Improve Your Presentation in Less Than an Hour
By Mark Sincevich
Friday, March 23 2007
Friday, March 23 2007
Published on AllBusiness.com
As you gaze outside of your window to see the sun peeking out from behind the clouds on what you thought was a predictable day, your boss walks by to let you know that a top prospect is coming by the office in about two hours. You think this is good news for your organization only to hear your boss say, "I would like you to do a 45-minute presentation."
Immediately your heart rate increases, you start to perspire and perhaps your head is spinning. Your meek reply in the affirmative reveals your lack of confidence in your abilities. What if your reply was more akin to, "Sure, I'll be glad to knock our prospect's socks off with a great presentation." What would need to change in your approach in the next two hours for you to deliver a presentation that is your best instead of one that went bust?
Presentations have a way of leaving a legacy long after your program has ended. Even if the prospect doesn't buy from you right now, a high quality presentation will definitely be remembered in a positive light. This might mean referral business down the road. Plus the quality of your presentation will impact how your boss and any other co-workers view you and your abilities. This may affect future assignments of your choice and even your promotion prospects.
Is this enough pressure? Many people in a similar situation take the stress that they are under and pour "gasoline on the fire" as their panic and worries further erupt. While it is important to acknowledge one's feelings of inadequacy, they must quickly be replaced by feelings of positive action. You can worry all you want, but the real question to ask yourself is, "How can I improve the quality of my presentation now?"
We are a society of storytellers. This is in spite of the pressures of instant messaging, cell phones and e-mail. Your audience won't remember the three features about your product or service. They will remember the story you told about a photograph that relates to the three key benefits to them.
In photography there is a concept called the "rule of thirds." The ancient Greeks discovered that all beautiful works or art could be divided into thirds. Showing a photograph of three windmills, one in the left hand plane, one in the center and one in the right hand plane might be the metaphor for your organization's three key benefits to your prospect. One of the windmills can stand for "great relationships."
Change Your Surroundings
At this point, you probably have worried for about 10 minutes. You are now down to and hour and 50 minutes to both prepare your presentation and arrive a little early into the room where you will present. The absolute best thing you can do right now is to get out of
Immediately your heart rate increases, you start to perspire and perhaps your head is spinning. Your meek reply in the affirmative reveals your lack of confidence in your abilities. What if your reply was more akin to, "Sure, I'll be glad to knock our prospect's socks off with a great presentation." What would need to change in your approach in the next two hours for you to deliver a presentation that is your best instead of one that went bust?
Presentations have a way of leaving a legacy long after your program has ended. Even if the prospect doesn't buy from you right now, a high quality presentation will definitely be remembered in a positive light. This might mean referral business down the road. Plus the quality of your presentation will impact how your boss and any other co-workers view you and your abilities. This may affect future assignments of your choice and even your promotion prospects.
Is this enough pressure? Many people in a similar situation take the stress that they are under and pour "gasoline on the fire" as their panic and worries further erupt. While it is important to acknowledge one's feelings of inadequacy, they must quickly be replaced by feelings of positive action. You can worry all you want, but the real question to ask yourself is, "How can I improve the quality of my presentation now?"
We are a society of storytellers. This is in spite of the pressures of instant messaging, cell phones and e-mail. Your audience won't remember the three features about your product or service. They will remember the story you told about a photograph that relates to the three key benefits to them.
In photography there is a concept called the "rule of thirds." The ancient Greeks discovered that all beautiful works or art could be divided into thirds. Showing a photograph of three windmills, one in the left hand plane, one in the center and one in the right hand plane might be the metaphor for your organization's three key benefits to your prospect. One of the windmills can stand for "great relationships."
Change Your Surroundings
At this point, you probably have worried for about 10 minutes. You are now down to and hour and 50 minutes to both prepare your presentation and arrive a little early into the room where you will present. The absolute best thing you can do right now is to get out of
