I was recently featured in an article called, “How to Give a Killer Webinar: Tips from the Pros,” by Michael Ventimiglia, who asked a dozen marketing, presentation, and webinar experts, “What are your best tips for giving a webinar?” I share a few of the very useful strategies Michael gathered from the pros:
Before Your Webinar
According to marketing and communications expert, Gini Dietrich, you should start marketing your webinar at least six weeks in advance.
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Successful sales presentations are always you-focused. For example, let’s take this sample opening – a sales manager pitching an association to host their annual conference at his hotel – and break it down.
“In the next eight minutes, you will decide the best choice you can make for your association and your members is to bring your convention to San Francisco and the Fairmont Hotel.”
Count it up, and that is five uses of “you” or “your” and one “Fairmont Hotel.” That is emotionally connecting.
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As an executive speech coach, I recommend that when preparing your presentation, you record yourself and then listen carefully to identify and eliminate all unnecessary words and phrases. Cut out anything that will dilute your message, including your personal verbal “tics,” clichés, and filler words. Business communications expert, Ben Decker of Decker Communications reminds us that when we edit out filler words, we increase the clarity and credibility of our business communications:
Read More...Literally – Just a Filler Word
by Ben DeckerIf there were Survivor for words, I’d vote off “literally.”
What makes a good presentation great? A great presentation connects with your audience, holds their attention, and has the power to delight, inspire, persuade, or inform. Exceptional speakers know how important it is to start every presentation with a compelling opening; this sets the tone for your presentation and provides momentum for everything that follows. It is incredibly difficult to recover your audience if they are checking their email or Facebook feed five minutes into your speech. To keep your audience engaged, you will want to pay close attention to these four aspects of your presentation, from the moment you begin to develop your talk.
Read More...To become an effective speaker, you must learn how to connect with your audience both intellectually and emotionally. I share this brief video sample from FrippVT to help you learn more about connecting with your audience:
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Our goal in sales presentations is to have our key ideas remembered and repeated. Say, for example, you are pitching a large project, and you represent just one of several bidding companies. Realistically, the prospect is not going to give you a yes or no answer when you are in the meeting, whether you are the first or last to present.
Consider:
Where will you be on Saturday, the 26th of April 2014? If you would like to improve your presentation skills and are anywhere near Chicago – and certainly if you are a District 30 Toastmaster – you will be joining me for the District 30 Toastmasters Spring Conference in Skokie, Illinois. District 30 has planned an eventful program, and I will help you Pursue Your Passion for Presenting!
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If you want to deliver a successful presentation, you will spend a lot more time preparing for your presentation than you will speaking. Even highly experienced speakers must devote time to preparation, including rehearsal. My friend and colleague, Rob Biesenbach names inadequate rehearsal as one of the “11 Deadly Presentation Sins.” In his recent book with this title, Rob explains why we must include rehearsal in our preparation for any presentation:
Read More...Woe to the audience whose speaker decides to just wing it, for they shall be trapped in the pit of despair. Why do people think they can just get up there and perform on the fly?
Life is a series of sales situations, and the answer is always “no” if you don’t ask. Even Wayne Gretzky, the legendary hockey player agrees – “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
There are, however, two additional parts of the equation. The first is this: The real sale comes after the sale, reselling your customers on why they chose your product or service. (Real estate salespeople and about-to-be-married couples aren’t the only ones who deal with cold feet.) You’re still the person the client wants to do business with. The process of reminding the client of why they’ve made the right decision is, of course, a more subtle effort than winning them over in the first place, but every bit as important. Positioning yourself as a consultant, partner, and resource – rather than salesperson – is a strategy that can be very effective in cultivating a lasting relationship with your customer.
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In the event of a crisis, your organization might be overwhelmed by the media or by the disaster itself; it could become nearly impossible to provide thoughtful responses and accurate information without a crisis communication plan already in place. In light of the recent and tragic loss of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, I share this from Ragan Communications:
Read More...Never believe that any crisis is too big or too complicated to prepare for. You can prepare a crisis communications plan that will address every scenario you may face. Your crisis communications plan can have an addendum of pre-written news releases and media advisories for even an extended crisis like Malaysian Airlines. You can test your crisis communication team, your crisis management team, and your spokesmen with a crisis communications drill annually. You can conduct media training annually for everyone who may have to serve as a spokesman.
Receive free, on-going Fripp webinar invitations, sales and presentation skills information, and special discounts from Executive Speech Coach, Sales Presentation Trainer, and Professional Keynote Speaker, Patricia Fripp, CSP, CPAE. As an added bonus, sign up now and receive a free copy of Patricia Fripp’s How to Present and Teach in the Virtual World.
