7 Easy and Painless Steps to Speaking Confidently
Our popular Dynamic Presentation Skills program has been running for over three years now and I often receive requests for the “short-cut” formula on what it takes to be an effective, convincing and impressive presenter. While there are no short cuts and as in the best way to Carnegie Hall, the secret is to practice, practice, practice.
I’ve been presenting, running workshops, facilitating and training for over ten years and my most intensive and gruelling training was when I spent five years promoting programs and presenting every week to sell programs. Every chance I got to speak, whether it was for a Rotary Club luncheon, a preview or a business group function, improved my selling and influencing skills as a presenter. I’d like to share some of the secrets here with you today.
1. Be Clear On The Message – Often times, a speaker will focus on what to say to impress the audience instead of the message that he/she wishes to share. When the message is of value and of benefit to the audience, you will make an impact. There are so many techniques that you can learn on presenting. Just do a simple search on the Internet and you will be able to download tons of materials on techniques but the real power is in the message. What is it that you want to share? How will your message and content add value to the audience? There is always a message behind a presentation. When the message has meaning, is relevant to the audience, adds value, touches the heart, is sincere and comes from a place of contribution, you will influence your audience and your presentation will not only be memorable but highly effective.
2. Trust Your Knowledge and Expertise – If you are asked to speak on a topic, obviously you must be an expert on the topic. If you are not, then you better become an expert fast or decline to speak. You must also be completely assured on the fact that you know your subject inside out and given any other opportunity, (when not in front of a group or large audience) you speak very eloquently, knowledgably and convincingly on the topic. So the key is to transfer this to the stage. You know your subject inside out, trust that you know your content and do not let intimidation of who’s in the audience or what people may think to distract you from your expertise.
3. Do Not Compete With A PowerPoint Presentation – I’ve seen enough of presentations that were devastated by the ghastly modern tool we call “PowerPoint” that I now encourage ALL the participants who go through my training to let it go completely, if possible. Among the many downsides of using PowerPoint, 95% of the time there will be a technical error which interrupts the flow of your presentation and makes for a very awkward opening. If you must use a PowerPoint, if it is required within corporate guidelines and you must use it to show graphs, etc, then use it wisely. Make PowerPoint YOUR TOOL and not the other way around. Turn it off when you are speaking and only turn it on to show the graphs or images. As a speaker, you will be lost when competing with a screen that shows text that you read while positioned to the side, and often in the dark!
4. Drink Water and Breathe! – Incredibly simple and people often underestimate the importance of hydration and breathing for a presentation. It’s amazing how people will eat a big lunch or have alcohol before a presentation. Sometimes when I am presenting, I may go the entire day without food and just drink water for energy. Food, especially starchy food, can weigh your body down and affect your energy levels. I am not suggesting you fast but rather, eat light meals the day before a presentation and avoid caffeine. Breathing and drinking water sends energy to the brain and will keep you fresh and alert for your presentation.
5. Preparation, Preparation, Preparation – Practicing, rehearsing, preparing until you master your presentation will do wonders for your confidence. A lot of my clients often leave it to the final hour and then I get a panic call a few days before because they have not prepared and need some last minute coaching. It’s not a pleasant feeling – that panicky feeling in the pit of the stomach just before a presentation. To avoid this, all you need to do is to prepare. Set a schedule when you will prepare the content, fine-tune it, rehearse, and rehearse again, and rehearse again in front of a mirror and then rehearse again in front of a trial audience. You get the picture? It takes a lot of practice to master the skill. Make the time and you will never be left with the panicky feeling again.
We will be running our popular “Dynamic Presentation Skills Workshop” again on November 24th. Please visit: www.publicspeakinghk.com for full details.
Here are some tips on how to set up a strategic alliance with a partner to generate more referrals and increase your business inquiries at NO COST!
Setting up alliances with joint venture partners will enable you to generate additional income, expand your marketing network, cross refer business and extend your service offerings, at typically, no extra cost to you. It does take time, however, to establish the partnerships. The time investment is often mostly upfront, and once established, the time spent in maintaining the relationship is minimal. A joint venture partner is someone who targets the same clients as you and your services/products are non-competing. This strategy is most practical for businesses with a small or non-existent marketing budget.
Attributes of your ideal joint venture partner:
§ They have a business relationship with your target audience and have provided a quality service or product
§ They have influence (trust & credibility) with their clients
§ They have clients who are used to spending money on a similar service § Their service or product is complementary to yours§ They are open minded and have an interest in forging an alliance because of the value you bring to their clients
How can I interest a joint venture partner to work with me if I’m just starting out or have nothing to give them?
§ Give them access to your database
§ Give them a percentage of the profits from the sales to their clients
§ Sell yourself, be upfront. Tell them of past success stories and that you will reciprocate
§ Can you barter something else? Time, expertise, contacts etc
Steps to identify, approach and secure a joint venture partnership:
1. List all the companies, industries, service and retail providers that market to your target audience 2. Identify the ones that offer services/products that rate the highest complement to yours3. Go through your personal contacts to see who fall into these categories4. Next, go through your trusted friends, associates or colleagues who have a relationship with these categories and ask for a direct referral or personal introduction
5. Devise your approach strategy – will it be a trial of your services, an irresistible offer for their clients, a high commission or a barter?
Important note:
Do not give up. This strategy requires time, effort and some businesses may not be receptive to opening up their database to you. That is why an introduction from a trusted source or someone with a personal relationship with you will be the best targets to hit first. Do not be discouraged if the potential partners you approach are not open-minded to working with you. That is why you have a list; you just keep going and contact the next one until you secure a relationship. Some may bring you new business, some may not. Out of 10, there may be the one that is highly lucrative and best of all, at no cost to you!
For a detailed 20-page report on how to “Quadruple Your Business Leads and Close More Sales“, please email us at info@biz-results.net.
It’s been a while since I’ve updated this page. I noticed that the last entry was back in July!
I’ve been running a number of workshops in Hong Kong and focusing on marketing my new book. I’ll be sharing some new marketing strategies in the coming weeks. I recently ran a workshop on “Selling and Influencing with Integrity” and I have to say, this is one of my favorite topics. The content is original, engaging, interactive and most importantly, applicable and real world.
I also ran an evening workshop on Oct 18th on how to “Quadruple Your Business Inquiries and Close More Sales” and as a result, generated a 20-page follow up report. Please send me an email if you would like a free copy: info@biz-results.net. I find this content and these skills fascinating. I am planning to run more workshops and write more books on these topics.
Please stay tuned for further updates and for more business insights.
Thank you for visiting my site. I will be sharing my business and marketing strategies here and about my recent projects with companies I am working with. Please stay tuned…!
It’s a public holiday today in Hong Kong - we just celebrated the 10th anniversary of the handover on July 1st. Much has been written about where Hong Kong is today after 1997 and you can read all about it on the RSS feed to our local English language newspaper SCMP.