The Ultimate Presentation Transformation

Nobodies perfect! Many people have stumbled and bumbled through speeches and pitches! Let's go through some tips and tricks to ensure that you have the presentation every time!

Problem # 1: You Ran out of Time/ Your Meeting was Cut Short....

You're in the middle of your best pitch ever and you hear these words: " You've got 15 seconds." Don't panic and waste the opportunity for an awesome closing pitch. Instead, regroup. 

You should have gone in knowing your top points for the takeaway. Ask yourself before you get there "What's my competitive advantage?" If you have to wrap up, just reinforce those top points. 

Every perfect pitch can be broken down into must haves and nice-to-haves. If you get pressed for time, at least you can still get your message across.

Prep Technique: The best way to avoid any timing issues is by confirming the total presentation time.

Problem # 2: You Have to Present to a Different Audience Than Planned

You're dressed to the nine's, ready to meet with the CEO. You've created a terrific close, ready to make the sale. But when you walk into the office the person with the buying power is no longer available. Now, you're presenting to the rest of the team. Key point here: You must always treat everyone as if they are the CEO! Make good use of your time anyway. You should still present a strong call to action, even if the person can't sign the deal. Because they do speak with the one who can.

Prep Technique: Know your expected audience and do some research in case the audience changes. Never automatically assume that the person making the arrangements is the person you are meeting with. If you show up and there is another audience, ask a few questions to what their experience is. This kind of situation also proves the importance of preparation. Many people don't rehearse because they think they are better off winging it but if you have nothing prepared, how do you know when you are done?

Problem # 3: You Made a Mistake

OK so you screwed up on that one point. Mistakes range from minor blips to major, factual errors. And trust us, everyone has made them (note the picture on the left).It's a waste of time beating yourself up over it. Most people really do understand that mistakes happen. Unfortunately, making a mistake can sometimes ruin the potential for a great business relationship unless it's handled correctly. If you catch a mistake during the pitch say "I apologize, I misspoke." And correct yourself there right away. The two most powerful words in the sales industry are "thank you" and the next two most powerful words in the world of sales are (drum role please) "I'm sorry." People find you unique in the field when you can learn to say that you are sorry. It also gives you back some (if not all) of the creditability that you may have lost when you made the blunder.

Prep Technique: While it may sound silly, practice making some mistakes. If you are able to create some scenarios in which you misspeak, you can prepare different ways to address potential disasters. Also, make sure that you have sources for the information that you are presenting. That way, if someone questions you, you can say that the data is up to interpretation but you are always able to confirm where it came from. 

Problem # 4: You Have an Embarrassing Situation (wardrobe malfunction anyone?)

Your bra is showing. Your fly is down. Your shirt came un-tucked in the back. A button popped off. There is toilet paper stuck to your shoe. You choke on your words. You're sweaty. After that list, no wonder more people are more afraid of public speaking than death! But guess what. You're human. And so are the people you are presenting to. Some have an ability to laugh off situatyions like these and others naturally start to panic. So what do you do when everyone has seen it and everyone is thinking about it? Point it out. Laugh about it. Move on. 

Prep Technique: Arrive early and take an extra minute in the bathroom to give yourself the once over you need. Also, have room temperature water and don't eat before a big presentation.

Problem # 5: Your Audience is Falling Asleep

While you (and maybe your family) may think that you are a lot of fun, there are times when you're just not being very engaging. During a presentation a lack of energy from you can create a huge disconnect between you and your audience. Do everything you can to not turn the boardroom into a bored room. 

The best way to engage is to ask questions that the audience cannot ignore. Make them do things like a show of hands. Typically, when a presentation goes south in this way, it's because you are not addressing the major concerns of the audience. Make sure what you are going to talk matters to them rather than just using a canned pitch. Also, do your best not to schedule these meetings after lunch. Meals make people sleepy and that's a fact!

Prep Technique: Practise some great ways to pump up the energy in your audience. Whether you plan a game or a great story, keep one technique tucked away in your back pocket to use during those moments when the audience starts drifting away. The worst error you make is reading a script and pairing it with boring slides. 
When presenting with a powerpoint never read word for word off of it...only point out the key topics and let the audience do the reading for themselves. This helps them to stay active.

Problem # 6: Your Audience Turns Hostile

You think your presentation has gone great but then you start fielding questions. There's one in every crowd - a rival. No matter who the hostile person is, an excellent presentation can be disregarded if questions are not answered properly. First, don't pick a fight. There is usually a reason why someone is hostile so find out why. It could be as simple as they have had problems with their previous vendors. If the environment permits, agree to answer the question in great detail after the presentation. You also consider stealing the strength of hotile audience members by raising the issues before they can. Note that usually the first objection of a hostile person is price. So talk about the value they get with the price. Also when a hostile question is posed, it is important to rephrase it to the audeince so that it's neutral. Take the hostily out. 

Prep Technique: Avoid hostile questions in the first place by knowing your audience. If you are aware of them, you are aware of their concerns and they can all be addressed as part of your pitch. A professional skeptic can't argue if you're not vague. 

Problem # 7: Tech Glitch!

The show must always go on. Presentations are about performance which can be a multimedia showcase. While high tech elements can really improve your presentation, they shouldnt be a crutch. Most important, they should not be a substitute for knowledge. Be prepared by knowing your information by heart and dont read word for word from a slide. When your computer crashed you'll be forced to show your true colors - are you a trusted source of information? 

Prep Technique: You should expect problems instead of assuming it can never happen to you. Make sure you are able to do a strong presentation without the computer, without the slides and without the visual aides. Print out our Power Point to pass around and use for reference as an extra measure. If you can, use a white board - but we want to note that when you erase, you should erase up and down - not side to side. When you erase side to side, your butt shakes in front of the audience. :)