Professional Business Presentations
Giving a presentation is a common occurrence for many consultants. Whether it is to gain new business, report on the results of your professional services or to effect change within an organisation, a professional presentation is an important tool in any consultants armoury. How effective is your presentation style? Do people really listen to your outpourings? Does your presentation actually change what they think? And most importantly, do they act positively after the presentation has finished?
What makes the difference between an average presentation and an Effective Presentation?
There are five main components of a professional presentation:
• The Objective
• The Speaker
• The Room
• The Audience
• The Material
Think OSRAM and consider each component in turn to maximise the effectiveness of your presentation.
The Objective
What do you want the audience to do as a result of your presentation? It sounds simple, but many people forget to formulate their real objective for giving the presentation. As with any objective, your presentation objective should be quantifiable and measurable, so that you can tell if it has been met. It is invariable best to have an objective that can be realised in the short term, otherwise too many other factors will cloud the measurement of your success.
Having defined the objective it is essential that your presentation concludes with a call to action that will re-enforce your objective, leaving your audience in no doubt of what is expected of them. Giving a presentation without a call to action is like driving a car without a destination in mind. It passes the time but won't get you anywhere..
The Speaker
Like it or not, you will be judged on your performance. So overcome any fear/nervousness and turn it to your advantage by using the energy generated by the adrenaline to add more power to your presentation. Dress appropriately for your audience and purpose. Unless you are imparting very bad news remember to smile, and look each member of your audience in the eye, as you talk. If some members of your audience are more important than others, it is acceptable to give them more eye contact, but be careful not to ignore anyone. You are the most important visual component of your presentation, so don't hide behind a lectern.
The Room
Make the most of the physical environment. Ensure the room is tidy and reduce any external distractions by closing windows and/or blinds. If you can, turn the air conditioning down and the lights up, this will reduce the likelihood of anyone dozing off. Make sure everyone can see you and the screen (assuming you are using one) and can hear you clearly. Check that you know how to operate any equipment. Don't forget to turn off your mobile and the screensaver on your laptop.
The Audience
The Audience are the most important part of any presentation. After all, without them you would be talking to yourself! You should know as much about them as possible:
Who are they?
How many of them are expected?
What are they interested in?
How much time do they have?
What do they want to hear?
The key question is "What is in it for them?" because rather then giving a presentation based on what you want to say, it is always better to base your presentation on what they what to hear.
The Material
It is surprising how fast the time goes when you get up and start talking. In a 30 to 45 minute presentation you will only have the time to convey three main points. So keep it simple! If you can't state your central message in one or two sentences, you probably haven't narrowed your topic or clarified your thoughts enough.
- Decide on three key points. People will remember 3 things for far longer than 2 or 4.
- Develop supporting evidence for each key point. Include statistics, stories or examples. Relevant and humorous anecdotes usually work well, but don't be tempted to tell jokes.
- Develop a strong introduction, to grab their attention and a powerful conclusion with your call to action to reinforce your objective.
- Use visual aids that help to communicate your message.
- Think about how you could use images rather than bullet points to help convey your message. Remember the PowerPoint slides should not be your cue cards!
- Perform the presentation with enthusiasm, variety and passion. Remember to tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them and then tell them what you told them.
OSRAM (Objective – Speaker – Room – Audience – Message)
Put them together correctly and you will turn on a light in people's heads. Brighten up their lives. You can enable your audience to see and understand things, about which they were previously in the dark.
Not to mention the fact that you will be viewed as even more professional, accomplished and valuable.
Giving a presentation is a common occurrence for many consultants. Whether it is to gain new business, report on the results of your professional services or to effect change within an organisation, a professional presentation is an important tool in any consultants armoury. How effective is your presentation style? Do people really listen to your outpourings? Does your presentation actually change what they think? And most importantly, do they act positively after the presentation has finished?
What makes the difference between an average presentation and an Effective Presentation?
There are five main components of a professional presentation:
• The Objective
• The Speaker
• The Room
• The Audience
• The Material
Think OSRAM and consider each component in turn to maximise the effectiveness of your presentation.
The Objective
What do you want the audience to do as a result of your presentation? It sounds simple, but many people forget to formulate their real objective for giving the presentation. As with any objective, your presentation objective should be quantifiable and measurable, so that you can tell if it has been met. It is invariable best to have an objective that can be realised in the short term, otherwise too many other factors will cloud the measurement of your success.
Having defined the objective it is essential that your presentation concludes with a call to action that will re-enforce your objective, leaving your audience in no doubt of what is expected of them. Giving a presentation without a call to action is like driving a car without a destination in mind. It passes the time but won't get you anywhere..
The Speaker
Like it or not, you will be judged on your performance. So overcome any fear/nervousness and turn it to your advantage by using the energy generated by the adrenaline to add more power to your presentation. Dress appropriately for your audience and purpose. Unless you are imparting very bad news remember to smile, and look each member of your audience in the eye, as you talk. If some members of your audience are more important than others, it is acceptable to give them more eye contact, but be careful not to ignore anyone. You are the most important visual component of your presentation, so don't hide behind a lectern.
The Room
Make the most of the physical environment. Ensure the room is tidy and reduce any external distractions by closing windows and/or blinds. If you can, turn the air conditioning down and the lights up, this will reduce the likelihood of anyone dozing off. Make sure everyone can see you and the screen (assuming you are using one) and can hear you clearly. Check that you know how to operate any equipment. Don't forget to turn off your mobile and the screensaver on your laptop.
The Audience
The Audience are the most important part of any presentation. After all, without them you would be talking to yourself! You should know as much about them as possible:
Who are they?
How many of them are expected?
What are they interested in?
How much time do they have?
What do they want to hear?
The key question is "What is in it for them?" because rather then giving a presentation based on what you want to say, it is always better to base your presentation on what they what to hear.
The Material
It is surprising how fast the time goes when you get up and start talking. In a 30 to 45 minute presentation you will only have the time to convey three main points. So keep it simple! If you can't state your central message in one or two sentences, you probably haven't narrowed your topic or clarified your thoughts enough.
- Decide on three key points. People will remember 3 things for far longer than 2 or 4.
- Develop supporting evidence for each key point. Include statistics, stories or examples. Relevant and humorous anecdotes usually work well, but don't be tempted to tell jokes.
- Develop a strong introduction, to grab their attention and a powerful conclusion with your call to action to reinforce your objective.
- Use visual aids that help to communicate your message.
- Think about how you could use images rather than bullet points to help convey your message. Remember the PowerPoint slides should not be your cue cards!
- Perform the presentation with enthusiasm, variety and passion. Remember to tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them and then tell them what you told them.
OSRAM (Objective – Speaker – Room – Audience – Message)
Put them together correctly and you will turn on a light in people's heads. Brighten up their lives. You can enable your audience to see and understand things, about which they were previously in the dark.
Not to mention the fact that you will be viewed as even more professional, accomplished and valuable.
[Graham Young, is a Senior Partner in Young Markets. Young Markets run sales and presentation skills coaching and training in the South East.]
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