Your Presentation Best

I'll Give You A Stinkin' Reason to Listen! I'ts Revolution Time! And here's what you get if you join me.... One of the most common questions I get in my presentation workshops is this:   How do I get and keep my audiences attention? Essentially, it's hard to do unless you give them a very good reason to be interested. Almost aways, this means giving them something that is in their own self interest. What are you giving them that makes their lives better? What are you offering that they can apply and get results from? Why would you listen if you were in their shoes? If you can't answer these questions, you can't blame them for tuning you out. Everybody has a million things on their minds competeing for thier attention. If you bring no concrete value; if they don't clearly see the benefit; it's  Game Over. The take-Away is this:  make sure your presentation is a conversation about them. Understand their priorities, needs, and proble

What Message Are They Sending with Their Body Language?     Humans are visual animals.   Every presenter is, therefore, judged first on their body language. Body language speaks loudly, does not lie, and always registers (consciously or unconsciously) so it sets the tone for whatever follows. Once that tone is set, it can be difficult to change. If you are confident about what you are presenting, your body language will show it. If you believe in what you are presenting, your body language will show it. If you are so comfortable with your message and content that you could do it anywhere, at any time, your body language will show it. If you are not, your body language will show that, too. Either way, your audience will know.   And they react to you and your message accordingly. So, remember:  the first thing people hear is your body language.

Seeing is Believing I've always been a believer in learning from the best. Steve Jobs is my favorite corporate presenter, but there are some wonderful examples from other areas too. Check out the presentations at TED  www.ted.com What can we learn?  Lots.  From great story telling to how excellent presenters deliver a compelling presentation without PowerPoint.   And sooo much more.   This is really Black Sheep presenting worth learning from.

3 Classic Questions What is your presentation message? Why is it good for your audience? Why should they care? If you can't answer these questions, you aren't ready to present.

How to Get Someone's Attention Have you ever seen a presentation that really caught your attention and kept it? Can you still remember the presenter and the message? If your like most people, this doesn't happen often. Think about all the presentations you've seen in the last year. How many were great and how many sucked? How many were a waste of your time? What's the single most important element in any great presentation? It gives your audience something of value. They leave your presentaiton knowing it was good for them. The take-away:  always make sure you are providing value to your audience. Make it about them. Give them a reason to remember you and your message.