Leadership and Strategy

Presentation Excellence is much more than an organization which trains people to deliver great presentations and offers dynamic and motivational speakers. Based on our substantial business experience*, we often become “trusted advisors” to companies addressing leadership development and business strategy programs. As our website shows, we facilitate Strategic Management Advances, coordinate Mentoring Programs, provide executive development coaching, and conduct business development studies. Starting with our next newsletter, we will begin a new column providing tips on these issues. If you have a specific topic you’d like to see addressed, send it to: Leaders@presentationexcellence.com.

8 Presentation Tips for 2008

The January Effect for the stock market states that if the market is up in January, it will be a bull year. In the presentation business, we experience a similar indicator – companies that dedicate themselves to presentation excellence at the beginning of the year, close more deals and win more contracts. That’s why we conduct so many corporate training sessions in December and January, and offer our first public workshop in February.

To help you, here are 8 powerful tips for persuasive presentations:

Understand Your Audience’s Needs. Always start by showing that you understand your audience’s needs. The presentation is about how you meet them – not about you. Communicate your offering’s benefits to the audience; guide their decision making process by giving them the facts they need and establish the trust they want
Understand the context. Get to the point, immediately. Focus on what they want to know, now. Don’t repeat what they may already know or not need to know, now. Understand how time of day and the room set-up impacts on your effectiveness.
Engage Your audience. Attention spans are shorter than ever. Keep it simple. Be succinct. Use graphics that are appealing. Use powerful, action language to keep them excited
Communicate Your Competitive Advantage. You’re probably not the only vendor competing on this deal. Why should they choose you and not your competition?
Understand yourself. You present more effectively when you’re competent about the subject matter, comfortable with the presentation and confident that you can present it well. That means practice and channel natural nervousness into relating to the audience.
Be authentic. Selling is the transfer of enthusiasm. You can’t be passionate unless you genuinely believe in your message and care about influencing your audience. They sense your authenticity and it leads to trust.
The Medium is the Message. Standing in front of a group with a PowerPoint presentation is NOT always the best way to present. Sometimes you need less (e.g., fewer slides) and sometimes more (e.g., a focused flash presentation). Sometimes a webinar is the most cost-effective way to present to your audience.
The Whole is Greater than the Sum of the Parts. So many elements create the presentation gestalt. Don’t fuss over the weakness, unless they’re easy to fix; focus on the strengths of the presentation, and build on them so they dominate everyone’s field of attention!

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