The ABC and D of presentations. A clever neumonic to help you with the first few minutes of any presentation, to get it off to the right start and give you lots of confidence to continue.
A - Attention
"Unaccustomed as I am to public speaking ..."
"Hello, my name is Paul Archer ..."
"Uhm, OK, lets get started then shall we? ..."
What do these three have in common? Yes of course, they are bland, listless and terribly unexciting presentation starters.
Your first priority is to get the attention of your audience, especially if you are selling and presenting at the same time. We don't have the luxury of time, so we need to grab their attention in the first few moments.
Now it helps if you've done your circulating with the audience beforehand and have done some homework on the people sitting in front of you. This gives you some pointers as to the type of attention-getter to use.
I'm not saying you should tell a joke. Perhaps you could, but make sure it's a self-effacing joke to show your humility and not embarrass anyone sitting down.
- Share a quotation. You can get thousands of these from the Internet and one might fit the bill
- Tell a story or metaphor which will link into the main points
- Ask a searching question
- Give a call to action
- "This day" in history. Look for something that happened this day in history. You might be able to link this in
B - Benefits
Once you have their attention, tease them with some of the main benefits or the one major one benefit they will get from listening and taking action.
It might be obvious to you, but we have to think of our audience - "What's in it for me?". Think in their shoes and share some benefits.
"What I'd like to do is to give you some up-to-date pointers which will help you decide your direction over the next year. These could give you a competitive advantage."
Enough to intrigue, excite and make people want to listen more.
C - Credibility
It's important to get this part done if the audience has never met you before. Sometimes, in more formal settings, the Master of Ceremonies will introduce you and help to build your credibility.
However in most business presentations, particularly sales pitches, you really do have to cement your credibility. Don't overdo this bit. Don't fall into the trap of telling them all about you, your history, your qualifications.
That's zzzzz time. Instead - use a reassurance statement.
This statement should include your name and your experience both in the customer's industry or sector and your experience in dealing with similar problems to your customer.
D - Direction
Keep telling them where you are and how long to go. Tell your audience where you're going to take them. Give them clear direction. Not an agenda. Those are for books.
Presentations need signposts which tell them where you're going. At each junction, the audience needs reminding where they've come from and then where they're going to go next.
And as you approach the end, signal that the end is in sight.
With the end in sight:
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Signal that the end is in sight
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Summarise each of your key points and remember the power of three. Three major points maximum.
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Invite questions: don't end on a question and answer session
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Re-state your aim and overall purpose
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Definite finish - end with a call to action