March 12th, 2010
In this final segment, we’ll look at stage fright specifically, and attempt to allay any unfounded fears.
If you’ve prepared as much as you can, and you know your audience and your material, you might be surprised to still experience a bit of anxiety when you think about delivering your presentation.
That’s when visualization strategies can be most effective in allaying your unfounded fears. In fact, sometimes it pays to imagine your worst fears occurring – and then immediately see in your mind’s eye some solutions for positive responses.
For example, you can ask yourself, “What am I afraid of, specifically?”
If you think, “I might forget my entire speech” then you can imagine yourself blanking out and smoothly referring to your notes to get back on track, then picking up the speech where you left off with nary a hiccup.
If you think, “What if I get asked a question I don’t know the answer to?” then you can imagine yourself responding in a manner that is controlled, professional, and helpful. For example, you might remind yourself that you know this material inside and out, and if someone asks a question YOU don’t know, then it must be a damn good question. So you might respond with, “That is an excellent question that I honestly do not the answer to. Let me find out and get back with you by _____ (date, time, etc.)” People respect honesty and helpfulness a lot more than someone who talks in circles or pretends to know everything.
It also helps to imagine yourself succeeding. Stephen Covey says “begin with the end in mind” and you can imagine yourself at the end of the presentation, smiling as everyone applauds and congratulates you on a job well done. Focus on your strengths. Focus on the strengths of your presentation, your company, your product, your ideas, anything related to your presentation itself.
We hope you have enjoyed this series on conquering fear of public speaking. The next step is for you to reserve your rental projector from Projector123.com right now – click here to get started.
March 10th, 2010
In the prior installment, we talked about the importance of using practice as an effective tool for minimizing a fear of public speaking. In this segment, we’ll explore specific practice tips. Let’s get started.
 Step #1: Practice in front of a mirror.
This allows you to time your presentation and to notice any sections that need work or special attention. The mirror will also reveal any minor distractions you create during your speech, such as shifting your weight from foot to foot, licking your lips frequently, swaying, using irritations such as “and, um” or “you know” and the like.
Step #2: Practice in front of a blank wall.
Unlike practicing in front of a mirror, this method of using a blank wall blocks out ALL distraction and helps you focus on only your content and delivery.
Step #3: Practice with a supportive friend.
It helps to get encouragement from someone who wants to support you. Plus you’re speaking to another set of ears, who may have some helpful suggestions.
Step #4: Practice with a supportive peer or colleague who you know will provide honest feedback.
This is the logical next step – a peer may be closer to your target audience, and may be able to provide more honest, relevant feedback than a friend would give you. Plus there’s a bit more at stake here when we step outside the realm of friendship.
Step #5: Practice in front of a video camera or audio recorder.
Instant, unbiased feedback is available with this method.
While you may not necessarily perform all of these practice runs, the more you do, the more comfortable you’ll feel when it’s time for the real thing.
In the final installment of this 3-part series, we’ll look at easy, simple tips you can use to calm your nerves long before your presentation begins.
Why not reserve your projector rental right now? That will give you one less detail to worry about. Click here for a reliable, professional quality LCD projector rental from Projector123.com.
March 8th, 2010
It’s true –the most common and terrifying fear in the world involves public speaking. In fact, many professional speakers still experience pre-stage jitters. From sales and marketing professionals to pharmaceutical reps, and from corporate trainers to corporate execs, no matter what kind of presentation you’re making (or what size the gathering), you may feel at least a bit anxious before speaking before a group.
For many professionals, public speaking is a necessary evil. But when you invest some time into calming those pre-performance jitters, the rewards can be huge. Smooth and effective public presentations can mean more sales, higher volumes, better retention, more effective training, and more professional opportunities for you.
In part 1 of this three-part series, we’ll offer some guidance for minimizing (or even eliminating) a fear of public speaking.
You might have heard the old suggestion to just “imagine the audience in their underwear.” In most cases, this is largely ineffective and, at best, provides a massive distraction from what should be your primary focus: the effective delivery of your message.
Truthfully, proper preparation begins long before you don the mic. Try these at-home exercises for preventing stage fright.
As cliché as it sounds, practice is the best prevention for stage fright. Keep in mind, when practicing your speech, your focus should be on the content itself. Be wary of memorizing a speech word-for-word, as you are likely to forget all or part of it and feel stumped (in which case, your worst fear of public speaking would actually come true!)
It’s better to practice the delivery of your key points, rather than memorizing words verbatim. In the next segment, we’ll get into specific techniques for practicing your speech, with an emphasis on eliminating distractions and keeping the focus where it belongs: on the content itself.
Need a rental projector sooner rather than later? Click here to reserve your rental projector today from Projector123.com.
March 5th, 2010
If you’re a sales or marketing professional, you may already understand the importance of using multiple modes of delivery to get your message across. But are you truly using every means necessary to close the sale? In this post, we’ll look at the top 10 uses for an affordable projector rental as a powerful tool in sales and marketing.
1. Sales Meetings
Using a projector rental says “I am a professional. Our business is successful and we take these presentations seriously. I care about you as a potential client.”
2. Sales Training
It’s no secret – the best sales people often receive the finest training and guidance. Elevate the level of your sales training with visual support by using a powerful, professional LCD projector.
3. Educational Purposes
Pharmaceutical reps aren’t the only members of the sales profession who provide helpful (and sometimes mandatory) educational opportunities to clients and vendors. A rental projector makes it faster and easier to deliver professional grade training and education, at a reasonable cost.
4. Nailing the Takeaway
Odds are, you’ve got visual learners in your audience. Drive those key points home with clear, vibrant visual aids.
5. Adding movie or video
If a picture is worth 1,000 words, video must be worth many time more. Adding video can really spice up a presentation where still images would simply fall short.
6. Explaining technical data
Delivering highly complex or technical data? Count on an LCD projector to make things clear to see and easy to understand.
7. Closing more sales
From network marketing to pharmaceutical sales, a rental projector can make or break a sale. Let’s face it — you need that visual element to complement your verbal presentation.
8. Exhibit statistics in a bright, vivid, easy to understand format
Patient study results, sales tracking, bottom lines, trends and other forms of statistical data become simple to see and easy to gauge with the use of colored charts.
9. As a thank you gift or incentive
Why not gift a weekend projector rental as a way of saying “Thanks for your business.”
10. R & R
You work hard, and you deserve a break, too. Imagine relaxing and unwinding by watching your favorite sporting event or classic movies on an in-home DVD projector. Did you know we rent projectors for personal use, too?
No matter what the reason, sales and marketing professionals from countless industries rely on the versatility and visual impact of an LCD rental projector. Click here to reserve your projector rental today from Projector123.com.
March 1st, 2010
Please enjoy this excellent speaking article by Karen Susman. And when you’re ready to order your rental projector, contact us here at Projector123.com.
Twenty-Three Ways to Connect With Your Audience
(Use Only If You Want Your Audience to Listen and Take Action)
By Karen Susman©
If you want to get your message across to your audience members, you have to connect with them. Here are twenty-two ways to connect before, during and after your presentation.
Connect Before:
| 1. |
Do your homework on your audience. Plan your presentation from their perspective. |
| 2. |
Arrive early to check out the physical and emotional atmosphere. |
| 3. |
Visit with audience members before your presentation. You’ll learn what’s going on and you’ll gather allies. |
| 4. |
Listen to and observe events and speakers that come before you. If you’re scheduled to speak at 8: 15 PM and the meeting starts at 7 PM, arrive at 6:30 PM. (Earlier if you have to test audio/visual equipment.) Adapt your remarks to what you hear, see and feel. |
| 5. |
Refer by name to the speaker before you. Ask permission of an audience member to use his name in reference to your topic. For instance, “As Jim in engineering told me… |
Connect During:
| 6. |
Use your body. Pause before you begin. Walk toward the audience. If you can’t walk toward the audience, lean in. Use eye contact. Move meaningfully with each point you make. |
| 7. |
Energize. The larger the audience and the room, the more energetic you have to be. Animate your face, too. |
| 8. |
Flex your voice range, volume and speed to emphasize and invigorate your remarks. |
| 9. |
Gesture. The bigger the group and room, the bigger the gesture. |
| 10. |
Be prepared to be spontaneous. |
| 11. |
Reveal your personality. |
| 12. |
Don’t read your remarks. Don’t read from slides. |
| 13. |
Enliven your remarks with stories, quotations, examples, analogies, metaphors and unusual visuals. |
| 14. |
Don’t overuse PowerPoint. Less is more. |
| 15. |
Use pictures in your visuals. Put people, faces, animals, your family, etc. in the pictures. This gives your audience an emotional zap that lodges your points in their brains. |
Connect After:
| 16. |
Stick around. The good questions come up during breaks and after your bow. |
| 17. |
Be available. If you’re rushing or packing up your equipment, anyone who wants to speak with you will feel disregarded. Listen to people. If you have to vacate the stage quickly to make room for the next speaker, tell fans you’ll meet with them in hall or at the reception. |
| 18. |
Place yourself by the exit doors at the end of your presentation so you can visit, smile, shake hands and make eye contact. |
| 19. |
Offer to send bonus information via mail or e-mail to audience members. Ask them to specify the requested information on the back of their business cards. |
| 20. |
Follow through by promptly sending out requested material. |
| 21. |
Request the mailing list or cards of attendees. Send them a reminder note within two weeks of your presentation. |
| 22. |
Offer to sign them up for your e-newsletter or an e-mail follow up. |
| 23. |
Write an article for the audience’s newsletter. |
Take advantage of the time before, during and after your presentation to make a connection. You’ll boost your message’s effectiveness and longevity. You’ll be remembered. And, if you are interested in selling products, services or yourself to your audience, you’ll maximize your success.
###
You are welcome to reprint this article as long as the copyright and contact information are included. Contact Karen Susman at 1-888-678-8818 www.karensusman.com karen@karensusman.com
Preparing for an important presentation of your own? Click here to rent a professional grade rental projector at a price you can afford.
February 26th, 2010
This is the final installment of our three-part series of AV tips from pro speakers. Scroll all the way down to find out how to rent a professional, affordable projector for your next presentation.
The Pro Clicker.
For less than $20 at Radio Shack, you can find a simple remote control on/off switch that enables you to swiftly and expertly have your audiovisuals appear when you want them (and disappear when you don’t). This simple gadget plugs into any standard wall outlet and is accompanied by a small hand-held keychain remote that hides easily in the palm of your hand. Simply click the “on” switch when you want to use your audiovisuals, and click the “off” switch to let the whole operation go dark.
Remember, this technique works best on an overhead projector or mechanical slide projector (as opposed to a digital system or laptop that takes time to warm up). If you choose to use a remote control associated with your laptop or projector rental, be sure to practice a bit before your presentation, to ensure you’re not fumbling with the buttons once it’s go-time.
Relax.
Professional speakers agree — the single best way to ensure a great presentation is to simply relax. Your audience can pick up on tension and nervousness, so the more at ease you are, the more receptive your listeners are. Remember to breathe!
We hope you’ve enjoyed this 3-part series on AV Tips and Tricks from Industry Experts. Got a suggestion for a speaking-related article? Post a comment here or email us and we’ll do our best to include it in this blog.
And remember Projector123.com when you need to rent a projector for your next PowerPoint presentation. Here at Projector123.com, we pride ourselves on delivering the highest quality projector rentals at competitive pricing – and we ensure that the entire process is as easy as 1-2-3. Click here to rent a projector now.
February 24th, 2010
Welcome to part two of this three-part series on presentation tips from the pros. Be sure to come back and post a comment to let us know how your presentation went!
AV Is for Support Only.
A common rookie mistake is to read the slide text to your audience. Just imagine for a moment that you were at a train stop, reading the posted train schedule and someone walked up to you and said, “Here, let me help you with that. Train stops here on Monday, 6:20 AM, 6:55AM, 7:15 AM, …” You’d probably look at the person as though they had lost their mind. If your audience can read, all that’s required are a few bullet points (NOT complete sentences) on each slide. Remember, the purpose of your audiovisuals is to support your presentation, not to replace it. Don’t get upstaged by your AV support – allow it to support you.
Familiarize Yourself.
It’s important to know your material – not your speech itself – inside and out. Memorize concepts and ideas; not specific words or sentences. This ensures authenticity in your presentation, and provides you with the confidence you need to bang out a stellar presentation. When you know the material, it becomes easy – almost conversational – to choose exactly what words will best express each concept. The more familiar you are with the material you’re presenting, the more you can count on a smooth and seamless presentation, and a vibrantly receptive audience.
Additionally, take some time to get to know your audience members before your speech (if possible.) Making that connection with people before you approach the podium makes them much more likely to be open to and interested in what you have to say during your presentation.
For a truly professional edge, rent a projector from Projector123.com. We’ll deliver directly to the location you specify, and renting from us is as easy as 1-2-3! Click here to get started.
February 19th, 2010
Planning a professional dinner meeting? Use these helpful hints for creating a memorable presentation.
Dinner meetings are becoming increasingly popular in industries throughout the U.S. Until recently, these intimate educational sessions were primarily used by pharmaceutical reps in search of uninterrupted time with busy physicians, but today, more and more executives are taking part in educational dinner meetings.
Typically an intimate gathering, a dinner meeting may include anywhere from half a dozen to twenty or so attendees. Because restaurants tend to be dimly lit, it pays to bring an LCD projector rental to ensure that all participants can see and hear the presentation clearly.
Projector123.com rents high-lumen LCD projectors for this very purpose. For as little as $99, you can reserve a professional quality projector rental and be up and running in no time. We’ll deliver to the exact location you specify (hotel, business, private address, restaurant, etc.) one day before your event to ensure that you have the equipment you need when you need it.
Each projector rental includes a quickstart setup guide, 24/7 technical assistance whenever you need it, and return shipping.
Whether you’re a drug rep presenting new drug statistics, or a marketing professional presenting sales data, a rental projector can assist you in using vivid images and demonstrative charts to clarify your points and help you get the sales.
Oh and one final yet important tip — remember to snack before you get there. You’ll be so busy networking before and during dinner (and addressing questions and comments after the meal) that you may not have time to eat! Additionally, even the finest restaurants are often willing to make you a to-go box when you include yourself in the final head count.
Bon appetit and happy presenting!
Order your rental projector today from Projector123.com — we’ll help you in selecting the most optimal unit for your location and group size. Click here to get started.
February 17th, 2010
We hope you enjoy this article reprint from professional speaker Ken Okel.
As a professional speaker, I’ve learned that while most audiences want you to succeed, you will lose them if you’re not properly prepared. No matter your skill level, follow these tips and take your talks to a new level.
Start and Finish Strong:
As a broadcaster, I only had about 10 to 15 seconds to grab the viewer’s attention or they’d change the channel. While your audience won’t have a remote control, they’ll tune you out if you’re not holding their attention and capturing their curiosity. Studies have found that you can only focus on a presentation for about eight minutes before your mind will wander. If you’re talking longer than that, you need to make sure that your conclusion sums up the main points of your presentation. If it’s good information, there’s nothing wrong with saying it twice. In order to start and finish strong, you need to spend extra time rehearing your opening and closing and really have it down cold. Your first and last impression will stay with the audience so make it count. It’s also a great way to get rid of any pre-speech nerves.
Believe in What You’re Saying:
Enthusiasm feeds an audience’s interest. Never treat a topic as if it’s not the most interesting thing in the world. Don’t fake excitement but rather show that you like what you’re talking about. Remember as a child how you’d light up when you’d tell your parents about an exciting part of your day? If you can make the ordinary interesting, you’re on your way to being memorable.
So Make the Ordinary Interesting:
How many times have you heard the pre-flight safety messages from a flight attendant? I bet most of the time, you blocked it out. But every once in a while the flight attendant might throw in a joke or a funny observation and suddenly you’re listening. Think about your material. Is there a shared experience that everyone can relate to like oversleeping your alarm clock, losing your keys, or finding less than a cup of coffee left in the office coffeemaker when you need some serious caffeine? Your audience can immediately identify with those situations. Your challenge is to relate it to your topic. This will play a key role in letting the crowd know why they should care about what you’re saying.
Ken Okel is a communications expert who uses real life broadcasting experiences to help successful organizations communicate better, reduce stress, and laugh more. For his free newsletter and special report, 7 Communication Mistakes that are Costing You Money, go to http://www.kenokel.com
Need to rent a projector for your next killer presentation? Click here to see how easy it is to procure a rental projector from Projector123.com.
February 15th, 2010
In this conclusion of a 2-part series, we provide five additional hints for using humor effectively in your presentation.
Tip #5 – Make it personal.
Whenever possible, customize your humor (And your presentation) to the specific group of participants. Spend some time getting to know the corporate culture as well as some of the key individuals in the group. People love to be included and it keeps your presentation from feeling “canned.”
Tip #6 – Pace yourself.
Spread humor throughout your presentation – don’t use it all at the beginning or end. Remember, the point is to keep the audience interested and engaged and humor is a great way to do this.
Tip #7 – Break it up.
If your presentation includes a particularly long, technical, or tedious section (out of necessity), and a group break is not possible, break up the pace with humor. Some speakers even allow the group members to spontaneously volunteer a (clean, appropriate) joke at designated parts of the presentation (or during any delays related to equipment, etc.)
Tip #8 -Practice the unexpected.
Spontaneously spring a joke on a friend or co-worker and gauge their reaction. There is a psychological reflex that occurs when you say, “hey that reminds me of a joke,” or “let me tell you this joke” — people sort of brace themselves, and become more judgmental than they would have if the joke were unexpected. This gives you the opportunity to practice the delivery and timing of your joke, as well as your ability to work a joke into a conversation. If you get a spontaneous, genuine laugh, it’s a keeper.
Tip #9 – Be yourself.
Above all else, be yourself. Authenticity shines through any situation and when you are authentic, your audience will warm to you, further enhancing any humor you add to your presentation.
Got additional tips? Post them here in the comments.
Ready to present? Click here to order the easiest, fastest, most affordable projector rentals in the U.S., from Projector123.com.
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