Your presentation is the most powerful closing tool. You understand that. You also know that each and every salesperson confronted with a big sales hype wants a presentation therefore compelling, so persuasive, therefore amazingly unforgettable that at the end of it the audience is offered. Why not?
I’ll tell you really want to. I look at sales presentations daily, and I can give you at least twelve reasons why a presentation is categorized flat. And it is not an inability of PowerPoint. The bloopers I see are made by the “writers” of the presentation, either given that they have no idea how adults find out, see, and process data, or because they don’t have some time or the creativity to do it appropriately, or because they just no longer care.
PowerPoint is foolproof software. That doesn’t mean on the phone to make a fool of yourself when you use it; you can. It can mean that anyone can use it–and use it well–if you know what produces a good PowerPoint presentation. Whether in sales, education or even service, whether you are a professional or perhaps a once-in-a-while presenter, it isn’t wise to annoy your audience or even put them to sleep. You want these to sit up and take notice.
Listed below are 10 presentation mistakes I realize most commonly. Avoid them and create a killer presentation.
Table of Contents
The display is full of content but the information is unclear. There is plenty of information, but what does it imply? If the audience was requested to state the message in a single sentence, they wouldn’t possess a clue.
FYI, your information is a strong statement associated with fact. It is the one most significant thing you want your target audience to remember if they forget anything else. It’s true that your meaning should never be written in full about the screen because the presenter will say to you it at the opening along with again at the close–as effectively as several times throughout the introduction. Nevertheless, your audience can discern your message in the slides they see.
For instance, your message might be similar to we build the best autos in the universe. Or, each of our software protects your level of privacy. Or you can count on us to build your money. Whatever it is, your own personal slides should reinforce your own message and your message ought to be clear from your slides.
The listening audience has a limited attention span. When you reveal too much information, these people lose track of where you are and what you are saying. Very quickly, these people tune out and switch off because they have lost interest. It can awfully hard to be an excellent presenter when nobody is actually listening.
An audience stops paying care to a speaker when they commence to read. Plus, they are agitated because if you simply wanted them how to read, why did anyone ask them to come? You could have sent it in. Moreover, some sort of presenter reads more slowly out loud than an audience who may be reading to themselves–and which creates cognitive dissonance. And so in addition to being bored silly, typically the audience becomes unhappy while using the presenter.
Let alone that PowerPoint has a “handout” version. Let your kids make use of that function for their classwork if they wish. But what continues on the screen is not to your handouts. Ever. Your handouts should be reader-friendly documents that will reinforce the presenter’s message–not short-cuts to proper planning. A good rule of thumb is a few to 6 words on a trip. Period.
Too much information makes the entire thing instantly forgettable. A visitor needs two or three–no more than four– important tricks to remember. Give them more, and you will probably as well stay home and within the shower.
These are often the presentations where the presenter may well say: So the first thing is definitely. And the next thing is. In addition to another thing is. And so on. If the organization of the presentation is absolutely not instantly obvious, the audience members don’t trust themselves to adhere to along, so they don’t also try. Of course, that means they will lose trust in the speaker too.
If you want your viewers to sit up and listen closely, you’ll need to organize your message simply and logically–ideally directly into 3 clear topics your current audience will easily bear in mind.
Either the particular presentation is on a whitened background (to save printing in colour for handouts–which a demonstration is not meant to be) as well as there is no visual impact on the slides. The problem could be neglected if there were only a couple connected with slides. But when there are a lot, visual appeal is essential.
Of course, should there be no originality on the glides, the audience is eventually left to conclude that you are just like your complete competitors–and they have seen in addition to heard all this before. Some might as well write up their wish list for next weekend.
Unforgivable and fully avoidable if you use no terms or sentences on display.
Yes, PowerPoint provides an array of swirling, twirling and also eye-popping “transitions” the kids just about all love. But in a professional demonstration, use none of them. This means zilch, nil, nada, no. Just because you can do it formally doesn’t mean you should. Actually, those transitions physically nauseate most adults and pretty much guarantee your audience will likely be looking elsewhere.
You know the old joke this says a horse constructed by a committee looks like a new camel. Sadly, there are lots of camels on screen. Maybe somebody puts in a glide they like from one more presentation. Somebody else makes a glide at home and adds that. The marketing department supplies you with a slide you must make use of. Then you see a picture you imagine will fit in and you check out it to use on a glide. Backgrounds are different. Fonts will vary. Visuals are different. Presto! Any camel!
If you want to engage your current audience from the very first phrase, take note of the 10 most frequent mistakes I see and avoid these. Make your organization logical, your current message clear, and your demonstration energetic. Then take pride in offering presentations that knock them dead.
When companies desire a dynamite coach to help them change or polish their appearance, they call Fern Lebo–because it pays off big time. Article author, consultant, trainer and mentor, Lebo is President connected with FrontRunner Communications, adjunct skills at Auburn University as well as a frequent keynote speaker at conferences, retreats and group meetings across North America.
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