Inside Small Business | Small Business & Home Business Marketing

Powerful Presentations -Speaking For Success

By Terri Murphy

It’s been said that many of us would rather die than get up in front of a group and have to speak with any level of comfort.  Too often the childhood scenario of being in front of the classroom ruminates in our brain and in a second, we are back to being that timid kid at the front of the class stammering, and hoping the recess bell rings to save us.

The truth is whether you are offering a toast at a wedding, introducing business colleagues to each other, or actually presenting at a meeting, powerful presentation skills are a terrific asset and immediately communicate your level of personal power.

In our consulting practice, we find with a heightened awareness, most people can improve their communication skills to in many areas of their personal and professional life, even if they are not professional speakers.  Here are a few things to remember when presenting:

1. TEST the sound equipment BEFORE the event or meeting.  Nothing is worse than annoying feedback or a microphone that cuts out or isn’t working. Get there early and check out the equipment with the Audio Visual department. The biggest mistake made is testing the microphone close to your mouth, and then presenting with the microphone a foot or more away.
2. Learn to use a MICROPHONE effectively. So many presenters frustrate their audience because they turn away from the microphone as they speak, have it too low to make it effective or worse, mumble their words. Others may speak too loudly, which is equally annoying. Practice, practice, practice.
3. DRESS for success.  Neat, clean, professional dress is key, unless you are an entertainer or a celebrity. The rest of us need to look the part.
4. Basic EYE CONTACT is essential to make the connection with authentic and personal connectivity to one or a hundred people.   Be sure to make eye contact with those you are passing as you walk to the front of the room.  This initiates a more personal and real experience for those about to hear your presentation.
5. Be conscious of your BODY LANGUAGE. Your confidence or self esteem will be easily read by your audience if you are unsure of yourself. Any communication you deliver is more about the message, than you. Being prepared will help you communicate in a more relaxed, but powerful way.
6. OUTLINE your presentation in short bullet points on a card or sheet of paper to help prompt you during your presentation and to keep you organized.  Don’t freelance it or read it word for word. Trying to remember everything you wanted to say and backing up to add it later will impact your credibility.
7. If you are using VISUAL AIDS or power point in your presentation, don’t rely on it so heavily you are not relevant to the program.  Go to black between slides, keep the words LARGE and avoid the impulse to put too much on each slide.  If they are reading the screen, it detracts from you as the presenter.
8. STICK to your allotted time. Don’t go beyond the time allowed or you may wreak havoc on the rest of the program timing.

You don’t have to be a professional to deliver a report, a toast at a wedding or honor a high achievement by an employee. Delivering the best you is the best policy for any communication opportunity that allows for your special leadership and expertise to shine.

Terri Murphy is one of the industry’s leading consultants on the integration of traditional marketing and communication with today’s Web and Internet tools. Her expertise is developing and growing customer relations to create a more profitable business model for Fortune 500 corporations and real estate companies nationwide. She has 24+ year career in the real estate industry and holds the GRI, CRS, LTG & CREC designations. She is the CIO for U.S. Learning, Inc. and a frequent spokesperson for sales industries nationwide.

Copyright© 2005, Terri Murphy. All rights reserved.
For information contact FrogPond at 800.704.FROG(3764)
or email susie@FrogPond.com.

Presenting Business Plans: Why People Feel Nervous and What You Can Do About It

By William Doyle

If you are looking for finance to either start up a business or expand your existing one you have to accept that if you want the Bank to say yes to your superb business idea, you are going to have to spend time preparing for the interview.

The chat with the Manager is your only chance to really sell yourself and your idea.  It’s rare that you’ll get a second chance with the same Manager or Bank.  So don’t deny yourself the opportunity.

But many people have a problem in presenting themselves in front of strangers!

So let’s consider why people find the idea of selling themselves and their business a daunting task.

Lack of Confidence

Some people just don’t feel confident when talking in a public situation.  You may not consider communicating on a one-to-one basis as talking in public, but it is.  Outside of your own “self-talk” (conversations you have in your mind with yourself) and within your own home, all conversations are essentially public speeches.

Lack of Preparation

If you haven’t prepared properly then this will show through in any stressful situation.  Lack of preparation includes not knowing the ins-and-outs of your business idea or Business Plan and not anticipating the type of questions you’ll be asked during the interview.  It’s comparable to going into an examination and knowing deep down that you haven’t put the effort in – do you remember that feeling?

Poor Communication Skills

Some people feel that they can never communicate their ideas in a clear and coherent manner; their thoughts are jumbled up and are not in any order; words and explanation of concepts come out in a muddle.  As a result, their body language and voice begins to reflect the uneasiness, which leads to even more mental anguish. And so the cycle continues ever downward!

Poor Self Image

Some business people don’t see the interview as a meeting of equals in which both parties want a successful outcome.  They see the Manager as some kind of ogre, someone, who given half the chance, will devour them up and cast them aside, just for his own evil pleasure!  This enduring image stays with them right up to the start of the interview, dominating their thoughts and making the whole process a complete disaster!

Lack of Focus and Planning

On the day of the interview, some try to do a thousand-and-one other things before going along to the Bank.  What happens?  They get stressed out because something has not gone to plan – the man who was to come to repair the washing machine didn’t turn up until an hour after the agreed time; they forgot that the car would need fuel on the way in and so this has added 10 minutes to the journey time; a friend turns up at the house and they don’t have the courage to tell her to go, so an hour later she’s still there!

By the time they get to the Bank, their heart is beating faster than that of a marathon runner and their mind is a complete blank!  They don’t see the day as having one job, that of seeing the Bank Manager, and so the day isn’t properly planned.

All these unplanned diversions and delusions can take your mind off mentally preparing for the important task ahead.

Do any of these situations sound familiar?  What can you do to put yourself in a better frame of mind?

Here are 3 suggestions out of my 9-step Interview Preparation Plan.

Have Belief in Your Future Success

Before someone else can believe in you, you have to believe in yourself.  You must absolutely have no doubt in your own mind that you will succeed in setting up your business or moving your current business forward.  It’s not about what you believe you are now but what you believe you can be in the future.  You may have little in the way of money or assets now but you have to believe that in the future you will have all these things (if this is how you define your idea of success).

You have to be 100% sure that you are going to be one of the few people who will make a success of their life.  You have to demonstrate an “I-will-get-to-the-top” attitude. If you don’t believe you can climb to the top of the mountain then it’s certain you won’t! People, and this will include your Bank Manager, follow the person who believes what he is saying.

Know Your Business Plan Inside Out

If you have organised yourself properly, the Manager will have spent time going through your Business Plan before the interview.  After reviewing your Plan he will probably have a list of questions to clarify the areas he’s not sure of, or questions just to prompt you to give him a better understanding of certain parts of your business.

To deal with these questions confidently and competently you have to know your Plan inside out. In view of the time constraints people are under these days, it’s possible that the Manager may only have skimmed through your Plan (what! After all your work? After all those hours?  Yep, it’s a fact of life I’m afraid!). The answers to his queries of course may actually be contained in the Plan. If this does happen, don’t lose your cool or answer with an “attitude”.  Use this as an opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of your Plan.  Think how professional and organized you’ll look when you tell him to turn to page 10 and he’ll find the answer to his question right there! If nothing else, it will make him feel humble!

Knowing your Plan means that at least during the interview you’re not going to contradict what you included in it.  You have to be consistent.  If you say something which doesn’t tally with what you stated on paper, what do you think will go through the Manager’s mind?  “Does this person know what he’s doing?  They obviously don’t have a clear direction or focus for the business if they keep changing their mind.”

Knowing your Plan will demonstrate that you are meticulous, organized and consistent, the type of person a Banker really likes!

Put Yourself in the Manager’s Shoes

One effective way of preparing for the interview is to imagine you as the Manager.  Imagine you are seeing yourself and your plan for the first time; pretend you know absolutely nothing about you or your business.  What would you ask?  What would you want to know?  What is likely to confuse an “outsider” about your business?  What questions would you ask to get a better understanding?  What challenging questions would you ask?

You have to get inside his mind so you can prepare well-researched and well-presented answers to his likely questions.  It’s all back to being professional in your presentation, demonstrating that you know your business and that you are worthy of support.  You won’t give this impression if you haven’t spend time thinking of possible questions you could be asked and preparing the answers in advance.

Banker’s favorite questions are “What if……” ones:

• “What if your supplier fails you?”
• “What if the price of your raw materials goes up by 10%?”
• “What if you lose your number one customer?”
• “What if one of your critically important employees leaves?”

Set some time aside when preparing for the interview to think like a Banker.  What would you want to know if you were in his chair?  The list of questions could be endless and there is no way you can pre-empt all of them but at least you will be prepared for the majority of them.

These are just 3 of the steps you can take to prepare yourself for your interview.

Presentation Power

By Dr. Tony Alessandra
CSP, CPAE

The number one fear of most adults (even above death) is speaking in public.  Yet the ability to communicate to groups of people is a skill which can make a critical difference in our careers and in our ability to share information, ideas, experience, and enthusiasms with others.  A study conducted by AT&T and Stanford University revealed that the top predictor of success and upward mobility, professionally, is how much you enjoy public speaking and how effective you are at it.

Most of us have experienced more than our share of boring presentations.  After what seems like hours, we still don’t know what message we were supposed to get.  Maybe the speaker put us to sleep with his monotone presentation or we couldn’t read the small writing on the transparencies, which didn’t seem to match up at all with what the speaker was trying to say.

To avoid being the source of a “sleeper” presentation, you need to build your presentation skills.  Here are some simple guidelines to overcoming stage fright and preparing for a successful presentation.

Developing the Attitude of a Successful Public Speaker

Remember that stage fright is normal and be open about it.  Sometimes just admitting that you are feeling anxiety helps relieve it.  You should also remember that you are the expert. The person who asked you to speak believes that you have something of value to share.  The people attending the meeting believe that they will receive information of value.

Therefore, your primary duty is to understand what your audience needs to know and prepare the message and supporting materials in a way that delivers your message clearly and powerfully.  Make a strong, whole-hearted commitment to your audience.  Concentrating on them and their needs will help you forget about your own self-consciousness.

Some additional tips for overcoming stage fright:

• Practice your presentation.  Do a pilot test, and if possible, videotape yourself.

• Establish rapport by using names and eye contact.

• Research your audience.  Get acquainted with at least one person in the audience.

• Relax.  Breathe deeply.  Visualize yourself successfully presenting your message to the audience.

• Use your own style.  Don’t imitate someone else.

• Preparing for Success – Planning A good presentation requires careful planning and lack of planning is always apparent.  Sure clues are speeches that are too long, too detailed, confusing, vague, boring or off-track.

The most critical step in preparation is understanding the “what” and the “why” of your presentation: its purpose.  Your purpose should be the broad general outcome you want the presentation to achieve.  Here are three questions you can ask yourself to clarify the objective of your presentation:

• Why am I giving this presentation?

• What do I want the audience to know or do at the end of the presentation?

• How do I want the audience to feel?

Focus on the Big Idea

Once you know your audience and are clear about your objectives and purpose, you are ready to start organizing your presentation.  The first step is to find your focus.

This is the Big Idea of your material, the power punch, the one thing you want your audience to walk away with.   One way to make sure you are clear on your focus is to develop a basic outline of your presentation.  Begin by listing no more than five independent ideas that the audience must understand for the objectives to be accomplished.  Then outline your plan for presenting the necessary detail and persuasive material needed to allow your audience to understand those points.  This gives you a rough outline of the content of your message.

Getting Their Attention

There are three major sections of a presentation: introduction, main body, and conclusion.  Your first step is to get the audience’s attention and convince them to listen to you.  This happens in the introduction … and this is where many beginning speakers lose their audience.  Grab them with something vitally interesting to them.

Give them an interesting story or example that ties into your focus.  Use a strong, meaningful quotation or a startling statistic.

Be succinct, use simple graphic language, and most of all, never apologize!  If the airline lost your bag and you’re in yesterday’s clothes … if you’re a last minute substitute for the best speaker in the country … if you have the flu and a 101* temperature, don’t mention it.   Start your speech with power.  Make your audience think they’re going to be informed, entertained or enlightened … don’t let them think they’re getting inferior goods, leftovers or anything except your best.

The Main Message

Once you’ve gotten the audience’s attention, you need to deliver what you promised in the shortest, most interesting way possible.  Hold people’s attention during the main body of your message by creating a lot of mini-cycles with beginnings, middles, and ends instead of having one big cycle that lasts through the entire presentation.

You should plan a change-of-pace every 10 to 15 minutes so that you can break up your talk into mini-cycles and keep attention riveted.  You can do this by including appropriate humor, stories, exercises requiring people to move their bodies (even if it’s just raising their hands) or calls for a verbal response.   Keep these change-of-pace exercises as physical as possible if your presentation occurs after lunch when much of our energy is diverted to our digestive system.

Remember that the purpose of your presentation is not to present all you know about a subject — it’s to present what your audience needs to know in a way that meets your personal objectives as well as theirs.

Conclusion

Many speakers have a dynamite opening and a powerful, interesting message only to drop the ball at the end.  You need a strong wrap up.  It serves an important role for the audience.  Your conclusion should repeat your main ideas: don’t expect the audience to remember a point that they have heard only once. You can signal a wind-up of the presentation with a phrase such as: “Let’s review the main points we’ve covered.”  Your conclusion should be strong, succinct and persuasive.

Practice and Visualize Success

You know your audience.  You know your material.  You’ve written a dynamite speech.  The last step is to practice delivering it.   Here’s how:

• Rehearse aloud.  Do this in order to check your timing (you read out loud slower than you read in your mind), and to make sure your presentation flows and sounds the way you want it to.

• Rehearse at least four or five times.  You should feel comfortable explaining all of your ideas.  Don’t try to memorize your speech, however, or you may end up sounding stale, as if you are reciting or reading.

• Rehearse in the actual location of the presentation, if possible.  It is better to work out the technicalities of visual aids, outlets and positioning during a rehearsal as opposed to the day of your presentation.  Time yourself during rehearsal.  During your last few rehearsals, time yourself so that you can make sure you stay within the amount of time allotted for your presentation.

Once you have rehearsed your presentation and feel comfortable with the material, visualize yourself presenting it successfully.  While you are comfortably seated, close your eyes and visualize your entire presentation.  See the room and imagine yourself walking to the front of the room and being greeted by a warm round of applause.  See the audience and feel them anxiously awaiting your message.

Hear yourself begin.  Your voice sounds confident and strong.  Mentally go through your entire presentation.  See the audience rise and give you a standing ovation when you finish.  Feel your pleasure as people come up after the presentation to tell you how well you did and how important the message was to them.  Bask in your success.  Repeat this exercise until you feel confident and well prepared.

Your ability to speak in front of groups is one of the most important professional skills you can develop.  To truly develop the skill, however, you have to practice it in front of a real, live audience.  Force yourself to find opportunities to speak.

Volunteer at your professional organizations, civic clubs, or church.  You might even consider joining Toastmasters — it offers you a weekly speaking experience in a supportive, educational environment.  Good Luck!

Dr. Tony Alessandra, CSP, CPAE has authored 13 books, recorded over 50 audio and video programs, and delivered over 2,000 keynote speeches since 1976. Copyright© 1999, Tony Alessandra. All rights reserved. This article has been adapted from Dr. Alessandra’s book, Charisma (Warner books, 1998. Dr. Tony Alessandra is recognized by Meetings and Conventions Magazine as… “one of America’s most electrifying speakers.”

Copyright© 1999, Tony Alessandra. All rights reserved.
For information contact FrogPond at 800.704.FROG(3764)
or email susie@FrogPond.com.