Presenting: Marketing Tips!

If you are like the majority of the population, getting up and presenting to a group of people is on your list of ‘Least Favorite Things’. But, it is one of those things that everyone has to do, whether that is in front of a group of 200 people or just making a sales presentation to two.You should approach your public speaking like you do the marketing of your business- it’s an image that you have to uphold in terms of your brand and it’s a message that is intended to get people to act. We have found that there are a few handy tricks in helping you prepare for public speaking that will not only make you feel more comfortable and confident but also get your message across more effectively.

Get To The Core

Think about what the goal of the presentation is. What do you want the audience to take away? What do you want the audience to do? From their tailor your presentation to accomplishing those two things. Most importantly, you need to talk to them about what they need. Here’s an example:

You want the audience to remember that your company is the best quality and value for landscaping maintenance, and you want them to commit to a one year contract.
You are speaking to the parks and recreation department in your community.

1. So what is the core of your message? It may be something like this: X
2. Landscaping is going to increase the maintenance of the parks by 150 hours,
   which means that each park gets more targeted attention, and it will save the
   annual budget 4% annually.

Turn it Into a Story

If there is one thing that separates great presentations and the not so great presentations is the ability to make an idea stick. If you are in front a customer trying to convince them that they need your product or service, how do you make them remember what you are saying and then have them act on it? Tell them a story. Stories put the person into your presentation and it becomes more real to them. Here’s another example:

The park down the street that your children play at is going to be cleaner so that you don’t have to worry, is going to have the soccer fields grass maintained so that a Saturday game goes off without a hitch, and the picnic areas will have the gardens filled with flowers so that it is a perfect location for a birthday party.

Write it Out

If this is a longer speech, script it out. Even if you don’t want to script it all out, at least put together an outline with key topics and bullets of what you want to talk about. If you are not reaching for what to say next you will feel more relaxed and the presentation will be more cohesive.

Practice Your Delivery

Practice makes perfect, and studies have shown that mental practices actually improves performance. So visualize yourself in the situation and how you are going to present. If possible, film yourself giving the speech and critique it. Many people find small quirks that they didn’t realize were there until they watch it from the perspective of the audience.

Work Out the Bugs

Once you have the outline or script set it’s time to work on the bugs of the presentation. This includes the horrible “ummm”. If you find yourself wanting to say “ummm”, simply pause instead. If you find that you make uncomfortable gestures or

don’t know what to do with your hands, put a paperclip in your pocket or on the podium that you can fiddle with.

Make It Memorable

Presentations are not heard, they are seen. This means that you need to be engaging as a speaker, invite the people that you are presenting to to join in, and have lots of visuals. A powerpoint or handout needs to supplement the material that you are covering, but not replace it.