CNN's Richard Quest: world traveller and presenter extraordinaire

Last week CNN's Richard Quest was in town filming for the December episode of the CNN Business Traveller show to air in mid December. I was invited to join Richard along with a Canadian expat executive and one of his Japanese staff for the filming of an interview over lunch downtown. It was fun and a real pleasure to have lunch with Richard and swap stories (his are better). If I had any lingering illusions that the life of an international TV news anchor was all "fun and glamour" those have been completely
dispelled now. What Richard does is a lot of work. The entire process of filming the lunch took about two hours, and while Richard and the CNN crew were very friendly and even funny, the filming was a very serious, focused affair.

I have admired Richard's unique abilities as a TV presenter for years. In my book, he's one of the best. Richard's voice, style, and delivery does not appeal to everyone, but it appeals to me. Frankly, if no one hates your style (or your product, brand, company, etc.) then probably no one is a big fan either. There is a high price to pay for being average. In any event, I could not let this opportunity go by with out asking this world-famous presenter his tips on making a live business presentation or speech. So, during some of the breaks in filming I asked Richard what he would say to a group of business people hoping to improve their presentation skills. He was very keen to give me a thoughtful answer and went on in detail for quite some time in spite of the hectic schedule. Sure, nothing he said is necessarily new to you or me, but it means a lot to hear it coming from someone of his experience and talent. Below is a summary of some of the tips he shared with me in our conversation.

• It's a performance. Like it or not, he said, if you are giving a speech or a presentation, you are performing. Of course, people like Richard are at an advantage compared to the rest of us, he admitted, since he does this for a living. Still, it is useful for all presenters to remember that they are, for that moment when they have the floor at least, performers.

• You've got to grab 'em by the grapes...
Richard was adamant, animated, and colorful about this tip. Forget the thank yous and small talk at the beginning, you can work that in later he said. At the start you immediately have to grab them and bring them in. Many people he said start their presentations off weakly, meekly. Open with a bang and remember to end your talk by tying the big finish back in with that dynamic opening.

• Engage your audience. Ask questions, look them in the eye, get them involved.

• Slow down, you are in control. This is your show, your stage. Use your voice to emphasize certain crucial points. Don't just rush through talking points, etc.

• Pay close attention to your audience. Have some empathy for your audience. If they are not getting it or if it becomes clear that you have prepared too much or the wrong material, then switch gears, cut it short, whatever the situation calls for. Good presenters can read the nonverbal cues and act accordingly.

• Tell stories, give plenty of examples. You don't have to make 14 points. Make a single big point. Most people try to include too much information not too little.

Again, this is nothing you have not heard presentation experts recommend before. Still, it was good to hear it, not from a presentations coach or consultant, but simply from someone in the field who has made quite a name for himself in broadcasting based largely on solid speaking skills, among his other talents. And in case you were wondering, yes Richard really does talk like that even over lunch when the cameras are off, although his presence and intensity increase just a notch when the cameras are rolling. I think Richard is a great guy and certainly one of the most dynamic and popular anchors on CNN. I'm honored to have had the chance to spend some time with him while he was in Osaka.

Links
• You can watch a sample video segment from Richards show from the CNN Business Traveller website. Look under "On The Show" on the right side of the page.
• Richard Quest's blog.

Comments

[Rishabh R. Dassani]

You know Garr, this totally reminds me about how Sir Ken Robinson spoke at TED. What was amazing was the way he connected with the audience by telling stories and making emphasis on 3 things. It was as if he was talking to a friend. Just wow!

[Garr Reynolds]

Rishabh, yes, I love that Sir Ken Robinson prezo on TED. I've seen it about 10-15 times. Great, great stuff! -G

[Sebastiano Mereu]

Hey Garr, you make a really good point when you say, "This is nothing you haven't heard before." I remember when I first met T.M. Stevens, who has laid down the bass for immortal songs of Joe Cocker, Tina Turner, and James Brown. He told me many things that were not new to me at all, but after hearing them with his words, they started to make sense more than ever. And there's always the motivation factor. I rather believe the words of a person I highly admire and who gives me an advice for free than a professor or coach who gets paid to teach me and might not care "too" much if I learn his stuff or not. Greetings from Northwestern Switzerland!

[Garr Reynolds]

Thanks, Sebi! Exactly, yes. You said it better than I did. And you met T.M. Stevens? Wow! He's recorded with some of the best! -G

[Niko Neugebauer]

I confess, that when i saw him on TV for the first time, he made a bad impression on me (i thought of him as of an arrogant prick...), with the time i have changed my mind a lot.
He is an extremely powerful speaker and with no doubt a very strong personality.
Garr, you have made rather small (i've wished to see a bigger one) but very nice and interesting interview, congratulations =O)

[Paul]

Interesting post. For the past five years I lived in Paris and often watched CNN International. I absolutely could not stand watching Richard deliver the "straight" news. Over time, it was apparent that presentation coaches were trying to tone him down, which was even worse, because then he appeared like a slightly drugged version of himself. Finally they replaced him with a much more pleasant guy named Max, and just used Richard for specialty stuff. Even in those cases, he strikes me as someone who would be more at home on a music hall stage than on a news broadcast!

As they say in France: à chacun son goût!

http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_1861596062/chacun_%C3%A0_son_go%C3%BBt.html

[Manuel Grimaldo]

Richard Quest
My name is Manuel Grimaldo and I am a Sergeant First Class in the US Army currently deployed in Kabul, Afghanistan. Soon, I will purchase a Bellanca Super Viking airplane, which is my redeployment present and I am planning to fly from San Antonio, Texas to Naples, Italy. This could definitely be a historical event due to the fact I could be the first US Army enlisted to make the journey.
Reason I wrote this email is to ask if you have interest in doing this story?
Take care, and hope to hear from you soon.

Respectfully,
SFC Manuel Grimaldo

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Great tips on PowerPoint and presentations in general. Humor can communicate concisely and effectively! A good story has the power to capture our emotions, visual cues, and wake up an audience. Thanks for the organized ideas

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