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So, one day your boss comes to you and gives you a glowing review on your new idea. But there is only one catch, you have to present it to the board or the group at the convention. The fear and panic starts to grip you and the speech is still three weeks away. Don’t worry. I will give you some tips on how to over come that.

I too, hated to speak in public, but after doing some improvisation classes and stand-up over several years I learned to relax. Unlike these, most of you will have a guideline of topics to discuss and will not have to make things up on the spot.

YOU ARE THE MAN (or WOMAN)
Remember that the boss or someone loved your idea or proposal enough to ask you to speak. They WANT to hear what you have to say. So take comfort in that fact first.

BEATS or THE OUTLINE
Just like you did when presenting the information or sales pitch, outline the information. Like in sketch writing, you put down the beats of a scene. These are the bullet points and the go to spot if you lose your place. That’s what most comedians do. The joke or idea of the joke(set-up) is what launches them into the comedy bit. The rest is from memory on the topic.

The same goes true for any speech. The most boring of all speeches are ones that are rehearsed to death. After the first few minutes most people in the room start to think about dinner, if the hotel has pay per view movies, or any number of things OTHER than the information you are trying to provide.

You know this stuff!

MAKING IT INTERESTING
The first words from your mouth after the clapping (there’s always clapping after an introduction) should be “Thank you.”

I know you have heard it a thousand times — Start with a joke.
Well, that is true but it doesn’t mean any old joke. Never, never start your presentation with anything along the lines of two “whatevers” walk into a bar or “knock, knock”. What most people mean by a joke is an anecdote about you, the job, or the place you are speaking.
For example: If the location is less than be desired, comment on how cheap the company is. “Wow, the Days Inn off the expressway, I guess the homeless shelter was booked.”

The reason for any joke or witty comment is to connect with the audience immediately. The things you are thinking, or were thinking when you were them, are also running through their minds now. Use that knowledge to come up with an amusing connection.

If you want a sure fire opener, here you go:
“Thank you, thank you very much. I know we all want to get back to (work, the pool, the open bar, whatever) so I’ll make this brief. Smart Technology and it’s Future [replace with your topic] (then pause for effect.). Thank you, good night.”

Witty topics that might help:
-The length of your speech: “Hope everyone has plenty of food and drinks in front of them before I begin”
-The company or organization: All the employees have similar complaints about the company (be careful of joking yourself out of a job) These are the same type jokes as “What’s with airline food?”
-Your speech giving ability: “The last time I was in front of an audience I was an oak tree and six. So, this should go well.”

You just released the tension in the room with a laugh and hopefully the tension in you. Now get on with it. Be informative with some energy. The crowd feeds off the energy you exude. Think about the difference between a golf announcer and a hockey announcer. They both are presenting a sporting event but their tone and energy matches the play. Yours should match the presentation. Don’t go all crazy if you are introducing a line of caskets. But be enthusiastic about what you are presenting and the crowd will be too.

QUESTIONS
During your presentation the use of questions can help keep you moving. Not from the audience so much, more from what the audience might ask. Almost like autopilot, we can expound upon a topic with enthusiasm and unwavering communication when we know the answer all too well.

KEEP IT SHORT
The best thing to do when preparing is to practice the presentation a few times. Don’t over rehearse. You want to seem very natural in your delivery. Time it as you run over it. There is a happy median between too short and too long. If it feels way too long and you are even boring yourself, cut it back. Just hit the interesting and important information. This also leaves them wanting more.

CONCLUSION
Wrap it up with a small summary (bullet points). Then close with another little witty remark like:”I hope you all enjoyed your nap.”

I hope this helped and gave you an idea of how to over come some of the issues most people face when they have to speak in public. Remember to have fun as much as you can. If you want additional help please feel free to contact me and we can work something out.

The five-minute presentation can be a powerful tool to market your business. But what can you get across in just five minutes? A lot! Follow these five steps to make the most of your five minutes in the spotlight:

1. Pay Attention to Your First Impression

Your audience will make a decision about you within the first 10 seconds of your presentation. So first pay attention to looking the part. Dress like a business owner, not to do the job you do when you are at work. My husband is a personal trainer with his own business; he wears a sweat suit to work. But when he delivers a presentation about fitness, he dresses in a business casual look wearing twill pants and a sport coat over a button down or polo-type shirt with his logo embroidered on it. He dresses the part of a business owner, not a jock from the gym.

2. Have a Point

Make sure you know what you want to accomplish with your five minutes other than simply “getting through it.” Do you want your audience members to sign up for your newsletter? Buy your book or e-book? Call you for a free consultation? Be clear on what you want from your audience.

3. Don’t Wing It

Just because it’s “only five minutes” doesn’t mean this speech is less important than a longer presentation. In order to be sure you get in the information you want to share, be prepared so you will be less likely to forget an important point.

4. Don’t Take Advantage

Five minutes means just that — five minutes. Not 10 or 15 minutes. Many event planners will stop you if you go overtime, so don’t. Even those who don’t stop you will resent you taking more time from the meeting schedule than you were allotted. This is yet another reason to practice: to see how long it takes you to get through your speech.

5. Provide Value in Your Speech

Do not sell during your entire five minute presentation. Save that for the last 45 seconds or so. The rest of your speech should be used to build your credibility by showing the value you can offer. Provide some helpful bit of information; answer a frequently asked question with specific how-to advice; or show a step-by-step process of how your audience members can solve a problem they may have related to your business.

By following these steps you’ll be sure to have success with your next five minute presentation.

Research repeatedly has shown that image, not content, is king in presentations. Clip art and bad animation are guaranteed to project the wrong image whether you are presenting your findings to a supervisor or pitching that new account.
Large corporation employees or small company owners can unleash the power of good presentations to kick-start their careers and boost their acquisition of new business, or ignore the basics of presentation and spiral down into oblivion.

Let’s learn a few key elements of good presentation by watching three different presenters from three companies.

The first presenter, Phil Aslide, uses his slides to display every word he intends to say to his audience. In fact, the slides often have many more words than he intends to say. Sometimes it is hard for him to even read the words on the screen, but he knows what they mean, so that’s OK. Right?

Do you know Phil or someone like him?

And maybe you know someone like the second presenter, Annie Mate. Every item on the slide is animated whether it is discussed or not. Each bullet and piece of clipart flies, swirls or spins onto the screen accompanied by screeching tire sounds from the laptop speakers. Annie feels that this displays her commanding knowledge of PowerPoint’s many rich features. Sounds reasonable… if you’re Annie.

The third presenter, Tim Topnotch, has a different approach than Phil or Annie. Before he creates any slides, he assesses the needs of his audience. Then he organizes his content into a succinct outline of his speaking points. From there, he creates slides that support those points. His slides use a clean, simple design that is easily understood by the audience. He animates only the items that need animation to make a point.

All things being equal, which person would you choose? Who made the best impression? Which person will you remember as knowledgeable and buttoned up? We’ve all seen these presenter types. After all, presenting to an audience can be unnerving. It helps us personally to put more words on the slide as a guide.

Unfortunately, many of us have a dash of Phil and a sprinkle of Annie in our presentations. If you’re a small business, your presentation is, in many cases, your only image-generating medium beyond your web site. You don’t do glitzy ad campaigns to promote your company, so a bad presentation ruins your attempts at creating a positive image.

Phil and Annie should have followed these 4 rules of thumb when they developed their presentations:

1. Understand your audience – Learn as much as you can about your audience before presenting to them. What is their general function within the company? What goals do they need to fulfill by hiring you or your company? What is it about your product or service that will appeal to them?
2. Outline your thoughts – Pulling together a swirl of information into a concise presentation is not an easy job. It is important that you outline key areas you need to discuss, and if at all possible, arrange that outline around the key needs of your audience.
3. Use a consistent visual template – Your image is paramount to making the sale. A well-done visual template can give you the professional look you need. PowerPoint offers many canned templates, but your competitor may be using the same template… talk about audience confusion!
4. Slides support your speech; the speech doesn’t support your slides – Slides are meant to be visual aids that help the audience more clearly understand your point. By all means, do not put every word of your speech on your slides. This distracts your audience and generally creates unreadable slides. Slides should create a meaningful picture of your key points. When possible, use simple charts, succinct bullet points or pointed images to support your talking points.

So, unleash the power of good presentation skills and reach your career or business goals.