The 3 Elements of a Fascinating Presentation

You’ve been doing the same old presentations, year after year.

Same script.

The same slide deck with the same cute cat clip art.

The same old brochures… the same old proposals…

You know it. I know.

What you may not know, however, is that while your presentation may not have changed, your results have.

Same presentation – diminishing returns.

No, putting a new cover on your brochure every year isn’t enough.

No new cat photo on slide three either.

That’s not an update!

The same material delivered in the same style will get average results…and average results decrease their actual returns year after year due to rising costs and increased competition.

Face it. You are in a rut. A very expensive routine.

Here’s how to break out of that presentation rut without feeling overwhelmed or breaking the bank.

Why your presentation is failing you

The first reason your same old presentation is failing you is all your fault.

You are boring. The most important thing is that your audience can tell that you are bored.

When you give the same memorized presentation with the same supporting materials over and over again, it becomes routine. You are no longer thinking about what you are saying, or paying attention to how your delivery is affecting your audience.

AGENT SMITH

You are not committed to your presentation, so why should your audience be involved in it?

Think of that lullaby your mother sang to you when you were a child. Now you sing it to your children when you put them to bed at night. It’s a good lullaby. But it is also a routine. When was the last time you paid attention to the words you were singing?

Repeating the same memorized presentation is like singing the audience to sleep.

The second reason your presentation is failing you is because it’s not keeping up with the changes your business is going through.

Change is the only constant in business. Since he created that presentation, his business has definitely changed. Maybe you have new offers, a new customer support team, or a new checkout process. If those changes aren’t reflected in your presentations, you’re missing a great opportunity to share what’s new and what’s new about your company.

And you’re also missing an opportunity to excite your audience.

The third reason your presentation is failing you is because an old, predictable presentation by an apathetic speaker is a recipe for stagnant performance.

A good presentation is dynamic. The room, the stage and the public affect the delivery.

A stagnant performance encourages the audience to tune out. It also makes it less likely that your audience will remember everything you say. In fact, people don’t remember anything if they’re not paying attention, and the average adult attention span is only five minutes.

There are three elements to fixing a failed presentation and engaging your audience…

Element #1: Conversation, and it only happens when prospects are engaged

A successful presentation is a conversation.

And conversation only happens when the dialogue goes both ways.

Whether you’re giving a sales pitch to a buyer or presenting your quarterly business report to your organization, no presentation should be “shut up and listen to me talk for 30 minutes.”

Your audience should feel like they can jump in and ask a question at any time. And you should feel like you can shift gears to accommodate those questions and give a great answer at any time.

Part of this comes from practicing dynamic speaking skills, which you can learn more about here. But you may be surprised to find that part of this also depends on your choice of supporting materials.

You are human and you can’t remember much. You’ll need to arrive at each presentation opportunity prepared with supporting materials such as handouts, spec sheets, and discretionary slides. If someone in the audience asks you a question you can’t answer right away, stopping the presentation to go through a stack of paperwork or scroll through dozens of digital files will be a huge distraction for everyone involved.

And sometimes saying “I’ll get back to you about that” just isn’t enough.

So keep everyone informed and engaged by having your support material well-organized and instantly accessible in a dedicated app. In Stun, we use Showcase Workshop for this.

Element #2: Enthusiasm – the secret to awakening your audience

The secret to an engaged audience is emotion. Yes, that means keeping your presentation dynamic and having your supporting materials easily accessible.

It also means rethinking your story for your current audience.

What’s new? Different? What is exciting in your world? How has your product changed lives? What do your quarterly results mean for the future of your organization?

These are the stories your audience wants to hear.

Element #3: Encouraging dialogue – leave them wanting more

You now understand the need for conversation and emotion to keep your audience engaged.

The third element of a presentation that doesn’t bore your audience is to encourage dialogue.

Don’t just prepare for the questions, encourage them. Tell the audience that you want them to ask questions. Don’t wait until the end for a formal question and answer session. No one will be awake for that.

And ask your own questions. Encourage two-way dialogue by asking your audience questions that trigger answers they’re ready for, so you can use those answers to move smoothly through your presentation.

Most importantly, tell the right stories to elicit an emotional response from your audience.

If you’re telling the right stories, your audience’s response will be “me too!”

They’ll want to jump in with their own examples of why what you’re saying is on target.

They will hunt you down for more information because what you are saying resonates so deeply.

They will tell you why they need your solution.

Tell the right stories, and your audience will be eager to hear more.

Don’t worry. You are not alone creating these stories. That is exactly what we do here at Stun Sells. We help you uncover your story, and then build the highest quality digital sales guarantee to power that story. Hear how other companies have gotten better results from their presentations with better stories.