Generic workshop for presentation skill training

1. Presenting
With
Confidence
Techniques for more
powerful presentations
Copyright 2009. Jack E Rossin www.jackeros

2. Jack E Rossin

3. Making decisions…
 “Jury” votes for the lawyer they have the
most confidence in (not on the merits of the
case).
Jack E Rossin

4. If you appear confident, they will
buy what you’re selling!
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5. I can’t make you be confident.
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6. I can make you appear
confident.
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7. 10 Techniques to Make You Appear
Confident.
 Strong eye contact
 Good posture
 Varying facial/hand/arm expressions
 Speaking volume
 Command of material…
Jack E Rossin

8. Techniques that make you Appear
confident...
 Speaking more slowly
 Storytelling
 Experience presenting
 Listening Skills
 Preparation/rehearsal
Jack E Rossin

9. 3 determinants of communication’s
impact
 Words
 Voice (confident and comfortable)
 Non-verbal (posture, eye contact, gestures)
– blink
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10. Tricks to Appearing Confident
 Business theatrics
 Physical techniques
 Losing inhibitions…
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11. Stretching Exercises
 Just as real stretching reduces tension in
your muscles, this stretching is designed to
reduce the inhibitions of your workshop
exercises.
Jack E Rossin

12. 10 Techniques to Make You Appear
Confident.
 Strong eye contact
 Good posture
 Varying facial/hand/arm expressions
 Speaking volume
 Command of material…
Jack E Rossin

13. Techniques that make you appear
confident...
 Speaking more slowly
 Storytelling
 Experience presenting
 Listening Skills
 Preparation/rehearsal
Jack E Rossin

14. The 11th Technique
 Your team. Learn to give honest, specific
feedback to each other that is clear and
actionable.
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15. 3 Key Presentation
Techniques??
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16. Eye Contact
 Eye contact wins people to your side
 One thought, one person
 Don’t talk without eye contact
 Straight shooters make eye contact
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17. Speaking Volume
 Your voice level drives your energy level,
posture, animation, body language.
 On a volume scale of 1-10, speak at 7 or 8
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18. V
Volume
Eye Contact
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19. Introduce yourself focusing on eye
contact and volume.
Take 5 to organize
Visualization technique
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20. Warning
The 3rd key skill
technique coming up!
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21. Storytelling
 The secret weapon of speaking
 Stories relax you and the audience
 An immediate way to start great and stay
great
 Great pitches use stories frequently.
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22. “If you have something
important to say, wrap it in a
story.”
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23. Story Guidelines
 A story has an open, middle and close.
 Give your story a visual location and mood.
 Stories need an intro like...”I want to tell you
a story about a …”
 In telling a true story, you are allowed to twist
facts and sequence to make the story flow
better.
Jack E Rossin

24. Story Guidelines
 You don’t need to tell everything that
happened, especially if it requires a side
story to explain.
 A short sweet story is better than a long
rambling one.
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25. Story Guidelines
 Before you tell a story, decide what the
ending will be.
 Before you tell a story, decide what the
ending will be.
 Before you tell a story, decide
what the ending will be.
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26. Tell Us a Story
2 minutes long
Take 10 to prepare
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27. Critique
Name a spokesperson
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28. Confidence Techniques
 Posture
 Hands
 SMILE. Really!
 Vocal pace. Pause for learning.
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29. Non-words
 Ah
 Oh
 Um
 Hmm
 Aaa
 $1 exercise
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30. Comprehension
 The single most important factor in
comprehension is sentence length.
 Short sentences work better.
 One thought per sentence.
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31. Elevator Speech
 An elevator speech is a 30-60 second
response to the business question “What do
you do?”
 It typically conveys what you do at your
specific job and what your firm does.
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32. Elevator Speech
 Answer the question as if you have been
asked “So what do you love about what you
do?”
 And what is it you admire about what your
firm is doing?
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33. Warning
Major “Opening”
exercise coming up!
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34. Building the Presentation
Open
 Middle
 Close
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35. Focus on the Open
 Audiences are most attentive in the
beginning
 Energizes you and the audience
 Gives you confidence
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36. Don’t Squander the Opening
 Don’t thank the audience
 Don’t say “you’re glad to be here”
 Never tell a joke
 Don’t say “I’ve been asked to speak about...”
 Don’t apologize
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37. Play the Audience
 The prospect will be most attentive to
anything that makes his/her job easier,
smoother, worry free, faster, cheaper and/or
less complicated.
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38. Grand Openings
 Identify your Takeaway
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39. The Takeaway
 What is the one thing you want them to
remember from your pitch?
 A takeaway is something that is very
important to the audience.
 Put the takeaway in the open, middle and
close
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40. Develop the Takeaway
 What is the one thing you want the prospect
to remember about your pitch?
 Why?
 Why?
 Why?
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41. Build the Takeaway into the Opening
 Through logic chain
 Through problem-solution
 Through visualization
 Through a story…
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42. Business Story Example
Hut
Budded
Pup
Con
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43. Business Story Example
Hot
Buttered
Pop
Corn
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44. Prepare an Opening to a
Presentation
MAXIMUM 2 minutes
long. Take 10 to
prepare. Pair off.
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45. Critique
Pick a spokesperson
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46. Using Notes when Speaking
 Three schools of thought
– Never
– Use bulleted notes
– Write word for word
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47. Using Notes - Conclusion
 Whatever makes you feel most confident is
the right technique as long as you can
maintain eye contact.
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48. Listening Skills
 Listen more, talk less.
 Listening…understanding what the client
needs…is the foundational skill of great
professionals.
 55% of listening is watching body language
Jack E Rossin

49. Answer questions when asked
 If asked a question, never say “we’ll get to
that later.” It makes you look inflexible.
 If interrupted, deal with it. This may be a test.
 Audience questions and comments always
trump what you have to say…
Jack E Rossin

50. Handling the handover
 Introduce your colleague, but don’t cover the
specifics of what he is going to say.
 A better hand-off is to say “We know the
budget is important to you, so Joe, our
account supervisor with lots of expertise in
this area took a look at your project. Joe”
Jack E Rossin

51. Handover exercise
 Go around the room handing over the
interview to the next person.
 A well rehearsed handover is the sign of a
well oiled team.
 Take 5 minutes to prepare.
Jack E Rossin

52. PowerPoint Guidelines
 The secret to effective PowerPoint is to use it
as support, not as a cue card.
 Refer to the screen, but do not read the
screen.
 Talk to your audience.
 Never speak without eye contact.
Jack E Rossin

53. PowerPoint Guidelines
 Even the best PowerPoint can be a
distraction for and from the speaker.
 Use sparingly
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54. PowerPoint Guidelines
 Keep word count low, type size large.
 Keep the number of pages to a minimum.
 Avoid clip art and gratuitous photos
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55. PowerPoint Guidelines
 Set up all equipment in advance
 Use a remote control clicker
 Never turn the lights down. Never.
 Rehearse your animations
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56. PowerPoint Guidelines
 Animation is OK, but be consistent
 Animation can slow you down…
 If I have to turn
 Each time I add a line
 It can get annoying…
Jack E Rossin

57. If you’re an inexperienced presenter…
 Either use one animation sparingly, or…
 Don’t use it at all.
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58. Warning
Major “Closing”
exercise coming up!
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59. Closing Thoughts
 A close has two parts
-Summary
-The Advance
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60. Summarize with Passion
 Summarize with lots of supporting data
 Pick up pace, volume and energy
 Make the close a crescendo
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61. Closing Rules
 Deliver The Advance
 What action do you want them to take?
 Thank them.
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62. Sell us on something you are
passionate about.
Use a close and an
advance to end the
pitch.
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63. Critique
Pick a spokesperson
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64. Answering Q&As
 An opportunity to advance your premise
 Don’t repeat the question
 If you don’t know, say so!
 Never say “That’s a good question”
 Answer Yes and No Qs with “...let me tell you
why”
Jack E Rossin

65. Summary of today
 Most juries vote for the presenter who is
most confident, regardless of content.
 Juries want to trust you and like you.
 The more confident you appear, the more
they buy what you’re selling.
Jack E Rossin

66. What Confident presenters have in
common
 Eye contact
 Posture
 Facial expressions
 Speaking volume
 Command of material
Jack E Rossin

67. Confident speakers
 Speak slowly
 Tell stories
 Experience in interviews
 Listening skills
 Preparation/rehearsal
 A strong team
Jack E Rossin

68. 3 Key Presentation
Techniques??
Jack E Rossin

69. 3 Key Techniques
 Eye Contact
 Volume
 Storytelling
Jack E Rossin

70. 3 determinants of communication’s
impact
 Words
 Voice (confidence and comfortable)
 Non-verbal (posture, eye contact, gestures)
Jack E Rossin

71. Summary - Opening
 Identify the takeaway
 Layout the supporting material
 Is there an opportunity for a story?
 Package the material
 Visualize success
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72. Summary
 Rehearse your handovers with the group
 Use PowerPoint Sparingly and always talk to
the audience, not the screen.
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73. Summary - Close
 Close with energy and pace
 Review all key points
 Reiterate your Takeaway
 The Advance
 Use Q&A to advance your agenda
 Listen when the prospect speaks
Jack E Rossin

74. Tips
 Using Notes
 Sit or stand?
 Best practice
 Think positive
 Elevator speech
 Lots of opportunities
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75. Tips
 Transitions
 Smile
 Energy
 Pause
 Video tape
 Posture
 Exit
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76. One last exercise
 Go around the room and tell us the one thing
(ONLY ONE) that you would want to work on
to be a better presenter.
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77. Your mother’s advice
Prepare
Rehearse
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78. Thank You.
Go forth and present.
Copyright 2006. Jack E Rossin