Remember your presentation is about your audience, not about you. Be committed to serving them.
Research your subject to make sure you have the facts, figures, and background information to support your case. Only use information that directly supports your main point.
The emotional side of any benefit is often more important because, days after your presentation was delivered, people will not remember exactly what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel.
Don ’ t say, “ My action item is to empower the client to bring to the table any appropriate data relevant to the project in question. ” Say, “ I need to get information from the client. ” Don ’ t say, “ Which individual should I be interfacing with to ascertain the appropriate information? ” Say, “ Whom should I speak to? ”
Some presenters hide behind corporate jargon when they want to: - Make what they say sound important or impressive - Hide a lack of knowledge - Avoid committing to a solid opinion or plan for action - Be a happy messenger and avoid hard truths
Assuming that you already have a topic of interest, here’s one approach to delivering a persuasive presentation: Grab participants’ attention immediately with a surprising statistic or emotional appeal that illustrates your point clearly and simply. Present your argument and back it up with authoritative sources to lend credibility. Speak with passion and conviction. Offer a solution to the problem that the participants can both relate to and can achieve. Describe as vividly as possible two possible outcomes: one if they follow your proposed solution and one if they don’t. Offer a call to action with as much real passion and emotion as possible.
Here are some of the most persuasive words and phrases in the English language: Accurate, Advantage, Always, Best, Certain, Confident, Convenient, Definitely, Discover, Easy, Effective, Emphasize, Free, Freedom, Guaranteed, Good, Health, Interesting, Love, Magnificent, Most, Most Important, Money, Never, New, Popular, Profitable, Proven, Results, Safety, Save, Should, Strongly Recommend, Superb, Superior, Tremendous, Trustworthy, Worthwhile, You. “ I guarantee you’ll feel healthier than ever.” “ I recommend this as the most effective program you’ve ever attended.” “ You’ll discover this is the most important decision you will ever make.” “ This new sales workshop has been the most popular and profitable.”
Reading newspapers, magazines, and journals primes you with specifics for your presentations.
Consider creating curiosity and attention by starting your presentation with incongruous statements such as: "Did you know that lie detectors... lie? ” “ Want to improve your reactions, sharpen your memory, and develop a more agile mind? Go out and buy a video game. ” Right from the start, present the participants with data, ideas, or stories that contain contradictions or conflicts. This will make them surprised, amazed, or shocked, and definitely attentive.
Avoid any form of demeaning yourself in a presentation unless it’s good humored self-deprecation. Never make comments like, “I‘m not very good at…” or “I suppose I should have known the answer to that.” Demeaning yourself destroys your credibility, weakens your presentation, and is uncomfortable for your audience.
An example of a strong ending: “ Before we end, I want you to think about this. <pause> The difference between being highly successful in this business and just getting by <pause> is a big dream and hard work. Highly successful people are not more intelligent, more fortunate, or have more connections. They simply have a clear image of themselves succeeding and work harder than most. <pause> The hard work is the easy part—we can all do that. The question is...<pause> how big is your dream “