The Art of Presenting

Presenting is the lifeblood of any word of mouth marketing business. As those that are already ‘veterans’ in this business say: YOU ARE NOT IN BUSINESS UNLESS YOU KNOW HOW TO PRESENT.

That is easier said than done. Because according to statistics, the fear of public speech ranks second only to the fear of death.

There are ways to prepare for public presentations. The first step is to go 1 on 1. 1 on 1 talks are easier to manage because it is not that structured. And you can change your style according to who you are talking to. There are concrete ways to being effective in 1 on 1 presentations.

1. Don’t start right away – Take time to know the person you are talking to. What is his background? What are his priorities? What is his opinion about entrepreneurship? The more you know about the person, the more you can relate the presentation to his experiences. Spend time to chit chat because this is sometimes your one and only chance to do your research and increase your chance that can relate to what you are talking about. Of course, if you are talking to your best friend, then I assume you know the ins and outs of his outlook and attitude and you can fire away faster.

2. Sell a Solution – The real objective of your talk is not to sell a product or a company. Your one and only objective is to SELL A SOLUTION. This is why it is so important to have small talk before you begin the actual business presentation so that you will be able to identify problems. Be careful not to sell a solution which is not needed. I remember talking to a loading dealer encouraging her to add on to her income through franchises. But because I did not do my research, it was too late to find out she was one of the few who are content with what they earn. Needless to say, I did not close the deal. Remember, people do not buy things, they buy solutions to their problems.

3. Be Excited! – In college, I used to really get bored with my Physics classes. Physics was one of my favourite subjects but I could not bear to listen to a boring lecture for 1 hour, my mind was flying after 5 minutes. No matter how structured and arranged the presentation is, if your audience does not sense any excitement, you will lose their interest. In fact, based on my own experience, people are more interested in listening if you are excited and enthusiastic about your talk.

4. Pick the right time and place – Do not present at your guest’s office or home. Do not present during lunch break. There are too many distractions (kids, telephones, co-workers) for it to be effective. Do not present during reunions, parties, gimmicks and outings. As for big groups, do not present in general assemblies where there are other topics because your topic will be forgotten.

Choose a neutral place like a coffee shop and make your guest sit facing a wall if possible to avoid distractions. If presenting to a group make sure that the group understands that it will be a talk about business so they will know what to expect.

5. Look Successful – People are always judging others by the way they look. Use this to your advantage by dressing 1 level higher than the person you are talking to. No T-shirts and shorts please! If the person you are talking to will be wearing a polo, wear a long sleeved polo and tie if possible.

6. Use visual aids – Since presenting is your business then visual aids are your tools. Imagine if a person told you a business concept without any visuals. Or imagine describing the Red Ninja cart without pictures. It would be very, very hard.

7. Watch out for positive feedback – Based on my experience, people always begin with crossed arms, a sign that they have a closed or doubting mind. I just keep on presenting until I see some positive signs like uncrossing of the arms, raising questions or going nearer my presentation materials. You have to watch out when this happens because it means you said something that interested them. When you figure out what caught their attention, it is a likely sign that you have found the solution you should sell.

8. Make the presentation personal – People want to know who they are talking to. If you are talking to a complete stranger, you should share your personal stories. This helps them understand you more. The more they know you, they more they’ll trust you. Stories have a way of getting people to relax. If you can tell jokes, it’s much, much more effective. But if you can’t it’s better to just stick to stories. J

9. Practice, practice, practice – Your first presentation won’t be very good, this I can promise. But it is in this 1^st presentation where you will learn 90% of your mistakes. If you correct those, your second one will be so much better. Keep on going until you hit your 5^th presentation. By this time, you will have developed your own style. By the time you get to your 10^th presentation, it will be as easy. 1 on 1’s will practice you for small group presentations. Small group presentations will prepare you for large group presentations.

I’m hoping that these tips will help you do this business and other businesses you might be starting. If you really are nervous, try to start with someone close to you, just to get the 1^st one out of your system. I assure you, things will get better as you go.