I just facilitated a customized presentation skills program for regional sales managers of a very large medical device company.

Their objectives were to understand the differences and similarities between these types of presentations:

§   management vs. leadership

§   formal vs. informal

§   informative vs. persuasive

§   face to face vs. phone, web, etc. 

The irony -- although they are different, the bottom line is the same.

All types of presentations have two things in common:

 1)     A message to structure and develop to achieve a result

 2)     Delivery that  engages the audience members and accomplishes the goal

Is it possible to give presentations that are a combination of management and leadership, informative and persuasive?

Yes.

It comes down to what you want that audience walking away knowing, doing and feeling.

Should you prepare less because it’s informal?

Not really.

It’s always respectful to your audience (be it one or many) to be clear about your objectives and to deliver the message with clarity and enthusiasm.

In future blogs, I’ll get more specific about the differences and similarities between management and leadership presentations, and ways to be effective while presenting.

If you want to bring this custom “Speaking to Lead” program to your team, let us know!

Are you suffering from “death by PowerPoint?”

Many people in corporate America are.

You know the symptoms … yawning participants during your slide shows or distant looks from half of the audience who are staring at your screen like zombies.

Let’s be real. I personally have never heard, “Oh good – another slide!” I’m sure you would agree.

So, where is the problem?

I believe most presenters create their slides and think they have a presentation.

Wrong!

What they should be doing is writing the presentation, and then determining where a slide would add value, impact and interest.

When audience members need specific information to study, and to share with others, give them the complicated details in advance, or at the end of the presentation. Then, simplify when presenting.

What are some guidelines?

1) Use pictures (personal photographs or high-end, online stock images) whenever possible – as long as they reinforce the message.

2) Use charts and graphs to help explain trends and numbers.

3) Limit the bullet points.

4) Use the “B” key to blank out the screen. It pulls the attention back to the speaker.

5) Start and end with no slide, so you can make the personal connection with the audience.

Slides are tools – and shouldn’t be used as a crutch. Remember, they are visual aids – not presentations.

Your audience will thank you for not having them suffer a tedious “death by PowerPoint.” 

What do YouTube, blogs, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, webinars, Kindles, Ezines, teleseminars, etc., all have in common?

Communication and connection.

It doesn’t matter whether you have only 140 characters or 2 hours to present your message, it needs to be clear, focused, and applicable to the audience at hand.

Good news – that’s what we do. BRODY Professional Development teaches all communication skills.

We help people create memorable (for the right reasons!) messages.

If you want to know more about who we are, and what we do, check out our course catalog. Or, browse through our webinar and teleseminar offerings. Don’t forget to also download any of our helpful articles and tips/techniques on presentation skills and related communication topics.

If you know people who want to – or need to -- enhance their communication skills, give us a call!

We guarantee results.