One Size Does NOT Fit All

Image by tripleman via Flickr

There exists a misalignment of goals between a speaker on stage and an audience member in attendance. And as the size of the audience grows, so does the misalignment. As a speaker, I have to appeal to everyone in the room. If you've been to one of my talks, you know that I usually preface my presentation with "this may not be for you", followed by my sincere permission to get up and leave if you're not getting personal value. Hey, everyone is busy, and you're likely missing out on something else to hear me present.

This misalignment is, to a certain extent, on purpose. The concepts, ideas and offerings we discuss are rarely simple. Though I make it my personal quest to make mine as simple as possible. There are plenty of others dealing in complexity. I just want you to get better at the simple things. Yet even these simple things are easier to explain than they are to implement.

Second, the one-to-many nature of public speaking means we can't address your needs specifically. Even when we're speaking to a niche audience, as I was at the National Association of Realtors® national convention recently, the audience is still diverse. I had to deliver a talk that was salient to commercial and personal brokers, agents and service providers. By default, that means I lost some of the specificity necessary for one-on-one conversations.

One Size Doesn't Fit All

So before you go out and implement any of the changes, tactics, thoughts, strategies or ideas I -- or anyone else -- put in your head; make sure they fit you. I listened to Guy Kawasaki a few weeks back and saw a large number of people making furious notes as he told them how he uses Twitter. You can't argue that Guy hasn't been successful with using Twitter as a broadcast medium. But I would argue that none or very few of the people in attendance at that session have any business trying to use Twitter like Guy does. It's not wrong -- it just doesn't fit their goals and objectives. At least, not using it that way.

So be careful. Think it through. You don't have to be bleeding edge to be successful.

Flipping for local businesses

Two or three beers into an #evfn at Whole Foods in Chandler, Tim Conley points a Flipat me and says "tell me how small businesses can use social media." The result:

Hunt, Capture & Share by Evo Terra from Tim Conley on Vimeo.

I think I did remarkably well considering my self-induced disability and lack of preparedness. And if you want more stuff like this, check out Tim's blog on mastering local marketing. Or if you want to try and trip me up post-beverage, drop by #evfn some Friday night!

5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks

Last weekend, as you know, was PodCamp AZ 2009. My presentation this year was 5 Reasons Your Podcast Technically Sucks. This latest talk is a follow-on to the two prior, 5 Reasons your Podcast Sucks and 5 Reasons You Suck on iTunes. Once again, the subtitle is "... and what you can do about it.". I'm not one to leave you without any action plan after I tell you what's wrong!

5 Reasons Your Podcast Technically Sucks

View more documents from Evo Terra.

Once again, an abbreviated version is available via Slideshare for those that missed it. Or, if you prefer to experience it as-was, you can check the original audio version. I'm a big fan of SlideShare and think more presenters and speakers should use it as a showcase for their work. And if I can get some time over the holiday weekend, I'll put up my talk from NAR. Patience!

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• Raw audio from my presentation at PodCamp AZ (funanymore.com)

Personality shaping your presentation skills

Image by G.I. Folk via Flickr

I spent the better part of my life with little care for how others perceived me. Truth be told, I still feel that way. But I understand that the world makes snap judgments based on initial impressions. I'm the only one responsible for that impression, which gives me the capability of influencing those decisions. In some settings, I want you to think of me as sharp witted. In some, sarcastic. And yes, in some helpful and knowledgeable. Spend enough time with me and you'll come to realize that those -- and many more -- traits make up... me.

Let's call this effort on my part "perception shaping" for lack of a better term. It's not about hiding less-desirable traits from public view. It's not about damage control when one aspect of your personality overrides the rest and everyone who meets you thinks your an asshole. You probably are an asshole, and you need to stop being an asshole. Personalty shaping won't help that.

Personality shaping is no different than my choosing a shirt to wear for a business meeting. The "Kiss Alive II" concert tee or the pressed shirt with french cuffs? Both are in my wardrobe and both adequately represent a facet of my larger personality. The choice is pretty clear.

(A quick side note to the detractors -- this isn't license to invent or suppress. This isn't about fooling anyone or being untrue to yourself. I'm not suggesting you try adopt an attitude, stance or approach that is antithetical to your core values, complex as those may be. I'm talking about picking which card you lead with. The rest will play out during the game.)

Personality shaping your presentation skills
Justin Dixon has a great post called Why Presentation Matters and How to Make it Work. It's a great primer for those of you who hate giving presentations or feel inadequate when communicating your ideas to other people. I often see people -- smart and talented people -- fall apart on stage or quickly lose control of a conversation they are leading. Much of it is an issue of confidence, though it can be -- and often is -- more complex than that.

Presentation matters. First impressions are lasting impressions. I don't care much for the impressions I give people when I'm walking around the mall, but I care deeply for the impression I leave people with when I'm presenting information to them. I have some control over that, which means I have some control over the presentation at large. And that leads to confidence. One step at a time.

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Raw audio from my presentation at PodCamp AZ

Note: This is a repost. The other was all wonky. Couldn't fix it, so I'm deleting it and trying again. Sorry for the hassle...

Props to Dani Cutler for capturing the audio of my talk, 5 Reasons Your Podcast TECHNICALLY Sucks, last weekend at PodCamp AZ 2009.

It's long, I warn you. And the quality is much what you'd expect from a stationary mic sitting on a table in the front row while I paced side to side.

On my agenda for the weekend is to format and record a SlideCast version and make it available with the rest of my talks. But for now, for those that can't wait, here it is. Unedited and without the benefit of the slides. Enjoy.

#evfn is the best Tweetup

Image by evo_terra via Flickr

Though it's not exactly news, our little tweetup was named Best Tweetup in Phoenix. Or at least, so sayeth the Phoenix New Times, the indie rag that covers the Phoenix metro scene.

#evfn is a lot of fun. And you should come out. Jonathan McNamara did a couple of times and I'm pretty sure that clinched our victory. He writes for the Phoenix New Times and was probably influential in the creation of the category -- didn't exist last year, probably won't next year.

So props to all who come out and make the event a good one. We'll be at Whole Foods in Chandler tomorrow night from 6 - 8p. And yes, that means we're drinking in a grocery store. Very cool and something to experience if you haven't. Hell, even if you have.

PodCampAZ The Third - The End.

PodCampAZ - Parting Shot

Originally uploaded by evo_terra

It's over. Months of planning and countless hours of work by loads of volunteers all led up to two fantastic days enjoyed by hundreds. That's how I'll remember PodCamp AZ 2009.

Thanks to those of you who came. You're the reason we do this.

Thanks to those who volunteered. Without you, this simply would not and could not have happened.

Thanks to those who presented. You provide the content for which everyone will talk about for weeks and hopefully use in their own lives.

Thanks to those who sponsored. It's not cheap to put on free conference of this scale. Your support was crucial to the success of the event. Well done.

Thanks to those who talked about it. Spreading the word of fun stuff like this is a Good Thing.

Thanks to UAT for giving us -- for free -- a fantastic venue that truly makes the experience better.

Thanks to everyone in the Phoenix community who helped spread the word about this. I had numerous out-of-towners comment on what a fantastic community we have, and how their town simply wouldn't be able to pull this together. While that last part is probably bullshit, you should know that others are envious of what we have done and continue to do. I take it as my personal mission to remind you of that as necessary.

Enjoy the afterglow. You've all earned it.