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

No Escape WASTEDTimeWASTEDMoneyWASTEDLives Have you ever been in a meeting that didn't have a point? Worse, it goes on and on because each presenter has way too many slides  for his agenda point? You look down at you watch and the meeting which was scheduled for 45 minutes is now running 45 minutes too long.  And you, your boss and that guy from legal still  haven't made their presentations... If this sounds at all familiar, consider taking a page from a V.P. who had taken over the next-generation development project of a luxury car company's flagship model. When he had his first cross-functional project team weekly meeting, each member of his senior mangement team came armed to the teeth with long slide decks defending what they were doing in micro-detail.   Sure, some of this PowerPoint -Palooza was because German automotive engineers are ultra-perfectionist.  But the other big influence was what we see every day at big companies:  a PowerPoint culture that trul

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 why I love working with adidas. 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

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

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.   You will  stand out .  You

Get In The Face of You Audience 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

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

My Take-away:  Short, Sweet, and Sexy for You 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. That's Sexy for your audience Be Your Presentation Best Got a presentation question?  Let me know: dan@boswell-training.com www.boswell-training.com

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   (NOT PowerPoint) 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