The Riddle of Storytelling and Speaking May 3, 2007
Posted by Dave Marcus in General Chatter, Presentations.trackback
At the moment I am sitting in a conference room at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago going over my presentation for the DoDIIS Worldwide Conference and I am feeling what I always feel before I present – utter excitement.
I have been presenting/speaking/storytelling for years now and I will be honest and say I have never felt fear prior to getting up in front of an audience. It has always made me feel energized and fully “in-the-moment” whether I am presenting to four people or four thousand people.
My presentation style (such that it is) is not very polished or overly rehearsed. I speak honestly and openly about security threats and trends using analogies, stories and humor. I also hold the uncompromising belief that McAfee Avert Labs is THE finest security research organization in the world.
I have recently been championing the value of communication skills, networking and speaking professionally. This has forced me to take a close look at what makes my presentations successful. Why do they seem to resonate? What makes a good presentation? What skills are needed?
Good storytelling and speaking is truly a riddle…… I have never really considered how I present. I, in truth, rarely ever “practice” or “rehearse” a presentation. Don’t get me wrong however because I really know my content. Backwards and forwards, I know my content. I also rarely go very heavy with statistics and numbers. I don’t think they really resonate with people. I don’t think people really remember them. People DO remember stories and analogies mixed with humor however.
Hmmmm….. maybe that is a route to pursue.
[...] May 8, 2007 Posted by Dave Marcus in General Security, Presentations, Malware. trackback I posted recently about a presentation I was about to give at the DoDIIS Conference. I am pleased to say that it went [...]