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Advance
Presentation and
Public Speaking Skills
Presentation is communicating, influencing, persuading
and the selling of ideas, wants, needs and benefits. I
have met a lot of people who hated selling for one
reason or another. If you are one of those people, let
me give you a piece of sound advice. "You will always
work for the person that loves selling, because selling
is one of the keys to staying in business." There are
really only three things that a sales presentation is
designed to do:
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a |
Inform, |
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b |
Entertain or |
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c |
Get favourable
action |
"This is not what is meant by aggressive selling, this
is manipulation."
You
must present or sell your ideas, needs, wants and
desires to your friends, employer and others, in an
honest way if you are to be taken seriously. Here are
some tips to assist you with all of your presentations:
Presentation Skills
Planning and Preparation
Resources
Enemies
Structure and Delivery
Evaluation
Nonverbal Communication
TRACT (question and answer)
Assertive Behaviour
Technique
Interpersonal and Personal Skills
Objectives
Needs of Audience
Style
Planning and Preparation
If you
are to be effective, you must prepare your presentation
and rehearse it well in advance. Anticipate all possible
questions and have several answers ready. If you fail to
plan then you have planned to fail. Therefore:
|
a |
Decide why you
are giving this presentation. |
|
b |
Know your
audience. |
|
c |
Know where you
will be presenting it. |
|
d |
Research and
know your facts. |
|
e |
Prepare what
you are going to present. |
|
f |
Prepare your
notes. |
|
g |
Memorise your
introduction. |
|
h |
Know how you
will present it. |
|
i |
Rehearse your
presentation to perfect it. |
|
j |
Anticipate
mishaps. |
Resources
There
are many helpful resources on the market to assist you
to make that winning presentation. Consider use of:
|
a |
TV and video. |
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b |
Overhead
projector. |
|
c |
White board. |
|
d |
Layout of
tables and chairs. |
|
e |
Lectern. |
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f |
Total room
layout. |
|
g |
Testimonies of
others. |
|
h |
Computer aided
multi media projection. |
|
i |
Handouts. |
Enemies
If you
do not know your enemies, you will not be able to defeat
them. The following enemies must be identified and
conquered if you are to be an effective presenter:
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a |
Lack of research |
g |
Nervousness and fear |
|
b |
Unclear objectives |
h |
Mental block |
|
c |
Poor communication |
i |
Lack of preparation |
|
d |
Difficult people |
j |
Insufficient information |
|
e |
Poor structure & delivery |
k |
Negative body language |
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f |
Poor product knowledge |
l |
Lack of resources
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Structure and Delivery
If you do not
follow a specific structure as you make your delivery,
your audience will have a difficult time keeping up with
you. One of the most simple and effective structures for
any type of presentation is: beginning, middle and end.
Beginning
At the beginning
of your presentation you must arouse the interest of
your audience and find out what needs they have. Let
them know how long the presentation will last and give
them an idea as to when they can respond with questions
or comments. Finally, agree the objectives with your
audience and from the beginning make sure that your
audience gets onto the right plane. After all, you do
not want to take your audience to America, when they may
want to go to the West Indies. I have used the following
memory aid, INTRO to remind myself of how to begin all
presentations:
Interest
Need
Timing
Response
Objective
Middle
This is the main
part of your presentation and it must follow a logical
path that is easy for your audience to understand.
Highlight to your audience the overall situation,
convince and sway them to your way of thinking. Show
them possible alternatives and finally, make your
recommendation.
Situation
Convince
Alternatives
Recommendation
End
The close of
your presentation is as important as the beginning or
the middle, therefore you must plan to close
effectively:
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a |
Highlight key
points of your presentation. |
|
b |
Give handouts. |
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c |
Evaluate. |
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d |
Thank
audience. |
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e |
Close
presentation.
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Evaluation
At the
end of your presentation, ask yourself the following
questions:
|
a |
How effective
was my presentation? |
|
b |
Have I
achieved my objectives? |
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c |
What were my
strengths and weaknesses? |
|
d |
How
appropriate was my planning and preparation? |
|
e |
What have I
learnt not to do the next time? |
Nonverbal Communication
By nonverbal I
mean the ability to communicate to others without the
necessary use of words. Make sure that your mouth,
appearance, gesture, posture, voice and eyes assist and
not hinder your presentation.
Your nonverbal
communication skills must also be taken into account, in
all of the four life positions. Do you display
characteristics of a passive, aggressive, paralysed, or
assertive person? When your mouth is in action, what
impression does your face give? Are you smiling or is
your jaw too tight or relaxed? Always check your
appearance in a mirror and ask yourself, "What
impression do I give dressed this way?"
Does the
movement of my body, especially my hands, support what I
am saying? Is my posture straight, upright or am I
slouched, too near, too far, slumped, or higher or lower
than the other person? Do I mumble, complain, criticise,
beat around the bush, or do I get straight to the point,
clearly, directly and specifically? Is my tone
acceptable with the right accent and volume? Finally, am
I able to look confidently into other people's eyes, or
must I turn away and gaze at the ceiling, floor or other
objects? Be wise, support what you say by how you say
it.
Mouth
Appearance
Gesture
Posture
Voice
Eyes
TRACT (question and answer)
Throughout your
presentation you may be asking and answering questions.
Always thank the person for asking the question, then
rephrase the question in your own words to confirm you
fully understand. Once you are satisfied that you
understand the question, give an answer and check that
they understand your reply. Finally, thank the person
again for asking the question or for making a comment.
Thank
Rephrase to confirm understanding
Answer the question
Check understanding
Thank person for asking question again
Assertive Behaviour
|
a |
Be honest with
yourself and others. |
|
b |
Be confident,
positive and understanding. |
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c |
Do to others
as you would have them do to you. |
|
d |
State your needs,
wants, feelings, opinions or beliefs in a clear,
direct, specific, honest and suitable way and
not at the expense of others. |
Technique
There
are many techniques available to make your presentation
unbeatable and unforgettable, here are a few:
|
a |
Be natural and
open. |
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b |
Gain eye
contact with most or all of your audience. |
|
c |
Explain
jargon. |
|
d |
Don't mumble. |
|
e |
Don't use big
words and long sentences. |
|
f |
Paragraph your
presentation. |
|
g |
Use pictures,
charts and graphs. |
|
h |
Use different
colours. |
|
i |
Give handouts
where appropriate. |
|
j |
Tell stories. |
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k |
Role play. |
Interpersonal and Personal Skills
One of
the most powerful breakthroughs in selling is that
customers purchase more from people they like. You must
be a lover of people and develop the following
attributes:
|
a |
Communication. |
|
b |
Listening
skills. |
|
c |
Negotiation. |
|
d |
Speaking. |
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e |
Persuasiveness
and influence. |
|
f |
Sensitivity. |
|
g |
Courtesy. |
|
h |
Positive
attitude and behaviour. |
|
i |
Warmth and
good humour. |
|
j |
Assertiveness. |
Objectives
A
presentation without a clearly defined objective can be
a disaster, therefore:
|
a |
Clearly define
your objectives by asking yourself, why am I
making this presentation? |
|
b |
What is it
that the audience wants or needs? |
|
c |
Stick to the
objectives throughout the whole presentation. |
|
d |
Sell success,
results, needs and desires. |
Needs of Audience
The
more your audience is involved with your presentation
the more successful you will be, therefore:
|
a |
Let your
audience participate in the presentation. |
|
b |
Listen to your
audience and communicate effectively. |
|
c |
Be sensitive
to the needs of your audience. |
|
d |
Be empathic -
putting yourself in the audience’s position. |
Style
You are
unique in your own identity because there is not another
like you anywhere in the universe, therefore:
|
a |
You do not
have to imitate other people's style. |
|
b |
Develop your
own style. |
PRESENTATION MASTER TIPS
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1.
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Know your strengths and weaknesses. |
|
2.
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Picture yourself enjoying the success of your
presentation. |
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3.
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Maintain eye contact and address your audience
as individuals rather than as a group of people. |
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4.
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In your conclusion, highlight the key points
that you want your audience to remember - what
is said last is always remembered first. |
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5.
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Put your presentation on paper - it helps to
clarify your thinking. |
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6. |
Research other people’s thoughts and ideas on
the subject that you are presenting. |
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7.
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You learn to make presentations by making
presentations, just as you learn to play the
flute by playing the flute. |
|
8.
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If (O) opportunity, (P) positive
action, (E) excitement and (N)
enthusiasm is not in your presentation, don't go
ahead. |
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9.
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Know your facts and have notes. |
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10.
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Use short words, short sentences and avoid
jargon. |
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11. |
Never exceed your time limit. |
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12.
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Remove objects that rattle. |
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13.
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Always check your appearance before you start. |
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14.
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Always have a handkerchief and glass of water to
hand. |
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15.
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Check and secure all visual aids and supporting
equipment. |
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16.
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Those who fail to plan, have planned to fail. |
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17.
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Always review at the end of your presentation. |
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18.
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Tell yourself that you are the best and that you
love presenting. |
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19.
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Smile where necessary. |
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20.
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Help others. |
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