Presentation Styles

I’ve observed a number of presentations of late and one thing in particular has made an impression on me.  Although there are many different styles, no one style is necessarily more effective than another.  There are certain elements to a presentation, however, that are crucial.

• Visuals
• Use the presentee(s) name – often
• Smile
• Display a sense of humor or a “human side”
• Eye contact
• Engage
• Fluidity
• A logical, coherent sequence
• Ask questions – often
• Listen to the answers
• Watch for non-verbal cues
• Ask for the order

Helpful Tips

If you are anxious before the presentation, it often is an indication that you are focusing too much on the benefits to you versus the benefits to the potential client.

If you are a strong presenter, you should  secure the business that you are pursuing at least 80% of the time.

When you don’t secure the business, it is counter-productive to focus solely on your mistakes.  Ask yourself, “What did I do better during this presentation than the last presentation when I did secure the business?”  And then proceed to build upon that.

Contrasting Styles

Over the past two weeks we had two different presenters at our team meeting whose presentation styles couldn’t have been more dramatically different.  One was male and the other female.  It will be interesting to see which one is successful in generating business from our office.

What is different about your style of presenting from others that you have seen?

What style do you react most favorably to as a presentee?

Expand your mind, increase your business and receive your dose of “The Daily Tonic” everyday.*   It’s always brief, informational and thought provoking.

Simply go to the top of this page or the home page of  thedailytonic.com, enter your email in the navigation bar to the right and click “subscribe.”  Of course your email address will be  kept private.