Presenting

Too many presenters dive straight into the middle, technical section of their presentation either through fear or lack of preparation. If you don’t target your language for the audience in front of you it will be very difficult for them to respond to your objective.

An audience needs to understand the benefits in their reality of what you are telling them.

Try these tips:

• Start with something the audience knows, something easy (like in every good story)
• Then take the audience to where they could be (if they adopt the change in behaviour you are proposing)
• Use numbers, data, statistics that mean something to that audience
• If you are not leading your visuals and the visuals are not synchronised to your words – TURN THEM OFF and just talk!
• Show YOU care about the issue (or the audience never will)

In the clip, Robin Williams, as a doctor has too much technical information at his fingertips for the audience. How does he manage to change tack and get the hospital patrons to pull out their cheque books?