Monday, December 30, 2013
WOW YOUR AUDIENCES WHEN PRESENTING DURING 2014
Before
we step across from 2013 to 2014, here are some simple tips for you that
great presenters use when communicating to any audience… The power of a
strong opening and close!
If you do both these well, you will be a success because people typically remember the first words out of your mouth and the last. However, while presenters know the importance of a strong opening and close, often they fizzle at the end. Some run out of time and simply say "I am out of time. Thanks for coming and contact me with your questions." Others fail to let their listeners know they are about to end and therefore, when they say their final words the audience does not offer much response.
Many times following presentations, audiences leave uninspired or disinterested. Invest more time into writing and practicing your opening and close as you might other parts of your presentation.
WAYS TO CLOSE PRESENTATIONS EEEFECTIVELY:
Recap the main ideas you have discussed
Restate your agenda headings + the key sentences / points of each
If you have presented for more than 20 minutes, it is important to summarise what has been discussed since your audience may have forgotten or drifted. By re-stating your positions or points for each agenda of your presentation, you can better influence audience members who don't have the breadth of knowledge you do about your subject.
Call your audience to action
Never let your audiences walk away from your presentations unsure about what they should do.
Directly state what you want them to do. It may seem obvious to you, but unless you ask for what you want, you risk being disappointed. For example… "What we need from you is immediate approval for our team to proceed with the design phase. We believe if we work full time, the project can be completed in three weeks."
A strong call to action commands attention.
Challenge your audience to do something different
For example… "If you want to become better, you have to put in the work. Tomorrow, when you go back on the job, I challenge you to change one thing about the way you communicate with others. Keep working on that skill until it is part of your DNA."
Conclude with an inspirational or dramatic focused message
A strong focused message when concluding your presentations should be what your audience remembers more than anything else during your presentation.
When possible, leave your audience on a high note.
Go back to your opening
If you started your presentation with a great ‘Dynamic Opening’ (a great story / quote / statistic / example etc.), go full circle and link back to it, which will greatly bring your presentation to a close. For example… "My hope for you is the same success as ‘person x’ I shared at the start of my presentation, who succeeded by thinking big!"
Your opening is your best chance to gain audience interest, attention and engagement, plus your close is the last thing your audience will remember. Therefore, plan and practice to wow your audiences during every presentation you will deliver during 2014.
HAPPY
NEW YEAR TO YOU AND THANKS FOR YOUR READERSHIP & SUPPORT DURING
2013!!!If you do both these well, you will be a success because people typically remember the first words out of your mouth and the last. However, while presenters know the importance of a strong opening and close, often they fizzle at the end. Some run out of time and simply say "I am out of time. Thanks for coming and contact me with your questions." Others fail to let their listeners know they are about to end and therefore, when they say their final words the audience does not offer much response.
Many times following presentations, audiences leave uninspired or disinterested. Invest more time into writing and practicing your opening and close as you might other parts of your presentation.
WAYS TO CLOSE PRESENTATIONS EEEFECTIVELY:
Recap the main ideas you have discussed
Restate your agenda headings + the key sentences / points of each
If you have presented for more than 20 minutes, it is important to summarise what has been discussed since your audience may have forgotten or drifted. By re-stating your positions or points for each agenda of your presentation, you can better influence audience members who don't have the breadth of knowledge you do about your subject.
Call your audience to action
Never let your audiences walk away from your presentations unsure about what they should do.
Directly state what you want them to do. It may seem obvious to you, but unless you ask for what you want, you risk being disappointed. For example… "What we need from you is immediate approval for our team to proceed with the design phase. We believe if we work full time, the project can be completed in three weeks."
A strong call to action commands attention.
Challenge your audience to do something different
For example… "If you want to become better, you have to put in the work. Tomorrow, when you go back on the job, I challenge you to change one thing about the way you communicate with others. Keep working on that skill until it is part of your DNA."
Conclude with an inspirational or dramatic focused message
A strong focused message when concluding your presentations should be what your audience remembers more than anything else during your presentation.
When possible, leave your audience on a high note.
Go back to your opening
If you started your presentation with a great ‘Dynamic Opening’ (a great story / quote / statistic / example etc.), go full circle and link back to it, which will greatly bring your presentation to a close. For example… "My hope for you is the same success as ‘person x’ I shared at the start of my presentation, who succeeded by thinking big!"
Your opening is your best chance to gain audience interest, attention and engagement, plus your close is the last thing your audience will remember. Therefore, plan and practice to wow your audiences during every presentation you will deliver during 2014.
Posted in
Business presentations Presentation skills training Sales presentations,
communication coaching,
Conference presentations Presentation skills training Sales presentations,
Leadership
by effectivecommunication.com.au
What Are You Really Selling?
You might have encountered many sales
people who focus mainly on the functions of what their product or service does.
Beware of this trap!
What your product or service may do is
very interesting, and it may even convince the prospect that you know your
business and understand the functions of your product. However, functions
probably won’t cause a prospect to give you their money. That will happen when
and only when you persuade them to take action by clearly articulating and
painting a picture in their minds of What’s In It For Them (WIIFT).
When you show an interested prospect the
overriding advantages and outcomes they will gain and experience from your
product or service, you are truly selling.
The successful sales professional talks
about and demonstrates features and benefits leading to advantages and
outcomes.
Personalise the advantages and outcomes
for the prospect. You can only do so by asking enough relevant questions of the
audience to understand their interest level + if and how your product / service
suits + tier level of urgency. Then wisely paint the prospect into the picture
driving that luxury car, receiving compliments on the beautifully designed
dress or suit, looking at the sunset on the lake where the new home has been
constructed, or sitting in the comfortable retirement environment provided by
the investment being made.
Paint the picture so your prospect sees
themselves personally gaining are turn on their investment by purchasing the
advantages and outcomes your product or service offers.
You might not think of award-winning
actor, writer, director, and producer Alan Alda as being a salesman, but in a
speech he made to a medical school, Alan gave doctors And salespeople some good
advice. He said, “The head bone is connected to the heart bone. Don’t let them
come apart.”
From a sales perspective, Alan is
telling professional salespeople that when we demonstrate or explain the
advantages and outcomes of our product / service in a clear and logical manner,
we must also involve the prospect emotionally. We must let the prospective
client know how it will FEEL to experience, enjoy and own the product or
service.
We need to add the bridge. The bridge is
a phrase preparing the prospect to hear the advantage and outcome. The
phrase shouts, “Look out, here comes the reason for you to invest!!!.” Sample
bridges might include:
“The advantage to you, Mr. Prospect,
is...”
“You will enjoy this because...”
The benefit to you, Ms. Prospect, is...”
Try this advice to see prospect
confusion decrease and sales go up.
All the best with your ongoing sales!
Posted in
Business presentations Presentation skills training Sales presentations,
Communication,
Communication Training,
Facilitating meetings
by effectivecommunication.com.au
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Leadership - Strategies for Keeping Your Key Team Members
When a key team member bolts for another
job, many leaders assume that the reason behind their departure rests mainly on
making more money.
There is logic behind this assumption, since most competent workers who choose to leave an organization earn a higher salary at their new job. Research, however, tells us that under normal circumstances key team members view salary as the fourth most important feature of their job.
This is wonderful news because often times leaders do not have total control over the salaries of their team members. On the other hand, leaders do have lots of control over a bevy of other items that can help to retain key employees.
As long as key employees feel that their compensation is fair, the following 3 areas tend to be valued higher than salary.
1. Training & Development
There is logic behind this assumption, since most competent workers who choose to leave an organization earn a higher salary at their new job. Research, however, tells us that under normal circumstances key team members view salary as the fourth most important feature of their job.
This is wonderful news because often times leaders do not have total control over the salaries of their team members. On the other hand, leaders do have lots of control over a bevy of other items that can help to retain key employees.
As long as key employees feel that their compensation is fair, the following 3 areas tend to be valued higher than salary.
1. Training & Development
The best means for
leaders to build a retention wall around key team members is to grow and
develop them.
This is especially true for team members who are part of the Millennial Generation (born between 1980 and 1995). For added success, leaders should consider creating a training roadmap that helps to fully develop selected team members skills.
2. Communication
This is especially true for team members who are part of the Millennial Generation (born between 1980 and 1995). For added success, leaders should consider creating a training roadmap that helps to fully develop selected team members skills.
2. Communication
People want to know what is going on in an
organization. Moreover, they want to hear it first-hand, from their leader or
from C-Level decision-makers.
Frequent communication contains the added benefit of crushing the grapevine, which can drain energy from an organization as it propagates misinformation.
3. Effective Feedback
A recent study examined the effects of feedback on three groups of employees. The first group received only positive feedback. The second group received only negative feedback. The third group received no feedback whatsoever.
When asked which feedback silo was most effective, most leaders say "the positive feedback alternative," and they are correct.
The answer chosen for second most effective is typically "no feedback." The No Feedback method, however, was not more effective than the Negative Feedback method.
All the best with your leadership!
Frequent communication contains the added benefit of crushing the grapevine, which can drain energy from an organization as it propagates misinformation.
3. Effective Feedback
A recent study examined the effects of feedback on three groups of employees. The first group received only positive feedback. The second group received only negative feedback. The third group received no feedback whatsoever.
When asked which feedback silo was most effective, most leaders say "the positive feedback alternative," and they are correct.
The answer chosen for second most effective is typically "no feedback." The No Feedback method, however, was not more effective than the Negative Feedback method.
All the best with your leadership!
Posted in
communication coaching,
Communication Training,
presentations Conference presentations Facilitating meetings Presentation skills training Public speaking Sales presentations
by effectivecommunication.com.au
