Stop Presenting and Start Communicating

We’ve all sat through boring, monotone, text-heavy, slide-driven presentations or meetings – probably too many times to count! – that leave us completely checked out, scrolling through our Instagram timeline or dreaming of the pizza we’re going to have for lunch.

Imagine instead of wishing for a nap, your audience had this to say following your address:

“The material, tone, and overall confidence in which he delivered his address was markedly different from past presentations. While he has always been a gifted speaker, during this address, he commanded the room. The presentation was the closest I have ever seen anyone within our institution look and sound like they were presenting at a TedTalk level in my five years with the organization.” 

There are few people who naturally excel at public speaking; most great public speakers are made – through preparation, dedication and training. And by preparation, we don’t just mean running through your talking points a couple of hours before the meeting, then winging it. We mean preparing your message days and weeks in advance – starting first with the primary concept, focusing on the audience and what’s in it for them, then finding the most compelling and memorable way to share your idea and finally guiding your audience through the detail.

Only after you develop your verbal story and work through your delivery and technique should you worry about your “slides.” The best visual support for a presentation should be just that – supportive and visual. Use images or tight graphics to illustrate your commentary and the details supporting the main idea.

Finally, once you have prepared your content both verbally and visually, it’s time to practice how you will deliver your message. Paying attention to your pacing, vocals and gestures can make the difference between your audience gobbling up your information or zoning out and thinking about that slice of pizza.

As you prepare for your next presentation – whether it’s pitching a new concept, training and motivating employees or delivering essential corporate news to investors – let us help you! Common Ground Public Relations offers presentation training for executives and teams, one-on-one or in large groups, to turn them into compelling storytellers. Contact us to get started.