Help I have to make a presentation!

 What’s your winning strategy for giving a presentation?

Your Rant: I recently read that giving a presentation is at the top of the list of people’s fears. Well it is for me and I’ve got to give one in a couple of weeks. Help!

911 Repair:

Whenever I think about giving a presentation I think of the German man who tried to provoke his neighbor’s dog so he could report the animal for disturbing the peace. How would he do this? He played a tape of a barking dog to provoke the not barking dog, according to German police.

That man got busted for his provocative actions. However, there is one time where it almost always does pay to be provocative; when you are giving a speech. I’ve listed a series of ways to provoke your audience right from the start of you talk. For more, check out Mike Caruso’s Web site http://EdisonHouse.com.

Do you offer your credentials in the first five minutes? Connect with people on a human level by using an “incidental credential.” For example, you can say “When I was speaking in London last week I learned …” or “A CEO raised a great question in a speech I did last week in LA …” You establish that you are a speaker who gets around and who talks to the right people, without appearing too egomaniacal.

Do you ask them to do something in the first five minutes? The simple act of answering a question, doing an activity or writing something down sets an important precedent; it primes the pump for actions to follow. So do what you can to get your audience active and involved right from the very start.

Do you teach them something in the first five minutes? When a speaker tells me something I didn’t know right from the start he or she often will maintain my interest through their entire speech. Why? Because I don’t want to miss the next great fact or story that they may have in their bag of tricks.

Follow these tips and your next presentation won’t be a dog.

User Strategy:

Our winning strategy for giving a great presentation comes from A.F. in Cyberspace.

“One tip that is likely commonly known yet not as often mentioned is connecting with your audience. Near the beginning of a presentation, I find that it by acknowledging that you know who you are speaking with. For example, when presenting to a group of college students mention something you know about the school team or when presenting to a group of engineers, mention a technology fact that you know they would be interested in. You may have to drift from your topic for a moment but I find that by gaining that rapport the audience will be that more attentive and receptive to your message.”

Bob Rosner and Sherrie Campbell author the nationally syndicated workplace911 column weekly. Bob’s a best-selling author and award-winning journalist who has responded to over 50,000 emails from employees, bosses and entrepreneurs. Sherrie’s a relationship expert and award-winning comedian who has offered quick, intuitive and humorous responses to over 30,000 people. He’s been called “Dilbert, with a solution.” She’s the counselor with a kick. Together they’ve turned rants into raves via TV, radio, print and live on their website at workplace911.com.