An effective presenter represents his or her company in its best light.  I like to teach presenters to think of each word they speak as worth one million dollars! If a presenter speaks at the normal rate of 175 words-per-minute, for example, they will speak about 75 words in their first 30 seconds. Do the math. That’s right; they just earned 75-million

Dollars!! Don’t waste those valuable 35-seconds saying how good it is to

be here today—it’s not; besides, who cares? Get to the point. 

It should be clear in the mind of the presenter and the listeners the purpose of the presentation. A presenter should keep in mind what I refer to as the “Speech Focusing Statement,” which is your "tell 'em what you're going to tell ‘em, and tell ‘em what you told them.”  

The choice of visual aids to help a presenter clarify or support the content of the presentation is crucial. PowerPoint, often the first choice, is an excellent tool, but it is not a substitute for the presentation. I teach presenters basic design of a slide with appropriate fonts and colors and how not to overload the slide with too many words and ideas. Presenters may also find that hand-outs are appropriate, but often overwhelm their listeners with paper and give the hand-outs at the wrong time so that people are reading instead of listening.

Since the bottom line is always about money for the company, presenters should know that the primary question in the minds of the listener is 'Why should I do that?' or 'Why should I think that?' or 'Why should that be the case?'

In any event, all the questions that follow from an action-oriented key message are of the 'why?' kind. That means if the next stage of the presentation sets about answering these questions the talk is following what the audience perceives as its route through the material. The result is that the presenter has them on their side immediately.

Many presenters prepare material that is only logical if you already know the subject or the information that is being presented. But few audiences will know. Hence they become quickly lost and have to work hard to pick their way through the information. Research shows that audiences that have to commit the least mental effort are the ones most likely to accept the material they are given. In other words, if the presenter follows his or her own logic they are making it much less likely that their material will be accepted or acted upon by the audience.

If the talk follows the audience logic by immediately answering the 'why' style questions they will be providing just what the listeners want, mentally. As a result, the presenter will make their material MUCH MORE LIKELY to be accepted and acted upon.

Having constructed the key message the presenter simply has to think of all the reasons why their audience should accept what they are saying or act upon the material. These reasons and the detail behind them will form the first main section of the presentation.

About the Author:
Tom Roberts, M.A. helps you make great presentations. See Commanding Communication at http://www.4clearcommunication.com for more information.

10 Tips On Using Flip Charts And Whiteboards

by Graham Jones

Flip charts are so common that we all think we can use them. But how often have you sat in presentations wondering what all the scribble was really about? Like many people you have probably seen flip charts that make no sense, that you can't read from the back of the room and that look like a spider has crawled over them. You don't want your flip charts to look like that, do you? Just follow these ten simple steps and you will have flip charts that look truly professional.

1. Try, if you can, to prepare your flip chart pages in advance. This means your audience does not have to wait while you try to draw things on the page.
2. Leave one blank page, at least, between each prepared page. That way you can add extra detail or jot down audience comments without having to flick through several pages to reach a blank sheet.
3. If you need to draw diagrams or charts as you deliver your talk create light pencil outlines on the page in advance. The audience will not be able to see your pre-drawn illustrations - but you will and your finished drawing will look more professional as you can copy the marks.
4. Make sure you have a conclusion page at the end of the flip chart. You can then turn to this at the end of your presentation and summarize what you have said.
5. Your first page should either be blank or have a 'title page', such as the subject of your presentation. In this way, your first page of text will not distract your audience.
6. On each page that you have written some key points leave plenty of space. This means you can add in comments from the audience (in a different color) as you go through your talk.
7. Use big letters (but not capitals) so that your audience can read your writing. Each character should be at least three inches tall.
8. Reserve bright colors for charts and diagrams. Text should be in a dark color, such as black or blue, so it can be easily seen.
9. If you write on the flip chart as you go through your talk, stand to one side so people can see what you have written.
10. After your presentation has finished go back through your flip chart pages and prepare some notes based on what was added during the talk. You can then give this information to the people who were present so they have a record of the event.

About the Author:
Graham Jones runs The Presentation Business at http://www.presentationbiz.com to help you make great presentations.