Presentation Skills:Making Successful Pitches

Ing. Jiří Šnajdar 2015

Fear of Public Speaking

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1R6IVLwCCls

Great Presenters

This Lecture Covers

Pre-preparation planning

Presentation structure

Visual aids

Presentation effectiveness

Overcoming fear

Pre-Preparation Planning

•What are your objectives? How do you achieve them?

•What are you presenting?

•Any constraints?

•Who are our audience? What are their expectations?

Is Your Goal

•To familiarise/inform the audience?•Explain a concept?•Present results, facts, figures?•Convince the audience?•Accept our conclusions•Agree on recommendations•Contribute funds•Buy•Invest / Lend•Job offer

Pass an Assessment !

Wow! Fantastic !!

Assessed on

•Communication and impact•Originality of presentation•Structure of argument•Value proposition clear•General impression

•European dimension – where launch•Cultural understanding

Cultural Understanding?

•Need to explain the concept

•May need to familiarise/inform the audience

•Reflect on cultural and commercial implications

Start to Visualise the Presentation

Constraints

•Location

•Time allotment

•Time slot

•Team skills / credentials

•Equipment needs / availability

•Audience

Know Your Audience

•Number

•Professional status / education / gender / ethnicity

•Reasons for attending / expectations

•Anticipate likes / dislikes

Audiences want ....

To feel you know your subject

To see you look the part and have prepared

To be informed

Audiences do not want ....

To be confusedTo be bored To be blinded by new words, by jargon

Low hanging fruit, Let’s shoot the puppy Could we park that one Read your audience!

Think outside the box

Too much detailTo be talked down toTo waste their time

INVITE THE RIGHT AUDIENCE !INVITE THE RIGHT AUDIENCE !

Invite the right audienceInvite the right audienceINVITE THE RIGHT AUDIENCEINVITE THE RIGHT AUDIENCE !

INVITE THE RIGHT AUDIENCE

INVIPresentation StructureHT

•Brainstorming •Visualise the content•Be selective

Must HaveShould HaveNice to Have

•Sort into categories•Beginning / middle / endAUDIENCE !

INVITE THE RIGHT AUDIENCE !

StructureINVITE THE RIGHT

AUDI Then, tell them The Main BodyTell them what you Then tell them whatare going to tell them you have told them Opener Closer

Openers

‘You never get a second chance to make a first impression’

AttentionBenefitsCredentialsDirection

Attention Grabbers

•News item•Question•Quotation•Ice Breaker•Fact•Joke•Drama•Story or anecdote

Closers

Recap main points

Repeat benefits

Call to action

Lasting Impression

Sequence of Main Points

•Chronological•Problem to Solution•Project Progress•Causes to Effect•Escalating (Smallest to Largest)•Must sell the benefits•KISS

Information can be Expressed

•Visually•With words•With numbers•With graphs•With artwork•With photographs or sound clips

Visual Aids

Why use presentational aids?

1.To display your technological proficiency2.To show that you speak the language3.To facilitate communication of your message

Audience Retention

After 3 hrs After 3 days

Tell Only 70% 10%

Show Only 72% 20%

Show and Tell 85% 65%

Text Visuals

•Six by six rule for text•Use one idea per visual•Don’t have too many slides

•Use CAPITALSCAPITALS and small letters

•Minimum font size 26•Check spelling, grammar, numbers, consistency

Use Colour for Contrast / PersuasionSeverity black

Growth green

Danger red

Peaceful blue

Enthusiasm Yellow

Innocence White

Energy Orange

Beware Power Point

Presentational Aids are Addictive

• Do not hide behind technology• Technology can fail• Bring back-up copies

On different storage media Remember handouts and takeaways

• The most important presentational aid is

YOU!

Presentation Effectiveness

What we say 7%

How we say it 38%

Body Language 55%

Vocal Image

Pitch

Pace

Volume

Pauses

Visual Image

•Posture•Gestures•Dress•Eye Contact

-Never look at the screen-Cue cards vs script

Overcoming Fear

‘mangling the language, destroying its meaning by avoiding the use of verbs, twisting nouns into verbs and endlesslyrepeating phrases until they become zombified’

‘misunderestimate’

Causes of Fear

Forgetting what to say

Not being perfect or knowledgeable

People will judge us

Negative reaction from audience

Losing the audience

Equipment failure

NeverSay you are nervous

Say you are unprepared

Admit you have forgotten anything

Tell negative stories

Rush to finish

Apologise

Summary

•PlanPre preparation, know constraints

•PracticeRehearse (again and again) and refineBring backup copies

•PresentWith confidenceHave fun – visualise success

•Post mortemGet feedbackFollow up

Any questions?