Presentation

The most dramatic exercise that we conduct in our High Impact Presentations workshop is called CEO for a Day. We promote each of our participants to CEO of their companies. We then ask that they each craft their opening message to their executive team and deliver it. What is dramatic about this activity is that our participants rise to the challenge and present themselves more powerfully and persuasively, as if they are the CEO.

I’ve learned from conducting this exercise numerous times that sometimes all people need is to be given permission to project their best and most confident selves. And they do!

CEOs are the people that we look up to (most of them anyways). Granted, not all of them have excellent communication skills, however, many of them do.

Marcus Buckingham in The One Thing You Need to Know says this about leaders: “The leader’s role i...

There are widely shared prototypes on the qualities that constitute leadership and leaders. Individuals who ‘fit’ universal categories, who look and sound the part in a particular culture, will be more readily embraced by audiences than those who don’t. In practical terms what this means is that if you want people to take notice of what you say, you have to project a visual and vocal image that meets as closely as possible the expectations of your target audience.

Research has shown that when people encounter you as a leader, speaker, or media spokesperson for the first time, they will scrutinise rapidly your looks and appearance and form an impression in seconds. They will scan your face and eyes first, make a judgement and move on to your body. This quick appraisal is usually followed by attention to your clothing and manner of dress, on which further assessments are made. The...

Creating artful presentations, crafting interesting articles, and making readable documents could be made more visually exciting if clip art is used. In fact, many people are using clip art to decorate boring write ups and projects, make their own cards, and even make a point more interesting. Most people who use clip art at present use free clip art.

What is free clip art?

Free clip art are copied or cut images that are made available for any person or organization to use. People who are interested in using these clip art images need not provide their credit card numbers or shell out some cash. These images are free of charge. If these are printed clip art images, people could simply cut them out and paste them wherever they need the images. If these are electronic clip art images, simply downloading them from the website or copying them to your document would do the tric...

When presenting a battle plan to the Pentagon the presenter must understand that the Pentagon has some of the most advanced war planners in the history of mankind. Most of these Pentagon war planners have read nearly every book written on military history and battle tactics.

Most of these war planners have not only been in combat in the heat of battle when chaos and controversy rule the day, but they have also beaten their opponents and enemies whether they were actual or war game simulated enemies.

Therefore it behooves the presenter to have their facts straight and be able to have contingencies for hundreds if not thousands of what if type questions. The presenter of a battle plan to the Pentagon must also know their facts and not simply rely on the old CIA data for the region or country where the future battle might take place. Real Intel is paramount and Internet ba...

In tradeshows, it’s not only the exhibits and display booths that play important roles, but also the persons who sell the displays and manage the booths. The effort, time, and money you spent on your tradeshow exhibit will only be wasted if your display booth personnel are unprofessional and not well-trained. This will undoubtedly hurt your company’s name and reputation.

You can hire an expert to train your booth staff for the tradeshow. Remember to review your marketing strategies and sales skills and practice effective demonstrations of the products and services that you offer.

As a vendor, your goal is to generate sales. It’s important that you apply sales fundamentals in a tradeshow as in any other sales method. Thus, you have to focus on finding potential and qualified leads. Before the event, contact as many visitors as you can. The more visitors that’ll stop by your...

So many people want to be respected by those they meet and they are so worried what other people will think of them almost to the point that they will do anything to look their best and be loved by everyone they see. This in fact is a losing game because it means you have to learn how to lie really really well.

You have to pretend to be something you're not and you have to pretend that you agree with everyone you meet. You have to become an impostor and pretend for the rest of your life because once you start trying to pretend that you are professional you have to be careful that no one figures out the truth.

Let me tell you a little story of a gentle man who is going to work with our company and he was a salesperson. He was the most impeccable dresser and he looked and talked like a million bucks. I asked him to meet me at a Starbucks and he was going to be awarded a huge...

When you are introduced, “take the stage” by walking to the podium or center stage purposefully, quickly, and with your head held high. Pause a few seconds, smile brightly, and then move to the left or right of center stage, out from behind the podium just one or two steps.

These deliberate movements tell the audience, “I’m glad to be here. I’m prepared, credible, and confident. You are going to enjoy my presentation!"

Emphasize Key Points

When you are about to make an important point, step forward with one, slightly-longer-than-normal, step. Walking, but not pacing, can also help emphasize a lengthy and important idea. It must be “intentional” and important to the message. Simply take a few steps and at slight angles.

Throughout your remarks, your audience takes cues from your movements. As you make transitions between segments, move fairly slowly sidew...

Have you noticed that time is passing faster? Me too, and I’m not all that old.

But maybe time seems to fly by because we’re exposed to shorter messages…and that’s a good thing. Many experts calculate an adult’s attention span from eight seconds to about six minutes, so it’s important to cram lots of information into a short time.

Maybe you’ve already noticed that e-mail seems to get better response if it’s brief and succinct. But what about press releases? Well, many companies now choose to release a single page story instead of a multi-page one.

If you believe – as I do – that a two minute (or shorter) message is the wave of the future, how can you send an effective one? Here are ten brief thoughts:

1. SINGLE THEME – Stick to one main point, and reveal it at the first of the message. If you’ve got two or three points to make, stress the most important first…...

In my younger years, I always heard "practice makes perfect." Persuaders who take the time to craft a well structured presentation find greater success than those who don't. A properly structured presentation includes the following:

Create Interest

Make sure the other party is interested in what you have to offer. What's in it for them? How can you help them be open to negotiation and create a win-win resolution?

State the Problem

Clearly define the problem you intend to alleviate. Relate your understanding of how the need or problem affects the other party so they know that you understand exactly where they're coming from.

Offer Evidence

Support and validate your claims and concerns. Expand your credibility by giving the other side additional sources to rely on besides ...

You are invited to speak on the new product your company just launched. You deliver a killer presentation. You receive questions from your audience. You get a standing ovation. Then nothing happens. You didn’t get a lead. You didn’t get a referral.

When you speak at a professional or trade conference you have the opportunity to build brand awareness, expand the database, get a referral, attract another client, or close a sale. However these opportunities often vanish like vapor from a fog, and when the fog clears you walk away thinking you aren’t a very good presenter after all. This is a false assumption and an unfair judgment about your own abilities.

If you aren’t getting the results you hoped for it’s not because you aren’t a good presenter. You aren’t getting the desired results because you haven’t learned how to distinguish a hope from an intention.

You hope yo...

A Mega-Frame is like the ornate framing that surrounds a picture or painting. It encloses and defines information. Amateur and professional artists deeply appreciate the value of framing: the right frames will enhance their pictures - the wrong frames will devalue them. Many an artist has created works that have not become truly expressive or beautiful until they have been enclosed in the right frame.

Framing has a long and rich history. The Sophists of ancient Greece were masterful framers and re-framers. Aristotle coined the word “atechnoi” to describe it. One of ancient Rome’s greatest orators, Cicero, elevated frames (“statis”) to an art form. His speeches are still studied by students of influence and rhetoric.

Mega-framing describes Strategic or psychological framing and underpins the art of managing perception. It takes in the ‘big picture’ rather than detail. It ...

You have data! The problem is to pull meaning out of it. The data has no value if you can't understand it.

The solution is to visualize that data. One of the simplest ways to do just that is with graphs. Graphs have a way of letting you see the big picture that is hidden within the mass of numbers.

Types Of Graphs

There are several types of graphs. Each has its strengths and weaknesses. The following list shows the more common graphs with their pros and cons:

Pros Cons

Line Graphs Great for seeing trends and seasonality in data. Not good with small amounts of data.

Pie Graphs Good for showing the percentage of the whole. One trick pony! No other uses.

Bar Graphs Better with small amounts of data. Not good with large amounts of data.

Uses For Graphs...

I would say that your number one resource for funny material is yourself. When searching for comedic stories, think back on your own life experiences. Often those embarrassing moments and awkward scenarios provide excellent, true-to-life humor that people can appreciate, relate to and enjoy. Such personal stories are doubly effective when they underscore a key point you're trying to make to your audience or when they offer a lesson to be learned from the experience.

Other definite perks of using your own stories include the fact that the material is truly authentic and original. Even if it's a common experience in the human family, your personal account will never be "worn out." As you go about your daily tasks, always be aware that the situation you find yourself in at any given moment may have some humor in it. You should always carry around a l...

One of the easiest ways to destroy a business presentation is to over do the perfume or cologne, as it is distracting and even if the scent is one of high-price and quality, it also is a turn-off to a board of directors or decision making group? After all what are you trying to hide? Are you trying to mask the fact that your program or pitch stinks as much as your body odor? Over Done Cologne and Your Business Presentation do not mix.

What scents make the most sense? It is not so much the scent as it is the lack of a domination over your victims. Over doing the cologne or perfume is not a smart tactic and yet we see so many folks doing this.

Before my retirement as a Franchisor Founder, I had many people present ideas, concepts, products and services to my company and occasionally someone would come in with impeccable attire and over done cologne or perfume, it was such a ...

Investing in your company image makes sense and you must consider this part of your business presentation. It is as important as the signage on your location and your brochures or website. Neglecting your company vehicles is not smart marketing or presentation. What can you do to dress up your company vehicles?

Well it would seem that it is good advice to never have your vehicles looking dirty. Did you know that Fred Smith of Federal Express use to wash every vehicle every day and then eventually went to twice per week washing? He knew the value of his vehicles on the street and the image it presented to his customers and future clientele.

Today there are so many excellent options for vehicle signage to consider once you commit to keeping your company vehicles clean. Lets face it if you plan on putting cool graphics on your vehicle no sense in advertising the fact that you...

Charismatic communication demands a transaction between speaker and listeners, and, as with most forms of fair-trading, customer satisfaction is predicated on exchanging things of equal value. For example, in exchange for a piece of electronic equipment at your local electrical store, you hand over its alleged value in dollars. In effect, the salesman buys your money with the piece of equipment.

Similar dynamics apply when you seek to buy people's commitment to your proposals or ideas. So, what currency do you need to use to purchase attention and a fair hearing from your audience? The currency comes in three denominations:

1. Discovery 2. Groundwork 3. Dialogue

You can choose to spend a reasonable amount of time in discovery mode. It's part of a process of learning about the people you intend to influence. It enables you to gain an insight into their personal worldv...

The way that your company logo is displayed is probably the most important part of your over all business presentation and company image. Your logo must always be displayed in a crisp and clean way and if you fail to do this you have missed your golden opportunity to maximize your company’s first impression on the consumer or your potential client. Crisp and clean is what you should be thinking on your company signage, whether it is on a building, vehicle or on a four-color brochure.

Below your logo should be your simple and too the point message to your customer. It must be crisp also and add to your logo not over dominate it. All too often the company logo is blurred and over shadowed by words. Remember a company logo is a picture worth a thousand words and the writing below it is your main theme to guide the mind into channeling the thoughts of the consumer or customer....

One of the easiest ways to dress up a relatively simple package or set of advertising brochures for your company is to simply develop a sharper presentation folder. It is interesting that you can buy these fairly inexpensive if you buy in bulk. Lets say about $.75 to $2.00 each. This is not too much and will up your professionalism by 100%.

Presentation folders should have your logo in a crisp format either foiled or embossed, with a slogan, which is a simple statement underneath or along the edge. Some folks go a little further and have pictures also. This makes sense although any pictures you use should most likely also be used on your Companies Website. Why? Well it is important to keep the presentation folders and all your advertising and marketing material consistent you see? A simple to the point message is most well received by your future customers and clients.

The...

Why is it that business people often spend so much money on image only to lose all that wonderful first impression on the fact their car looks terrible? Boy it sure seems like a lot of wasted effort to spend tens of thousands of dollars on a professional website, colorful brochures, hairstyles, attire and a gold Rolex only to ruin it all by driving up in a dirty car. In fact if this scenario were not so common, I seriously doubt I would bother to mention it at all. But it is a fact and indeed I have seen it. How so you ask?

Well, for 27 years I ran a company that franchised mobile car wash units and auto detailing rigs and marketed so many cities. We would constantly see this from our business customers. Their cars looked like crap, of course we saw the people who noticed this problem and did something about it, namely paid us to clean up their messy cars.

Yet by the same ...

Inclusion and consensus-building are vital in gaining attributions of charisma and developing followers. Followers in the workplace are people who subscribe to your vision; who will invest energy, patience, trust, emotion and dedication in you and your goals. Emotional attachment to your vision and supporting values is essential if you want people to work as a team towards the missions you establish.

Charisma and influence are the result of quid pro quo's. In discovering the values and needs of your stakeholders, your part of the bargain is to do unto them as they would be done unto. You do unto "them" by establishing congruence between their needs and aspirations and your mission; by finding ways to share high-order values; by respecting individual differences you encounter, and linking beliefs and interests with your activities and goals. Your stakeholders' response will be gr...