I recently had the privilege of having Montana Von Fliss give me some pointers on a talk I delivered to a client. She was there in another capacity, but never one to let an opportunity for growth slip by, I grilled her on what I could do to improve my presentation style.
Hook the audience with a story
Start with “So there I was…" Then drop into the middle of the story
- What’s the most compelling reason to do what you’re asking?
- Why is the audience listening to you?
- Pull stories from personal history.
- Use a story to link important points together.
Drop the intro on yourself
The audience already believes you’re the right person to do this. Talk about your company, next steps, or ask at the end after they’ve seen your awesome content.
Use Movement purposefully
Don’t just wander around the stage, plant yourself then move your body to reflect a shifting perspective, topics, idea change.
Plant yourself to make a key point
Be Loud and use volume purposefully
Generally project to the back of the room, be much louder! Don’t trail off at the end of sentences Increase vocal energy, change pitch, speed, etc.
Don’t pull any punches
An awesome aspect of our industry is the allure of doing something bad. Double down on that, don’t apologize for it. On the “This is illegal” slide tell one awesome story, tell them not to add to the list and move on.
Make Demos Bombproof
- Make sure every motion, click, and typing is dictated
- Go slow, purposeful, and be careful to make sure every demo works flawlessly
- Don’t move your mouse or select objects unnecessarily
People remember the best and the last
People remember the best thing that was said and the last thing. What will they take away from the talk? What do you want them to take away. end on a high note!
Really crush the summary with a story, example, or fun takeaway and next step. Set something up to be interesting and fun, then leave it to them to finish it. Introduce them to something really cool and give them the tools to pursue it.