Your Presentation Best

Take-away:  What It Takes to Be The Best Her'es another quick test:  Can you say the  main take-away  of your last presentation in  one sentence ? If you can, then you have a pretty good idea of the value you're giving your audience. If you can't, you have to wonder if your audience got your message. Remember:  Time is Money.  And most people don't  have enough of either. Make sure you're giving your audience  something of value . And make sure you clearly understand what that something is. Be Your Presentation Best Got a presentation question?  Let me know: dan@boswell-training.com www.boswell-training.com

How to Get Someone's Attention:  Think Like Don Draper 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 enough. 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 presentation knowing it was good for them. That's the secret of Mad Men's Don Draper. He makes sure that the only ads which his agency puts out scream  "value for me!" , the viewer, the audience.  Whether he's selling candy, cars or shaving cream, the viewer feels that the product is good for them.  That's  the best way to get your audience to remember your message . The take-away:   Do what Don does .  Make it abou...

You Are the Message   (NOT PowerPoint) Want to be remembered?  Get in the face of your audience. Make sure they can see you and you can see them. Which is more likely to get and keep your audience's attention for 60 minutes:   a real human being with a powerful message  or a PowerPoint slide deck? Maximise your ability to sell your message by using the 80 / 20 Rule: 80% You  / 20 % PowerPoint Connect with your audience in a human way by owning the spotlight.   Don't let PowerPoint steal your thunder, dominate the sho w,  and put your audience to sleep. Get in the face of your audience.   You Are the Message . Be Your Presentation Best. Got a Question About Presentation?  Ask Me.  dan@boswell-training.com www.boswell-training.com

Make My Life Better "How are you gonna make my life better?" This is the basic question your audience is asking when they come to your presentation. Another way to put it is "Why the hell should I listen to you?" They are investing their time and their energy to listen to you, so they really do want to know why it's worth it for them. Your number one job as a presenter is to give them an answer.   Even if it's just a small thing. And front-load it.  Give them a taste of it at the very beginning of your presentation, so they know right away why they should listen to the details. If you don't, they won't. Be You Presentation Best. Got a Presentation Question?  Ask Me.  dan@boswell-training.com www.boswell-training.com

Grab 'Em With Your Cover Slide! Don't be afraid to let your cover slide have impact.  Use it to grab their attention and help sell your Teaser ( the first 30 seconds to two minutes).  Start with a bang and then use that momentum to capture your audience's interest. The above slide was used to talk about isolating and attacking a virus. Just like when Hollywood launches a new movie, your Teaser and cover slide give your audience a taste of what's coming and makes them hungry for more. Too often, cover slides are boring Corporate Identity templates with very dry, unimaginative titles. If you want to turn off your audience immediately, use those. If you want to grab 'em immediately, be creative and bold. The only requirement is that you can concretely connect it to your message. Have fun, go crazy. Be Your Presentation Best. www.boswell-training.com

Be a Black Sheep Presenter One of the most challenging aspects of corporate presentations is to stand out from the crowd. Corporate identity templates, managers trying to control their teams content so it conforms to the no-risk-because-it-looks-like-everyone-else's-slides, and just the overuse of "standard" PowerPoint slides  makes it almost impossible to tell one slide deck from another. If you want your message lost in the crowd, do what everyone else is doing.  Be a white sheep. If you want to stand out, be creative and innovative with your message, your story telling and your slides. The only requirement is that your message, story and slides are concretely linked to your message and your audience's needs. Dare to stand out.  Be a  Black Sheep Presenter . Be Your Presentation Best.  www.boswell-training.com

The Ultimate Teamwork:  U.S. Air Force Thunder Birds   Capture the attention of your audience in a way they don't expect.  Illustrate your presentations with unconventional visuals. Just make sure it's relevant to your message. For example, a senior manager / mentor wanted to talk about the importance of leadership, trust and teamwork : He told the story of how all the Thunder Bird pilots must absolutely trust the lead pilot and vice versa.  That together, they could reach incredible things; but working as individuals, the team will crash and burn. What unconventional visuals will you use to sell your message? Your creativity and ability to link it to your message are the only rules. Stand out from the crowd.  Be remembered. Be Your Presentation Best. www.boswell-training.com

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 problems ....

Do You Have A Plan B? This is it .  The most important presentation of your career.  You and your team have been preaparing for it for weeks. Your PowerPoint deck is optimised and ready to go. Your senior management is seated and waiting. Just as you are about to begin, your laptop crashes. You smell smoke.  You start to sweat. Time seems to have stopped. Everyone is staring at you, waiting... Is this Presentation Armageddon? What do you do?   What's your Plan B ?   Can you deliver without your PowerPoint? I hope this never happens to you, but it could.  If you are too reliant on your slides (and I've worked with a lot of managers who are), this is a nightmare scenario. For far too many corporate presenters, the presentation is all about PowerPoint, and they are lost without their slides. This means  PowerPoint is the Master , and  the presenter is the Servant. If this is you, stop letting your slide deck dictate your presentation delive...

KISSS Me, Baby! Just a reminder:   K eep  I t  S hort,  S weet, and  S exy. Short: get to the point.  Time Is Money. Sweet:  use positive language.  Sweet sells better than sour. Sexy:  grab your audience's attention and stand out from the crowd.  Make sure you know what turns your audience on.  What's sexy (important) for them? KISSS  your message, your slides, and your take-aways. Each of these should add clear and concrete value to your audience. Their time is very valuable.   The  KISSS  formula helps them to get the most from the time they spend with you. Be Your Presentation Best.    www.boswell-training.com Got a presentation question?  Ask Me.  dan@boswell-training.com        

Visual Confidence The First Thing That People Hear Is Your 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. Be Your Presentation Best.   www.boswell-training.com

How to Get Someone's Attention:  Think Like Don Draper 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 presentation knowing it was good for them. That's the secret of Mad Men's Don Draper. He makes sure that the only ads which his agency puts out scream  "value for me!" , the viewer, the audience.  Whether he's selling candy, cars or shaving cream, the viewer feels that the product is good for them.  That's  the best way to get your audience to remember your message . The take-away:   Do what Don does .  Make it about them. Always ma...

Quick, Fun and Effective MY Friend, The Flip Chart One of the most under-used and forgotten presentation tools is the  Flip Chart .   The main reason for this is PowerPoint. Ever since PowerPoint and other slide mediums  rose to dominance in the world of corporate presentations,  communication has gotten worse, not better.  This is because PowerPoint tends to become the show, the whole show and nothing but the show.   Presnters lose contact with their audiences and audiences lose contact with the presenter. Throw into the mix that most slide decks suck, and you've got a recipe for turning off your audience and losing the chance to sell your message. How can a flip chart help?  In several ways. Way one:  it's different.  If you don't use slides, you stand out.   That always  gets peoples attention . Way two:  it let's you tell and spontaneously illustrate your story and your message.   (You don't need to be a...

Can You Pass The Twitter Test? Can you Tweet it? 140 characters or less. If you truly understand the main message of your presentation, then you should be able to explain it in a quick and easy way. Try the Twitter Test. This helps you to focus on the essential take-away(s). It also helps your audience to instantly understand the value you are providing them. (Supporting data can always be added as needed) As Albert Einstein liked to say: "If you can't explain it simply, you don't really understand it." Let Us Help You Bring Out Your Presentation Best www.boswell-training.com

It Sends the Wrong Signal, But the Take-Away IS Clear Here's another quick test:   Can you say the main take-away of your last presentation in  one sentence ? If you can, then you have a pretty good idea of the value you're giving your audience. If you can't, you have to wonder if your audience got your message. Remember:  Time is Money.  And most people don't  have enough of either. Make sure you're giving your audience something of value . And make sure you clearly understand what that something is. Be Your Presentation Best www.boswell-training.com

A Clear Message from 1860 in Less Than 140 Characters 10 Days to S.F. Change of Time = Faster Reduced Rates = Cheaper Can You Answer Three Simple Questions? What is my presentation message? Why is it good for my audience? Why should they care?   If you can't answer these three questions, you aren't ready to present.    Period. Don't waste your time and theirs. Seriously.  Three simple answers = the core of your presentaiton. You can add slides and details as needed, depending on your audience and the scope of info they need.   (Less is MORE) A wise man once said:  "If you can't show me on the back of a cocktail napkin, then I ain't interested." The take-away:  Use these three questions to build the core of your presentation.   Build out from there if you need to. Because if you can't explain the core of your presentation, nobody wants to listen to you. And your not ready to present.  Period.

Even Granny Gets It! A wise manager once said:   "If your Grandmama can't understand your slides, then they're not good slides." Remember, good PowerPoint slides are easy to understand ,  easy to remember ,  and easy to explain .  They are also much easier to present . One message per slide.  Something Grandmama would be proud of. Your Presentation Best will be on holiday til April 16. Happy Easter!

"At Nike, we don't sell products, we sell stories."   --Anonymous source Why does Nike focus on the story ?   Because it lets them bring their product to life . Connecting street-level drama with their products, whether it's football, basketball, or lifestyle, captures the imagination of Nike's audience.  It also allows them to show the real-world impact their products will have on the user's life (real or imagined). Yes, it's a form of marketing.  But that's exactly what a great presentation   is all about. So ask yourself, what am I marketing to my audience, and what kind of real life impact will it have on them and their key stakeholders?   Use that as the basis for creating a story which illustrates  your main message and the benefits to your audience.

More Time for Beer! or Yourself or Your Core Tasks, etc. It doesn't matter what your presenting. It matter's what benefits you're bringing to your audience . Make sure you know what turns your audience on and how what your presenting can light their fire .

                                                                                                                            WWF Take-away:  Global Warming Is Real and We're In Danger Her'es another quick test:  Can you say the main take-away of your last presentation in one sentence ? If you can, then you have a pretty good idea of the value you're giving your audience. If you can't, you have to wonder if your audience got your message. Remember:  Time is Money.  And most people don't  have enough of either. Make sure you're giving your audience something of value . And make sure you clearly understand what that something is. Got A Presentation ...

Give Them A Reason To Listen Make sure you give your audience a reason to listen. If you don't, they won't. Great presenters know how to turn their audience on. They know it's all about giving their audience  something they need , want, and value. So ask yourself the question:  "Why should my audience listen to me.  And if they do, what will be their reward?" Find out what their top priorities and pain points are. Then, think about which of their priorities and / or pain points your presentation can address. That's what your audience wants to hear about. That's what they care about. That'S how you give them a reason to listen. Be Your Presentation Best. Got a Presentation Question?  Ask Me: dan@boswell-training.com www.boswell-training.com

Bring Your T-Shirt Sales to Life Help your audience visualise your KPIs. How much is 1.2 million T-shirts? Imagine the Allianz Arena filled more than 18 times... That's a  lot of T-shirts! A gentleman I worked with at a leading sports brand wanted to highlight the number of graphic T-shirts  his business unit was selling.  Rather than do the usual boring PowerPoint sales chart, he used   powerful imagery of the Allianz Arena to bring the sales figure,  one of his KPIs, to life.   By placing this imagery at the beginning of his presentation, he captured the audiences imagination and was able to make a much more interesting and memorable KPI report. He followed with the "standard" PowerPoint KPI charts, but the Allianz Arena slides gave the audience a great and unconventional way to put thsoe numbers in context. Don't be afraid to be creative .  Don't be afraid to be different. The only rule is that you must ...

Just another brick in the Wall? Monotony.  We all hate it. SO why do we see so much of it in corporate presentations?! I'm not talking about the droning voice that bores us.   I'm talking about the Monotony of PowerPoint slides . Slide after slide that look the same:  same corporate identity template, same layout, same "Oh sweet Jesus I've seen this a million times before!" visual monotony that tunes us out and eventually turns us off. Visual monotony is a perfect way to kill your message.  How to fix this?  Simple:  break the monotony. Be bold and creative.  Be innovative.  Be exciting.  Above all,  be different. The only requirement is that your visuals are concretely tied to your message.   You can do this with the slide itself and/or vebally.   Never forget, your job is to bring the slides to life and build a bridge to your message. If you dare to be different, you will wake and shake your audience.   ...