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October 2002

In this month’s free e-news from Wilder Presentations, I’d like to discuss two ideas for presenters and two for designers. Use the monthly challenges at the end to test your skills.

Read an excerpt from my book Point, Click & Wow! A Quick Guide to Brilliant Laptop Presentations on this site.

FOR PRESENTERS:

STEP 8: MANAGE QUESTIONS

WHAT IF YOU DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER?

Many presenters set themselves the impossible task of trying to know the answer to every question. They then spend the whole presentation worrying about the question they won’t be able to answer. How do you handle such a question?

First, you need to set the expectations of your audience so they understand what you do and do not know. If you are selling a technical product, you can say, “I realize some of you may have very technical questions. If I cannot answer them, I’ll refer them to John here who is our technical expert.” If you are alone, say, “I’ll write those questions down and have someone get back to you.”

Because you have set expectations, no one will be surprised or disappointed when you say, “That’s one for our technical people.”

Here are some more responses:

“I don’t have that information with me. I’ll make a note and get back to you.”

“That question is better answered by our engineers. I will have one of them call you. What’s a good time to reach you?”

“Your question is beyond the scope of why we are all here. Can we talk about that area after our formal meeting is done? Then those who are interested in those details can stay.”

Remember, it’s not that you have to have all the answers. You just need to know how to get those answers back to people in a timely manner. Most people won’t mind that you don’t know - unless you get flustered by the question and act like you should know.

FOR PRESENTERS:

SHORTENING YOUR PRESENTATION ON THE SPOT

You’ve been told that you have 40 minutes to talk, but when you arrive you find out you will only have 20. What do you do? Here are three solutions that will make you feel so much more at ease.

1.  If this happens consistently, prepare two presentations. Begin with the 40-minute version, and then cut it to 20 minutes. Use the custom show feature in PowerPoint to reduce content. Just go to slide show>custom show. You can even print the shorter version. That way, the next time someone tells you that you don’t have as much time as you expected, you can open your presentation, go to slide show>custom show, and use the shorter version.

2.  Prepare one presentation, but hide some of the slides. You have the option of showing them all if you have time. If you don’t, you can pick and choose which ones to show. Make sure you find a way to remind yourself which slides are hidden.

3.  Create a short version of a presentation, then set up one or two branching presentations and use that information if you have time. Why would you do this instead of just setting up hidden slides? You may have a whole segment of a presentation that you can eliminate if time is limited. It is easier to create that segment as another presentation. That way, you can also have a slightly different background look.

FOR DESIGNERS:

WHERE IS THE THEME?

Help your audience remember your presentation by putting its theme, memory hook, and key message on the slides. For example, if it’s a new product you are selling, you might want the product’s name or a memory hook about it watermarked into the slide. Rather than including the company’s logo on every slide, consider using the key message you want to convey.

FOR DESIGNERS:

CARTOONS AND PHOTOGRAPHS

If you are looking for pictures, here are a couple places to go. The prices are very reasonable.

www.bizpresenter.com:  Bizpresenter has cartoons, photographs, photo objects, illustrations, and templates. If you need a cartoon to make a point, see what they have.

www.inzones.com:  Inzones has photographs, plus a collection of free templates and pictures.

MONTHLY CHALLENGES:

PRESENTERS

Practice saying out your response when you don’t know the answer to a question.

DESIGNERS

Look for ways to make sure the true message is illustrated or woven into the background of some of the slides.

FASCINATING COMMENTS FROM OUR READERS

Soren Johnson, a former speechwriter now responsible for presentations and proposals for a mid-sized ad agency in New England, has this to say about handouts:

Another way to prevent groups from getting ahead of the slides with their handout is to have it be a summary only of the major points or slide titles.  Indeed, the handout can make a statement in and of itself by documenting the higher level messaging versus a complete content breakout.

Another way for handouts to make a statement is through use of quality paper. The quest for photo-like reproduction has lead the masses to a world where paper is always 24-pound white stock. When the handout is back at someone's desk a day later (or on their boss’s desk a week later), a higher-quality, more distinctive paper may well be worth its weight in gold. Cotton-fiber content, unique dimensions, or other attributes may help your ideas have a second or third life after the presentation is over. (Some companies make paper specifically for presentations.) As important as your content and delivery is, your handout is all that’s left for others to judge you by: don't let copy paper downgrade your ideas into wallpaper.

Phil Mattox at JEA Brand Communications, with over 25 years in radio, television, and public speaking, says:

Plain and simple, I don't hand out handouts until I am off stage, and even then only at a table away from the stage, such as near an exit door. This applies to brochures, promo items, and even to copies of my notes or PowerPoint slides. I encourage note taking, often by providing a small note pad or a blank page in the printed program. I also encourage audience members to “write down your questions so you don't forget them, but hold them until the end of the presentation. I'll answer your questions at that time.” I never “pass around” a demonstration object, but I will hold it in my hand as I walk past the first row. I then inform those who would like a closer look that “I’ll have this at the back table at the end of our meeting.”

Experience has taught me that constant eye contact and open body language is imperative for good audience relationship. For that reason, I do not rely on PowerPoint slides or other visuals unless it provides direct support to my presentation. Even then, I use only brief bullets for guidance, or key data points when accuracy with numbers or facts is important. I then turn the slide off when I no longer need it so that all eyes are back on me. It’s true, it is a heavy responsibility to place the success of an entire presentation solely on one’s “physical” performance and the ability to “tell” the story. A good “physical” presentation takes practice ... and lots of it. Good presentation skills training combined with periodic critique will do more to grow a speaker than reliance on slides and handouts ever will.

TEN STEPS SCREEN SAVER

Some of you have requested my Ten Steps to Your Success Screen Saver. Brian Hutchinson of ScreenTime has put it up on the Internet for you to download.

ftp://ftp.screentime.com/pub/win/ST_PowerPoint/TenStepsToSuccess.exe

Download it, then double-click on the file. This loads it as one of your screen savers. To see the file listed, go to control panel>display>screen saver.

ScreenTime for PowerPoint turns a PowerPoint presentation into a screen saver.  See it at www.screentime.com. The site has many screensavers to download.

WINNING PRESENTATIONS PUBLIC SEMINAR

I am considering doing two public seminars in the next three months in the Boston area. If you want details on the seminars, just e-mail me. By the end of two days I guarantee, or your money back, that you will know how to develop, design, and deliver a persuasive, results-oriented presentation. The cost will be $650 per participant with only six to eight participants.

SELLING POWER AUDIOTAPE SERIES

I was interviewed by Selling Power for their October Live audiotape series. My tape segment is called: Sell The Steak, Not The Sizzle. To purchase the audiotape or see more about this service go to this link.

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