TED can teach you a lot about making a project presentation or presenting to win new business. TED who? TED, the small nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading. TED started out (in 1984) as a conference bringing together people from Technology, Entertainment and Design. Since then its scope has become ever broader. Now there are conferences all over the world and over 700 of the talks are available for free viewing at TED.com.

My wife often finds me in bed, lit only by the glow of an iPhone, headphones on, engrossed in a TED speech. To justify this obsession, I will share 3 tips I’ve learned from TED that will make you a better presenter.

Surprise and Delight With Visual Aids
For most creative professionals, presenting with visual aids is second nature. But it’s nice to know there is some science backing up our intuition. According to John Media, author of Brain Rules,“if information is presented orally, people remember about 10 percent, tested 72 hours after exposure. That figure goes up to 65 percent if you add a picture.”

In her TED presentation Stroke of Insight, brain scientist Jill Bolte Taylor recounts a deeply moving story of consciously experiencing a stroke. To make her point about the different parts of the brain, she puts on a pair of rubber gloves and carries out an actual preserved brain, complete with spinal column. Nobody in the audience will forget this.

Whenever I have the opportunity to meet with a potential client about refreshing their brand, I bring along a card trick as a visual aid. First, I lay out a series of about 15 business cards and explain that these are the “before” category. Then I lay down an “after” card that we have designed as part of the brand refresh assignment. It’s a powerful contrast between “before” and “after.” Allowing the client to see and touch actual business cards makes the presentation very real.

Speak With Passion About Your Passion
There are few rules regarding content for TED presentations. Presenters are challenged to give the talk of their lives (in 18 minutes). The presentations that succeed wildly are those where the presenter speaks with passion about their passion. Enthusiasm is infectious.

Daniel Pink, a recovering lawyer and former speech writer for Al Gore, builds a passionate case for “now that” rewards in his TED presentation The Surprising Science of Motivation. This presentation is the foundation for his terrific book Drive also about motivation.

When presenting to your clients, tap into what excites you about the creative solution you are proposing. Remember that truly creative work will push your client beyond their comfort zone. Your enthusiasm will go a long way to pull them back to approving your ideas.

Tell Stories
Stories have the unique ability to transform your presentations into an engaging journey. Stories can persuade, motivate and inspire in ways that stand alone facts and visuals can’t. The goal of your presentation is to persuade your client to adopt your solution or your promise of a future solution. Use stories as a tool to get you there.

Sarah Jones’ One-Woman Global Village hilarious presentation is a medley of stories from at least five different characters of her invention. Complete with pitch perfect accents and mannerisms, she is magnetic in pulling the audience into her presentation.

When presenting to prospective clients, tell stories of how you solved similar problems to those they are facing. If you want to get fancy, call this a case study. When presenting to an existing client, tell the story of how you arrived at the creative solution you are recommending.

Presentations are the moment of truth that all our creative work hinges upon. Too often, they are an afterthought. A great way to improve your presentation skills is to watch and listen to TED presentations. They are delivered by remarkable individuals on fascinating topics. Stefan Sagmeister, in The Power of Time Off uses impeccable visual aids (he’s a graphic designer) and speaks with passion about taking one year off for every 7 years worked. He tells a captivating story about how his experience on sabbatical in Bali created a treasure chest of inspiration for future design problems. If you can incorporate these three techniques into your presentations, you will be more influential. You may even be invited to present at TED.

My Top 5 TED Presentations
Daniel Pink – Surprising Science of Motivation
Liz Gilbert – Nurturing Creativity
Stefan Sagmeister – The Power of Time Off
Sarah Jones – One-Woman Global Village
Jill Bolte Taylor – Stroke of Insight

Which are your favorite TED presentations?

1. Weak Subject Lines
By far the most important part of your email marketing message is the Subject Line. Since we all receive more email than we have time for, readers are looking for an excuse to delete e-mails towards their quest for in-box zero. I see too many Subject Lines that are not intriguing enough to get the reader to open. If your e-mail isn’t opened, then all the time you’ve spent crafting the interior message is wasted.

The Subject Line must offer a compelling promise to readers that will be fulfilled upon opening of the e-mail. The Subject Line should focus on how the reader will benefit from the information contained within the email. For example, the Subject Line of this e-mail “5 Email Marketing Mistakes To Avoid ” offers free advice to make you more savvy in your use of e-mail marketing.

2. Content That Doesn’t Offer Value
I see a lot of e-mail blasts that are simply New Hire or Project Completion Announcements. Good news is always worth sharing with your audience. Just be sure to make a connection between the news item and how it benefits the reader. For example, focus on what you learned from the completed project and how this will benefit the reader (who is hopefully a future client).

Just like the person who is always telling you how great they are, e-mail blasts that are about me, me, me get old quick. Aim for a balance of content that is 20% about you and 80% for the reader. Be generous in sharing knowledge, tips, secrets, and solutions for making the reader better, smarter or faster.

3. Brand Inconsistency
Too many e-mail blasts don’t look or sound like the firm that is sending them. This lack of continuity causes confusion for the reader and may plant a seed of doubt as to the authenticity of the blast. Your e-mail blasts must have the same look and feel as your website, business card and all other marketing materials.

It may be tempting to use a free template that your email service provider offers. But your firm offers custom professional services so your email blasts should reflect that. Hire a professional designer to create a template that you can then update for subsequent blasts.

4. Neglecting the Preview Window
Most people decide whether or not to read your e-mail based on the following ritual. They scan the “From” line to determine if they know and trust you. The next hurdle is the “Subject” line. If it is intriguing, then the reader will scan the preview window to ensure the content fulfills the promise of the Subject line. Too many e-mail blasts neglect the top 4 inches of the e-mail message (that shows up in the preview window). This valuable real estate needs to 1) establish trust by displaying your brand identity 2) be visually interesting so the reader wants to go deeper.

5. An Overwhelming Sea of Text
Perception is reality. An e-mail blast that seems like it will require a lot of effort to read is immediately judged as work and we’ve all got plenty of that to do already. If you have a lot of content, then post the first paragraph to hook the reader and include a link to read the whole story on your blog. Another approach is to offer the text in digestible bites. Make the text scannable with bold headlines and then a few sentences of supporting text. Don’t forget to include compelling imagery. Photography or illustration will quickly draw someone into your content. It can also add additional meaning and make your content more memorable.

As a marketer, I know your time and resources are limited. The previous tips will help you get the most return on your e-mail marketing investment. Feel free to add me, david (at) lecoursdesign.com, to your mailing list. I’d love to see what you create.

Quick Tips
Write 10 possible Subject Lines for your blast and pick the most compelling
Keep asking yourself how your reader will benefit from your content
Break up content and use imagery to keep readers engaged

Digging Deeper
Tips on Writing Magnetic Headlines (applies to Subject Lines too) from Copyblogger
LecoursDesign helps A/E/C firms create compelling email marketing campaigns
Email Marketing: Getting Readers to Open

I have yet to find a better way to attract great clients than positioning yourself as an expert within their tribe. The two best ways to demonstrate expertise are speaking and writing. With speaking, you can make a deeper connection because your audience can experience your thinking in real time. This is akin to the increased emotional impact of seeing your favorite band in concert versus simply reading their lyrics.

Speaking is harder than writing so fewer people travel this path. This is an opportunity for you to soar but I empathize that standing alone on stage may freak you out. You’re not alone. It’s a primal fear hard wired into our collective consciousness because we relate standing alone to being a potential appetizer for a T-Rex. To shield you from harm, I’ve outlined how to get started, what to speak about and where to speak. Develop this skill and you will attract clients that value your brilliance.

How To Get Started
Speaking is a learned skill. In the four years I’ve been involved with Toastmasters, I’ve consistently seen guests attend their first meeting and sheepishly stand up to say their name while staring at their toes. Within a couple months, the very same people are delivering 5–7 minute speeches to great applause.

Find and join a Toastmasters club. I’m a member of two clubs. There is no better return on investment for your career. You’ll improve your speaking, listening, self-esteem and leadership skills in a fun and supportive environment. I recommend visiting a few clubs in your area to “date before you marry.” Each club has it’s own culture and traditions.

What To Speak About
As an excuse to avoid speaking, I frequently hear people say “I don’t have material that people want to hear” or “don’t I need to be a book author or P.h.D to be a speaker?” Nonsense. We all underestimate how much expertise we already have. You can speak about a problem that you recently solved for a client. If you want to get fancy, call this a case study. Speak about patterns or trends in your client’s industry. Then take a step further and offer some suggestions on how to respond to these trends. Give a “how-to” speech on something you know clients are putting off. You could also create a humorous speech about common mistakes that clients make when working with a firm like yours.

Where To Speak
You are not going to be invited to speak at the TED Conference right away. But there are many venues to practice your craft. Speaking is like a muscle that you need to exercise regularly. Find as much stage time as you can. I’ve spoken at talent shows, conferences, luncheons, breakfast meetings, weddings and funerals. A great place to start is on a panel. Not all eyes are on you and you can distribute the workload among the other panelists. Good panels feel like a candid conversation (with the audience listening in).

Speaking Works
People don’t buy your services, they buy what you believe. Speaking works as a marketing tool because it is an opportunity for you to share what you believe in a non-sales environment. People don’t like to be sold to. So use speaking as a tool to build trust and then enjoy potential clients approaching you with their business card.

The self-introduction is such a simple and effective way to build awareness for your business. Often called the “elevator speech,” I prefer “self-intro” because delivering a speech in an elevator is absurd. Plus, the goal is to engage in a dialogue, not deliver a monologue. When asked “so, what do you do?,” seize this opportunity. A compelling self-intro is a catalyst for someone to ask you follow-up questions. Before you know it, you’ll be engaged in a stellar conversation. Conversation leads to connection which is the ultimate goal.

I understand that it’s awkward talking about yourself because you fear sounding pompous. As a result, most of us self-introduce poorly. But done well, it’s an authentic, two-way, targeted marketing communication tool that can instantly create a favorable impression for you and your brand.

Self-Introduction Basics
I recommend having two versions of your self-intro. The short version should be about 10-15 words. Mine sounds like this: “I am a marketing guru guiding creative firms to attract great clients.”

Here are the key elements (using my example above). Include your occupation (marketing guru), services (guiding), target audience (creative firms) and specific benefits received from working with you (attract great clients). The key is to craft something you’d say to a friend. If it is too canned, you’ll sound like a cheesy pre-recorded salesbot and you’ll never use it.

For the long version of your self-intro, start off with a question that demonstrates that you understand a commonly held challenge facing your target audience. I would ask, “you know how creative people usually don’t like to market themselves? Well, as a marketing guru, I coach, write and speak to creatives to help them attract clients that value their brilliance. I offer guidance from my 15 years of owning a creative firm.” According to Michael Port, author of Book Yourself Solid, you might elaborate on your services or add an example of a “wow” success story. You could also focus more on the benefits clients receive when working with you.

Common Mistakes
I recently led a workshop on this topic for my Toastmaster’s club. Here are some areas where people struggled. By just stating your occupation, “I’m a designer,” you instantly commodify yourself. Another pitfall is saying what’s true, but not unique. Remember, this is a positioning statement which is about differentiation. Finally, watch for language that looks impressive when written but sounds ridiculous when telling a friend. If you include business cliches like “synergize, best of breed, core competency, win-win or paradigm shift,” then punch yourself in the mouth and start over.

Next Steps
Just as important as the words you choose is the excercise of having to narrow your focus and prioritize. So, start working on your 10-15 words to pique enough interest that you’ll be asked follow-up questions. When your self-introduction is clear and concise, like the premise of a great movie, then others can easily spread your message like a blockbuster referral.

The Halo Effect
This brand building strategy is accomplished by aligning your brand (a) with a very shiny person, place, event or other brand (b). The luminosity of brand (b) is so great that it (b) casts a favorable glow onto your brand (a). It’s a clever way to elevate the perception of your brand through association. Think of not-so-smooth Turtle hanging out with heartthrob Vince in HBO’s Entourage and you get the idea.

Leverage The Best of Your Community
My first halo effect experience was at a party that Dave Brown of Holiday Matinee invited me to. Dave and Zack Nielsen of Sezio have an enviable project of spending Ford’s money to promote the Ford Fiesta. Ford gave them a car, cash, creative tools, and instructions to simply talk about the Fiesta. One of Dave and Zack’s brilliant solutions was to tap into their own creative community and throw a party at a cool location (Bar Basic) with great music and people. The event included a few hipster retailers creating pop-up stores within the party. I never would have paid a second look to the Ford Fiesta but as I was leaving the party, I glanced at the strategically parked car thinking to myself, “that’s a pretty cool little ride.” I felt punk’d, but in a good way.

Associate Your Brand with Impeccable Quality
Full Disclosure: I own a Honda Element which was mostly a practical decision based on the functionality of being able to insert my dog, surfboard and wife’s Prius into the back of the car. Even after buying the car, I wasn’t a Honda fan until after being introduced to a series of short documentary films called Dream The Impossible available here. The film’s universal themes in Failure: The Secret to Success and Racing Against Time move me on an emotional level. I also appreciate that while the films were commissioned by Honda, they are not about cars. Using quality imagery, music and story telling, the films are so beautifully executed that they radically shifted my perception of Honda.

Make Fun of Yourself
Many years ago I decided that it was just too much work to be cool. If your brand, or category, is notoriously uncool, a great strategy is to make fun of yourself. This will differentiate you from your competitors that take themselves way too seriously. Humor is always cool. And if you can pull it off like Toyota’s campaign for the Sienna mini-van (previously uncool), then you’ve scored. The hilarious ads and mock hip-hop music video Rollin’ in my Swagger Wagon left me thinking that maybe I should get some kids and a Sienna, err Swagger Wagon. Never thought I’d say that.

I know what your thinking. The car industry has gazillion dollar marketing budgets to shape hearts and minds. Yes they do, but you don’t have to. Take the strategies from above and execute it guerilla style (i.e. on the cheap).

So, how can you use the “halo effect” to cast a favorable glow onto your brand? Consider teaming up with another brand that may be extra-shiny. Doing work for shiny brands can be beneficial. I still have people think that we are responsible for launching Red Bull in the USA because we designed some simple graphics for their first in-store promotion. Getting shiny people to interact with work you’ve done is also effective. If they’ll provide some sort of endorsement, then even better. If there is a way to place your work in a shiny environment, do so. An artist friend of mine Susan Wickstrand Roche has some of her artwork in the hit TV show Modern Family. In short, constantly be searching for opportunties to promote your brand so you don’t have to always do the heavy lifting.

This is a presentation I delivered at Pecha Kucha San Diego. Failure is essential to creativity, design and personal growth. The video includes stories of failure of both individuals and products. My goal is to convince you to make failure an integral part of your creative process.

Creative ideas are essential to artists, marketers, designers, writers, engineers, entrepreneurs and just about everyone. But unlike superheroes, creative ideas don’t just magically appear. We are entering the The Conceptual Age and creativity is the new currency. But idea generation is rarely taught in school. Drawing upon lessons learned from archetypal superheroes, participants will gain confidence to develop or refine their own creative process to generate breakthrough ideas and “leap tall buildings in a single bound.”

Seminar Content Includes:
+ Why right brainers will rule the future
+ Developing a creative strategy for success
+ Importance of ritual
+ Creative catalysts and overcoming creative kryptonite (blocks)
+ Brainstorming techniques
+ Tips on presenting your ideas

Date: Saturday, April 17, 2010
Time: 08:40 am – Check-in and Continental Breakfast
09:00 am – 12:00 pm – Program
Where: CoCo’s Boardroom, 407 Encinitas Blvd., Encinitas, CA 92024

Tuition: $49 Pre-Register by April 16
$59 Pay at Door (cash or checks only)

More info & testimonials, visit davidlecours.com/seminars or e-mail holly@lecoursdesign.com

Register Now

I recently had an opportunity to see Chip Heath speak about his new book Switch. Chip, along with his brother Dan, also wrote the fantastic Made To Stick. In Switch, they introduce a concept called “Find the Bright Spots.” Bright spots, as applied to your marketing, are successful efforts that you’ve already been doing, and simply repeating them.

Create Your Top 10
First, make a list of the top 10 projects you’ve ever worked on. Yes, I know “top” is ambiguous and purposely so. To be meaningful, YOU need to define top. Top could mean revenue, creativity, great people, fun, social good, publicity or some combination thereof. Whatever your definition of top is, it must embody the type of projects that you’d love to work on next. Marketing is all about the work that you seek.

Discover What’s Working
Next, create a grid with your top 10 projects listed down the left side. Across the top, list the following questions to ask about each project:
How did this client learn about your firm?
Why were you hired? What other reasons did they hire you?
Type of project by service?
Type of client by vertical market (biotech or tourism for example)?
What time of year were you hired?
Any professional affiliations of the key decision makers?
Gender and age of the key decision makers?
You should be asking these important questions each time you get hired (and not hired). There is no expiration date on asking. Don’t assume why you get hired and then go out and repeat the wrong the things.

Let The Patterns Define Your Strategy
As you can imagine, you are looking for patterns to emerge in the grid you’ve created above. If you notice a large percentage of projects in a certain vertical market, this defines your niche. A certain service that shows up frequently can further define your speciality. If you see a pattern of why you get hired, then this becomes the positioning for your next ad campaign, tagline and website messaging. The goal is to market “with the current” of what you are already doing well.

I know there are bright spots in your marketing or you wouldn’t be in business. Don’t focus on the problems. Yes, there is something innately satisfying about figuring out what’s broken and then fixing it. But if you focus on what is working, the “bright spots,” this path of least resistance will bring you success with greater ease.
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