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14
BUSINESS CHICKS latte magazine
21st Century
HARD QUESTION
How to Present in the
T
oday's audience is more sophisticated
on your topic than ever before (they
Googled it before you stepped on
stage) and they can `twitter' or email their
feedback while you speak!
A presentation to an audience of 50 could
actually end up in the 1000's once it has gone
online or has been broadcast live across the
planet. Add to this the pressure to compete
on a global stage where competitors may be
across the globe and unknown.
Also, today's audience demands a higher
level of engagement than ever before. Gen
Y want to be inspired, Gen X are hungry to
lead and Baby Boomers want to make sense
of a rapidly changing world where all the
rules of business have changed.
The problem is, unless you step up your
communication skills and become a World
Class Presenter, you are actually doing your-
self, your career and your business harm.
I might decide that I like the look of your
law fi rm, only to be uninspired by an address
of the senior partner - so I start looking for
another job!
You might think it's only a Monday team
meeting at your real estate business, but for
me it was the reassurance I needed to get
out there and work hard to sell property.
You might think it's only a little talk at a
conference as the event sponsor and no big
deal...but the sponsorship spend was wasted
if you can't tie in your business agenda with
their event theme.
You might think your project, innova-
tion or great idea makes sense on paper but
without the ability to sell it live, face to face
with the board, you have no chance of get-
ting a piece of the budget signifi cant enough
to launch it.
L
There are 9 essential skills
you need to do this.
..
3 basic doing skills
Animation: The use of deliberate
movement in your presentations.
Engagement: The art of getting into the
hearts and minds of your audience.
Interaction: Increasing learning through
audience participation.
3 awareness development skills
Ideation: Creating and working with
sensational content.
Visualisation: Using pictures to bring ideas
alive and open minds.
Comprehension: Adjusting and fl exing how
you teach for different people.
3 high level leadership skills
Inspiration: Managing the energy in you,
your room and your audience.
Anticipation: Managing expectations and
removing mental blocks.
Infl uence: Creating results and making it
practical.
Matt Church is a best-
selling author and is
acknowledged by the
meetings Industry
as one of Australia's
Top Ten conference
speakers. To download
a free copy of Matt's
ebook Speak Out in Public, visit www.
mattchurch.com.au/speakoutinpublic
Presentation skills have
always been import
ant. It
used to be that you
could
bumble along with a
clunky
Powerpoint slideshow and
get by delivering wi
th a few
bulleted points to a polite
crowd of 30-3,000.
Not any more, as M
att
Church explains.