Making regular presentations at public events, such as conferences or local association meetings, can help put you and your business on the map.
That’s because becoming a public speaker builds awareness of your business’s services and expertise, says Sylvia Garibaldi, a business building coach with SG and Associates in Toronto.
Wednesday’s BYB Daily article offered advice on types of audiences you should seek when making a presentation. Today’s article focuses on the following techniques to help you deliver a successful presentation:
> Lose the jargon
Keep your presentation simple to make sure the audience understands you.
The presentation needs to be organized and easy to follow, says Garibaldi. As well, avoid using industry jargon or acronyms that may confuse your audience.
> Focus on the audience
When speaking to an audience, make sure you talk about them and their specific concerns.
People aren’t interested in hearing a sales pitch, says Garibaldi. Instead, they want to hear about how you can help with a specific problem.
For instance, she says, you should focus on the details of the subject matter, such as tax and estate planning, and weave in an example of how you helped a client in a particular scenario.
> Make presentations regularly
Speak at public events often to get the most out of this marketing strategy.
If you are keen on the idea of being a public speaker, says Garibaldi, then you should speak at events at least once a month.
> Recycle your presentations
Craft a presentation that you can re-use with different audiences.
It can take some time to prepare a presentation initially, says Garibaldi. Thus, it’s best to craft a presentation that would be suitable for different events and would only require a few changes to customize it for the audience.
“It saves times and is more efficient,” she says, “and the advisor practices it over and over again and really aces it.”
> Follow-up with prospects
To get the most from public speaking for your business you need a follow-up strategy.
“If the follow-up doesn’t occur,” says Garibaldi, “I don’t think much value will come out of that presentation other than you practicing to present.”
Wherever you are speaking make sure you collect the contact information of the attendees, she says. You can do this in one of three ways: if you are hosting the event have a sign-up sheet at the entrance; ask the event organizer for a list of attendees and permission to contact them; offer a whitepaper or some other handout and ask the audience to contact you if they would like to receive the information.
This is the second article of a two part series on making presentations.