Need to prepare a presentation quickly? Follow these 7 guidelines

I was just given an assignment to present at a community meeting, but I have very little time to prepare. What should I do?
 
This question was asked by one of my students, and it brings up a communication dilemma – how do you put together a presentation when you don’t have a lot of time to prepare?  This task can baffle the best of us. But there’s no need to panic. Here are some suggestions to put together a presentation quickly:   

1. Think about your audience. Who are they? How much do they already know about your topic? What more do they want to know? If you address the needs and concerns of the people in your audience, they are more likely to listen to you.  

2. Define your objective and the key points quickly. You don’t have time to waste. People often spend too much of what little time they have agonizing over these items. Make a decision and get started.  You can now focus on what you want to convey to the audience. (Additional information on structuring your presentation can be found in my new book, The Communication Clinic: 99 Proven Cures for the Most Common Business Mistakes.) 

3. Consider whether you have any stories to support your key points. Stories bring your presentation to life. Keep them succinct and to the point. Your audience will remember the story, and as a result, they’ll also remember the message in your presentation.

4. Practice out loud. Have at least one practice. You want to hear how the presentation sounds.  

5. Pay attention to your delivery. You want to appear confident and credible – even if you are uncomfortable. Use good posture, and look at people in the audience. Don’t sway. Avoid nervous fiddling, such as playing with a pen or rubber band. Dress slightly better than your audience, and speak loudly enough to be heard. 

6. Don’t discount yourself. Avoid comments that belittle you or your talk. These include such statements as, “I hope I don’t bore you; I didn’t have a lot of time to put this together…” or “I know you didn’t come here just to hear me.”  

7. Anticipate the questions. Once the presentation is together, spend just a couple of minutes thinking about the questions that you may be asked. Decide how you will respond to them. If you do, you are less likely to be caught off guard.

There is a lot more you can – and should – do to prepare for a presentation, but these quick tips will help you prepare an effective presentation when time is short.

Pachter & Associates provides seminars and coaching on communication, business writing, presentation skills, professional presence, and etiquette. For additional information, please contact Joyce Hoff at joyce@pachter.com or 856.751.6141. (www.pachter.com)

Giving a Presentation? 9 Ways to Answer Questions Like a Pro

I won’t give a presentation because I’m petrified about answering questions.

I don’t like giving presentations, but I really dislike the Q&A session.

I never know what to say when asked a question, and end up rambling. 

Comedian Jerry Seinfeld said, “Did you know that they say people fear public speaking more than they fear death? That means that more people would rather be inside the coffin than giving the eulogy!”

Many people fear giving presentations. Yet, as the above three quotes illustrate, there are people in my seminars who dislike the Q&A part of a presentation the most. They seem to dread losing control of the presentation, or being caught off guard.  

Effectively answering questions in front of your audience builds your credibility. Master the following points so you appear poised and confident during the Q&A:

1. Prepare for questions. As you prepare your presentation, you also need to prepare for the questions you may be asked.  Think about your topic and who is in your audience, and how they are likely to respond. Anticipate the questions and know how you will answer them.

2. Anticipate the tough questions. Think about what difficult, annoying or nasty questions you may be asked, and know how you will respond. Don’t just pray that someone won’t ask that question. Know how you will answer it.

3. Repeat the question before answering. This is hard to remember to do, but very important. You repeat the question for a number of reasons. The first is that when you repeat the question, it allows everyone to hear what was asked. You also gain a couple of seconds to get your thoughts together. And if the question is a hostile one, you can paraphrase the question and eliminate the hostility.  For example, if the question is, “How come you are spending so much money on transportation for...,” you could paraphrase and say something like, “The question concerns the transportation budget.”

4. Don’t be a puppet on your audience’s string. If the audience is shouting questions at you, make sure you repeat the question you are about to answer. If you don’t, you are being controlled by the audience as you quickly answer one question after another. When you take the time to repeat the question, you gain control of the Q&A, as you are deciding which questions to address and in what order. 

5. Look at the audience when answering the question. When you repeat the question, look at the person who asked it. But when you answer the question, look at the audience, to include them in the answer. 
 
6. Don’t know the answer? Admit it. Even when you are well-prepared, there still may be times you are asked a question to which you don’t know the answer. When that happens, you can usually say, “I don’t know, but I will find out and get back to you.” And make sure you do. 

7. Give your Best Educated Guess. Occasionally, there may be times when you don’t know the answer, but you have to respond. You can then give what I call your Best Educated Guess. This is not lying. It’s a general response without being specific. It is saying something like, “Based on my experience (or research, or knowledge of...), I assume the following would occur....”  (But make sure it is your best educated guess – don’t go beyond the boundaries of what is plausible.)

8. Defer answering, if the answer to the question will be explained later in your talk. Often, you can say, “I am going to hold off answering that question as I will be discussing that topic in a few minutes.” Of course, if the CEO asked the question, you may want to answer it right away!

9. Don’t end abruptly. When the Q&A segment is nearing its end, prepare the audience. You can say something like, “I have time for one more question.” And after you answer that question, move on to your closing.


Additional information on presentations can be found in my book The Essentials of Business Etiquette: How to Greet, Eat and Tweet Your Way to Success

Pachter & Associates provides seminars and coaching on business presentations, writing, professional presence, etiquette and communication. For additional information, please contact Joyce Hoff at  joyce@pachter.com or 856.751.6141.

Public-Speaking Challenge: Someone Is Sleeping During Your Talk!

What do you do when someone falls asleep during your presentation?

My first thought after being asked that question during a presentation-skills seminar was to recall the scene in the romantic-comedy film, Larry Crowne, where Julia Roberts throws an eraser at her sleeping student.

My second thought was, “You can’t do that in the business world!” However, since I have been asked about sleeping/daydreaming participants a number of times over the last few years, here are some alternative suggestions:

1. Don’t take it personally; sometimes people just need to sleep. A number of years ago, I had a woman sleeping in the first row of my seminar. I admit that it was a little unnerving. But she came up to me at break and said, “I am loving your seminar, but I had a migraine this morning and took my medicine, and I know at times it makes me drowsy. But I’m learning so much I want to stay, and I wanted you to know that.” I responded with a gracious, and heartfelt, “Thank you!”

2. Ask yourself: Are you making it too easy for people to doze off? Are you speaking in a monotone? Too softly? Is the room too hot? Too dark? Are your slides difficult to read? If any of these scenarios describe your presentation, some of your audience may fall asleep.

3. Walk around or near the sleeper. When you walk around your room, your activity may wake the person. Sometimes a participant sitting next to the dozing person will tap the sleeper.

4. Have you added any stories? Do not just hand out a collection of related data. Adding stories that support your information can enliven your presentation and keep your audience’s attention. To highlight the importance of the speaker’s making eye contact with the audience, I often tell the story of a judge instructing a witness to remove his dark glasses so the jury could see his eyes.

5. Call a break or have the group do an exercise. These options usually are possible during an informal presentation. Make sure you talk to the sleeper during this time to engage him or her. Additional information on presentation skills can be found in my book, The Essentials of Business Etiquette: How to Greet, Eat and Tweet Your Way to Success.

6. Ask the person a question. This can be risky. Do this very cautiously because you do not want to put someone on the spot. But if a person is just beginning to nod off or daydream, you may want to try it. Say the person’s name and then ask a question or ask for a comment, such as “Tom, you are the expert on budgeting; would you please add your comments on _____________.”

Pachter & Associates provides training and coaching on presentation skills, assertive communication and business etiquette. For additional information, please contact Joyce Hoff at 856.751.6141 or joyce@pachter.com.

Top Ten Things To Avoid When Making a Sales Presentation

How do we appear experienced and mature, when we’re not?

The above question was asked recently by a young man as I was giving feedback to a group of new hires during a sales-presentation class. He and the other participants in the class were very bright, talented individuals, but they needed to play down their youthful demeanor. Their customers wanted to buy from sources who presented themselves as credible and mature.

I suggested that they eliminate discounting, immature mannerisms from their sales pitches to appear more self-assured and confident. Seasoned professionals also can check their presentations against this list.

Here are the top ten things to avoid when making a sales presentation:

1. Don’t use the words “hope” and “hopefully.” You don’t want to appear unsure. A number of the presenters said, “We hope you will choose us,” and “Hopefully we can work together.” Act confidently and say, “We look forward to working with you.”

2. Stop using “You guys” when referencing audience members. Do I really need to explain this one? It’s very casual, young person's language.

3. Don’t introduce yourself with your first name only. If you are not introduced before you make your presentation, give both your first and last names when introducing yourself. Your full name gives you more standing.

4. Avoid the phrase “to be honest with you.” Customers want to believe that you are always honest with them.

5. Eliminate the monotone voice. You need to be enthusiastic. One presenter said: “We’re excited about the turnaround at our firm,” but she didn’t sound as if she believed it. Occasionally, emphasize key words to animate your sentences.

6. Don’t play with your pen or rubber band when speaking to others. This distracting mannerism conveys nervousness. Keep your hands empty. You want to appear self-assured.

7. Do not dress inappropriately. Do you want to be remembered for what you wore or for what you said? Appearance matters in the business world. If you look like you just got out of bed, you won’t appear to be taking your customers’ business seriously. Don’t ignore your grooming. One woman had chipped blue polish on her nails, which was very distracting when she gestured.

8. Don’t use filler words. If your audience is counting the number of “ums” in your talk, they are not listening to you. Plus, you appear nervous and unprepared.

9. Avoid “I think” or “we think.” When you say “I think,” you are telling the audience that you don’t know. One presenter said, “We think we are a much stronger company today.” Speak with conviction and say, “We are a much stronger company today.”

10. Don’t get caught by the tough question. Try to anticipate every difficult question and your answer, or you will appear unprepared.

Additional information on presentation skills can be obtained from Pachter’s book, When The Little Things Count, or from Pachter & Associates' presentation skills seminars and coaching.