COMPELLING PRESENTATIONS Engage.

The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken
place. George Bernard Shaw
Out of millions of presentations delivered each day, too many will look like this ...
and result in this ...
Death by PowerPoint
now for the good news ...
Anyone can become a compelling presenter ...
Step 1 PREPARE
Know your DESTINATION. The first step in creating effective presentations is to be
really clear on what you want to achieve, where you want the presentation to lead
to. .Think of your presentation as guiding your audience from point A, what the
audience currently think, feel and do in relation to your topic, to point B, what you
want the audience to think, feel and do as a result of experiencing your
presentation. When you need to achieve specific outcomes, know where youre
going and then you can plan your route. Dont let your presentation become a
magical mystery tour!
Solve PROBLEMS The only reason for the existence of a presentation of an idea is
that it be an answer to a problem. Henry Bo ettinger All problems consist of a
mismatch between2 things: Where we are now, and where we want to be. The
purpose of your presentation is to show your audience how to get to where they
want to be. Your presentation should address a real problem that the audience cares
about and really wants to solve. Even an update presentation may be able to help
your audience to do things better, cheaper or faster. Rather than a person who just
provides information, you can build a reputation as someone who helps solves
problems. Ker - ching!
Whats the BIG IDEA? Walking talking rabbits, time travel, schizophrenia, bizarre
therapy sessions no its not your companys latest marketing update presentation,
Im talking about the movie Donnie Darko. Despite having a cult following, it
features on many most confusing movies of all time lists, and the main message of
the movie is still being debated by its own fans! You want to make sure you dont
do a Donnie on your audience. With the high costs of attending a presentation in
terms of time and money, your audiences want and deserve complete clarity. An
effective presentation develops one core, big idea and supports it with 3 or 4
keypoints. Will the audience be able to summarise in a word, a sentence or phrase
what your next presentation is about?

Be a giver of VALUE. You may have a very clear, specific objective, but your
presentation isnt really about you, its about your audience, and whats in it for
them. Remember people will listen to you for their own reasons, not for yours. Look
for ways to add value to your audience. Focus on their needs and wants. What
questions do they need answering? What concerns do they have? What would make
their time with you worthwhile? Focusing on your audience and giving value has two
big benefits for you too. First is you stop worrying about how youre coming across ,
youre too busy thinking about how you can serve their needs. And second, you
start to connect at a deeper level, talking with them rather than at them. So... why
would your audience want to do what you want them to do?
Brainstorm, group and REFINE. Brainstorm: Brainstorm all the possible content that
could help you achieve your desired outcome. Use post-t notes to capture ideas.
One idea per post-it. Set a time limit and go for quantity over quality just get all
those ideas out of your head. The brain dump must be part of your preparation not
your presentation. Dont judge ideas, consider them all as contenders rather than
finalists at this stage. Group: To start to turn the chaos into some form of order, you
can group connected ideas into clusters or themes (3 or 4 is good). This is the
advantage of using sticky notes and index cards you can move them around.
Refine: Now that youve defined the possible content, its time to reduce that down
to just the critical ideas. Be ruthless with your editing - what doesnt add to
achieving your outcome will detract from it.
Classical story STRUCTURE. Are you sitting comfortably? An effective way of
structuring your presentation is by thinking of it in terms of a story, with a clear
beginning (Act I), middle (Act II) and end (Act III). People are already familiar with
this three-act structure through the stories told to us in film, documentaries and
books. This is how a presentation could look using this structure: Act I: Opening,
problem statement (where the audience is now, and where they want to be), your
solution key point overview Act II: detailed information to support each solution key
point Act III: summary of problem and solution key points, Q&A, conclusion and call
to action
StealTHUNDER. Stealing thunder is when you bring up a point against your
recommendation and then systematically get rid of it. Its a concern youd have to
answer at some point anyway, but now youll be seen as more credible and
understanding than if it was raised by someone else first. As you prepare, include all
the information to support your viewpoint, but also anticipate the likely objections,
concerns or questions your audience will have and how you will answer them. Some
people dont always voice their objections or concerns during the presentation.
Stealing thunder is a practical way to help potential silent objectors feel heard, open
up and gain their support.
Use the principle of PLEASURE & PAIN. This is one of the most valuable ideas, in fact
its the key to selling your ideas. The principle is: We are all motivated towards

people, experiences and companies that can help us feel pleasure and/or avoid
pain. Were basically all rushing around trying to find ways to feel good. Think about
a sales presentation. What pleasure feelings does your audience want to feel? They
probably want to be able to trust that you have their best interests at heart. They
want to feel understood and have confidence and certainty theyre making the right
decision to buy from you. What typical pain feelings do they want you to help them
avoid? Things like: feeling misled, misunderstood, vulnerable, confused, bored,
stupid. So how can you help your audience to feel good about themselves, you and
your ideas?

Step 2DESIGN
Use simple elements of DESIGN. The B-I-G message: We are all (A-L-L)designers.
Each and every one of us givesoff dozens probably hundreds, perhaps more of
design cues every day. In the way we present ourselves, our project output.-Tom
Peters We are all designers. Yes, even you! Everytime you present your slides or a
document it says more about you than you might realise. Here are some simple
ideas to give your visuals a more designed look: Reduce the amount of text on
slides by creating a handout for the detail Slides should resemble a newsreaders
background graphics rather than their teleprompter Keep headings, colours, fonts
type and size consistent Replace text with relevant quality images
Give the numbers MEANING. When you show slides showing data, its important to
see them from your audiences perspective. People arent interested in the data on
its own, theyre interested in what the data means to them. To make it easier for
your audience, consider using handouts to show complex data and use your slides
to interpret the data, highlighting the information thats important for your audience
to know. Another way to display data effectively is tostrip the visual clutter or Chart
Junk away from your charts and graphs so the main point the data is making can be
understood at a glance. Dont make your audience work too hard!
Dont create FRANKEN-SLIDES. Franken-slides: The result of trying to cobble
together slides from different presentations. How many people, as soon as they
hear they have a presentation to give, immediately start looking for a presentation
donation -in other words slides from presentations that they or their colleagues
have delivered before. The result can be visuals that look cobbled together and
dont seem to belong to the same presentation. Inconsistent fonts, colours and
overall style create the equivalent of continuity issues that sometimes crop up in
films and TV. Look for ways to create consistency throughout your slides and avoid
creating a monster of a slide deck!
Step 3 PERFORM

Be an EMOTIONALIST. Greek philosopher, Aristotle, claimed that to persuade, you

must use 3 types of argument: credibility and honesty (ethos), emotion (pathos),
and logic (logos). Facts arent enough to persuade on their own. Most people tend to
buy for emotional reasons and then justify with logic. In other words, think + feel =
do So when you plan your presentation or training, think in terms of creating an
experience for your audience rather than just delivering information. What positive
target emotions do you want your audience to feel? A sense of wonder? Motivated?
Trust? Confident? You can use things like stories, metaphors, benefits, humour,
evocative images and surprise to help create those emotions. Go on. Bring out your
inner theatre director. 23
Let people see the REAL YOU. Just be yourself. How many times have you heard
that! Its true, we connect better with people who are being real, but when it comes
to giving presentations, its not as easy as it sounds. People that are naturally warm,
engaging and interesting can suddenly switch to presenter mode - using words,
phrases and odd body movements they they would never use normally. They end up
boring their audiences while their personality and reputation is tragically flat lining.
To let the real you shine through: Adopt a more natural conversational style rather
than give a rigid speech. Avoid big words and jargon use normal language your
audience will connect with Express your emotions let the audience see and hear
how you feel about your content - speak from the heart
Present with PASSION. Were not talking rampant motivational speaker style (unless
you are a rampant motivational speaker), just that you connect with your audience
on an emotional and intellectual level. Its delivering your message with a sense of
energy and honesty, and genuinely wanting to contribute to others. Even if youve
been handed down a presentation youve had no part in putting together, look for
how the content can help your audience and tap into your feelings of wanting to
add value. After all, if youre not enthusiastic about what youre saying, why should
anyone else be? Ok. Were done with this tip. Everybody shout I am a presentation
superstar! and high five the person next to you.
Have a clear call to ACTION. Your call to action is the purpose of your presentation,
its where its all been leading to. Whether youre trying to inform, entertain, or sell,
an effective presentation needs a call to action that clearly states what you want
the audience to do next. What do you want your audience to do? Sign the contract?
Buy the product? Agree to the next meeting? Provide feedback? Remember and
apply new skills and knowledge? Thats your call to action. Whatever your desired
outcome may be, be sure to clearly state what the next steps are during your
conclusion. Finish strong and on purpose!
26. Think and feel differently to STAND OUT. What does presenting mean to you?
Something youve got to give, or get to give? A means to sell products and services
and earn commission, or a chance to sincerely help clients succeed? A way to
dispense information and instructions to your workforce, or an opportunity to inspire

people to work together to overcome a new challenge? The way you view
presentations and your audience affects how you feel. And how you feel ultimately
affects how you treat both the presentation and your audience. You may not even
be fully aware of how youre coming across, but your audience will be. Heres an
important point. Most people dont like to present and they dont know how to
prepare. By changing how you think and feel about presentations youll naturally
start to do the things that will help you stand out for all the right reasons.
27. You can become a compelling presenter ...
28. For PDF copies, or to find out how I can help you create compelling
presentations, send an email to: adrianharcourt@totalise.co.uk It was fantastic.
The content was I would like to say thank you for making the 100% on the button.
Best training course so relevant for us all and also for course Ive attended!
pitching the days just right so the nerves managed to magically fade!! Kyle
Dawson, Sales Account Manager Charlotte Bantle man, Pricing Manager Great
course, and even in the 2 days I saw a big improvement in my delivery of my
presentation. Possibly the best course I have Unlike any presentation training seen
done so far with TGP and was really beneficial!! before, has given me a new way of
looking at how to communicate a message. Great Charlotte Mullaly, Sales Account
Manager course. Thanks Adrian! Andrew Becconsall, Credit Team Manager Photos
from iStockPhoto.com/Frankenstein image by Rick Baker 2005