April 21st, 2010
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April 12th, 2010
A “segue” can be defined as a smooth transition from one topic of section to the next. As a public speaker (or even the occasional presenter), it’s important to master the segue, to ensure a smooth and seamless presentation.
Without proper segues, your presentation can appear disjointed, your audience can become confused, and valuable questions can remain unasked. Here are some tips for artfully transitioning from one part of your speech to the next.
Tip #1: Use a joke.
OK, it might be the oldest trick in the book, but it still works. A carefully selected bit of humor can easily transition your audience from one topic to the next – even if those topics seem completely unrelated. Here’s a couple of examples:
Complete the final statement in the segment, followed by… “Which reminds me of a joke.” (insert joke related to next topic.) And speaking of (next topic),…” then proceed with the next segment.
Alternatively, you might find an image, drawing or cartoon that could potentially link these two topic together, and you can insert it into your slide show as the segue.
Tip #2: Change your tone.
This segue style is effective if the tone or mood of the two topics are dramatically different. For example, if you were presenting a problem (or bad news), and now you’ll present the solution (or the good news). It might sound something like this: “OK, we’ve covered the dismal reality of last year’s final numbers but enough doom and gloom – let’s now look at the bright future that we are in the process of creating.”
Tip #3: Stop and start.
Perhaps the simplest way to transition is to simply let the audience know that this section is complete, and ask if there are any questions before we move into the next topic. “That concludes the technical part of today’s demonstration. Are there any questions before we begin talking about sales strategies?”
Images are a useful and easy way to master your transitions and segues – click here to rent a projector 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.
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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 22nd, 2010
In this three-part series, we explore some of the top AV presentation tips from speaking professionals. We hope these will assist you in creating your best presentation ever. Be sure to write us or post a comment to share your own tips or to let us know how your presentation turned out!
Choose Your Color Choices Wisely.
While it’s true that black text on a white background could appear a bit boring, classic color combinations are generally best. If you choose to use color, keep it simple and readable by using contrast. Yellow doesn’t appear easy to view on a white background. When choosing colors, stick with a dark text on a light background: navy on a very pale yellow; dark purple on white; dark green on a very light gray. You can certainly add visual interest with graphics and images as appropriate, but remember: the purpose of the text is to be read and absorbed. Also — as a general rule, never use orange (peach, salmon, etc.) text on a dark blue background (or vice versa) as these color combinations are typically unreadable by individuals who are colorblind.
Always Perform a Visual Check.
AV support is useless if it can’t easily be seen by every member of your audience. Sit in the back row or farthest seat from the projection screen and have a look at your slides – can you read the words or interpret the graphics easily? It’s better to include less on each slide and make the text larger, rather than create a slide that can’t be seen or understood by the entire group.
Ready to rent a projector for your next professional presentation? Click here to get started with Projector123.com and find out why marketing professionals and executives all across the U.S. are relying on us for their projector rentals.
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 10th, 2010
While it’s true that the most critical part of a presentation is a riveting opening, what you’re most likely to be remembered for is actually your closing. Here are some tips for creating a killer closing.
Grabbing your audience with a stellar opening is essential for getting their attention early on, leading your listeners to sit up and take notice. But the closing of your presentation (also called “the takeaway”) is your opportunity to drive home your most essential one to three key points.
Here are our top 3 tips for nailing the takeaway:
1 – Create a simple yet memorable summary slide.
Too often, presenters try to cram their top 8 or so points onto a single summary slide or — worse yet — use multiple summary slides. Remember that in most cases, your summary slide will remain visible longer than any other slide, so take full advantage of that extended screen time to really drive home your key point (no more than 3 key points). If possible, find a humourous or remarkable image to cement the point into their memories.
2 – Begin with the end in mind.
Before sitting down to draft your presentation, ask yourself this question: If I could only give my audience one key point as a takeaway, what would it be? Build your presentaion around that key point, and be sure it’s front and center on your summary slide.
3 – Repetition is key. Repetition is key. Repitition is key.
While it would certainly become annoying to simply repeat the same statement sequentially, repeating a key statement (short, simple, easy to remember, all-encompassing) throughout your presentation will make it that much memorable once the meeting is adjourned. We are bombarded with so many bits of information every day that repetition is usually necessary to make something stick with us. Create a simple summary statement that concisely and effectively makes your point. “Upsells create more revenue for all of us.” “In sales, repeat the positive and immediately dismiss the negative.” “Women are our largest buyer market, so we must market to women.”
Now you should be equipped to nail that all-important summary slide and really drive that takeaway point home. Go get ‘em, Ace!
Remember to reserve your rental projector from the top name in LCD projector rentals. Click here to experience Projector123.com.
February 8th, 2010
It’s no secret that the first 30 sexonds of your presentation can make or break your whole relationship with the audience.
How about when YOU read that opening line? Did you notice that we typed “sexonds” instead of “seconds”? The element of surprise is one way to get your audience’s attention right off the bat. Here are our top ideas for killer openings:
1. Create the element of surprise.
This can occur with a impact statement, a shocking image, a gesture, immediate audience participation, anything. It tells the audience straight away: “I’d better pay attention because I’m not sure what’s going to happen next.”
2. Create curiosity.
This is easily accomplished with a peculiar prop, article of clothing, gesture, statement, etc. It puts the audience on alert and gets their right and left brains engaged — their left brain starts asking, “what is the logical reason for this?” while their right brain is beginning to concoct ideas “why.”
3. Open with a question.
In order to create maximum impact, we recommend opening with a shocking question (“Why is THIS company content to rest on its laurels instead of completely dominating its field?”) or a non-rhetorical question that invites audience participation (“What are the top 3 changes we could make right now to skyrocket our sales?”)
4. Create drama.
No matter what anyone says, people of all walks of life love drama. If that weren’t true, box office sales wouldn’t be where they are today. You can create drama with a single word followed up by a personal story (“Bankrupt. That’s where I was, at the age of just 32.”) or with a single impact statement (“Nobody can hold you back — nobody — without your express permission.”) or an odd statistic (“In South Africa, road accidents cause the most deaths among children between 4 and 15 years. Nearly every day two children die on these roads, and half of these children are younger than age 8.”). Your impact statement should be startling (in a positive or negative way, depending on the nature of the rest of your presentation) and relative to the subject matter at hand.
These are just a few ideas, but they should give you enough creative ideas to get you started. Remember to prepare for your presentation by renting a projector from Projector123.com. Reserve yours today!
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