Making Presentations: Information or Relationship?

Liz Strauss prompted this thought with her Blog Herald post The Two Webs: Information or Relationships?

She tells of being part of a group planning a panel discussion on business blogging:

"It had been suggested that people be invited to question whether business bloggers share personal information on their business blogs. Information blogging versus relationship blogging was at the heart of the question."

and...

"We’re living in two Internets. It looks much like the companies we find in the world of brick and mortar. One is about places, information, and data. It’s the buildings in which people work. The other is about people, relationships, and conversation. It’s the people who work in those buildings. One is a structure. The other is social."

Think About Your Business Presentations In The Same Way

Actually, it's a good way to think about all of your interactions.

If you want your information to be absorbed and accepted, you also have to be believable.

People listening need to know:

1. Who you are. Not just your title and credentials, but how you are like them--especially in relation to the data that you're discussing. What did you struggle with or discover when you developed the presentation? Tell them. It will increase your humanity factor and your credibility.

2. How the data could have meaning for them and their situation. Are you connecting the dots for your audience or just showing data points? If you don't add your take on the meaning, others will create their own. And it may not be accurate or what you intended.

3. That they're part of the conversation. The best presentations aren't presentations, they're conversations. The sooner you invite comments, questions, and discussions, the more chance you have of connecting with the group.

Bonus: When you start a conversation, the pressure goes away from you. Ownership for the topic becomes shared. Shared ownership breeds new ways of looking at your topic and increases the chances of acceptance.

Information or Relationship? Yes.

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Photo attribution: www.auburn.edu

Comments

[Mike Wagner]

Great post Steve and one that has my mind racing.

You're so right that we need not make a choice between structure or social. "Information or Relationship? Yes."

We want both and need both. Real wisdom comes when we combine social/relational skills with the structural/organizational aspirations of our enterprises.

Do you think that social networking technologies are in some ways forcing the business world to recognize what has always been true?

It's human and it's business; it's a human business model that succeeds.

Keep creating...I learn so much from you,
Mike

[Steve Roesler]

Hi, Mike,

You know, that's a good question! I honestly cannot affirm that the larger companies with which I work are being influenced greatly by social media. However, many people in the organizations have enough knowledge of social media to understand the example in the post.

We'll just have to keep on evangelizing until there's a critical mass...

[Scott M]

But also remember the rule "Know Thy Audience"

A roomful of computer nerds will care less about your "humanity" and more about the data you are presenting.

[holly]

Wow Steve, great post! I agree, I think it's strange to bifurcate the two especially as the internet has evolved. I think the whole point of Web 2.0 is turning on the relationship part in information. We always knew that the internet was not a series of connected tubes but a series of interconnected internetworked people - hence the hyperlink.

Mike, I just spoke to a person from the Gen Y and I said I think the Address Book is dead, social networks will come and replace that. He said it already had. I am hoping to make Company Directories (currently just information) come to life through CompanyLoop: http://www.companyloop.com (formerly Worksona). We are banking on the fact the answer to information or relationships? yes.

[Steve Roesler]

Scott:

Well, knowing your audience is, to me, the starting point. There's really no sense proceeding without doing a decent diagnostic on who they are and what they really want.

As to the computer nerd gang, here's my take: yeah, they want the data. And at the same time you've got to get a discussion going about what it means, how it could be used, etc. If it's just a matter of showing data, send an email with an attachment.

[Steve Roesler]

Holly,

Speaking of hyperlinks, I checked out the site. After thinking about your reasoning, I would have to say that the new name is a good move. It does a much clearer job of reflecting the essence of what you are doing.

All the best with it.

[Scott M]

Steve,

Good point about getting a discussion going.

I think I probably overreacted to the "Who you are" point. I misunderstood it as more of a touchy-feely exercise, which is a pet peeve of mine.

Love the blog!

Scott

[Scott M]

Steve,

Good point about getting a discussion going.

I think I probably overreacted to the "Who you are" point. I misunderstood it as more of a touchy-feely exercise, which is a pet peeve of mine.

Love the blog!

Scott

[Kent Blumberg]

Steve,

I agree wholeheartedly on your points 1 and 3. On #2, I like to try to draw at least some of the meaning out of the audience. If they take part in connecting the dots with me, they will take more away from the presentation. My take on the meaning is important, but the audience will often add to that, making the whole much richer.

Information and Relationship - Yes! Just like a good blog.

[Steve Roesler]

Hey, Scott,

You're right, that's not what I had in mind.

But...now that you brought up the touchy-feely thing, it's worth a mention, for sure. I think I'll include that in the next related post, too.

[Steve Roesler]

Hi, Kent,

You know, this is another interesting aspect of meetings and presentations.

On the one hand, we sure want to have people engaged in the meaning and application of what's being discussed. On the other hand, whoever is speaking has to take a stand so people have something to bounce off of. They don't have to hold tight in light of other points of view. But sometimes they do have to put a stake in the ground and then ask "How do you see this differently?" or "What's missing here?"

Now you and Scott both have the pump primed for some more content related to this.

Kent, I can't think of any medium that has been more helpful to a sole practitioner than blogging. When we all start commenting on, and talking about, each other's content, it breeds more useful stuff that one would take a lifetime to think about sitting alone.

Thanks, as always, for taking time to add your experience...