How to Deliver Engaging Presentations
RULES OF ENGAGEMENT: HOW TO DELIVER ENGAGING PRESENTATIONS ONLINE AND OFF
By Robyn Hatcher, PMC-LLC Coach
Your most effective marketing and sales tool is your ability to deliver an engaging, persuasive presentation whether in front of a room of a thousand people, across the table from two people, or through the lens of a computer camera.
Use these five tips to lift your presentations to a new level.
1) Second guess your audience
My study of Neuro-Linguistic Programming and my many years as a communication coach taught me that no two people process information the same way. Since it’s impossible to tailor your communication to fit every person in the room, asking these questions about your audience will help.
· The Obvious: Age? Education? Level of seniority? Culture? Mindset?
· AND the not so obvious. What do they already know? What more do they need to know? What are some expectations listeners may have? What are some biases? What will people with biases likely say? How can I address their biases within my speech?
You won’t know the definitive answers so make an educated guess; ask a colleague their opinion or experience; send a survey and/or use a show of hands polling questions at the beginning of your presentation.
2) Start with WHY
Show of hands, who starts preparing a presentation by focusing on your content? What you want to talk about is important, but 80 percent of your presentation success starts with knowing your why. Why are you speaking? Why should they care? Think about what you want them to know, think, feel, understand, or do as a result of your speech? What’s the one point you want them to remember?
Starting with why will help you figure out what is important to include and what you might be able to leave out.
3) Engage emotion
Ninety-five percent of most thinking and decision-making takes place in the subconscious, the part of our brain ruled by emotion. We then use our logical brain to rationalize the choice our subconscious has made. Whether they are considering what kind of car to buy or which colleague’s idea to listen to, people make decisions based on how it makes them feel. Yet so much content put into presentations is data, facts, and information - logical brain stuff. To create engaging presentations, weave in emotional hooks. Otherwise, your content may not get heard or understood.
One effective way to engage emotion is through storytelling. Listening to a story uses almost every part of our brain, therefore making a deeper impact. How can you create a story around your data? How can you create visuals around your facts and statistics? Case studies, examples, hypothetical scenarios, your origin story, mission, and experience are all ways to engage a listener’s emotions.
Using metaphor or analogy is also a way to engage emotionally. Don’t feed sirloin steak to your audiences without making sure it’s been tenderized. If you feed people tough, overcooked steak, no matter how much you paid for it, it’s going to be hard to digest. Find ways to “tenderize” your content so that it goes down easy, and people are left satisfied and craving more.
4) Meet them where they are
You are steeped in the lingo, uniqueness, and importance of your business. Your listeners are not. Founders often speak as if their listener has been on the same journey they have. They assume that everyone will automatically appreciate the benefits and brilliance of their hard work. Your product or service makes complete sense to you, but to some listeners, it’s a huge leap from “these are my awesome facts” to “sign on the dotted line.” Create a bridge that links your “awesome facts” to “What’s in it for them.” Stories, analogies, and examples can be that bridge, but you also may need to distill your knowledge into smaller, high-level concepts that allow your listener to see how you got to where you are and how what you are offering will make a difference in their lives.
5) Mind your nonverbals
Emerson said, “What you do speaks so loud, I cannot hear what you say.” Nonverbal communication accounts for 60-80 percent of communication’s effectiveness. The subconscious mind that makes decisions based on emotion gets most of its clues from body language and vocal tone.
Record yourself before any important presentation. Work with a coach or colleague to assess whether your voice has enough variety, emphasis, and energy; whether your posture is powerful, your gestures effective, and your facial expressions convey trust and confidence.
In the virtual world, busy or distracting backgrounds, bad lighting, voice distortion, flat monotonous vocal tone have even more of a negative impact on viewers than they do in-person. If you’re presenting virtually, check your sound, lighting, and background before you join. Increase your energy level and vocal variety. And make sure you’re centered in the video frame with enough of your torso in view so you’re not just a talking head.
Anybody can present, but to become someone who generates buzz and catapults your business to success, you need to stop presenting and start engaging. Contact me for more information on any of these topics.