The following is the first in a series of articles titled “Say It Simply and Smartly: Successful Business Presentations” written by Lee Stuart, D.B.A., leadership programs manager at KU Professional & Continuing Education.

Today’s Lesson – Presentation Is More Important than Content (Say WHAT????)

You've been asked to give a business presentation to a team of executives next week. You're excited ... and terrified. You're obsessing about what you're going to say, which facts and figures you're going to emphasize, and which political land mines to steer away from. Then there is what your audience will think of you based on your performance.

And speaking in public is your 4,116th favorite thing to do. Don't worry! It's absolutely normal to feel this way, even if your supervisor's expectations aren't affected by your discomfort at all.

Before you pull an all-nighter getting ready for the big show, there are some important things you need to know. Learning them will immediately help you prepare a better presentation.

No. 1 is this: PRESENTATION IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN CONTENT. Yes, you read that right. Presentation is more important than content.

Most of us obsess about content…the information we will share and the perspectives that we feel are the most important for our audience to understand.

And, don’t get me wrong, content matters a lot. It serves as a projection of our professional knowledge, our expertise on the subject at hand.

But our credibility and the audience’s acceptance of our content are attributed to its effective presentation. A poor presentation will defeat excellent content every time.

A great presentation pivots on the first seven seconds you are “on stage,” whether the stage is the front of a conference room or an auditorium. During that time, audience members are subconsciously forming 10 impressions of you before you even speak. They are making 10 judgments based on your appearance, body language, facial expressions, and attitude projection.

Research has revealed the depth and breadth of these judgments:

1. How friendly or approachable you are.
2. Your social standing.
3. Your social background.
4. Your family heritage.
5. Your educational background.
6. Your educational level.
7. Your income level.
8. Your housing type/neighborhood.
9. Your morality.
10. Your political affiliation.

Isn't that remarkable? Before you begin your presentation, these ideas are operating in your audience members' minds, subconsciously influencing their reaction to you and your content.

What all of this means for you is that, by taking control of those seven seconds, you can dramatically alter your audience's perceptions of what they're about to hear. You can do this with seven simple-but-overlooked actions within those seven seconds:

Adjust your attitude.

People sense attitude instantly. Make a conscious choice about the attitude you wish to embody. Having a confident attitude tells your audience they can have confidence in what you're saying.

Straighten your posture.

Status and power are nonverbally conveyed by height and space. Standing tall, pulling your shoulders back, and holding your head straight are signals of confidence and competence.

Smile.

A smile is an invitation, a sign of welcome. It says, “I’m friendly and approachable.”

Make eye contact.

Looking at someone’s eyes transmits energy and indicates interest and openness.

Raise your eyebrows.

Open your eyes slightly more than normal to simulate the “eyebrow flash” that is the universal signal of recognition and acknowledgement.

Shake hands.

This is the fastest and most effective way to establish rapport. It takes an average of three hours of continuous interaction to develop the same level of rapport that you can establish with a handshake.

Lean in slightly.

Leaning forward shows you’re engaged and interested. But be respectful of the other person’s space. In most business situations, allow two feet.

So what have we learned?

We now understand that presentation is more important than content…

We understand that the first seven seconds are critical to your presentation success…

And we know how to mitigate those first seven seconds through deliberate actions.

In our next post, we’ll discuss presentation design, audience analysis, and strong closings. Stay tuned!