Top Presentation Techniques - Paul M Johnstone

Presentations are something that we’re all familiar with. Unfortunately there are estimated to be over 50% of the 1.3 Million presentations delivered every day, are rubbish (conservative estimate).    

To help you get the best from your presentations here are just a few tips that will help you achieve the goal of any presentation. The effective transfer of information from you the presenter to the audience in a way they understand and use your information. 

Don’t abuse your visuals – Always, always use quality images.  Avoid clip art go for quality.  If you want to use a cartoon get a cartoonist to draw one for you!   Whatever your visuals may be, keep them simple and try to use three or four words only. The audience isn’t there to read your slides, they are there to listen to your presentation.

Eye to eye with the audience – A fantastic technique for engaging the audience 

is……….Look them in the eye.  Don’t spray your eyes round the room look at one person, deliver a sentence then move on to the next person.  If no one is looking at you, stop talking.  When they look up, look the next person in the eye, deliver a sentence and move on.

Show your personality – It doesn’t matter if you are presenting to a corporate crowd or to senior citizens, you need to show some of your character when presenting. When you just stand and deliver you become wooden and any enthusiasm you have for the topic is lost.  Be yourself, be natural and you will deliver better presentations.

Make them laugh – Although you want to educate your audience, humour will help your presentation be better remembered.   No this doe not mean you have to become a stand up.  Tel your story and lighten it up with humour or an anecdote.  This keeps the audience alert and they’ll learn more from you than someone who just educates.

Talk to your audience, not at them – Don’t you just hate it when people talk at, so don’t do it. You need to interact with your audience and create a conversation. An easy way to do this is to ask them questions as well as letting them ask you questions.  I know someone who asks one person in his audience “What do you expect to achieve from this presentation”?

Honesty is your best Policy – A lot of people present to the audience what they want to hear, instead of what they need to hear. Make sure you tell the truth even if they don’t want to hear it.  There are lots of words you can use to prepare your audience for bad news. It will help you if you collect a library of these words and phrases for when you need them. Oh and if you don't know the answer to a question, tell them you don't but you will get back to them with an answer.

Please Don’t over prepare – If you rehearse your presentation too much it will sound like it (in a bad way). Granted, you need to be prepared enough to know what you are going to talk about but make sure your presentation flows naturally instead of sounding memorized. Usually if you ask experienced speakers what you shouldn’t do, they’ll tell you not to rehearse your presentation too much because then it won’t sound natural.

Get out of the Grow Bag– You probably know it’s good to move when you are presenting.  The phrase motion comes from emotion is key here. Don’t stand in one spot, like you are trying to take root, (in your grow bag) a little movement and encouraging gestures help when making a point. People are more engaged with an animated speaker.

Watch what you say – You usually don’t notice when you say “err”, “ah”, or any other filler word frequently, but the audience does. It can get irritating; so much that some members of the audience will probably count how many times you say these filler words.

Differentiate yourself – If you don’t do something different compared to all the other presenters the audience may have heard.  You are branding yourself when you speak, so make sure you do something memorable.  I find your own enthusiasm for your subject is a great place to start.

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

 ©Paul Johnstone

If you can't Be yourself? Why not be someone else? Paul M Johnstone

OK you're giving a live, important presentation to a large audience. For the sake of argument this is not something you do on a regular basis, or something you relish.

You might be a little nervous about your presentation, so you turn to friends or the internet for some public speaking advice. As you do, you'll undoubtedly hear or read this strange bit of folkloric wisdom:

Just Be Yourself! Act Natural!

The problem with this advice is that you'll find yourself in a completely unnatural environment – Hey you are alone in front of a large group of people, lights shining in your face, a mike wire dangling from your lapel, a huge visual displays behind you.  THIS IS NOT NORMAL So how do you go about being "natural" in what is an unnatural environment?

Now what if your "natural, normal" self is shy, nervous, or introverted? How does that help?

Telling a nervous speaker to "act naturally" on stage, just sets them up for a fall. Rather than trying to "act naturally", or be normal whatever that is.  Why not try one of these three more specific courses of action?

1. You can make the environment seem more natural.  

Nothing takes the nerves out of a presentation like a real, live, full dress rehearsal. Get lots of practice! Physically walk on the stage. Feel the lights on your face, the audio pack on your belt, the video remote in your hand.

Once you've experienced your surroundings, the stage environment is going to seem more natural.  What you are doing is preparing your brain for the real thing.  Once it has seen a situation it’s at ease and less of an opportunity to feel nervous.

2. If you're going to be yourself, be your best. 

There's really no point in being yourself if you're naturally shy and retiring. Getting up on stage without professional help mat do you more harm than good.  Find a professional speech writer, and speaking coach to help you and deliver of your best.  The other benefit is they will help you overcome your natural fears, the ones we all have when we start out.  Some of the most famous speakers started out being frightened of speaking in public.

As Red Adair said “If you thing hiring a professional is expensive, wait till you try an amateur!”

3. You can be someone else. 

OK, that’s not feasible is it?  But you can funnel the spirit and passion of someone you admire into your presentation.   Think about projecting their personality when you speak. This actually takes your speech out of the realm of "presentation" and into the arena of a "performance."  You may know it by another name, acting!   No doubt you may have heard that audiences find a good performance highly entertaining and an enriching experience.

Once you know who you are and are comfortable with the stage, you may do this naturally. You might do even better to act appropriately for the audience and the situation.

Anyway, what exactly does it mean to "be yourself?"

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

Public Speaking, what a great sales tool! Paul M Johnstone

Humour and tales with a humorous punch line can help you get the sales presentation. They are great for helping you stay upbeat and on the ball.   

Here is a story of a friend of mine and how humour helped him.

One of the ways professional speakers get business is if you have to deliver free demonstrations, always make sure you get a tangible return.  My colleague was presenting for an advertising company in London. After the presentation, a lady came approached him and asked him to call her. She then went on to tell him, his information would be perfect for the employees at her place.

So he called three times that week, guess what no return call. Called three times the next week and did not get a return call. And on to the third week, no return calls.   Finally, he decided to sent a humorous fax.

Guess What?  She called back within the hour.  And as a result he got a large contract for a years work  When asked why she replied to he fax, her reply, She said the fax really made her laugh in the midst of all the pressure she was under and that's why she called.

Oh and it was a government department! 

You might be wondering how he could call someone 12 times in a month and not be considered a pest. Well she asked him to call. To me that means I'm going to call her the rest of her life until she tells me to stop.

Secondly, he knew she was a fun and lively sort of person, because he saw her enjoying the presentation where they first met.

So use humour words and phrase like I know your in box resembles Everest or I'll bet people are camping outside your office just to get to see you.

If you can use humour as an aid to your selling, try lots of things like these. 

You could sing on a prospect's voicemail (not if you’re tone deaf), send humorous post cards.    E-mail that makes people smile, make your mailers unforgettable. Why not send a packet of grass seed to help them grow their business, biscuits for their much needed coffee break.  Chewing gum for those sticky situations, in fact anything that will make you stand out. To stand out you need to be different from the crowd. Prospects are much more likely to remember you when they want something you do.  

Make your reminders witty, humorous, and different, as this  will help you get the call when they have a need.  For more tips like this please vist either www.pmjohnstone.co.uk 
Or the Paradigm Shakers who's link is at the end of this page

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

What’s in a name or an address? Paul M Johnstone

 Just back from a great exhibition the Business Start up Show tons of people, good stands.  I got a great contact in a publishing company who have agreed to look at the two books I have written.

One of the highlights was a speed networking session which was a buzz.  If you have ever been to one you will know it’s manic and you need to have your elevator pitch all lined up.  Now getting an elevator pitch to fill all situations in not realistic, and can often be detrimental to you.  My pitch varied from a theme depending on who I was talking to.  The key here is to get the other person to speak first.

Once they have spoken you can select part of their pitch and tailor it to meet your product or service.  After all what you are doing is broadcasting your service in a condensed form to a prospect who want to know about you.  It is learning the lessons of speaking and presenting in a much more intimate environment. 

Some people did really well others average and some were clueless. Interestingly in the two hours I spent speed networking apart from me, only one other person had a badge that identified who they were and what they did!  And five of those people did not have any business cards to give.  

Preparing for any exhibition which is a glorified networking opportunity there are two things you need.  Lots and I mean lots of cards and a plan of action.  Let’s look at the former.  What information should your business card pass on?   A business card is a piece of real estate and needs to be developed.

A graphic designer friend of mine told me that for a business card to do it’s job the front should say who you are, and the back should say what you do.  Simple stuff mane contact details on the front and your area of business on the back.

Interesting!  At the exhibition I spoke to 50 people! Surprising for me that was exactly 50-50 men and women.  And I for one am glad to see more women in business.  However that group of people I hope were not representative of business today.  Fifty cards and only 17 had a physical address!

The two main reasons I hear why people don’t put an address on a card are:  I work from home and I don’t want to give out mu home address.  And it’s a web based solution so I don’t need an address.

Lets look at the first impression:  A business card with no physical address looks suspicious to a lot of people.  “Why are they hiding their location?”  “What don’t they want us to know?” these questions are being asked more and more as programmes like Rogue Traders and Watchdog are highlighting sharp practice.

The answer a PO box number- for less than a glass of wine a week the Post office will set up a PO box for you, which provides you with a professional looking address and you don’t need to go to the post office as they deliver it to your door.

There are so many on-line scams today you should use a PO box or check with your accountant as many operate accommodation addresses, and these are just as professional as the PO box.  Remember you only get one chance to make a first impression – so make it a professional one.

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

Do you know your Reds from your Blues? Paul M Johnstone

COOL COLOR COMMENTARY

Flip Chart Colour

=> Black, blue and green inks have the greatest visibility. 

=> Blue is the most pleasing color to look at with red coming in second (note: pleasing to look at and visibility are not the same) 

=> Do not do the whole chart in red ink. 

=> Avoid purple, brown, pink and yellow inks. 

=> Permanent markers give the most vivid color but dry out faster if you leave the cap off. They also frequently bleed thru to the next page. Forget trying to get the ink out of your clothes. 

=> Water colors are less vivid and squeak when you write. Ink will wash out of clothing. 

Use Color Thoughtfully 

=> Use bright colors for small graphics to make them stand out. 

=> Use subtle colors for large graphics so they don't overwhelm. 

Use Color Psychologically 

According to Greg Bandy in Multimedia Presentation Design for the Uninitiated certain colors evoke certain emotions. 

=> RED = Brutal, Dangerous, Hot, Stop! 

=> DARK BLUE = Stable, Trustworthy, Calm 

=> LIGHT BLUE = Cool, Refreshing 

=> GRAY = Integrity, Neutral, Mature 

=> PURPLE = Regal, Mysterious 

=> GREEN = Organic, Healthy, New life, Go Money 

=> ORANGE / YELLOW = Sunny, Bright, Warm 

=> WHITE (if I make the example white you couldn't see it) = Pure, Hopeful, Clean 

=> BLACK = Serious, Heavy, Profitable, Death Since "death" is a pretty heavy way to end this section, I will give you a reference to find out more about outstanding visual design.

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

How to Deal With a Hostile Audience - Paul m Johnstone

Here are some tips for dealing with the occasional detractor you may encounter. Your main objective is to remain calm so you are in control of the situation. What’s more the rest of your audience will then be on your side.

---

1. Listen carefully to the question & repeat it aloud - Make sure you understood the question correctly & that your audience knows the question to which you are responding.  Sometmes it helps to restste the question so you are clear what you are answering

2. Answer directly. Look directly at the person asking the question- Give simple answers to simple questions. If the question demands a lengthy reply, agree to discuss it later with anyone interested, but summarise there and then.

3. Refer to your Speech- Whenever possible, tie your answer to a point in your speech. A good tip is to view these questions as a way to reinforce & clarify your presentation.

4. Anticipate areas of questioning- Prepare factual support material in three or four areas in which you anticipate questions.

5. Be friendly, always keep your temper- A cool presentation creates an aura of confidence. When the questioner is hostile respond as if they were a friend. Any attempt to "put down" your questioner with sarcasm will immediately draw the audience's sympathy to the questioner.  It can also stir up the questioner for more difficult questions.

6. Always tell the truth - If you try to bend the truth, or tell a little white lie, you almost always will be caught. Play it straight, even if your position is momentarily weakened.

7. Treat two questions from the same person as two separate questions. Best tip hear is don't try to double gess your questioner, answer each question deliberatly and calmly.

8. Don't place your hands on your hips or point at the audience - These are scolding poses and give you the appearance of preaching.

9. Keep things moving - There is a rhythm to a good question-and-answer exchange. They volley back & forth in a brisk manner. Keep your answers brief and to the point with many members of the audience participating.

10. Conclude smartly - Be prepared with some appropriate closing remarks. End with a summary statement that wraps up the essential message you want them to remember.

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

© Paul M Johnstone

Overcome Your Fear Of Public Speaking - Paul M Johnstone

Standing in front of an audience can be a daunting task, let alone to stand and talk in front of them simultaneously, in English. Giving a speech to a group of people who are well aware of the fact that you are going to talk requires a lot more than guts and will. It needs preparation and flexibility, too.

Based on several publications I have read, and people I have taught I have compiled a list down 10 steps (out of so many) that I believe can and will help you overcome the fear of speaking in public.

1. Prepare your points!

No matter how good you are in terms of talking, you will need to prepare your speech. Get your points right, have some facts to support them and make sure you know everything there is to know about the topic, backwards and forwards.

2. Prepare, Prepare then Practice!

You need to know what you are talking about.  In most cases you will be speaking about something you are involved in or passionate about, and that’s great.  The knowledge you have about your subject will work for you.  Once you are happy with your content and knowledge, then and only then should you practice.  A mirror and a recorder help here.  If you know your stuff you should only need pointers or section headings.  Let your knowledge and passion shine through and don’t be constrained by trying to learn a script.

3. Arrive on time, early is best!

Come early and get the mood right. Check the room and its size so you can tell how loud you should or shouldn't be. Get on the stage and move around it. Make sure you feel comfortable there.

4. Look confident and be confident!

Bring forth your self-confidence. If you think you are not confident enough, then take your time to have it. Do not rush as your confidence will slowly grow by time.  And here is the best part, Your audience have absolutly NO IDEA you are nervous!

5. Make eye contact!

It is never a good presentation if there is no eye contact. Take time to look at all the people in the room.  Look at your audience!

6. Find a friend in the room!

If eye contact makes you feel threatened in some ways, choose a target. Find someone among the crowd who presents you with warmth and possessiveness, look at him or her and gradually put your eyes on everyone else. Repeat the steps.

7. Don't forget to smile!

One of the best tips I can give you is to smile at your audience before you say a word.  As smiles bring you happiness, give them back! Make sure the audience know that you are happy to be there. It is never wrong to smile at times even when the topic you are presenting is serious. Choose and take your time to smile.

8. Take a pause and breathe!

Do not rush your speech! Take some pauses in-between long sentences and breathe slowly. There is a phrase in speaking circles, when you need to make your point count “Pause till it hurts” allow your audience time to take in what you have just said.  The more you rush, the more you will panic and probably lose confidence. So don't do it.

9. Use your natural tone and modulation!

Adjust you intonations and make sure they vary from slow and steady to fast and firm. Change them accordingly so that your speech won't be monotonous.

10. It's okay to be nervous!

Whenever you feel nervous, just know that you're being normal.  Nerves are your body’s way of telling you this is important.   Everybody will experience stage fright, and that includes the experts and those with more experience. The difference is how you handle it. Take it and play along with it. It's okay!

So, what are you waiting for? You know the steps, now speak!

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

Stick In The Mud or Confused, Who do you know? Paul M Johnstone

More on getting more from your netwoking opportunities.

Sixty Seconds Part 2:

What you say

I don’t know about you, but I have listened to some truly awful 60 second presentations. You find that people who miss the point when delivering their 60 seconds and they fall into one of three camps.

The Stick in the Mud’s: They do not change their script from week 1 to whenever they stop going. I was a member of a group where a tradesman said exactly the same thing week on week. Even when we had to reduce ours to 30 or 45 seconds, he still ploughed on with his single prepared commercial. The effect on the members is they stop listening.

The Readers: Who insist on typing out their 60 seconds (a good thing to do) but then insist on reading it without looking at the audience. Preparing your 60 seconds is defiantly a great idea, but then you should take time to learn it so when you deliver it sounds passionate. When you read aloud it sounds forced and often fake. Also as they avoid the audience they do not engage the audience. The effect is that your potential sales people and Advocates switch off.

The Confused: Also often a member will tell a different story each week, which keeps their message fresh. However, all too often this sort of presentation changes the essential message of the product or service.

With all things in life consistency brings greater rewards. The more you change your offering the more confusion you bread.  

Oh and then there is the down right boring who are probably best left alone.

SO what should a good 60 seconds contain?

If you think of it as a commercial you will start to realise what goes in the commercial:

·         Your name and company 10%

·         What you do, your service product description 30%

·         Both of these should be the same or broadly the same every week.

·         Either a testimonial, further product or service description or new product news 30%

·         Who you would like an introduction to 20%

·         Finally a hook or a repeat of who you are and what you do 10%

There are stacks of techniques for delivering a successful and profitable 60 seconds
Keep an eye out for the third part of a 60 second presentation which will be on how you get what you really, really want as the Spice girls once told us.

A series of occasional pieces on how to construct a 60 second pitch that GETS RESULTS

Catch up with you again soon!

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

Shy at Parties? HNS to save your blushes! by Paul M Johnstone

Here is a quick pointer for you.

According to the Daily Telegraph that is what the NHS are up to, curing shyness at parties!

Now I know there are to be changes being made to the NHS but shyness courses?????

Check Out The article 

Catch up with you again soon!

 

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

Invest in Time it will repay you many times over - Paul M Johnstone

When you have the opportunity to speak at a Networking event, it’s best if you Invest in that time opportunity wisely.  Time spent preparing will repay you many fold.

From the forthcoming book The A - Z of Networkig

Sixty Seconds Part 1

Given that we all deliver a 60 second commercial in our networking club meetings, it often astounds me how little thought some people put in to it. In fact I was asked yesterday for tips on making an impact during a 60 second commercial. I use the word commercial as that is what a 60 seconds is your commercial, your advertisement to the world.

Now think to the memorable commercials you have seen and they all have one thing in common – Clarity.

I hear lots of 60 seconds, and a trap that many people fall into is telling the audience about their skill and not what they can do.

For example I had been listening to a personal therapist for about two years not fully understanding what it was they did. Then one day he stood up and said how would we like to kiss an ex smoker today?

Instantly everyone got it.

He told them what he could do for you. Do you do that?

Here is an anatomy of a 60 seconds:

·         Opening including who you are and what you do 5 – 10 seconds

·         Description of your product or services 10- 15 seconds

·         Your experience 5 – 10 seconds

·         Why people should advocate for you 10 – 15 seconds

·         Repeat who you are, what you do and a strap line 10 – 15 seconds

If you stick to that format you should get everything across to the audience in 60 seconds. Providing you are clear in your message, to be sure try it out on a friend or family member, if they understand so should your audience.

I used to write my 60 seconds and then call up the clock on my PC and read aloud my 60 seconds.  It is the reading it aloud that helps you time it correctly. It also lets you know if you have over-run

  

NETWORK GOLD  100 words equals 60 seconds delivery, use the word count feature on your PC and stay under 100 words rather than over.

Clarity is your key to being understood

Catch up with you again soon!

 

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

The Clock is ticking and your time is running out - Paul M Johnstone

60 Seconds = Success

When you are networking you often have a 60 second spot.  Here are a few tips to help you get the most from that opportunity.

Something I see people do all to often is try and cram too much information into their 60 seconds, please don’t.  Keep the message simple, it needs to be remembered by your audience.  Just think about the last time you were in a room and someone delivered their slot.  They told you they provided writing services (apologies to all copywriters, PR people and anyone with a multi discipline portfolio).  They start telling you what they can do.  I”I wrote copy fort brochures, and Exhibition stand, and I provide PR, Internal communications  as well as Web content and write on-and –on.” I bet you stop listening.

The accepted way to present you and your business is the same as your marketing,

Niche your marketing message and not your business.

People will always ask do you do this?  Or as you write fro web sites do you write Press Releases?

If you can remember how many words people speak normally is about 120 words per minute, give or take.  To be remembered, the holy grail of the 60 seconds, target 100 words for maximum effect.  Now you can chose your words, pause for effect and you have a much better opportunity to be remembered.

Catch up with you again soon!

 

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

Who an I Today? - By Paul Johnstone

“Do the hardest thing on earth for you. BE YOURSELF.” – Katherine Mansfield

In our fast moving world, add in the technology to see what everyone else is doing. Then take our competitive nature, we are often trying to emulate, copy, or be like someone else. We all have heroes and we all admire certain achievements of others.  But we must not lose sight of the fact that we are unique. 

There is not another person like us anywhere and we have strengths that others might not have. Strengths that we may take for granted and fail to utilize if we are busy trying to be someone else.

It is ok to look at other peoples’ achievements to help develop your beliefs or to give you the courage or motivation to soldier on and achieve. You should, however, stay mindful that you are a miracle creation, we all are. We all have the ability to achieve extraordinary results in chasing our life’s purpose.

So get out there and be the best YOU that you can be. Be yourself and know by doing so you’ll have the power within to achieve whatever it is your heart desires. You can do it!

Catch up with you again soon!

  

Paul Johnstone is the founder of

The Paradigm Shakers

Providers of Thought Provoking Training

Delivered by Subject Matter Experts

http://www.paradigmshakers.co.uk/

©Paul Johnstone; The Paradigm Shakers

P.S I always appreciate feed back and comments

If you want to connect with me please join up on Face Book check it out at on.fb.me/hxqADZ Also you will find me on LinkedIn and it would be great if you joined me there http://linkd.in/hFlYP6