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Are you clear on the purpose of your presentation?
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The evening before his presentation, the conference presenter confessed to me that his presentation was boring. He asked for my help to improve his presentation. We chatted over wings and beer while watching the hockey game.
I asked him to clarify the purpose of this presentation. That's the best place for any presenter to start when designing, reviewing and adapting their presentation. His organization had prepared a comprehensive report that could be very helpful to this audience and others like them. His organization planned to sell this report - but first they needed two things: feedback and testimonials about the report. So he was offering to email a free copy of the report to anyone in the audience who wanted it if they agreed to comment about the report. I suggested that he focus his presentation on the importance of knowing the questions and answers in this report. Reinforce the message that successful people might not know the answers - but they know the right questions to ask. This report had both. Point out how this report would help them succeed in their business. He listened well and adapted his presentation. The next day he shortened his presentation and focused his message as we had discussed. He did one other thing that helped. He told a personal story of a past failure he experienced because he did not know the right questions to ask - the same questions answered in this report. An emotional and personal connection with his audience. He made these changes in his presentation overnight. When you are clear on your purpose it's easier to get there. After his presentation he was delighted to tell me that he had close to a 100% sign-up rate for the report. His presentation was a success. I should have asked him to pay for the beer and wings. Want to make your presentations more successful? Be very clear on the purpose of your presentation and focus your message around that purpose. One more thing, include a personal anecdote. The best personal stories are the ones that reveal your human (imperfect) side. © George Torok is the Speech Coach for Executives. He helps business leaders deliver million-dollar presentations. For more free presentation skills tips register for his Power Presentation newsletter at www.Torok.com For daily presentation tips follow him on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/PresentationsGo |