Business Skills
Presentation
Summary: Presenting with influence and impact
Whether it is an entrepreneur presenting a business plan to a venture capitalist or a manager presenting a project proposal to executives, presentations can make or break firms and careers.
Before presentation:
- Set goal: Everything in the presentation should be focused on achieving the goal. If the goal is to inform, what is the most important information which must be communicated? If it is to persuade, what should the audience think, feel or do after the presentation? We will focus on persuasive presentations, but the framework can also be applied to informative ones.
- Manage yourself: Nervousness creates poor presentations. The problem is not that nervousness creates mistakes, but that it creates the fear of making mistakes. It is this fear that creates safe, Powerpoint-led presentations that are mind-numbingly boring. The confident presenter can use humor to create rapport with her audience and to provide an enjoyable and enagaging experience for all. None of these techniques can be used effectively by the nervous presenter. It is essential, therefore, for any presenter to develop confidence.
- Create proposal: A persuasive presentation will contain a, possibly implicit, proposal: if the audience does X, the presenter will do Y. To create an effective proposal, the presenter needs to know the interests of her audience and frame the presentation to appeal to those interests.
- Develop persuasion strategy: Once the presenter has a compelling proposal, she needs to persuade her audience of its value. Her persuasion strategy can make use of certain key influence skills as well as framing. She may also offer some case studies or business stories to create a more absorbing argument.
During presentation:
- Establish rapport: If the presenter has prepared well, she will confidently enter the presentation with a clear goal, a compelling proposal and a strategy to persuade her audience. At the beginning the presentation, she should establish rapport with her audience - possibly with the use of humor - to break down barriers and create an enjoyable and cooperative atmosphere. At the same time, she can attract and hold the attention of the audience. By remaining aware of the non-verbal signals sent by the audience, she will discover which ideas interest your audience and which bore them and adapt her presentation accordingly.
- Use language effectively: One of the keys to a gripping presentation is the effective use of language. When communicating information or responding to a question, you want to use clear, unambiguous language. However, to inspire the audience, use more emotional and inspirational language.