Are you looking for a fast and easy way to update your professional presentation skills?

Many of my executive clients and students feel that they have no time to learn. It’s tough to find the time to stay fresh and on top of trends within the time constraints of a hectic schedule.

This is why I recommend a method that may surprise you.

Use your natural curiosity.

You see, many people approach presentation skill development with the attitude of: “I must do this!”

While it may be true that your career depends on learning to communicate better in front of a group, this approach sends you in the wrong direction. It’s like going on a diet because you have to.

Guess what’s going to happen?

If you’re like me, you’re going to grab some chocolate. Or maybe munch on some greasy chips instead of healthy carrots.

It’s human nature.

Hardly anyone likes to do what he or she mustdo.

Instead, we like to do what wewantto do.

If you think about your favorite activities, hobbies or sports, what do you notice? You like doing them. Most likely initially you were attracted to these activities because you of a natural sense of curiosity. Something about these activities inspired you to go deeper.

This is exactly what you want to look for when learning presentation skills. Look for areas where you feel an attraction. Follow your own curiosity and sense of exploration.

Perhaps you’re fascinated with writing. Study script writing. Maybe you want to learn how to be more energetic in delivery. Start there. Or you might want to know about storytelling. Fantastic. Make stories your beginning point.

There is no one correct place to begin. The best place to start is at the point that interests you.

Let me give you an example.

One of the places that attracted me in presenting was working at a whiteboard. I got fascinated by it. I learned to map out ideas. I studied how to organize information, draw sketches, and tell a story. I especially got curious about why communicating with whiteboards works so well to get people talking.

Perhaps you’re not sure what you like best. That’s not a problem. Let your natural curiosity lead you. Allow your true thirst for learning emerge.

It’s often said that curiosity is the best guide for learning a new skill. Once you get deeply interested, you’ll follow the thread of your own interest. To others, it will look like intense discipline. Even obsession.

Don’t worry what it looks like to others. Just go with it. Get engaged and get started.

If you aren’t sure where to start, pick an online course that gives you a broad range of ways to learn. Don’t worry about the order of the content. Instead, focus on how you like to learn best.

This also invites your natural curiosity to kick into play. Watch videos. Take interactive e-learning classes in topics that appeal to you. Score your skills with fun spot quizzes. Trust your own innate sense of exploration.

By working with a wide range of mediums, you can follow your natural urges and preferences in learning.

Follow your natural curiosity in learning new presentation skills. As you dive deeper, you can expect a rapid improvement in how you give business presentations. 

Summer is here! It’s time to bring out your summer attire, take a vacation and reflect upon your achievements thus far this year. Look back at the past few months of your sales production . . . are you on target for all your sales goals for 2005? Are you making the sales from all your sales presentations?

You may be far ahead in some areas or behind in others. No matter what your sales production is today you certainly should have another look at what targets and goals you have developed in your game plan for 2005.

Are you using your strengths to their fullest potential? To improve your sales results, determine what has been working or not working. Then define where to concentrate your productive energies for the next two quarters in 2005 or the remainder of your compensation period.

The statistics say that 90% of the sale is made in the presentation. Many sales professionals need to be more innovative and prepare for every presentation. When planned and executed well, your presentation is the most effective method of winning more customers. The most important point of a presentation is that the objective of communication is not the transmission, but the reception. The whole preparation and content of presentation must therefore be geared to the customer with a clear objective that will specify actions or commitments you desire from the customer. Be creative and original to tailor the presentation to catch their attention and respect. Differentiate yourself from your competition.

It is difficult to overestimate the importance of careful preparation. Five minutes face to face with senior management could decide the acceptance or rejection of a proposal. With so much potentially at stake, the presenter must concentrate not only upon the facts being given, but also upon the style, pace, tone and tactics that should be used to best relate to the audience.

· Explain at the beginning of the presentation what will be covered and how long it will take so they know what to expect.

· Plan exactly how you wish to appear to them; dress appropriately for the audience.

· Rehearse your presentation. There is no substitute for practicing.

· Accentuate your gestures and vocal projection; always have great eye contact.

· A smooth presentation is the key for your customer to sense your sincerity and confidence.

· Don’t try to answer every question. They will respect you more if you get back to them with the correct answer.

There are three primary ways people learn:

Visually – people learn through reading, seeing and mental images.

Auditorily – people learn through listening and hearing.

Kinesthetically – people learn through touching and doing.

Try to find out how your customers prefer to learn. Pay attention during conversations, if they read a lot and use phrases like, “I see it,” and then they probably learn best visually, so use plenty of excellent visuals. If they use words like, “I haven’t heard that, but that sounds good to me,” they learn best auditorily, so keep the speaking dialog going at a pace and tone that they are comfortable with. If you see them holding your collateral and product they might learn best kinesthetically. Deliver your presentation primarily that way and create a well-rounded presentation that encompasses all the learning styles. For example, include visuals, have a good speaking voice, and bring samples of the product for every customer. But primarily tailor your presentation to their preferred learning style.

Although they will be trying very hard to concentrate on your presentation, your audience’s minds will inevitably stray. Your job is to do something, anything that captures their attention and makes a lasting impression upon them. You don’t necessarily have to use repeated phrases, but simply make the point again and again with different explanations and in different ways. Include the audience in the presentation; ask them questions to get them involved and keep them involved. Once your presentation is over, you should try to honestly evaluate your performance. Either alone, or with the help of someone involved, decide what were the least and most successful aspects of your presentation and concentrate on those areas for your next presentation. If there’s a problem with the preparation or execution, then work on it. Practice is only productive when you make a positive effort to improve your presentations. Be committed to self-improvement to further develop your career. Be coached, or coach yourself, to constantly improve your presentations. Analyzing your strengths and building upon them is an effective method of self-coaching.

“A presentation is an interactive conversation with the customer.” – Dan Collins

We believe that for any investment of sales improvement to generate a positive return, whether it is field training, classroom training, online learning, computer based, audiobooks, etc., predefined outcomes need to be articulated and then executed. So clearly define what you want to accomplish for the remainder of 2005, focusing on being more innovative and preparing for every presentation and of course, follow through and support your game plan for 2005 with sales training tools like our Sound Selling Audiobook(TM). Good luck goal setting, presenting and selling!

Check your Sales IQ (Free) at: http://www.collinseducational.com

Copyright © 2005 by Collins Educational, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Taking a drink can help relax you. Remember that the audience is interested in listening to you. Some basic tips can help keep their attention focused on you:

• Don’t read from your notes; speak naturally, slowly, and with a relaxed voice.
• Don’t do power points karaoke; that is, don’t simply read from the screen. Use the slides only to offer highlights.
• Don’t turn your back on the audience; face them and talk to them.
• Don’t move around; stand still with your notes in front of you.

When you are giving your presentation you might stumble across some of your words. We all do this at times. So if you begin talking and you lose your place, or if you have trouble pronouncing some words, stop and take a breath. If you need to go back to the beginning of your sentence, that is fine. Just do it smoothly. If you need to re-pronounce a word, just do that smoothly, too. You might be very aware of these slips in speech, but your audience will not be. Professional speakers know that listeners don’t really pay much attention to interruptions in speech unless the speaker points them out. So don’t point them out. If you pay attention to speakers, you will notice that, although their deliveries might be polished, they are not flawless. But most of the time, you don’t even notice. During your presentation, your listeners will generally not be aware of small errors in your talk.

After you complete your prepared remarks, expect some questions from the audience. Keep in mind that even experts don’t know everything about their topic. As a speaker, you won’t be expected to know everything either. So if you forget something or if you can’t answer a question, that’s not necessarily a problem. You should prepare so you minimize the need to say you don’t know, but it will happen on occasion.

Today’s world is fast and furious, and people care little for the simple joys in life. They care even less for the significance of tradition. This is progressive in some situations, but in others, it makes human actions far less special. One of these is the manner in which people give each other presents, especially chocolates.

Chocolates are the perfect gift for any occasion, from birthdays to weddings, from Valentine’s Day to Mother’s Day. What many people don’t know is there is a way in which to gift chocolates. In the past, chocolates could only be afforded by the wealthy, as it was expensive to make. Technology has made things easier, but chocolates should still be given their importance.

Chocolates are sold in every department store in a number of forms in many types of wrappings. The wrapping of the chocolate, however, says a lot about the chocolatier. The more expensive and exorbitant it looks, the more special the chocolate is. This is something that should be remembered the next time you gift someone chocolate.

The more special the chocolates are, the more special you make that person feel. This tradition was stared in the 1890s by Nehaus Chocolates. They invented the Ballotin Box to present chocolates in better wrapping. This is a beautifully designed box that is unique to each chocolatier. Each box signifies something special, so you can purchase your chocolates based on their significance.

The chocolates inside a box often conform to the same theme of the box. You can make a person feel truly special by personally selecting a theme based on their significance to you. Chocolates are now commercial, and these are great on regular occasions. However, on a special occasion, make sure you make that someone feel truly special by presenting them with a box of unique chocolates.

Video is becoming almost as ubiquitous as email in business. YouTube, websites, cell phone messages and video conferencing are more the norm rather than the exception. Just as you had to learn to write brief concise emails in the business environment, you also need to master the skills of short video clips. Having taught public speaking for fifteen years, I have some tips that will improve your virtual “face-to-face” impressions.

1. Be yourself. Of all the advice I can give you this is the most important. You want to present yourself in a confident, knowledgeable manner and avoid coming across as phony or anxious. This is accomplished by talking with your audience. Obviously you will be talking and there will be an audience. The key word in the sentence is “with.” As much as you can, put yourself in the mindset of conversing with the people who are watching the video or conference call.

2. Groom as you would for an in-person meeting. Straighten your clothing, brush your hair, and look at yourself in the mirror. If you wear makeup, do some touchup. This serves two purposes. You look put together to your audience and you feel more comfortable when the mirror says you look your best.

3. Check out your background. Before the conference or videotaping begins check out what’s behind you. The setting of your presentation needs to be appropriate. I understand in a videoconference your face will fill most of the audience’s screen, but that Grateful Dead poster over your left shoulder will be a distraction. Position yourself and the camera to minimize diversions.

4. Look at the camera not the computer screen. There is a natural tendency to stare at what’s on your monitor. When you do, you are looking down from the camera and you lose eye contact with your audience. Think about talking with someone who never looks you in the eye. What are your judgments about that person? Do they seem shy? Secretive? Unsure of themselves? Stick an arrow at the top of your screen pointing to the camera lens to remind yourself to focus on your audience.

5. Watch your body language. I know you are probably sitting in a cubicle or at home alone. But the eye of the camera will show your posture; Sit up straight, lean in a bit and smile. This tip goes back to Tip 1… be conversational. You don’t go in your supervisor’s office and slide down in the chair and put our feet up. By looking professional and engaged, you draw your audience in to what you are saying.

6. Practice your Opening. Your goal is to start strong and grab your audience’s attention. Give some thought as to how to encourage viewers to care about what you are going to say. Begin with a surprising statistic or fact… ask a rhetorical question… tell them why is it important to listen to you. Answer the question “What’s in it for me” for your audience. It is easy for a video audience to become distracted. Give them a reason to listen.

7. Show your enthusiasm. If you’re not excited about your topic, I can absolutely guarantee your audience will tune you out. Use controlled hand gestures to emphasize your points. Be animated and smile. Yes, I realize this is the second mention of smiling. Eye contact and smiling are two important ways we engage others when talking. Use them both.

8. Practice may not make perfect. But it will make you aware of what you want to say. Give up on perfection and shoot for knowledgeable. Do not attempt to memorize what you plan to say. Practice until you have a clear idea of what you want your audience to know. Reviewing the material repeatedly helps you become familiar with your key points. It’s OK to refer to the presentation on screen, but the goal of practice is to avoid talking to your monitor. Remember the audience is behind the camera -that’s where you want to focus.

It’s natural to be a bit nervous when speaking to a camera. You have little feedback about how your presentation is coming across to your viewers. Following these tips will help you bridge the gap between “real” and “virtual” audiences. You will be seen as competent, knowledgeable and an asset to your team.