Engage your audience. - Paul M Johnstone

When you go Business to Business Networking, you usually have an opportunity to speak to the group.  You know the public speaking part, known as networking.

One of the key tools in your Business to Business Networking tool bag is how you engage and connect with your audience.

Remember to use your voice and keep it at a good level for people further away from you, there’s nothing more annoying that not being able to hear a presenter speak.

Give good eye contact – The key here is to deliver one thought to one person then move to someone different. Use props can help because it gives your hands something to hold on to if you get nervous.

Your 60 seconds is over in a flash, but for some people it feels like forever.  The best advice I can give you is take your time, …breath, and talk at a steady pace.  You will find information on speed in speaking on this blog page http://bit.ly/vHyoUh

And think about how you like a speaker to deliver information to you.  Probably best when it is done at a steady pace, with lots of time for your brain to process all that new information.

Wrapping it up.

Now the points mentioned above are a generalisation of my experiences, which have been good over the years, the more you present the better you will become – after all repetition is the mother of all skill.

Practice aloud your 60 seconds so you get the feel of your words.  I’ve seen and heard so may 60 seconds that have obviously been read internally. And surprise, surprise when its said aloud, it does not work the way the presenter intended it to.

Feedback

I like it when people give me constructive feedback after a presentation, generally it helps you to get a firm understanding of what worked and what didn’t, and this will help you to sharpen your proverbial presentation saw, so that next time your presentation is even better.

You can always ask fro feedback when you stand to deliver your 60 seconds, you will always get someone coming up with what you had missed.

And while we are on Feedback, I thought I would share with you a fantastic book I am reading.  The DNA of success by Chris Norton, is full of fascinating stories gleaned from leading figures from sport, politics, business, the military and the arts from some of the most influential business and thought leaders in the UK today.  So far I’m getting lots of real good information. 

Anyway please take a look and it would be nice if you fed that back to me.  Here is the linkhttp://bit.ly/tlfMbw I hope you enjoy it.

About the Author

Paul M Johnstone is a Professional Communicator, Speaker, Executive Mentor and PowerPoint Guru! He works with companies, charities and individuals, helping them improve their communication skills and deliver successful presentations. 

Paul can be reached at +44 (0)7711 324362or through his website at http://www.pmjohnstone.co.uk/ and http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk

The Fear Factor - Paul M Johnstone

The Fear Factor is a best selling Novel by Robert Harris is a great book and captures the essence of personal fear.   You know that the same fear we experience when we  speak in public. The same chemicals and hormones let loose on our bodies.    So having a fear of speaking in public is normal, right?    

Well it’s not quite that simple and by way of an explanation I’ve highlighted something that will be familiar to most networkers.

Over the 20 odd years I have attended thousands of Networking meetings.  I’ve picked up a few tips on what works best when you have your 10 minute slot.  After all these years it’s about time I shared them with you.  Here they are and I hope you get benefit from them. 
Most of the networking events such as BNI, Refer-On, BoB and 4 N as well as various breakfast clubs give you the chance to present information about your business.   I find the best way to deliver a presentation whether in PowerPoint, a flip chart or using props is to do have a plan that includes some key steps

1 -Introduction: Be brief tell your audience a little bit about yourself.  It’s worth remembering, it’s not the meat of your presentation so don’t bore your audience.  Personally I would double the time you spend in your 60 seconds.  So no more than 20 seconds on this section.  You audience is only listening for What’s In It For Me, the WIIFM.  Sadly the location of your office, your funny staff, the car park and colours scheme do mot meet your audience WIIFM.  So get to the part where you can connect with them quickly.

2 – Signpost: Tell your audience a little of what’s to come.  It’s good to it’s a story on a particular subject or experience you’ve had. Remember as humans we hard wired to listen to stories.

3 – Main points: Talk about some of the key parts of your subject, whether it’s a product, service, product or experience you’ve had.  This is a great opportunity to expand your story and get your audience to come on the journey with you.

4 – Result: Here you can present and talk about the results (and benefits) you achieved, the results a customer achieved or on a particular case study (Portfolio item). Remember results can be numbers and also things which mattered most to people.  Remember the testimonials you have, what a great place to use them.

5 – Conclusion: Wrap up the presentation and leave the audience wanting to know more about you, your company or your service etc. Remember its only 10 minutes so get them wanting more.

6 – Questions: This can be interesting.  But if you understand your subject you should be able to plan for the questions you may get.  So you can Prepare your answers in advance.  Then Practice your answer aloud so you get the feel of your words.  It’s important to allow up to 5 minutes for questions.  For any more questions, simply ask people to speak to you after the meeting and write their names down so you can approach them. You never know they may be your next sales lead.

7 – Thank You: Thank your audience for their participation in being present and listening.

Follow this simple 7 point plan next time you have a 10 minute presentation.  This format works for longer presentations just as well.

As we started with a book I thought I would share with you a fantastic book I am reading.  The DNA of success by Chris Norton, which is full of fascinating stories from leading figures from sport, politics, business, the military and the arts from some of the most influential business and thought leaders in the UK today.  So far I’m getting lots of real good information.  Anyway please take a look and it would be nice if you fed that back to me.  Here is the linkhttp://bit.ly/tlfMbw I hope you enjoy it.

About the Author

Paul M Johnstone is a Professional Communicator, Speaker, Executive Mentor and PowerPoint Guru! He works with companies, charities and individuals, helping them improve their communication skills and deliver successful presentations.

He can be reached at +44 (0)7711 324362or through his website at http://www.pmjohnstone.co.uk/ and http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk



©Paul M Johnstone