We wrap up the interview with Don Colliver talking about key stumbling blocks like presenting data heavy content. There are a number of other misconceptions and improper approaches he addresses in this discussion of becoming a better presenter. The essential point is one we often see. You should remember why you are presenting it. That, of course, points back to his earlier three questions of knowing who you are talking to, what you want to convey, and the call to action.
Presenting Data Heavy Content Is About The Journey
There are really two reasons for presenting data heavy content. You are either trying to show the journey to achieve your conclusions or point to the conclusion itself. Don brings up a common fallacy where the amount of work involved is attempted to be conveyed. That is not something your audience cares much about. They want to send the end results or learn how you problem-solve through it. Both of those cases mean a summary or similar approach is going to be better than a lot of data. Keep your focus on what you can easily communicate, and they can easily digest.
About Don
Don Colliver is a teacher, speaker, writer, and comedian with over twenty-five years of experience. He enjoys passionately engaging audiences and helping them engage with one another. Don’s mission is to help every speaker profoundly impact their audience through the power of courageous vulnerability, confident authenticity, and the joy of connection. Thanks to his popular public speaking courses delivered internally at Google and worldwide, hundreds of nervous speakers have transformed into more effective and joyful communicators, reaching a deeper level of audience connection than they ever thought possible.
In addition to teaching, Don can be found on the trade show floor, where he writes and delivers presentations for companies including Adobe, Cisco, and Medtronic. On the screen, Don has written and directed hundreds of hours of nonfiction television for shows, including House Hunters, $40 a Day with Rachael Ray, and Roker on the Road.
Before teaching others to take the spotlight confidently, Don toured internationally as a theatrical Clown for the contemporary circus company Spiegelworld and performed briefly with the Blue Man Group. Also, he is listed in the Cirque du Soleil performer database. He is a founding member of the award-winning sketch and clown groups DJ Faucet and the Innocents. His troupes have received awards, including the Improv Olympic Del Close Award for Best Sketch Comedy Troupe and the Hollywood Fringe Award for Best Physical Theater. Don won the 2017 Toastmasters International District One Tall Tales Speech Championship.
Don graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BS in Communications from Boston University. He holds certifications in Design Thinking, Applied Improvisation, and Instructional Design. He lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. When he’s not helping speakers engage with their audiences more deeply, he can be found hiking through the redwoods.
