PRESENTATION GUARDIANS: 3 HELPFUL SCENARIOS

Michael Gibson
4 min readJun 29, 2021

SPOTTING THE PRESENTATION GUARDIANS

You know the audience. You are well prepared. Your content is solid. You have practiced the delivery, and now you are standing at the front of the room. What do you see?

You notice some positive expressions, some neutral ones, and then you notice. There are a few crossed arms and skeptical faces. These people seem negative. Their body language, tone, and words can be distracting!

You have spotted the guardians.

It can be challenging to maintain focus, stay positive, and not be derailed by them. It isn’t easy, but it is important.

Here are three scenarios that can shape our thinking in situations like this.

Guardian on duty. Photo by Don Agnello on Unsplash

PRESENTATION GUARDIAN SCENARIO 1

It is a common scene in political movies. Bodyguards are clearing a path for a very important person. People want to get close for various reasons.

Maybe they love the VIP.

Maybe they hate the person.

Perhaps there are simply curious and want to get a closer look.

The bodyguards cannot know the myriad motivations, so they push everyone back. They are guardians, and they are intimidating because of their size, demeanor, and weapons. The guardians have a job to do, and they take that responsibility seriously.

The safety of their client depends on the security they provide. This security allows the subject to pay attention to other things. They can smile, wave, and interact because they feel protected.

Bodyguards provide security for the client. Photo by Job Moses on Unsplash;

PRESENTATION GUARDIAN SCENARIO 2

7:45 am. All was quiet. My wife and I were enjoying a walk before breakfast.

Suddenly, the stillness was shattered by a loud command. It was our first encounter with Ruger. The experience was startling and intimidating. Ruger is a guardian, and he is serious about his job.

Michael Gibson
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Michael Gibson is a speaker, trainer, and instructional designer. His book, Big Presentations in Small Rooms, is available at Amazon.