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When NuPolar lenses were new, and Younger Optics was trying to get the idea of polarized lenses off the ground, I traveled EVERYWHERE conducting trainings to optical industry people, to get them to understand the importance of polarized lenses for optical businesses and wearers alike. It was no easy task! I had rousing successes and disappointing flops. But after all of that experience, I came away with a good idea about what makes a presentation successful and engaging. For those of you out there who give trainings and presentations from time to time, here are my top five pointers:

• Preparation is half the battle. Make sure the A/V equipment is working and test it rigorously before the seminar. During your presentation, look up to the screen occasionally to make sure your information is showing exactly as it should.
• Interact with the audience with Energy. Your presentation is not just information, but a performance! Radiate energy! The audience will reflect that energy back to you with their mental engagement. Show your enthusiasm about the subject. It is better to “overact” than “underact.” Especially if you are presenting to a large room.
• Make the presentation upbeat and entertaining. The specific information on your slide is important of course, but it is meaningless unless you captivate and hold the interest and attention of your audience for the entire presentation.
• In my opinion, the best thing you can do is try to get the basics of your information across and then, let “YOU” shine through! Every excellent presenter has their own unique way of reaching the audience. You are not just a neutral conveyor of information, but a teacher, a colleague, and ideally, a potential business connection!
• If the audience doesn’t have a question to ask at the end, ask your own questions to get the ball started. “One thing people often ask me is...” You see, no one wants to be the first to raise their hands, but you can get the ball rolling. Then when people participate, you can reward them by saying “That’s a really great question!” or “Thank you for asking that!”

If you are new to public speaking, don’t try to incorporate all these suggestions all at once. It may be too overwhelming and you might feel too “self-conscious” at first. But, every time you give a presentation, try to incorporate a little more from these tips. Venture slowly from the safety of your comfort zone, a little bit at a time, until all of this becomes second nature.

People underestimate good performers and actors because it looks so effortless and easy. But in reality, it is a skilled craft like anything else!

David Rips
President & CEO,
Younger Optics

#publicspeaking #publicspeakingtips

David Rips Thanks Optical Industry 2023

His wisdom is just so deep and insightful over a huge range of subjects. I have had the pleasure of speaking with Charlie on informal occasions several times, and he is no less impressive in person than in public.

Here are some of my favorite Charlie quotations. There is wisdom in these for all of us. Happy Birthday, Charlie Munger!!

“Knowing what you don’t know is more useful than being brilliant.”
“The best way to get what you want in life is to deserve what you want.”
“People calculate too much and think too little.”
“Those who keep learning will keep rising in life.”
“As Samuel Johnson said famously, ‘I can give you an argument, but I can’t give you an understanding.’”
“You don’t have to be brilliant, only a little bit wiser than the other guys, on average, for a long, long time.”
“I can’t give you a formulaic approach, because I don’t use one. If you want a formula, you should go back to graduate school. They’ll give you lots of formulas that won’t work.”
“In my whole life, I have known no wise people who didn’t read all the time — none, zero. My children laugh at me. They think I’m a book with a couple of legs sticking out.”


David Rips, President & CEO of Younger Optics