Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team

Successful Presentation Strategies are prepared at the RFP Phase –Review information gathered from business developer / CSM –Articulate Project and Client Needs –Identify Issues, Features, Benefits and Proofs –Develop Ideal Team –Discuss politics / selection committees –Review competitors (SWOT) Commit to take this information forward throughout the process

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team How do you developing a winning message ?

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Steps for Creating Persuasive Messages Decision Power Analysis ID and Analyze Motivators Determine Critical Motivators and Differentiators Analyze the Competition Draft Horizontal Story Board Evaluate the social styles or relative influence of the decision makers and influencers What are the motivators of the decision makers and influencers Prioritize Concentrate on 2-4. SWOT look for ways to set us apart

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team What is the theme?

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Presentation Theme is the Overarching Promise –Delivery of promise requires solution of issues –Promise is made at the beginning and the end of the presentation

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Presentation Theme Focuses Attention on Client Benefits –Be unique to your firm –Promise what we will deliver –Be quantified –“Knock their socks off”

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Presentations can often appear to have competing priorities FOCUSED PERSUASIVE PRESENTATIONS Focus Filter YOUR 1. RFP Responses 2. Approach 3. Team 4. People CLIENT’S 1. Needs 2. Wants 3. Agenda

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Our objective is to create a focused persuasive presentation FOCUSED PERSUASIVE PRESENTATIONS Focus Filter YOUR 1. RFP Responses 2. Approach 3. Team 4. People CLIENT’S 1. Needs 2. Wants 3. Agenda A Self-Focused “Silver-Platter” Presentation Doesn’t Help Decision-Makers Select

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Your audience has many agendas Community Acceptance Council Acceptance Ease of Operation DESIGN Audience Mirror Ops. Mgr DPW Council

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team How do you take what you know about your audience and develop a winning presentation ?

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Presentation Development The purpose of the presentation is to sell the decision makers on why they should select your firm, not to tell them about your firm or that your firm can do the project.

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Storyboard Techniques Represent Excellent Management Tools 1. Easy to Manage Complex Communications 2. Eliminates Dry-Run Problems 3. Excellent Method to Test Content

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Good Slides Contain 3 Elements FEATURE + VERB + BENEFIT Proof 1 Proof 2 Title is a thematic statement Body text provides proof of statement Drain Drain statement makes the logical conclusion

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Graphics Communicate Information Better Than Words BestCharts Good Photographs/ Illustrations Adequate (sometimes) Bullet Lists PoorClip Art

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team You must understand your audience to win them over –Shaped by implicit (implied) and explicit (clearly expressed) audience cues –Made explicit by using a thematic message structure –Audience oriented, reflecting the audience’s biases and interests –Credibly delivered Successful Presentations Are:

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Test your presentation by asking three simple questions….. –Is it client focused? –Does it pass the “So What” test? –Does it provide the client a benefit? –What’s in it for me?

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Rehearsal Time

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Before you rehearse your presentation rehearse your Q&A. If you want to show credibility and gain the trust of clients in a presentation, you have to know how to field every question that comes your way. –Practice answering as many questions as you can, especially those that may be close to your client’s hot buttons –Bring in a fresh set of ears –Q&A may bring up issues overlooked in the storyboarding process

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Practice, Practice, Practice The voice is a powerful tool – often used at far below its true potential. –Competence, sincerity and enthusiasm will serve a speaker well, especially if backed up by careful preparation –Talking to one person at a time helps control nervousness and achieve a natural conversational manner –Nonverbal communication may be more important than the ideas or content of the presentation

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Most presenters in our business are knowledgeable, thorough and boring Outstanding speakers share certain characteristics… –Forceful, dynamic –Speak with energy, enthusiasm and conviction –Winning presence –Sincere warm and natural –Personal - “ I felt like he was speaking right to me” –Lively All of your hard work in preparation may be for naught if we don’t deliver well.

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team It’s almost show time. Here’s some pre show advice –Dress suitably for a positive impression –Dress neatly but know your audience –Get there early –Work the room during set up –Loosen up –Presenting is a physical activity involving body, mouth and mind –Step in to the restroom for a final physical check –Zippers up, hair combed

Construct an Effective Presentation, and Successfully Coach your Presentation Team Clients – those you have and those you want – have needs. When you sell to them, you must focus on those needs, not your capabilities.