7 Tips to Take Your Presentation from BLAH to AH!

It’s the little things that make all the difference in a Presentation. That’s true in life, and certainly true in the World of Presentations!

7 Tips that will RAISE the Applause for Your Presentation!

1. Write Your Own Introduction!

   1. The Speaker’s Introduction is not your bio, and it is the responsibility of the presenter to write it for the emcee to deliver.

   2. It is not a time to be modest about your credentials and achievements. Far better, and more believable, that a third party, the emcee, say great things about you rather than you telling an audience about all your accomplishments.

   3. The Introduction is an integral part of the presentation, and answers three questions.

      1. Why this Subject?

      2. Why this Speaker?

      3. Why now?

2. Have a Strong Opening and Closing.

   1. The Law of Primacy and Recency states: “An audience will best remember the first and last things they hear and see.”

3. Don’t use lots of Bullet Points and Text.

   1. Bullet Points do not reinforce a message. They

      1. Compete with the presenter.

      2. Confuse the audience.

      3. Complicate the message.

   2. Use high quality, universally understood images and you provide the text with your speaking!

4. Props can help the audience GET IT! because they can ‘see’ what you are speaking about while while listening. However, unless they are put out of sight when no longer the focus of what you are speaking about, people will continue to look at them, taking the focus off you, the presenter.

   1. PowerPoint and Keynote are visual tools we also consider to be props. When it’s no longer necessary for the audience to look at a slide, either insert a blank (black) slide or hit the “B Button” on your keyboard or remote. This will turn the screen blank and move the eyes of the audience to you!

5. Be a Storyteller!

   1. The Formula for the Body of a Presentation is:

      1. “Make a Point. Tell a Personal Story that reinforces that Point. Do this three to five times.

   2. We love  stories Before there was printing, stories were the only way history was passed on.

   3. Nancy Duarte says, “Personal Stories are the emotional glue that connect your audience to your message.”

      1. The key is to be, as they teach in Yoga, “Always present and in the moment.” When these personal stories occur in real time. capture them, and put them in the hard drive of your brain. When you need a personal story to reinforce a point, the file is there for you to retrieve!

6. Don’t use Buzz Words, Jargon, or Techno-Speak.

   1. You won’t impress an audience – you’ll lose them.

   2. Our Minds work by Association.

   3. They’ll miss parts of the message if they have to struggle to figure it out.

   4. Simple is best.

   5. Legendary GE CEO Jack Welch once said, “Insecure managers create complexity.” Exude confidence and security; speak simply.

7. If you are going to have a Q&A Session, take those Questions before concluding your presentation.

   1. Referencing Tip #1, The Law of Primacy and Recency, The Closing of your Presentation is the Closing – Period!

   2. Imagine this: You deliver a killer closing.  It’s a call to action that has everyone on the edge of their seats, wanting to rush out of the building and start on your challenge.

      Then the host asks, “Before we conclude, would you mind taking some questions from the audience?” You agree.

      The Q&A is going fine, and you announce there is time for one more question.

      You call on someone in the back of the room who states, “What you said about (fill in the blank) was garbage! I don’t agree with anything you said. In fact, I think you’re full of garbage!” 

   The event is now over and people get up and leave with the last thing they heard being. . . That is not the takeaway you want people going to their homes with, is it!

Take the above 7 Tips and use them to Develop, Practice and Deliver your next speech. Do that, and the Applause Meter will go up – Way Up!

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About the Author     Fred E. Miller is a speaker, an international coach, and the author of the books, “NO SWEAT Public Speaking!” and “NO SWEAT Elevator Speech!”

Businesses, Individuals, and Organizations hire him because they want to improve their Networking, Public Speaking, andPresentation Skills.

They do this because they know:"Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities."

They also know:We perceive really great speakers to be Experts. We like to work with Experts.

He shows them how to: Develop, Practice, and Deliver Fantastic Presentations! with – NO SWEAT!

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2. Workshop Facilitator

3. Breakout Sessions

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Topics:

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2. Crafting Your Elevator Speech, Floor by Floor with – NO SWEAT!

3. Speaking Opportunities are Business, Career, and Leadership Opportunities.

4. We are All Self-Employed!

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