As runners we can also learn how to leave a mark as presenters

Sergio Benavent
Feb 18, 2021
4 min read

Updated: Apr 2, 2021

Any of us can have top running shoes but only a few leave a mark with those... READ HERE HOW The same applies to us as presenters with our presentations.

Runners' skills can make us better presenters

Patricia and Stephane are 2 runners both equipped with the same pair top quality, 200$ pair running shoes. Patricia is a ‘forefoot strike’ runner. Every time she touches the ground, her feet look like springs. The energy she generates is used to propel her forward. Stéphane is a ‘heel strike’ runner. Every time he touches the ground it looks as if the energy he creates gets lost on the ground. Same pair of running shoes, very different impact!

“In the world of presentations, the ‘slide deck’ is ‘the 200 $ pair of running shoes’. Anyone can have a one but it requires acquiring another set of skills to make a real impact with it”

Being myself a very active runner and presentation skills trainer for many years, it has become over the time an evidence that some of our runner skills can also help us stepchange our performance as a presenter by preparing our presentations similarly to the way we prepare for peak performance for our next big race. Don’t believe it? Let’s get back to Stephane and Patricia.

The path from ‘good’ to ‘great’ starts with our ‘foot strike’

They started together as running buddies in 2017 with similar levels and were both ‘heel strike’ runners. In 2021, Stephane is an intermediate runner, Patricia has become a truly strong performer.

Stephane has remained a ‘heel strike’ runner. He makes the initial contact with the ground with his heel then proceeds forward onto his forefoot as he pushes off. To him, it feels easy and natural. It’s just the

next level of walking fast. To those watching him, he looks heavy and inefficient. With the way Stephane performs, he plays it safe but he’s not using the full potential of his shoes.

Patricia evolved into a ‘forefoot strike’ runner, the ball of her foot is the first point of contact on the ground. To those watching her, she looks as bouncing on the ground. Every bit of energy generated by her body seems to be seamlessly transmitted to her legs to be propelled further. To her, it required acquiring new skills and lots of practice to get there. Starting from a mindset shift of deciding ‘I need to run differently’ to bringing new exercises to enable her body to adaptand endure this new way of running (eg. planks to build both strength and stability in her core to keep an upright posture when she runs). With the way she runs, she now uses the full potential of her equipment. This also matters to us as presenters!

We can play it safe...

Like Stephane with his ‘heel strike, we can play it safe, recite what’s in the deck and people will likely... forget as soon as they leave the room…

Have you ever been invited into a session to share ‘exciting news’ but where the presenter was static behind her/his stand or laptop or using a plain tone so you left the room everything... but excited?
A working session where you were encouraged to ‘interact/participate’ but where almost every single open ended question was replied with embarrassing silences and you left the room with the feeling that your point of view was not heard or taken into account?

''We can play it safe and recite what’s in the deck or we can make the decision of learning the skills to make an impact''

... or we can learn the skills to leave a mark

Like Patricia with her ‘forefoot strike’, we can learn the skills to peak perform and make the impact we want with our presentations:

Understand how to use the different parts of our body to reinforce the emotions we want to transmit.
Plan how to use the space on stage to keep our audience engaged and maximize the recall of some of our key messages.
Design the flow of our presentation with the structures best suited to reach our objective with our audience: do we need to inspire them, persuade them, or get a decision made?

As for evolving the ‘foot strike’, some of our runners' skills can be real catalysts to go to the next level and peak perform as a presenter: resilience in the face of difficulties, preparing to cope with the unexpected, discipline to practice or the desire to push our limits.

Don't wait, lace your shoes and learn how to leave your mark.

With IMPULSE© learn how to successfully prepare your next important presentation just like a runner prepares for her/his next big race. A unique 'on the go' outdoor 10-12h intensive course designed to help you (run)discover your unique skills to peak perform while presenting.

At the end of this training, you will be equipped with principles and practical tools which you can immediately use in your next presentation. You will be able to:

Craft key messages scientifically engineered to be remembered.
Understand how the brain of your audience works to maximize the recall of your messages.
Perform at all the key moments of your presentation to catch your audience attention.
Build the sequence of structures best suited to reach your objective.
Prepare your body and mind to be ready to succeed
Discover your own and unique presentation style and be confident with it.

Logistics:

Length: 10-12h spread across 2 days
Group size: 6-8 people.
Target audience: at ease in presenting to teams and familiar with the fundamentals of effective presentation skills.
Fitness level required: be able to run 12-15km across 2 days.
Location: anywhere where possible to run
Available in 3 languages: English, French and Spanish.