Advocated Theatrical Negotiation
Enlightened Presentations for Smart Presenters
by Rich Shadrin

Advocated Theatrical Negotiation™ is an action-oriented approach to planning, developing, and delivering presentations. By enabling presenters to maximize their own native capacities through this unique process, they will learn to capture interest with narrative storytelling, establish and reinforce messages with contemporary graphics, and develop a personalized, congenial speaking style. Regardless of experience level, through Advocated Theatrical Negotiation™ (ATN), anyone can learn to excite even the most jaded audience and become an effective and convincing presenter.

What’s wrong out there?
The seductive ease of PowerPoint (PPT), by example, has become a haven for convoluted and confusing messages, chartjunk with typography, graphics, and images that do little to advance communication. Worse still is using PPT to organize your thoughts and message incrementally. As designer and artist Edward Tufte points out, bullet points are counterintuitive and counterproductive to the way we process information. Executives and managers, sales and training leaders, and their field trainers don’t need to read the tea leaves to know audiences are past their tipping point on this matter These leaders won’t abide speakers who are married to decks replicating those they have suffered through in the past.

We believe you must tear down bad routines and start on solid ground. Expert performers as well as folks new to presenting need a better process upon which to build good habits. ATN provides a new type of foundation that will yield immediate results. It will require some hard thinking and disciplined practice, but we are with you all the way.

What is ATN?
Rather than default to some super superlative like “Brilliant Presentations Methodology,” we just stated what the program is and does. Quite simply, ATN is:

• Advocated: You have a point of view, perspective, or pitch
• Theatrical: You acquire performance techniques to enhance communication and memorability
• Negotiation: You speak with, not to the audience. You get, they get. It’s a WIN for you and WIN for them and a WIN for their clients. WIN-WIN-WIN.

How it works:
Your customized program begins with us helping you organize a narrative—including all the ideas that need to be conveyed. Through a series of shared experiences, we systematically distill the language and concepts until your ‘big idea’ emerges. From that foundation, that truth, we can develop objectives (for you AND your audience), story examples, proofs of concept, and techniques for engaging the audience. Your talking script is right on target, and your graphics will act as cues and reinforcement. The theatrical elements you’ll learn will be used during your delivery.

Some elements of the process:
- Want to break out and be a stronger performer by learning to organize? Here’s a suggestion; read a children’s book—especially one with a moral or lesson. Read it aloud and underscore the important messages. Now reverse the story, reconstructing it moral first. We’ll show you how this becomes your objective. Build in the appropriate atmosphere and it becomes a more powerful way to position your points.

- Have you ever seen Steve Jobs perform? It’s not the screen behind him that tells and sells; it’s what he says and how he says it. Doesn’t need to say much. Each statement is a declaration. (Note he has distilled his message to the big idea: “Today Apple reinvents the phone.” And then goes on to explain what this means—right now—to his audience—and the world. Each session is mesmerizing. Moreover, there are other gurus like him. Can you be a Steve Jobs? I guarantee ATN will get you as close as your commitment and effort will ever allow.

- Presenters worry, “How can I really begin to engage my audience—instead of talking at them, talking with them?” We suggest each participant (notice the name change) write down questions you have developed and whose answers will be required during and at the end of the session. Jeff Gitomer reminds us that questions are among the most, if not the most important selling tool. The answers that emerge from your performance will reinforce your the answers to the questions. Then start calling on people to read their answers—and you take the opportunity to amplify each. I think the psychology is obvious and it never fails to work. You are placing your words in their mouths to use and distribute to colleagues back at the ranch.

In addition, there are dozens of other appropriate techniques, specifically tailored to your ‘big idea,’ and audience that you will learn to use.

Make no mistake; ATN is not like any other tutorial or e-learning quick- fix program. It is a change in perspective that leads to changes in behavior. Each customized program is delivered personally, on your schedule, to one or more individuals. It’s a best-business practice mixed with behavioral orientation. Just a side note; you’ll get better communicating in your personal life as well. As you change, your ability to communicate with anyone will be much improved.

A quick memo: Our latest clients are national VC executives who have improved their ability to move prospects to clients with fewer meetings and less resistance. This has meant faster time to money; for them, their limited partners and the companies they fund.

If you'd like to know more, call 845.778.4180 or email Rich Shadrin at rshadrin@thinktopia.us

2008 Rich Shadrin. Printed with Permission.

About the Author
Rich has been in the learning and presentation business for more than 3 decades. He has delivered performances on five continents for heads of state, politicians, corporate and education leaders and decision makers, prospects, clients, trainees, and sales people. In the past three years, he has produced more than 1000 hours of highly interactive online learning and presentation material and coaching for Fortune 100 companies He is now working on a number of Web 2.0 online initiatives.

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