business presentation

business presentation

The Power of Effective Business Presentations

1. Introduction

The goal of all types of presentations is to influence change. This may be a change of attitudes, belief or behaviour. It may be a change to an idea, a strategy, a process or a product. It may be a change to the culture of a team or an organisation. It may be a change to the understanding of a process or a concept. It may be a change in a decision. It may be a change in alliances or resources. It may be a change in the way people spend their time. But the common goal of all presentations is to create some change. In business scenarios the typical change is to an idea, strategy, product, team, or resource. It may be a sales presentation designed to get a change in the understanding of a product and a purchase decision by a customer. It may be a strategy presentation designed to get a change in the understanding of a strategy and allocation of resources. It may be a project update presentation designed to get a change in the allocation of a team’s efforts. Most commonly it is an informational presentation designed to change an understanding of a particular topic. But the goal of all these presentations is to create change. There is not presentation error that doesn’t detract from the speaker’s ability to create change. Sometimes the affects are minor and sometimes they are catastrophic. All errors reduce the persuasiveness of a speaker and some errors will result in a direct contradiction of the intended message. The consequences to the speaker can range from the mere annoyance of knowing they could have done a better job, to loss of a sale, loss of significant resources on a ‘wild goose chase’, and in some extreme cases damage to one’s reputation, or even bodily harm if the change was to a course of action with high risk. Errors can be an expensive business.

2. Understanding Your Audience

It is important to frame your message in a way that will be received favorably by your primary audience. This might mean focusing on how your message will affect them, what they need to know, and how you can deliver this information in a way that will be easy for them to understand. Not all listeners are the same. Often, your audience will be made up of a variety of different people who will have varying amounts of knowledge about your topic. Under these circumstances, you may need to deliver several different messages. For example, your goal might be to relay a complex message to the knowledgeable few while also simplifying this message for the less knowledgeable many. Understanding what your audience knows about your topic will help you determine how best to frame your message. It will help you pinpoint the things they need to know and the best way to deliver this information.

Primary Audience – Your most important group of listeners; those whom you really want to influence with your message. In some cases, your primary audience might be a gatekeeper or a watchdog group that will, in turn, deliver your message to a wider audience.

– Who is your primary audience? – What do they know about your topic? – What do they need to know? – How are they likely to respond to your message?

The first step in preparing a presentation is to understand who will be in the audience. Without this knowledge, it is impossible to tailor your presentation in a way that will be relevant to your audience’s needs. Different people have different needs, and the more you know about your audience, the more effective your message can be. The following questions can help you analyze your audience to frame your presentation:

3. Structuring Your Presentation

When you have grabbed their attention, it is now time to maintain interest towards the subject. This is the body of your presentation and is structured around your key objective. Too many times the body is a huge information dump of what the presenter knows on a certain topic. Sticking with what is only relevant, it is useful to tell them what you are going to tell them (the outline), to prep your audience on what to expect. Dwell on each point of the outline step by step and recap at the end of each point. Make sure you are connecting with the audience, you want understanding and agreement of what you are taking across. Be involved! This is usually the most rewarding section where practice has paid off and strong presentation skills quickly become apparent.

It is critical to grab your audience’s attention at the start. A 30-second chance is all you have, and research suggests that what you say and do in the first 30 seconds is what could dictate the outcome of your presentation. It is in this time frame that the tone and structure of the presentation is set. You can start with a statement, a rhetorical question, a story, or humor but connect it to your objective. Having an evoking visual (either display a prop, a picture, or simply through words) can turn the eye and mind of a wandering audience back to you. For every part of your presentation, make your objective clear, state what you are trying to get across.

The structure of your presentation is crucial as this is what your audience remembers when they leave. It is the thread that holds your knowledge together. It has been said that many people do not remember what you say, but they remember your first and last points, so make them count!

4. Delivering with Impact

Effective delivery should go beyond the rote recitation of materials, and it certainly goes beyond the reading of your slides. That spoken version of your written report is a common presentation, but it is not effective. The mechanics of delivering a Power Presentation absorb most of the delivery issues. These, in turn, correlate directly to creating audience understanding. Every time a presenter opens his mouth, the audience is thinking six things: Why are you telling me this? Where are you going with this? How does this fit into the big picture? What is the concept? How does this affect me/my company? What are the details? Any time the audience cannot answer these questions regarding your content, then it fails to achieve their comprehension. This usually occurs because the speaker moves too quickly from idea to idea and, in doing so, loses proper context. The best way to ensure the audience understands each move you make is to over-teach. Give them the final concept before you give them the details on the concept. This provides a mental framework for the audience on which to hang the details. When you transition to a new idea or topic, let the audience know this is what you are doing. This can be as simple as saying, “Alright, now let’s switch gears and talk about…” This makes sure the audience can follow you. In moving from idea to idea or topic to topic, it is important to connect the dots. Always tell the audience why you are telling them something and how it fits into the big picture. Always cross-reference back to the methodology by which you will solve the problem presented in the situation analysis. This methodology should be the most detailed content of the presentation, sharing the practical steps that could be executable by the clients. Finally, one must not assume understanding. Always be looking for the confused face, and when you find it, ask the individual what the last thing they heard and understood was. If they cannot articulate your last point, then you have some explaining to do.

5. Conclusion

You are all set to go. You have the necessary skills to make powerful presentations and you have an excellent guidebook in this essay. Effective business presentations are such an important part of the communication process that your success in business depends on your ability to do them well. Think of presentations as part of your professional system for getting things done – working with and through other people, and continually enhancing your value to the organization. This book provides insights into that system and guidance for continuously improving your presentation skills. Use the various guides and techniques over and over until doing powerful presentations becomes second nature to you. That is the essence of learning a new skill and you have the skill you have now the potential to excel in a skill that is so critical to your success. Thanks for reading this guide. Your attention was an important test of its ideas. Now let’s see you put them into action in your next business presentation.