July 2015

Presentation Ethics: 3 Tips to Increase Your Credibility

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Rick E

No matter how skilled or well-trained you are, you still need to have the right attitude to maximize your potential. You may have been able to create great and memorable pitches when you’re delivering your message to your audience, but failing to consider your behavior will put you in a bad light.

Ethics is a set of values concerned with what’s right and wrong. In terms of presentations, one can develop an interactive PowerPoint deck and prepare an engaging speech while being unethical. The reason might be because it’s become a habit, or part of upbringing has made certain people believe that nothing’s wrong with their actions.

But since it involves both discipline and attitude, you need to know how to properly value your audience’s needs and concerns. And this not only includes creating compelling slides, but also observing and evaluating yourself as an individual and a practitioner. What kind of treatment are you giving to your audience? Do you happen to overlook small things like showing respect and valuing their time? Considering these can go a long way in convincing your audience to reciprocate what you’ve made them feel.

In line with this, speech coach Stephen Boyd explains that there are several ways a speaker can maintain credibility on stage. This includes how you treat your audience, and how you project your personal image.

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Now we’ll look at some of these guiding principles and see how you can be an ethical and engaging speaker:

1. Know the Value of Preparation

Recognizing your audience’s presence involves careful preparation. Failing to prepare leads to unorganized ideas, unfiltered information, and uninteresting slides that won’t gain you attention. Procrastinating can only prevent you from being productive and achieving your goal – to seek your audience’s approval and inspire them to act on it.

If you’re scheduled to deliver your pitch or showcase your proposal, it’s important that you plan on what to say and how you say it within a given time frame. Since you only have limited time to talk about your topic, label your points – from the most important down to the least important ones. This will help you include what you want them to remember, and remove those that won’t contribute much to your pitch’s impact.

Do advanced research about your topic, write down the subject’s main points, and craft an engaging PowerPoint deck. Doing so enables you to share useful insights to your listeners and lets you present your pitch with ease and confidence. Practice your pitch until you become familiar with it to sound more natural and conversational when speaking to your audience. This shows how preparation and practice work well together.

2. Show Proper Respect

Respect begets respect. Since everyone’s expecting to get the same respect they show others, they do it to avoid misunderstanding and quarrels. Who doesn’t want to be respected? Your audience surely wants to be.

Don’t forget how vital respect is when dealing with their gender, race, religion, and culture or social status. Avoid using examples that can put down or discriminate them in any way. Filter out negative and offending examples from the preparation stage. Keep in mind that your speech’s success depends on how these people react.

Part of respecting your audience is valuing their time as you’d want them to value yours. Prepare well to stay within your speech’s apportioned time. Sticking to the time limit will help you deliver your message effectively without the need to rush and lose people’s attentions.

Starting and ending your presentation on time also makes your audience feel that you respect them and displays that you’re a disciplined presenter.

3. Practice Radical Honesty

Presenting unreliable facts and information to your audience not only causes confusion, it also ruins your image and changes the way people perceive you. This is why verifying each detail you include in your pitch is crucial. Ensure all your sources and references are credible to avoid misleading the audience and putting your reputation at stake.

If you’re unsure about the information you’re citing, don’t include it in your speech to prevent disappointing your listeners. This leads back to the necessity of ample preparation to keep you from facing such situations.

Since you’re responsible for gaining people’s trust, you should take good care of it. Remember, trust is the foundation of healthy and profitable relationships. Being true to them will keep them from questioning your expertise and credibility.

Avoiding plagiarism is also a big factor in showing and proving your honesty before others. Defined as claiming one’s idea and regarding it as your own, the practice of plagiarizing others’ works can negatively affect your image and undermine your credibility. It doesn’t promote proper attribution to someone, and makes you seem unprofessional.

Conclusion

Treating your audience the way you want to be treated is important in building good and lasting relationships. While focusing on all the materials that you need for your pitch can result in a successful presentation, you need to consider how you’ll be able to bring satisfaction without compromising your professionalism.

Know the significance of preparation to let you organize your ideas and avoid being viewed as unqualified and unprofessional.

Give respect by making sure that every point that you’ll cover won’t offend anyone. Valuing their time also shows that you care more about them.

Practice honesty to maintain good standing and increase your credibility. This prevents misleading information that might upset the audience and make them lose their confidence in you.

These moral principles show that you value them and their needs more than yours. As a professional presenter, understand how to treat them properly to help you obtain their trust, and eventually their loyalty. This is why embracing and mastering these ethical practices makes you better and improves your pitch’s success.

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References

Boyd, Stephen D. “Ethics In Public Speaking” The Sideroad.
“The Ethics in Public Speaking: Why So Important?” HubPages. January 16, 2014.

Business Presentation Tips for Hosting a Webinar Event

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Rick E

Innovations in internet technology have made day-to-day business communication fast and efficient. Besides email and other networking tools, there’s also another medium that can expand any business’ market and sales: webinars.

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A webinar is an online seminar that allows a speaker to share PowerPoint presentations, videos, and other multimedia content with an audience in real-time, anywhere they are. If you’re looking to build deeper connections with customers and prospects, hosting this live event is good for you.

We’ve discussed in our previous post some tips on creating a webinar PowerPoint presentation. Now, we’ll be listing specific tips for enhancing your public speaking skills when presenting to a webinar audience:

Make It Personal

Speaking to a computer screen won’t engage your virtual audience. Talk through the slides to present and persuade people as if they were there in person.

Don’t let your monitor hinder you from successfully delivering your webinar. Instead, make your talk personal as if doing a one-on-one conversation with a close friend or colleague.

Be Creative

Virtual audiences are more likely to wander off and multi-task while listening to your online conference. No matter how good your speaking skills are, they can still get bored with your discussion.

Keep them engaged by incorporating creative visuals in your deck. Use a combination of interactive images, questions, and short video clips to catch their focus and heighten their interest in your business presentation.

Use Effective Pauses

Hosting a webinar is much like public speaking – it requires appropriate pauses and pacing.

Effective, short pauses allow you to steadily control the discussion’s flow. You can use noticeable silences to give your listeners a chance to think about what you’ve just said.

Choose a healthy pace so you don’t look like you’re rushing through your entire presentation.

Avoid Filler Words

Most speakers use filler words “uh,” “um,” and “you know” to make everything they say one long sentence.This presentation habit is also a big taboo when delivering a webinar.

Keep these words to a minimum to not alienate your audience from you and your message. This can cause a big dent in your credibility, and should definitely be avoided.

Conclusion

Webinars offer the perfect platform for attracting new leads and nurturing existing client relationships to a more responsive level.

Follow these presentation tips to facilitate effective learning and engagement across varied online audiences, and give your business a higher profile.

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References

“The art of the webinar… how to speak to an audience that you can’t see.” Ginger Public Speaking. n.d. Accessed May 22, 2015.
“Webinar PowerPoint Tips: Creating a Presentation.” SlideGenius, Inc. June 29, 2014. Accessed May 22, 2015.

How to Take Tough Questions Like a Presentation Expert

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Rick E

Q&A’s are the perfect opportunity for welcoming observations and clarifying people’s confusion about a certain idea. This opens the floor for deeper audience involvement, although a tough question could sneak through and ruin a stellar performance.

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Here are tips to handle your next Q&A session like a presentation expert:

Take Questions Only at the End

Take audience questions like feedback. They help tune up future presentations. However, taking queries during a structured speech distracts you, ruins your flow, and steers you off-track.

The main part of the speech is not the right time to field questions. If audience members attempt to sidetrack you while speaking, inform them politely that there will be time allotted at the end to address their concerns.

It’s important to avoid coming across as avoiding the question altogether. At the same time, you need to take control of your own presentation to deliver effectively and efficiently.

Don’t Lose Sight of Your Objectives

The Q&A session is a part of your presentation – and should still follow your goals. Set objectives to keep your overall speech concise and effective.

Avoid getting distracted or taken off topic. If you’re asked a question that might seem loosely connected, answer it in a way that always draws it back to your topic.

But never refuse questions, even those that seem difficult or out of your scope of research. Every question is an opportunity to make your message even clearer. In the face of an intimidating question, be honest with the audience, but say that you’ll get back to them once you’ve found the answer.

Keep Yourself Calm and Composed

Even if you’re legitimately taken aback by a hard question, never let it show. Letting your negative emotions show in the midst of a presentation makes you look unprepared and unprofessional, reducing your credibility.

People easily pick up on signs of nervousness such as stammering, fidgeting, shaking, and unnecessary vocal interjections (your uh’s um’s and er’s). Stage jitters can also get your adrenaline pumping, having the awkward side-effect of speeding up your speaking pace.

Taking a deep breath calms those nerves, and gives you a brief chance to quickly internalize and properly respond to the question. This short pause will make your answer more natural and articulate, as well as your speaking more relaxed and well-paced.

Conclusion

Answering questions is an important responsibility as a speaker. No matter how perfect your performance might have been, your listeners will always have additional questions. Address these questions in a way that makes you more effective and knowledgeable.

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Reference

“Responding to Questions Effectively.” University of Leicester. Accessed July 16, 2015. http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ld/resources/presentations/questions

How Perfectionism Affects Your Professional Presentation

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Rick E

Let’s admit it. We all want to become perfect in every aspect, even in a professional presentation. However, some presenters forget that trying to be completely error-free can negatively affect the entire performance.

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Though aiming for the best helps you become successful, trying for a 100% great outcome can give you a headache. Aside from procrastination or stage fright, perfectionism can also become a source of anxiety. It triggers nervousness, especially when you’re expecting an error-free presentation.

Ask yourself, “Am I focused on not making a mistake?” or “Am I focused on engaging my audience to get my point across?” Your answer depends on what you prioritize the most.

Let’s see how perfectionism affects your performance.

Perfectionism Heightens Fear

It’s normal to be anxious when you speak in public. However, setting your standards too high might increase your fear of rejection or fear of being judged. This is because it convinces you to be unflinchingly perfect during the pitch.

To ease the pressure, remember that your job is to connect with your audience so that they understand your message.

Three Signs that You’re a Perfectionist

You can’t forget a certain failure.
You can’t respond positively to a negative reaction.
You worry too much about what others think of you.

These habits demoralize you if you let it control you and your performance.

Mistakes can happen even if you’ve carefully planned and prepared your presentation. Whether it’s caused by your PowerPoint slides, your speech, or technical problems, remain positive and focus on conveying your message to avoid getting controlled by this behavior.

Three Thoughts to Overcome Perfectionism

To remove this negative behavior, consider these things:

Your audience is considerate and understanding. If you fail, forget it then move on. Being honest allows them to see that you’re also human, prone to making mistakes.

Your listeners won’t notice unless they see that you do. Even if you point out that you’ve made a mistake, it’s not the end of the world. Proceed with your pitch and concentrate on delivering it.

Relax and be positive. Things will get better once you let go of your worries. It’s all about your audience, so focus on meeting their expectations.

Conclusion

Aiming for total perfection causes problems once you let it control you.

It’s natural to commit mistakes, especially when presenting. What you can do, instead, is to pick yourself up and show your audience that you’re still worth their time, because your main idea is what they care about the most.

Acknowledging your errors shows courage and that there’ll always be room for improvement. Positively respond to it and become a better and successful presenter.

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References

“Ditching the Urge to Be a ‘Perfect’ Speaker.” Ginger Public Speaking. June 12, 2013. www.gingerpublicspeaking.com/urge-perfect-speaker
Morgan, Nick. “Perfectionism and Public Speaking.” Public Words. October 14, 2014. www.publicwords.com/2014/10/14/perfectionism-and-public-speaking

A Presentation Expert’s Guide to Great PowerPoint Ideas

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Rick E

A professional presentation takes time, not just in making the actual pitch deck, but in planning how to make it.

Presentation experts (even the ones behind Apple’s and TED Talks’ presentations) recommend spending the majority of your time planning for how to make and deliver the sales pitch. According to brand communication expert, Carmine Gallo, this takes at least 90 hours, with only a third of that time used for building the actual deck.

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The rest of the time needs to be spent on knowing your client’s expectations. Qualtrics’ Scott Smith presents seven customer expectations to watch out for, so make sure to dedicate your time to researching the topic, and developing an effective method of delivery.

Ask yourself:

What problem am I trying to solve?
Is there an applicable solution that I can use?
How will I solve the problem then?
What advantage can I offer that the competition can’t?

A secret to getting effective PowerPoint ideas is planning ahead of time.

Let’s go into detail about how to plan your business presentation.

Step 1: Write Everything You Want to Say

Make a list, sit down with your colleagues, consult your company’s production/research teams, draw quick sketches and draft a script. Just get something, anything on paper when you start.

This way, you’ll have an easier time sorting through PowerPoint ideas that work from those that don’t.

Both professional presenters and advertising experts talk about similar methods. Whether it’s planning on paper or, as ad veteran Luke Sullivan suggests, sticking drawings of your best ideas on the wall, the best way to get your sales pitch idea is to dump everything into an empty space and sort them out.

Step 2: Be Your Own Coldest Critic

Once you have everything you can think of in one place, be it an empty Microsoft PowerPoint file or on blank sheets of paper, start judging. Using the questions listed above can work as your guide.

Everything you place in your PowerPoint deck stems from two sources: the client’s problem and the product or service you’ll use to solve it. The strategy is up to you. Consider the following questions:

Do you want to bank on your company’s reputation for being the best in the business?
Do you want to highlight one advantage you have over the competition?
Do you want to introduce a game-changing solution to an old problem?

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Your ideas must fit whatever strategy you choose.

If you want to pitch for a car-rental service provider, or sell your electronics to a local distributor, ask yourself about the workability of your idea (for example, displaying consistent sales numbers or user testimonies). If you think it’s doable, keep it.

Step 3: Once You Have the “Eureka” Moment, Stay on It

One benefit of dumping your ideas and being your harshest critic is that you arrive at your winning sales pitch idea faster.

Everything you say and write will flow by themselves if your idea and strategy are sound enough. The best thing to do is stay with it.

Write down your script and slide content while your thoughts are still fresh in your mind. Delaying it will interrupt your train of thought, wasting time better spent on finalizing your PowerPoint deck.

The Lesson to Learn

Don’t be afraid to critique your own ideas. A sales presentation is all about testing ideas against the client’s problems and coming up with your best solution.

If it works, come up with an appropriate strategy to sell your proposal better than the competition does. Keep at it until you find your selling idea.

To help you come up with it even faster, spend time with a PowerPoint presentation expert. It’s worth the investment. (All it takes is fifteen minutes.)

References

Gallo, Carmine. The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience. New York. McGraw-Hill, 2010
“Plan Ahead to Avoid PowerPointless Presentations.” SlideGenius, Inc. May 27, 2015. Accessed July 15, 2015.
Smith, Scott, “Customer Expectations: 7 Types all Exceptional Researchers Must Understand.” Qualtrics. Accessed July 15, 2015.
Sullivan, Luke. Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This! A Guide to Creating Great Ads. Hoboken, NJ – J. Wiley & Sons, 2008

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Count from 1 to 5: A Quick Guide to Great Presentations

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Rick E

Planning for presentations is like teaching math to a child. That is, according to keynote speaker Stephen Boyd, it begins with counting numbers. If a child knows how to count from one to ten before starting formal education, speakers can also use these basic numbers as a guide in making their business talks count.

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Let’s focus first on the first five.

One Main Idea

For a presentation to be effective, it must have one main idea, and, at least, one idea per slide.

Focusing on a central idea allows your audience to easily understand your purpose and follow your discussion flow. When this main point is communicated seamlessly, it’ll be easy for you to create lead-ins to your supporting details.

Two: Compare and Contrast

Comparison and contrast are convincing techniques that explain two distinct topics or subjects.

They are useful when stressing your edge over your competitors or when relating your product’s importance to something your audience members can better understand. Express your creativity with figurative language like metaphors, similes and personification to make a bigger impact and persuade them to do business with you.

Rule of Three

A presentation is divided into three important parts: the beginning, middle, and end. The rule of three streamlines your discussion with an interesting and memorable structure.

Most stories are crafted with these three parts. Take advantage of this framework to strip down all of your arguments, pieces of evidence, statement of facts, and takeaways into easily digestible and explainable information.

Four: Forethought

It’s possible to deliver your speech alone without needing four allies to save you from life-threatening situations like in action movies.

The key is forethought.

Planning ahead prevents common mistakes and formulates potential solutions whenever problems arise. Practice and preparation keeps you from using short-cuts, ensuring that you convey your message sincerely.

Last Five Minutes

The last five minutes of your talk are as important as your introduction.

Bad endings undermine your credibility and negatively reinforce ideas to your audience. Think of powerful ways to make an effective close. Cite a quote, use videos, or crack a humorous statement.

Conclusion

Numbers are not only great pieces of evidence but are also useful guides for making successful presentations. Keep the aforementioned big five in mind as you prepare your materials.

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References

“Applying the Rule of Three to Your Presentations.” SlideGenius, Inc. May 5, 2014. Accessed July 23, 2015.
“Great PowerPoint Presentations Need Great Main Ideas.” SlideGenius, Inc. April 30, 2015. Accessed July 23, 2015.
“Public Speaking By Numbers.” Public Speaking Tips. August 17, 2011. Accessed July 23, 2015.

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Three Major Presentation Fears and How to Cope With Them

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Rick E

Fears related to public speaking are some of the most common phobias. Take control of these fears and make the best out of all your chances to achieve success.

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We’ve broken down three big issues that can give you jitters, along with valuable ways to stomp them out for good.

Self-Consciousness

Your greatest enemy is yourself.

Specifically, it’s your own self-consciousness. Being self-critical increases your awareness of your flaws and shortcomings. There are times that you may worry over minute details and prevent yourself from properly preparing for your speech.

Stop thinking about yourself and focus instead on your presentation’s goals and objectives. Efficient planning and detailed goal-setting fine-tune your message and guide you towards more efficient and timely preparation. You’re the best tool that can deliver your message, so always be prepared.

Inevitable Mistakes and Errors

Mistakes can’t always be avoided. They can come in the form of a stutter, a misplaced slide, tripping on a small obstacle, or forgetting parts of your speech.

The sooner you accept the inevitability of making mistakes, the sooner you’ll realize that it’s easy to redirect your fears into constructive action towards self-improvement. It’s important, however, to refrain from apologizing. Pointing out what you did wrong when others may not have noticed draws attention to the mistake and reduces your credibility.

Make a conscious effort to learn from your errors and improve to set yourself on the right track to becoming a better presenter.

Repeating Past Errors

Previous fumbles can have repercussions on an upcoming speech, especially if you’re expecting to present in front of a familiar audience. This shouldn’t stop you from doing your job.

Just because you’ve slipped before doesn’t mean you’ll do it again for no reason. Be optimistic about your current presentation, and minimize all room for error by studying past mistakes and preparing as much as possible for it.

As we’ve discussed previously, credibility is a dynamic concept. If you’ve followed and imbibed the second tip, then you’ll have improved on your past mistakes, whether they’re from your previous pitches, or just five seconds ago.

Don’t immediately look at a mistake as a lost cause. Instead, grab it as an opportunity to surprise your audience and improve your reputation as an effective and adaptable speaker. Be spontaneous and innovative. You know your presentation best, so you’ll know how to give it a spin when you’ve forgotten what you were about to say, or when you encounter technical difficulties in the middle of your speech.

Conclusion

As a highly social species, we understandably don’t wish to disappoint other people. In the professional world, a bad presentation can affect job opportunities and financial security.

The sooner you conquer your fears, the faster you get on the road to becoming a better presenter.

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References

“Overcome Fear of Public Speaking.” anxietycoach. Accessed July 14, 2015.
“Presentation Tips: 5 Easy Ways to Establish Your Credibility.” SlideGenius, Inc. 2014. Accessed July 14, 2015.

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3 Tips for Handling Unexpected Events During Presentations

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Rick E

In spite of preparing for your presentation, unexpected events can still break your concentration. According to the often-quoted Murphy’s Law, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.”

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Some presenters panic when something wrong happens, making them lose their audience. If these mistakes are left unaddressed, your discussion can turn into a complete disaster.

Avoid tuning out the crowd and maintain your professional image with these three tips:

Stay Calm

Mistakes are bound to happen, even in the presentation world. In the case of unexpected slip-ups, panicking only clouds your judgment and impairs your insight. You may try to remedy your mistake by doing everything at once, or apologizing to the audience, but before you do that, step back from your thoughts and rationalize the situation.

Keep your composure. The show must go on. Don’t lose your credibility by responding poorly to unpredictable mishaps.

If you accidentally tripped while walking, maintain your poise and continue discussing your topic. It’s natural that some of your audience will laugh at you, but if they see you recover quickly without being bothered by it, they’ll soon forget it ever happened.

Avoid giving negative reactions like frowning, walking out of the room, or gesturing uneasily. In cases like these, having a neutral expression will help mask any feelings of anxiety or inadequacy that might be controlling your actions and emotions.

Come Prepared

Flash drives may flounder, batteries may drain, and files may get corrupted. Impress your audience by solving these uncontrollable crises with enthusiasm. Add a dash of humor related to your pitch to engage the audience and buy yourself some time to think up of what to do next when something goes wrong.

A sour attitude will only worsen things. Admit to yourself that there are some circumstances that will always be out of your control. But even though you accept this fact, try to minimize inevitable mishaps as much as possible.

Have a backup plan to address the problem in case it comes up. Bring a spare flash drive, pack extra batteries, and keep duplicate copies of your files. What else are cloud-based drives for?

Don’t Dwell on the Problem

Pointing fingers to who or what caused the problem won’t get you anywhere. Stay professional and focus on solving it. Provide an immediate solution along with a composed response and anticipate your listeners’ behavior.

While you won’t want to be too pessimistic about how things will turn out, or how people will react, you need to prepare yourself both emotionally and mentally for any backlash that a presentation snafu might bring. Strengthening yourself against unfavorable responses and situations will help you decide with a clearer perspective on things.

Instead of getting angry or feeling guilty, go back to building your pitch by affirming your message. The way you handle yourself on stage in the face of such challenges will boost your speaking credibility.

Conclusion

Whether you’re delivering a big sales pitch or a start-up presentation, it’s your responsibility to own every good or bad of it. Handle the unexpected circumstances with professionalism by following these three tips.

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References

“10 Ways to Make a Positive First Impression during Presentations.” SlideGenius, Inc. 2014. Accessed July 13, 2015.
“Murphy’s Law.” Freie Universitat Berlin. Accessed July 13, 2015.

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6 Ways to Get Presentation Ideas from Volkswagen Ads

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Rick E

The 1960’s Volkswagen print ads started a revolution in print advertising. It was also here that simplicity and tasteful creativity took root as effective selling techniques.

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If you study your product thoroughly, you’ll find specific and creative strategies to highlight its benefits and differentiate it from the competition. These ads were so effective that they became the poster boys for any advertising agency worth its salt.

As presenters, there are several things that we can learn from studying how these ads are made, particularly how to get effective presentation ideas that sell your product effectively.

We’ll run you through a few tips from ad veteran Luke Sullivan and give six steps to making your presentations as effective as Volkswagen’s print ads:

1. Look at the Car.

Everything begins with your product.

Defining what it does and what it has to offer are all here. Use simple strategies like highlighting your product’s main aspect or the advantages it has over the competition.

Take a look at your product and see how you can make an interesting presentation out of it. List down everything you can and find one main thing to use.

2. Look Harder. You’ll Find Enough Advantages to Fill a Lot of Ads.

There’ll be times when you’ll be the underdog.

Even when it seems like you don’t have any obvious advantages, go for the other route and capitalize on what looks like a weakness. For example, Sullivan cites how Avis capitalized on their status as the second-fiddle car rental service.

The Volkswagen print ads had headlines that seemed like weaknesses:

“It makes your house look bigger.”
“And when you run out of gas, it’s easy to push.”
“It’s ugly but it gets you there.”

The advertising agency behind these print ads made the car’s weaknesses crucial messages that amplify the car’s other benefits, mainly practicality and convenience.

If you’re a startup, you could take the same route that Avis and Volkswagen took to make you look better than the competition while being honest about your capabilities.

3. Don’t Exaggerate… Don’t Promise More.

While there’s the temptation to make your product better than the competition, dramatize the benefits, what you get out of the product, rather than what the product is.

Honesty is an integral part of any Volkswagen ad.

One unique ad had a picture of a car floating in a pool, with the headline “Volkswagen’s unique construction keeps dampness out.” While they seem exaggerated, the advertising agency verified these facts and the client made sure that their products could deliver exactly as promised.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Ask yourself, “Is there an incontestable fact that I can use to prove my claim?”

4. Call a Spade a Spade. And a Suspension a Suspension.

Simple terms and a conversational tone are the two most prominent features in every Volkswagen ad’s headline and body text. These are skills used by effective TED Talks speakers.

From explaining how thorough their factory inspections are, to how the car’s construction keeps water out, the ads are free of complex explanations.

5. Speak to the Reader.

Most Volkswagen print ads tell a compelling story in a conversational manner.

They present an unusual but engaging truth, similar to the ad with the lunar lander and the ad with the man pushing the Volkswagen after it ran out of fuel. This explains that there’s no need for extra bells and whistles as you present.

If you can speak sensibly and conversationally the way the ads can, you’ve already won your audience’s attention.

6. Pencil Sharp? You’re on Your Own.

Maybe you don’t use a pencil and paper these days, but the meaning stands.

When planning for a sales presentation that meets all the first five steps, list down everything you have in mind, explore your product (and if needed, the competition) thoroughly, then find out what you can use.

While each pitch may be different, everything begins with a blank slide and a capable presentation partner.

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References

“How to Sell Your Sales Pitch by Not Sounding like One.” SlideGenius, Inc. July 06, 2015. Accessed July 13, 2015.
Sullivan, L. Hey, Whipple, Squeeze This! A Guide to Creating Great Ads. Hoboken, NJ – J. Wiley & Sons, 2008.
Starr, Benjamin. “The 20 Best Volkswagen Ads from Their 1960s Campaign.” Visual News. September 3, 2013. Accessed July 13, 2015.
“Why Conversational Tones Work for Corporate Presentations.” SlideGenius, Inc. 2015. Accessed July 13, 2015.

Presentation Tip: 5 Things to Avoid in Your Introduction

Posted on July 10, 2015 by Rick E

You’ve probably read a great deal on why the introduction is the most crucial part in your presentation. It has two important purposes: to gain the audience’s attention and to motivate them to listen.

What if you failed to meet these key elements from the very beginning? Don’t compromise your speech credibility and brand reputation.

Break the bad introduction habits and start your presentations effectively.

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Here are five blunders that you should avoid:

1. Going Mainstream

A good majority of presenters begin their talk with, “Good morning. I’m here to discuss x, y, and z.” But this heavy-handed and dull approach is a quick way to lose your audience.

Why go mainstream if there are many creative ways to begin your discussion? Plan for something unique to impress everyone at the very beginning of your speech.

Tell a story or borrow a pertinent movie quote that complements your main idea. Let this perk up your listeners enough for them to say to themselves, “That line was from the movie xyz!”

Asking a rhetorical question also works in engaging your audience. It invites them to think about your arguments, making them active participants in your speech.

Another powerful way to open a presentation is by sharing relevant data that either look to the past or the future. Drop an idea like: “In ancient times, women’s status were defined by their relationship to men. At present, women have become more independent and are now making names in the business world.”

The comparison will make the audience perceive the topic in a new light and hook them further to your pitch.

2. Doing Equipment Checks

Checking if the equipment works exactly before you begin your pitch is another common pitfall in presentations. Although doing equipment checks is a good practice for speakers, it can become a bad habit when it eats up both yours and your audience’s time.

To avoid falling victim to this gaffe, arrive early at the venue and set-up the equipment few minutes ahead the presentation time. This gives you enough buffer in familiarizing yourself with the equipment and in running compatibility tests.

You don’t want the audience to see you rambling while troubleshooting technical problems. Make it a rule to check all the equipment even before your presentation starts. If possible, have an emergency back-up readily available.

3. Questioning People’s Ability

Presenters often make the mistake of starting by asking obvious questions that border on offending their listeners.

Posing questions to your audience can be a good start, but questions that insult their intelligence damage your reputation as a speaker.

Queries with obvious answers like “Do you know how to double up your sales?” or “Is there anyone here who earns more and works less?” are a few unasked for statements that can make your listeners cry tears of frustration.

According to Stanford GSB lecturer Matt Abrahams, ask questions that stimulate curiosity instead. Questions that inquire about a possible future or historical past are great alternatives to the obvious ones.

For example, “What would it be like if robots outnumbered the human population?” Here, the “What if” effect builds intrigue and gets your audience attention. Utilize the same refreshing tactic in waking up your audience.

4. Oversharing Company History

Sharing your company history at the beginning of your speech can be good at establishing credibility. However, doing this more than you should only consumes the time needed in explaining your main ideas.

Similar to talking about yourself, it can come across as bragging, which can make you lose your audience quickly. Your presentation isn’t about you, so it’s best to focus more about what you can offer to them.

The ideal way to impart your company history is by touching a part of it in the middle of your discussion. Look back and share a blast from the past on how you achieved and sustained long-term success.

This not only makes your listeners buy your idea, but also helps in making yourself worthy of their trust and money.

5. Admitting Mistakes

Starting with an apology weakens your credibility and sets the wrong tone.

After all, why would people listen to the rest of your speech if you spent your first few minutes apologizing? You’re only attracting a negative vibe, which kills the chance of leaving a positive impression.

If your discussion is facing inevitable hurdles such as scheduling delays, incompatibility of slides and poor room set-up, handle it with grace and don’t call attention to negatives.

However, there are rare cases where delivering a quick, sincere apology may be in your favor.

The key is to act decisively without affecting your message negatively.

The Takeaway: Start Your Speech Right!

The introduction builds up the overall flow of a pitch. It does a lot of work in making good impression and in keeping people interested throughout the presentation. Unfortunately, there are instances where some speakers lose their audience because of poor introductions. Avoid their fate and steer clear of intro blunders that derail your professional image.

Stay away from the mainstream self-introductions. Instead, think of creative alternatives like sharing a story, citing a movie quote, and asking rhetorical questions. Never do equipment checks at the beginning of your talk. It’s recommended to perform technical tests few minutes before your actual speech.

Avoid asking questions that can insult your audience. Go for questions that drive curiosity and interest. Sharing company history is another taboo. Focus more in discussing what you can do for them.

Lastly, don’t start with an apology. Keep your cool and maintain an upbeat tone even you’re under pressure.

Avoid these four blunders to gain and retain your audience’s attention from the beginning till the end. Looking for presentations with lasting impact? Talk to the right people and get started now.

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Reference

Abrahams, Matt. “Matt Abrahams: A Good Question Can Be the Key to a Successful Presentation.” Stanford Business. July 25, 2014. Accessed May 27, 2015. www.gsb.stanford.edu/insights/matt-abrahams-good-question-can-be-key-successful-presentation

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