In a separate article on communicating value proposition, we looked at what goes into developing marketing communication that resonates with prospective customers. We mentioned that when the communication directly addresses the precise needs of the recipient, it arouses interest and desire.
In this article, we look at the "how to" of effective presentations. Presentations are typically delivered by a speaker to an audience. They are used with a wide range of objectives from getting a sale to finding backers and investors for your project.
Making Presentations
Words on a printed sheet or on a computer screen can create great impact. However, the impact of these cannot really compare with the impact of a personal presentation supported with graphics that convey key points at a glance, and the crisp and clear words that land in the ears of the audience without any effort on their part.
What goes into effective presentations? What presentation skills should a presenter seek to develop? We seek to answer these questions in this article.
How to Make Effective Presentations
Decide on the Purpose of the Presentation: What do you want to achieve with the presentation? Even in the limited field of sales presentations, you might want to get an immediate order or simply to prepare the ground for further negotiations. The specific purpose of the presentation will determine the content to use.
Look at your Audience: Try to form a clear idea of what your audience will need to know to generate desired results. Make sure that the critical points come out strongly in your presentation. Another dimension is the level of communication that your audience will be comfortable with.
While treating your audience as a bunch of idiots can backfire, it is necessary to recognize that not all audiences are the same (for example, perceptions of reality might differ greatly from group to group). Tailor your presentation to tell the audience what they need to know, in a language that they will understand.
Look at the Scenario: Get a good idea of the physical environment in which you will be making a presentation. A compact presentation to a single decision maker in the latter's office will require very different preparation and equipment compared to making a presentation to an audience in a large hall. For example, the latter scenario will involve making sure that your words and the graphics reach even those quite a distance away.
Develop the Presentation: Research and experience have shown that presentations need to follow certain rules to be effective. For example, don't include details in the presentation itself; instead provide them in a separate handout. Don't try to express more than one idea in a slide. Use visuals that clearly convey the message you want to convey. Mihai Budiu provides some excellent rules for presentations.
Engage the Audience: The above steps are preparatory steps. Now that you are in front of the audience, you can do several things that enhance the effectiveness of the presentation:
- Attend to your body language. Convey enthusiasm and happiness (to be among the group) rather than indifference.
- Move around among the audience and make eye contact with members.
- Avoid sleep-inducing monotonous presentations; vary modes and tone of delivery, include some humor (provided you can manage it well) and interesting anecdotes.
- Get your audience involved; encourage them to ask questions; listen to the questions deliberately and answer the points raised (prepare for this in advance by anticipating the questions); if possible, get them active with something that reinforces your message.
- Above all, don't try to project an artificial personality; be yourself.
Improving Presentation Skills
You can improve the effectiveness of your presentations through certain actions.
- Eliminate any fear of public speaking by undergoing specialized courses if necessary. You should be able to be your confident self in front of a hall full of audience as well as a senior executive.
- Acquire the skill to use presentation tools like Microsoft's PowerPoint. This is not just a matter of learning to create slides and conduct a slideshow. Instead, it involves following specific rules for creating an effective presentation (see link to rules of presentation above).
- Once you have done your homework and developed an appropriate presentation, rehearse it a few times before the actual delivery. Some presenters suggest five advance rehearsals.
- At the presentation itself, however, focus on delivering the message rather than on how you are coming across.
Making presentations effectively is an invaluable communication skill for salespersons and others who want to get a message across in an acceptable way. By cultivating certain skills, preparing in advance and following certain rules, you can acquire good presentation results.
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