April 1998 Marketer Articles

The Big Show: Putting on a Winning Presentation

By Marc Lyncheski

Whether it's a multimedia presentation for a multimillion dollar job, or a 15-minute update at your firm's quarterly meeting, good presentation skills are more essential today than ever. Companies are making their pitches to potential clients using 3D animation, high-resolution graphics, and computer imaging. The collapsible pointing stick has been replaced by the laser pointer and the acetate overhead machine by the high-resolution, computer-friendly projector.

However, with all of these innovations, it's easy to become lost in the technology and forget the most important purpose of the presentation-a clear, precise communication of your ideas, solutions, products, or services. What you say is just as important as how you say it. A streamlined, professional presentation is an effective sales tool and a determining factor in the client's overall opinion of your capabilities.

Here is a list of Do's and Don'ts for an outstanding presentation. Before the Presentation

Do: Visit the site where the presentation will take place. Understanding the physical layout of the room will help you to figure out the best location for the screen, computer, overhead machine, and/or yourself during the interview. Pay attention to lighting levels. Check to see if there is a dimming switch or a main overhead switch. Check for wall outlets and proximity to where electronic equipment can be positioned. Determine if extension cords or surge protectors will be necessary.

Do: Analyze your audience. How many people will be there? Who will be there? What position do these individuals hold in the company? How much do they know about the presentation topic? What kind of personality traits do they share? What interests do they share? Why have they asked you to make this presentation? In your audience's eyes, who are your competitors?

Do: Gather information on the features and benefits important to the prospect. This information will be put to use when developing the presentation. As we all know, clients buy to fill an outstanding need. Identify these needs and tailor your presentation to address them.

Don't: Guess what the client wants. The answers are out there-you just need to find them. Discuss the topic with the client prior to formulating your strategy. Ask questions that will provide opinions as well as factual information. This way, you will understand what motivates your client and their stance on issues regarding the topic. If the client is unavailable for comment, do some research on the company (e.g., mission statement, profitability, five-year goals, etc.) It's better to start off on the right foot.

Do: Take into account the time of day you will be presenting. Perhaps the two worst times are just before and after lunch. Before lunch, empty stomachs can make people anxious and inattentive. If permitted, bring a snack for each audience member (e.g., doughnuts, cookies, soda). This will temporarily satiate their hunger and help you gain their full attention. After lunch, a full stomach can put a person right to sleep.

Don't: Panic. Public speaking is considered one of the greatest stresses in human life, but if you are prepared, it is not that bad. A prepared person is confident, and a confident person is more comfortable in a public setting. Preparing for the presentation can be a very fluid, formulated process, if given the right tools. Take it one step at a time.

Preparing the Presentation
Do: Start from the end. Prepare an outline of your presentation in rough form, starting with the last slide. Ask yourself, "What answer is the client seeking?" This slide should provide a summary of how you are going to solve the client's problem(s). Once you have the answer, work backwards and explain in greater detail how you will accomplish this task in a very succinct and orderly fashion. A presentation that takes a random jump into an irrelevant topic can be very distracting and confusing for the audience.

Do: Keep it simple. Many presentations have time limitations, and the presenter ends up squeezing an encyclopedia's worth of information into a newsletter. It just does not work. Make your point in a simple, easy-to-understand manner.

Don't: Use long headlines. Where possible, keep the main headline to under 10 words.

Do: Count your slides. An accepted standard is one slide per minute of presenting. Too many slides can provide too much information. Not enough slides can put an audience to sleep.

Do: Use color. A colorful presentation will catch and hold the audience's eye much better than black and white. If you are color-challenged, stick with the basics: blue, red, green, yellow, and white.

Do: Choose a color scheme and stick with it. Try to keep headlines the same color and font throughout the entire presentation. Make subheads and bulleted text a different color than the headlines. If done correctly, the audience will easily categorize and process the information rapidly when making a transition to the next slide. They will not be wasting precious seconds locating the important information on their own.

Don't: Use bright red or orange lettering for anything over two words long. The human eye has difficulty separating letters in these colors, making it tough to understand a long sentence. A one- or two-word highlight is acceptable, but avoid lengthy phrases in these colors. Stick with an easy-to-read typeface-nothing too fancy or decorative.

Do: Practice. Start walking through the presentation a few days before the "Big Show." Recruit an audience that will objectively critique your content, style, and overall "feel" of your presentation. Work with a stopwatch and time the different segments of your presentation. Expect some mistakes the first few times. If you still find yourself stumbling, practice improvisation and tiptoe around the mistakes. You will not get a second chance during the real show.

Don't: Over-practice. You can be, in fact, too prepared. Do not burn yourself out with endless practice and countless repetition. It can cause you to mindlessly regurgitate the information and not really listen to what you are communicating to the audience.

Do: Practice setting up and breaking down your presentation equipment quickly and quietly. This will help you to get in and out as gracefully as possible, without drawing attention to the equipment.

Do: Select a comfortable outfit in which you feel good about yourself. Your confidence and comfort will be apparent to the audience.

During the Presentation
Do: Relax. If you get nervous speaking in front of people, do not eat anything acidic or spicy the day of the presentation. Indigestion and heartburn can make you uncomfortable and distract you during the presentation. Also, stay away from carbonated beverages and cigarettes.

Do: Begin your presentation with an attention grabber. Open with a bang, with humor, special effects, or an interesting statistic related to your topic. Most people form first impressions in only seven seconds. Once this first impression is created, it is very difficult to change.

Don't: Lean or hang onto the podium. Plant your feet firmly on the ground, allowing your body to face the audience directly.

Do: Speak clearly and slowly enough for the audience to pick up all of the details. Nerves and insecurity can cause many speakers to slur words together and trail off at the end of a sentence. Make every word count.

Do: Display confidence while approaching the podium or stage. Walk with a quick pace and a gentle smile. Make it look as if you want to be there.

Don't: Use self-deprecating remarks to open, such as, "I hope I can live up to that introduction..." or "Here goes nothing." It's a sign of insecurity and lack of confidence.

Don't: Overact. Most people can see through excessive puffery and exaggeration. Try to control your body movements and voice intonations in harmony with your presentation. Make natural and appropriate facial gestures during the show.

After the Presentation
Do: Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your presentation. Sit down with others involved in the presentation and discuss what went well and what did not. Define areas for improvement in a positive, forward-looking manner.

Do: Reward your presentation team appropriately. If you are a manager, take them out to lunch or buy a small gift as a token of thanks. It will help to assure a strong commitment next time around.

When preparing, performing, and evaluating a presentation, the most important thing to do is try to enjoy yourself. It can be a very rewarding and educational experience for just about anyone.