How

To Prepare & Give Powerful Presentations

Introduction
There are three key communication tools for success in business today.

The first tool is the meeting. Most people dont realize this but a meeting is an opportunity for
you to perform. Most business people spend 40% or more of their time in meetings. And the
way that you organize and prepare and present and interact in a meeting is a key test to how
far you go and how high you rise.

The second communications tool is the written letter or proposal, which shows or proves your
clarity of thought and in a way is a presentation on paper. Its like a meeting on paper.

And third of all is the presentation; the public talk to a small group or to a large group. And
what I have found is there is nothing can help you in your career, more and faster than for you
to develop the competence and the ability to stand up and speak well in front of an audience.

And heres the good news. Most of the best business speakers today were once terrified of
speaking on their feet including myself ! Some have said they were so nervous they would
persuade other to give their presentation! They were so nervous that the very idea of public
speaking caused their stomach to churn and their heart to pound. So, with a little persuasion,
they decided to get some professional Presentation Training and learn to speak and they
followed the things that were going to talk about in a couple of minutes and surprise, surprise,
in as little as six months they were speaking quite competently to groups of strangers.

You can learn to be an excellent speaker. You can earn the respect and esteem of other people.
You can accelerate your career and you can improve your life in many ways with what youll
learn in this newsletter.

Making a speech by the way, giving a talk is a logical process. Its sort of like dialing a phone
number. The basic structure of a talk is built around three parts and seven principles. The
three basic parts are the opening, the body, and the close. A talk in a way is like a sales
presentation. Its based on what we call the AIDA Model, which stands for:




Attention (Get or grab attention)

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Interest (Arouse or create interest)

Desire (Create or invoke desire to act)

Action (Ask for or propose / invite action)


Any presentation is based on those four steps. Get attention with something that you say or
do, arouse interest by explaining the features or details of your proposal, create desire by
showing the person how they (their team or department) will personally benefit from what
youre suggesting, and then ask for action. In selling we say ask for the close of the sale. In
business we say ask for them to take the action you desire.

The key to successful speaking is preparation. I have seen speakers who were terrible speakers.
Not very articulate, shy or demure - but they had prepared so thoroughly that their talks were a
pleasure to watch. Ive also seen brilliant speakers who failed to prepare, who looked awful,
and gave a mediocre talk.
Preparation is 90% of a successful talk. Remember: prepare, prepare, prepare. And that last
10%, the presentation part of it, will seem to take care of itself. Theres a logical seven-step
process for preparing your talk, just like dialing a telephone number, and here they are:

NUMBER 1 Always begin with your audience in mind. Or, as we refer to it on the
Executive Presentation Programme its called; Audience Analysis.
Remember, when you decide to give a talk, whos more important you, or the audience?
Always the audience! So find out thoroughly, ask yourself - who are they? Analyze them
carefully. What are their ages? What is their income? What are their occupations and
education? Demographic profile? What are their needs and concerns or what is their
familiarity with your subject? How much do they know about your subject ? Do they know a
lot, or do they know a little? Why are they there ?
If youre talking to a group of professionals in a particular area, on a business subject, that
theyre very knowledgeable about, the level at which you speak is very different than if you
were talking to a community group who had no knowledge at all. So find out who they are,
what makes them tick, what are their motivations. What are their needs and what are their
concerns? Its worth considering exactly what they expect from your talk, again why are they
attending? Why have they invested their very scarce resource time listening to you ?
Then ask yourself why you are talking to this group. What is the reason for your presentation?
Why are you talking to them in the first place, from your point of view?

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Is this a to do or a to know presentation? In my experience less than 10% of presentations
are simply to inform. The vast majority are a call to action of some kind. To do something.
And heres the third part of knowing your audience: why are they listening? Why would they
come at all? What do they want or need to hear from you? Everybody is busy. They have a
hundred other things they could be doing. What do they need to get from you? Why are they
listening?
If youre not crystal clear about who they are, why youre talking, and why they should be
listening, thats where you need to start.

NUMBER 2 Start with the end in mind (Steven Covey says this in all aspects of life). What
results do you desire from this talk? Remember youre doing this for a reason. Aristotle, the
philosopher, said that all of human behavior is teleological, which means that it is purposeful. It
aims to accomplish something. Remember, the reason youre going through it is not just to do
it. You must accomplish something. You must know this with crystal clarity.

Ultimately, the aim of vast-majority of public speaking is action. It is an action that you want
them to take that they would not have taken in the absence of the things you say. So, what
action do you want them to take, and what one major point do you want to make that may
cause them to take that action? What action do you want them to take after they leave your
talk?

And finally this: what do you want them to think and feel about you about the subject
afterwards? When I work for a corporate client, I ask this question. I say,
If your attendees could be interviewed after your talk and asked just one question: What did
you learn, and what are you going to do differently as a result of your presentation?
- what would you want them to answer?
If the client can help me to clarify the end-result, and where they want their audience to be
mentally and what action theyd like their audience to take - then we can design a presentation
to meet that objective.

NUMBER 3 The third part of designing and excellent talk is to plan your opening. To
introduce the subject so that it connects to your close. We imagine that a talk is like a circle,
and it starts at the top like a clock and it goes tick, tick, tick, and it comes around back to where
it started.

Here are seven ways that you can open a talk.

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1_ Present a problem that needs a solution. Ladies and gentlemen our sales are down while
the market is growing and our competition is taking our best customers. Thats a problem that
needs a solution.

2_ Present a common goal, and promise to show them how to achieve it in your talk. For
example; everyone wants to be financially independent, but only 5% of people achieve it. In
this talk Ill show you how you can be part of the 5%.

3_ Another way that you can open a talk is to ask a rhetorical question to grab attention.
How many people here want to live to be one hundred? Anticipated reaction? everybody
raises they hand. Then you say, well I will share with you today some helpful habits that can
dramatically increase the likelihood of getting to a hundred years old. Caveat: only ask a
rhetorical question if you've thoroughly and carefully researched your audience! Know in
advance- that whatever rhetorical question/s you pose, will have a positive reaction.

4_ You can make a startling statement. Something like; Ladies and gentlemen, 72% of you
here will be out of this current job within the next twelve months. Thats a startling statement
and it causes everybody to relate to it personally. Then (for example) the speaker would go on
to explain and talk about change, transition and training required etc to remain employed.

5_ A fifth way you can open your talk is to tell your own story of why youre giving the talk.
You could say something like, When I got into sales management I didnt know anything about
how to sell or how to manage people, and most of my best people left within months. Then I
realized the problem was me. This is a very good way to open a talk if youre speaking to sales
managers because they can usually (from current or previous experience) instantly relate to
what youre saying.

6_ A sixth way that you can prepare a great opening is to compare or contrast two things or
two conditions. That gets peoples minds really alert to the subject. For example, you could say
More people are healthy and living to be a hundred today than at any time in human history,
and yet more people are overweight and dying of degenerative diseases than ever before in
human history. Why is this happening?
Everybody is now engaged and ready to really pay-attention to your talk.

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7_ Promise them advantages and benefits from listening. In other words you could say, What
you learn here can save you two hours a day, increase your income and have more time for
your family. Time-saving is a strong benefit to most- and its a powerful way to get attention.

NUMBER 4 There are five basic reasons that you would want to give a talk. You must know
what the purpose of this talk is.

Number one reason is to persuade or influence. To get people to do something that they
wouldnt have done in the absence of your persuasion. Persuade them to buy something if
youre talking to a group of customers, tangible or intangible (eg a concept or proposal). Or
perhaps to persuade sales people to be more aggressive in their work if youre speaking to sales
a sales force.

Number two is to inform; to provide information. Information that is different from what they
currently know and believe about a subject. And as a result, they will think and do something
different.

A third reason for speaking is to entertain. There are many speakers who are great
entertainers; they tell wonderful stories and jokes. Their whole job is to entertain the audience
after dinner or at a luncheon meeting or in the evening, just to get them into the subject or
feeling good about themselves.

The fourth reason for speaking is to inspire. To bring hope, to bring motivation, to bring
confidence. All motivational talks are to tell people that you can do it; you can be better than
you are, and here are ways that you can use to accomplish more than you ever accomplished
before.

And the fifth general reason is to praise. To praise people for instance at a meeting in the
office, at an awards banquet, at a dinner meeting, at a rotary or business club meeting, to
praise award winners or the people in the group or the company or the community whove
done a good thing. In every case, however, the key is preparation.

NUMBER 5 Now the body or your talk is where you present your evidence. This is like a
court case. This is where you make your case. This is where you win your argument. You
must build your case with a foundation, brick by brick so that it is as solid as a wall. We call
them building blocks.
You build your talk -generally- around three main points. Some people try to use too many - as
a result people get confused (or forget most of the points and only remember 2 or 3). So just

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take the three most important points in logical sequence like links in a chain that follow logically
to your conclusion.
Use what is called the PREP Formula. PREP means: Point of view, Reasons for your point of
view, Examples, and Point of view restated.
For example;
My point of view is that people can be and do more than they have before. Many people
starting from nothing have accomplished extraordinary things. That is a reason. Example: Bill
Gates was a dropout from college and has become one of the richest men in the world as a
result of practicing excellent business principles. Then restate your point of view.
There are more opportunities for more people to be successful today than ever before, if they
learn how to do it. Thats the PREP Formula.
The third part of the body of the talk is the transition. Transitions are very important because
this is where you shift gears. The transition is where you transition to the your next point. Let
us say your first point is to talk about the economy in general and you say, as a transition: Now
lets move to talking about the economy specifically as it affects you. Then you can shift later
and you can say, Lets move now to the third point which is how the economy affects your
business and how it will affect it in the future. The transition is a sign post an important signal
that you are now shifting subjects and the listener needs to move with you.
The fourth part of preparing the body of a good presentation is for you to use stories. Stories,
examples, anecdotes, and humor to illustrate each key point. Heres the rule: one point one
piece of humor that will land well with that particular audience (again this is why Audience
Analysis is so very important). Engage left brain, and right brain, left brain right brain. Fact
followed-by or supported by a story, fact and humor, fact and anecdote. Etc etc. Keep peoples
full brains engaged by giving them a piece of information, and a supporting story. When in
doubt, dont be afraid to increase the number of stories.

NUMBER 6 The close at the end of the talk is where you finish strong! You must practice
and prepare your close. The close is very important because its like the exclamation point at
the end of your talk. Its where you wrap up; its your finale. Its where you bring everything
together. And there are several ways that you can close a talk effectively. You can use any one
of them if the situation is appropriate.

The first is to close with a challenge to action. For example, Join me now in making a
commitment to improve your health and vitality. Thats a close that calls for action. Or you
can make an inspiring statement or reaffirmation. More people are becoming successful today
and you can be one of them if you learn what to do and persist until you succeed. Thats a
good positive reaffirmation of your talk.

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A third way to close is to use a summary or final conclusion (very common, and the most
frequent close I see) Our economy is great. Our local opportunities for you have never been
greater. Thank you very much. In other words, summarize by repeating your three main
points, and close.

The fourth way to close is to use a relevant story, a poem or a quote that makes your key point.
For example and still one of my favorites; Whether you think you can, or you think you can't
you are right. [Henry Ford], thank you very much. Then you just close your talk.

NUMBER 7 The seventh key part is preparation. Preparation is the key to effective
speaking. So, write a complete outline of your talk in bullet point detail. Dont write it word for
word, but write it out in terms of bullet points / logical notes. Next, dictate your talk into a
voice recorder or mobile phone (so easy these days!) then just listen to yourself. Its amazing
how different it sounds when you hear your own voice, and youll see ways that you could have
presented it differently. Listen very carefully to your inflection / intonation, volume, non-words
(Ummms and Rrrrrrs) how clearly are you speaking? Sometimes just changing the impact of
your voice and the order of points increases your impact dramatically.

Third, film yourself. Either on your own, or with friendly audience you like and trust. Perhaps
show it to some of your friends at work. Give your talk to your family, and just give it as
normally and naturally as you can. Pretend that this is a dress rehearsal on stage and film it.
Then sit and watch / study it. Stop and start it, and ask someone that you know and trust go
through it with you and critique it. Youll find things about the way you speak that you cannot
even notice until you see yourself on video. Believe me, I know. Ive been doing this for years
and every single time I see a video of a talk that Ive given I cringed, because there were so
many things I wasnt aware of. Its a truly wonderful and easy way to get better. That said, be
aware it can be frustrating, but ultimately rewarding!
Another thing you can do that Ive found is helpful is to tell your spouse and your friends parts
of the talk. If youre going to talk about the importance of a particular subject, tell them about
it the way youre planning to tell an audience. Warm up with somebody who is interested and
tell them what we call bite-sized pieces of your talk and see how they respond. If they object; if
they say I dont get it or not sure I understand that, or What does that mean? How does
that tie-into your message? rework the material until you get it phrased so that your friends
and your family can fully understand it. Remember this; if a ten-year-old doesnt understand
your talk, most adults are not going to either. Heres the fifth part in preparation. It is to review
and rehears the talk in your mind. This is perhaps most important of all because once you have
the talk, what you want to do is you want to walk through it in your mind. One of the things
many professional speakers do (myself included) is go for long walks. Im fortunate to live near
a forest which helps! I rehearse the talk in my mind and out loud as I walk. As you move

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your body for at least thirty minutes, I genuinely believe activity & movement whilst speaking
out loud and rehearing the speech or presentation helps memory and recall. When going to
sleep at night they review the talk. When driving review the talk over and over. When in the
shower, review your talk you get the point! I do not believe you can over prepare to give an
effective presentation. Let me just be clear about preparation, preparation is not spending
hours or days on PowerPoint slides! Preparation is actually verbally rehearsing and practicing
(out loud) what you are going to say many times. Filming, reviewing, filming reviewing, and
constantly refining along the way.

Three simple rules (which Im sure youve heard before, but well worth reiterating) as theyre
so beautifully simple. So, it may seem a bit odd if you've never really prepared before (other
than writing PowerPoint slides which doesnt count!) but particularly useful when youre
talking to business groups and youre giving short talks, here they are.

Rule one:

Tell them what youre going to tell them
Tell them, and then
Tell them what you told them
Open, have a body, and a close

Rule Two:
Have a good [rehearsed] Opening
Have a good [rehearsed] Close
Put them as close together as possible! [Less is more!]

The key to excellent presentations is and always has been this, Rule Three:

Practice
Practice
Practice!
Caveat; practice the correct skills. If you practice the way youve always presented (with bad
habits) it may mean that you are simply practicing and reinforcing existing bad habits. Invest in
professional speaker or presentation training!
If you plan and prepare and organize an excellent talk, you will have done 90% of the heavy
lifting. The other ten percent well talk about on a follow-up newsletter.

[sources: ImpactSkills Training, B Tracy, Presentation Now, Personal Impact, Talk Like TED, Persuasive Presentations, Presentation Coach]

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