Two Keys To Successful Presentations

The Message

• Clearly define what you want to achieve with your presentation.
  
  
• What message do you want an audience to receive?
  
  • “I want to explain the impact of the GST on our firm so that everyone understands it and we maintain our efficiency.”
    
  • “I want these graduates to get a clear picture of how to grow a company and the keys to success”.
  
  
• Consider the audience.
  
  
• Your message must HUM.
  
  • They must Hear, Understand and be Motivated to take action
  
  
• The End
  
  • Start with the end in mind. What message do you want your audience to hear and what do you want them to do with the message?
  
  
• Each presentation should have a structure. The audience wants to know your ethos or ‘right to speak’. They should feel your passion for the subject and be persuaded by your reasoning or logos. As Peter Thompson says “Being persuasive is really about speaking from your heart, your head and your soul”. Sometimes speaking or presenting is beyond skill and more about soul in speaking.
  
  
• Develop your story
  
  • Write it, tell it to someone warts and all. Let an objective person determine what is relevant. Your audience wants to know about you –the challenges and triumphs. They want the ‘authentic’ you. Practice becoming familiar with your own story so that you can tell it smoothly with interest at any time. Stories help you connect with your audience – depending on the type of audience they are.

The Audience

"Persuading someone else requires you to key into the way they like to process information” - Peter Thompson, author of Persuading Aristotle

• Feel the tone of your audience and aim to present slightly above that tone.
  
  • The tone of a room full of entrepreneurs will be different from staff who do not want to be at an information session. One audience is alive and enthusiastic, the other low key. Adjust to each.
  
  
• What type is your audience?
  
  • Are they ‘auditor types’, ‘carers/sharers’, ‘movers and shakers’ or ‘communicators’?Your language and information will have a different emphasis depending on the audience. For instance:
    • 'Auditors’ need substance and detail, and are persuaded by logic and an analytical approach.
      
    • ‘Sharers’ are persuaded by empathy - a connection with you and the social consequences of your actions.
      
    • ‘Communicators’ need excitement and to be energised by your presentation. They want to see passion and enthusiasm from you.
      
    • ‘Shakers’ look for the concise point of the argument and are persuaded by a decisive message and a plan of action.
    
    
  • Know their age, cultural background, sex etc.

Physical & Metaphysical

Connecting also involves the physical - your appearance, body language, voice, verbal and the metaphysical.

Research by Dr Albert Mehrabian shows that audiences are influenced primarily by your visual appearance - gestures, posture, movement, eye contact, dress, aids(55%); vocal qualities - tone, enthusiasm (38%); and verbal/content (7%).

Since your audience may only be influenced by as little as 7% by your content. Every word is important.

• Language. Use language to paint pictures so that your message is memorable. Metaphors are useful. For instance, ‘iron curtain’, ‘domino effect’, ‘creativity flows through us like a stream of ideas we can dip into’. Use language which excites the senses (kinesthetic, olfactory, gustatory, auditory & visual). “Sensitive” language embeds images and messages in the long-term memory of your audience’s minds ( feet on hot sand -Kinesthetic/touch; the nose of a Coonawarra red wine –olfactory/smell etc) Use pathos and humour where appropriate.
  
  
• Your body and visual impact. No matter how good your content is, if the message contained in your voice and body language doesn’t fit the words you will be unconvincing. Consider your posture, how you stand, move, gestures, clothes etc.

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