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The Dilithium Crystals will fail just when you need warp speed. [When using A/V equipment, expect the power to go out.]
Just when the U.S.S. Enterprise (pick the version) needs speed the most to get out of a tough situation, the power generation equipment—the Dilithium Crystals (the high-test gasoline of the starship)—always seemed to fail, be inadequate, or be in the process of destruction. Engineer Scotty (“beam me up, Scotty!”) dramatically informs Captain Kirk that the crystals cannot be saved and Captain Kirk tells him to do something miraculous because the ship will be destroyed in five seconds. Somehow, Scotty always comes through.
Plan for contingencies. When we plan a multi-media, state-of-the-art presentation we must anticipate that something will go wrong. If we plan a laptop presentation with an LCD/DLP projector, we should have transparency slides printed as backup. If we plan overhead transparencies and a projector, we should have an extra projector bulb and a set of hard-copy (on paper) copies of the slides for last-minute reproduction as handouts if the projector does not work. Carry a three-prong-to-two-prong plug converter in case the outlet is only a two-slot outlet and the equipment has three-pronged (grounded) plugs.
The Away Teams [first ones to a situation] take the most risks and get the most praise.
Every episode usually results in exploring the surface of some planetary object. The Away team is the front team that goes in first. Usually the team consists of several of the stars of the show and one guest (see next bullet). When all goes well—which of course it does not because there would not be 42 more minutes of show time if it did—the team gets praise and accolades for their performance.
One of the ways in which to get professional exposure—whether in a job, association, political organization, business, or peer group—is to volunteer to speak first. We are admired for having the guts to go first, receive the benefit of the doubt if we err, and get it over with so that you we give the following speakers our undivided attention. Consistently being a forerunner earns us the respect and praise—and accompanying risk—that a leader wants to have.
The weekly guest dies first.
[Be a permanent and contributing member of the team.]
Whenever there is a new face in the crew we pretty much know who buys the farm when the explosion occurs. It pays to be a full-time crew member who appears week after week.
When we present as a team we should be a contributing member of the team. Ensure transitions are smooth between team members and have a fall-back “generic” transition to throw in should a team member not hold up their part of the bargain. When a team member is soliciting audience feedback, step up to the easel pad and serve as the data recorder so that the teammate can devote full attention to the audience. Be the A/V operator so teammates can focus on presenting. Offer to flip slides so a teammate is not fumbling with the overheads while speaking. A team presentation is impressive when team members appear to work smoothly together and flawlessly transition their duties between each other.
When presenting as a team, use everyone’s strengths to your advantage.
Every crew member on every ship has a clearly-defined role with documented tasks to perform. They seldom overlap but when one member has to step in for another they know what to do. They train countless hours prior to the mission and learn how everyone fits together in the team.
Every team has members with their own strengths and weaknesses. A team presentation must be put together and rehearsed to take advantage of various members’ strengths while minimizing members’ weaknesses. The members with the best voices and most engaging presentation manners should be the ones who actually perform. The member with the skill to physically put together the presentation should be the one who does so with everyone else’s input. The member with the best customer interaction should be the one who “works the audience” or markets to client management. Everyone on the team does not have to present. The object of a team presentation is to show how we work together for the benefit of the client, not show off to the client.
Maintain your ethics.
In the face of a difficult, emotionally wrenching situation, one thing that can be counted on is that a Starfleet Captain will resort to what he or she most dearly believes morally and ethically to make the final decision. No matter what, taking the ethical path allows captains to sleep at night knowing that, in spite of lives lost, they did what was “right”.
We are presented with situations that tempt us to take the easy path, cut corners, do what our client suggests we do for “both our sakes”, or otherwise challenge our ethics. Our credibility comes down to whether or not we stand for what we think is the right decision. Such a stand might cost us a particular job short term but I believe strongly that in the long run, our stand for our beliefs yields far more credibility and respect and, in turn, more clients.
Dress appropriate to your audience.
Starfleet uniforms change with the situation. Dress uniforms are worn for hosting heads of state. Everyday uniforms see the crew through most of their dress needs. Casual uniforms serve recreational needs. Each uniform designates the crew member’s rank and service.
When we learn to make presentations we are taught to dress up and wear business attire. However, the better advice is to dress according to our audience. If we are presenting to a formal business audience, the dark suit/white shirt uniform is probably appropriate. If presenting to a casually-clad high-tech audience, we should check on the expectations they have of our attire and dress accordingly. I try to always dress “up” to the audience—dress a level above the audience to which I am presenting. This is not to appear better than my audience but to command the respect I need to establish credibility with them. As a five-foot, four-inch tall black female I am usually presenting to six-feet-tall men of varying shades of lightness. Since I do not look like the majority of my audiences, I need to command their respect by dressing in a manner that does so.
Keep your phasers on “stun”.
[Be prepared for difficult situations.]
The Star Trek crew carry phasers (hand guns, sort of) that have variable settings from light stun to kill. Most of the time the stun setting is appropriate. The crew is taught to use their phasers only when absolutely necessary, but when necessary, the phasers are right there with them.
My politics of handguns are not at issue here. What is the issue is the preparation ahead of time for handling difficult situations. Usually the difficult situation is an audience member. Working with more experienced presenters to learn how to handle difficult audiences is one way to prepare. Researching the audience ahead of time—which is one of the tenets of preparing the presentation—helps eliminate the surprise of difficult situations. The result of analyzing our audience is to create a presentation that meets their needs and keeps them from becoming difficult. We cannot eliminate all situations, however, which is where practice, reading about how to handle difficult situations, and observing other presenters comes in.
Continue to seek out new life and new civilization;
to boldly go where no one has gone before.
[Challenge yourself and be the one in front.]
Star Trek will endure through the ages. Turn to a cable or satellite channel any day and, some time during that day, a Star Trek episode will be aired. I have little doubt that future versions of the show will be developed for we trekkies will not fade away. The crew and captains of Starfleet continue to explore space and give their fans the entertainment they seek.
I believe our craft of presenting, training, and public speaking will always be in demand no matter the levels of computerization and societal automation. As long as there are people, people will have to present to people to exchange ideas, encourage action, impact change, build businesses, promote careers, influence politics, and enlist social causes. We, as presenters and speakers, must seek out new opportunities to ply our craft. We must learn new tools and technologies to enhance our delivery. We must practice, practice, practice to be the presenters we think we are and would like to be.
What I know about presentation skills I learned from Star Trek captains. They teach by example. Watch them!
© Sylvia Henderson
Published in The Toastmaster magazine–May 2001. The author holds copyright to the published article which includes the published artwork from Star Trek® and Warner Brothers Studios. No other copyrights or permissions are granted for the Star Trek® material.
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