Help! How Do I Deliver a Great Presentation? Lose Your Sloppy Language

The World is Full of Sloppy Speakers…You Do Not Want to Become One

Many excellent presentations sound “conversational.”  However, be aware that there is a distinct difference between an ordinary conversation (with run-on sentences, unfinished thoughts, sloppy language) and a presentation delivered in a conversational style.

The best way to improve formal presentations and reports is to clean up your daily language used in informal interactions.

In developing your presentation, take only the best from conversation – vivid storytelling, emotional connection, and you-focused language – and leave the sloppy language behind.

Which of these sound most powerfully persuasive?

·   You are about to discover three things that will make you successful

·   You are about to discover three strategies that will make you successful

·   You are about to discover three habits that will make you successful

“Strategies” and “habits” are the winners because of their specificity. “Things” is vague, unsophisticated, and outright bland! One word can make a world of difference.

Specificity makes presentations powerful and persuasive.

Perhaps it’s easiest to understand from a bad example. One of my clients, one of the most eloquent executives I’d ever heard, had just invested $40 million in a new program. He was on stage, delivering a fabulous presentation… suddenly he said, “Our clients need our stuff.” I thought, “It costs $40 million and you call it ‘stuff’!?!” …which is no better than “things,” and arguably sounds more frivolous.

We need to carefully consider our word choices in advance of our business presentations and sales conversations.

Specificity can hone your thinking, as well as the quality of your presentations. Word choice applies even on a subtle level. You can’t come home from a trade show with a ton of leads. You’d never be able to lift them! Nor a bunch, which is best left as a unit of measurement for grapes. At a trade show, you might have heard 16 super presentations, taken 40 pages of notes, created 10 actions to take in the next week, and collected 35 business cards.

That’s specificity at its best!

What would it mean if you were able to present yourself, your ideas, your expertise effectively? Learn how, on your own schedule.

Fripp Virtual Training is a state-of-the-art, web-based training platform that emulates live training and coaching. It is almost as if Presentation Expert and Executive Speech Coach, Patricia Fripp were sitting in front of you. FrippVT is designed to be immediately engaging and makes it fun to learn. If you are a novice presenter or a seasoned professional, you will find the content both practical and relevant.

Sign up for your complimentary trial and discover how FrippVT can transform you and your team. 

Executive Speech Coach and Hall of Fame Keynote Speaker Patricia Fripp works with individuals and companies who realize that powerful, persuasive presentation skills give them a competitive edge.