Biz Tips: A little podium prep goes a long way
How you can be a star presenter
By JOHN J. DIPIETRO
Having the capability to get up in front of a crowd and deliver a sparkling presentation is a gift. Perhaps you never thought you had the gift of gab. Perhaps you envied those that do have the capability to stand in front of a crowd and appear organized, confident and have the ability to deliver a strong message that gets their point across and gets the crowd on their side.
Well, with proper preparation, YOU can be that person who seems to have the grace to do it all.
You see, we were all brought into this world screaming in one way or another, so making noise is something that we were born with. All you have to do is organize that noise and you can deliver presentations that will cast a favorable light on you and your company.
Now let’s look at what’s at stake here. How many times have you seen a person who held a title that you respected get up in front of a group and be totally unprepared? It happens every day. Didn’t your opinion of that person and the company she represented diminish a bit? Of course it did. And how about the opposite happening? Someone who was a total stranger took the microphone with the skill of a fighter pilot and you were amazed at the performance and thought more highly of her company.
You need to be that person. Here is how:
Know your audience. Are there members of that audience that are future prospects? Are there current clients in the audience? Does the audience know you or the company you represent?
Know what you are there to do. I have seen company presidents be introduced at a function they are sponsoring and say, "I have no idea what I am going to say, but I will be done quickly." What does that say about the respect that the speaker had for the audience that he didn’t even prepare anything?
Know your geography. Be aware of the city, state and country you are speaking in.
Know about the organization you are speaking to. Thank the introducer and make reference to the leaders of the group.
Write your speech out word-for-word. To prepare, write your presentation out word-for-word, then go over it again and again. Once you become familiar with it, each paragraph can be referenced by a single word. If you are presenting very specific data, it is best to use the word-for-word approach. After you are familiar with your content, look up and make eye contact with the audience several times during your presentation,.
Learn about who spoke before you and is scheduled after you. Get greater credibility by talking about the previous speaker and any highlights that may be coming up after your presentation.
Be careful with humor. Absolutely refrain from any racial, sexist or ethnic discussions when trying to be funny. If you have to "run something by" someone to see if it is good taste, then do not include it. The fact that you had to test it is proof that it does not belong.
Personalize your presentation. For every 30-minute presentation, you should have done about 3 hours of background searching for material that is pertinent to that specific group.
Make reference to other resources. Rather than use yourself as the sole authority on your topic, create awareness for other experts by mentioning them in your presentation. It shows you did your homework and are comfortable with your findings if you give evidence of others coming to the same conclusions.
Know when to fold ’em. Always finish on time. Respect your audience by keeping them on schedule. Have the audience desire to hear more from you, instead of having them feel that they never want to hear another word from you!
John DiPietro is a nationally noted public speaker, marketer and author of "You Don’t Have to be Perfect to be Great." He can be reached at john@johndipietro.com.
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