Interview with Ralf Leister:
PowerPoint-Karaoke as a training method

At some point in our lives, many of us will have to give a presentation in front of a large group of people. Why is public speaking important in life? How can you improve your public speaking skills? How can you overcome your fear of speaking in front of an audience? And what does PowerPoint Karaoke have to do with it? In this interview, we talk to successful trainer and presenter Ralf Leister to share insights and stories from his experiences.

Hi, thank you for the invitation, and I look forward to the conversation!

Like many others, I gained my first public speaking experience at school. Since we were allowed to choose the topic of our first presentation, I chose amber. It has always fascinated me. Unfortunately, the slides for the overhead projector fell down during the presentation. That was embarrassing, but at that moment I realized that nothing could happen to me when I was speaking.

I was born and raised in Hamburg and have stayed here ever since. In my free time, I do a lot of sports myself and am a passionate HSV fan.

To be honest, that was anything but planned. Thanks to my thesis and a blog project, I was invited to various events. My close ties to the organizing teams quickly led to opportunities to give presentations myself.

Since these were very well received, I was asked in 2017 if I could also moderate. Curious and confident, I said “yes” and have been recommended many times since then.

At the same time, I have remained in close contact with my university. I have taught several modules there on a part-time basis. One of these was and still is the “Presentation Skills” course. Several times a year, I have the opportunity to take new students under my wing during their first week. In recent years, I have also expanded the concept to include training for small groups and individuals outside the university. Participants range from small, medium, and large companies to NGOs.

So I experimented a lot and did the things that felt right for me. But a pinch of luck and courage were also always part of my journey.

Fortunately, I haven’t made any mistakes that have jeopardized my livelihood (so far), but I keep falling into the same trap.

As a communicative person, I like to settle many things through dialogue. In business, however, it is sometimes advisable to put things in writing. On the one hand, to avoid misunderstandings. On the other hand, to protect yourself legally.

I’m not a big fan of calendar quotes. But one motto that has helped me time and again is: “Done is better than perfect.”

I am surrounded by many smart and talented people who come up with promising ideas. However, some of these will never be implemented because they are overthought.

My answer to this question could completely derail the interview, but nobody wants that. So here are four specific tips:

1. Based on your previous experiences, ask yourself what expectations you have when you sit in the audience of a lecture. Very few of the lectures we hear in our lives blow us away. So nobody expects that from you either. You have the highest expectations of yourself.
   
   
2. Prepare the beginning and the end. It’s best to tell a personal anecdote that fits the topic and then refer back to it at the end.
   
   
3. You can greatly improve the impact of your presentation by working on your body language and your voice. Prepare (at least) one gesture (e.g., enumeration, visualization with your hands, or pointing at something) and emphasize another statement with your voice (e.g., speak faster/slower/louder/quieter or pause deliberately). By doing this, you are already doing more than 95% of others and can come across as more holistic.
   
   
4. Prepare (at least) one point that you are looking forward to in your presentation. The anticipation will relax you and transfer to the audience. This could be a cool introduction, an image, a video, a GIF, a metaphor, a provocative question, an interaction, or something similar. Be creative.

Ein bisschen Nervosität gehört dazu. Ich ziehe daraus Energie und Fokus. Wirklich aufgeregt bin ich, wenn im Publikum Personen sind, die ich privat sehr gut kenne.

Dann vergegenwärtige ich mir, dass gerade diese Personen es immer gut mit mir meinen. Außerdem sage ich ihnen vor meinem Auftritt, dass ich durch sie etwas nervös bin. Meistens fühlen sie sich dadurch geschmeichelt und versichern mir, dass ich nicht nervös sein muss. Natürlich hilft das überhaupt nicht, aber in dem Moment fühlt es sich gut an.

Ich habe PowerPoint Karaoke im Studium kennengelernt und war sofort begeistert.

Seitdem ich selbst Trainings gebe, nutze ich die Methode immer. Und das schon seit Jahren. Ich möchte auf PowerPoint-Karaoke nicht mehr verzichten. In den Feedbacks wird der Teil des Trainings ebenfalls immer positiv hervorgehoben.

I particularly like using PowerPoint karaoke for two reasons:

Firstly, the method brings out a natural presentation style. Participants often find themselves stuck in their heads, especially in the second half of a full-day training session. All the feedback they have received throughout the day causes them to increasingly question their own style.

This is a bit like the effect that occurs when I ask you to “walk normally in front of me.” At that moment, you will ask yourself, “How do I walk normally again?”

With PowerPoint Karaoke, participants don’t think about filler words, body language, speaking speed, gestures, and their vocabulary. They just hope to get through the presentation somehow. The lack of preparation time also reduces the pressure of expectation. No one expects a perfect presentation when you don’t know what it’s about.

Secondly, PowerPoint karaoke lightens the mood. Training days are intense, which is why energy levels drop throughout the day. The break in between makes participants more receptive again. It also ensures that they have fond memories of the training.

As I mentioned earlier, I tend to use PowerPoint karaoke in the second part of my training sessions. I usually draw lots to decide who goes next. This keeps everyone’s attention levels extremely high.

I also intersperse the presentations with a few insights that relate to what has just been heard or seen.

It is important to me that the person giving the presentation embraces the role. Of course, laughter is allowed and even encouraged. However, at that moment, it is your job to sell the presentation as your own.

Similar to a popular German casting show, which I will not name, my motto for PowerPoint karaoke is: “The show must go on!”

It’s the same in real life when giving a prepared presentation. Unforeseen things can happen. The technology can cause problems, the audience may react differently than expected. You can acknowledge this, but it shouldn’t prevent you from formulating your message and making the desired impact.

That’s very individual. Before PowerPoint karaoke, I’ve already seen the person present at least once during the training. So I pay particular attention to the strengths and areas for development that were mentioned in the initial feedback.

Most of the time, it’s about body language, voice, pace, and/or filler words.

Oh yes, quite a few, actually—especially since I love to eat!

When it comes to public speaking, I would love to meet Barack Obama. His farewell speech brought tears to my eyes.

As a soccer fan, I would love to have dinner with Toni Kroos and David Beckham. I think we would get along well and have a lot of fun together.

There are so many good books. It’s hard to narrow it down to just three. I’ll pick three from different areas:

1. Dealing with people: “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie. The book is a bit older (1937), but its messages are more relevant than ever.
   
   
2. Self-organization: “Atomic Habits” by James Clear. This book is also a classic. It’s about the power of routines for a more fulfilling life.
   
   
3. Science: “A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari. He summarizes the history of humanity in a way that fits in the palm of your hand. A grounding reading experience.

I have deliberately avoided affiliate links and recommend either local bookstores or public libraries.

I’m most active on LinkedIn. 

Thank you!