Second, we should eliminate distracting mannerisms. Zuckerberg said “um” far too often, laughed nervously at statements he hoped the audience would find funny, and fidgeted while he spoke. In contrast, strong presenters consciously eliminate these distractions. Everybody gets a little nervous but it is important to appear composed or we will divert our audience’s attention away from our message.
Third, we should always speak concisely. Nobody likes it when we’re long winded and yet this is one of the most common audience complaints about speakers. Some people described Zuckerberg’s presentation as “water torture” and wanted him to just “get on with it.” We should practice enough so that our message is tight. The length of a presentation does not indicate the importance of the message or the speaker.
Probably worst of all for Zuckerberg is that these he’s heard this feedback before. Any good speaking coach will advise speakers to 1) videotape each presentation to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses, 2) get constructive feedback from a trusted friend to offer another perspective, and, most importantly, 3) adapt to the feedback and practice, practice, practice until we get it right. Good presentation skills are learnable and one of the best ways we can boost our credibility as leaders.
Dr. Alexander Lyon is a professor and professional speaker and can be reached via www.alexanderlyon.com
By Alexander Lyon
A few months ago, Mark Zuckerberg, the founder and CEO of Facebook, delivered an important presentation. In it, he introduced Facebook’s new video conference feature to the general public. Thousands of people watched the presentation online. To put it kindly, the presentation was not well received. A CNN.com headline read, “When it comes to presentations, Zuckerberg is no Steve Jobs.” As was the case with Apple’s Steve Jobs, most people associate strong public speaking skills with strong leadership. In contrast, when we present poorly, it hurts our perceived leadership skills and credibility overall.
So where did Zuckergerg go wrong? It really boils down to three lessons we should all keep in mind when crafting our presentations.
First, we should tailor our message to our specific audience. As one writer mentioned, “Jobs speaks in a way that appeals to a normal audience, Zuckerberg speaks in code.” It’s very difficult for people to enjoy and grow from our presentations if we speak in the jargon of our special area of knowledge. Instead, we should speak in plain English as if to a general audience. Substitute everyday words for technical words. If we must use a technical word or two, we should smoothly explain what they mean so that we don’t alienate our audience.
Second, we should eliminate distracting mannerisms. Zuckerberg said “um” far too often, laughed nervously at statements he hoped the audience would find funny, and fidgeted while he spoke. In contrast, strong presenters consciously eliminate these distractions. Everybody gets a little nervous but it is important to appear composed or we will divert our audience’s attention away from our message.
Third, we should always speak concisely. Nobody likes it when we’re long winded and yet this is one of the most common audience complaints about speakers. Some people described Zuckerberg’s presentation as “water torture” and wanted him to just “get on with it.” We should practice enough so that our message is tight. The length of a presentation does not indicate the importance of the message or the speaker.
Probably worst of all for Zuckerberg is that these he’s heard this feedback before. Any good speaking coach will advise speakers to 1) videotape each presentation to evaluate our strengths and weaknesses, 2) get constructive feedback from a trusted friend to offer another perspective, and, most importantly, 3) adapt to the feedback and practice, practice, practice until we get it right. Good presentation skills are learnable and one of the best ways we can boost our credibility as leaders.
Dr. Alexander Lyon is a professor and professional speaker and can be reached via www.alexanderlyon.com
