Women in Leadership & Business Conference 2012

How to Deliver Superior Presentations: Attend the Women in Leadership & Business Conference to hear George Torok speak - Monday April 16.

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Impressive PowerPoint Presentation for a change

Enjoy this PowerPoint presentation with lots of powerful visuals - along with tips of how to do it yourself. As you view this, remember that PowerPoint is best when used as a visual medium. Text is not a visual even when displayed on a screen. Text is simply text and that does not reach the visual learners.


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Power Presentations Tip 59: When They Cut Your Presentation Time

Presentation time cut executive speech coach blog


The worst presentation sin is to waste time.
Imagine this situation. You prepared a 45 minute presentation because that's what you were told to deliver. You arrive at the meeting ready to speak and the chair informs you that your time has been cut to 30 minutes.

What can you do?
Charlie Sheen might curse, stamp his feet, raise a fist and yell, "Do you know who I am? I insist on my time."
That's probably not what you should do.
Instead, smile and ask the chair, "What time should I finish?"
In fact, make it a habit of asking that question just before you start every presentation.

That thoughtful question will demonstrate that you respect their time and plan to finish on time. That will also diminish the need for the chair to interrupt you with a reminder about the time or to surprise you with a last minute change.

To finish on time, place a travel clock where you can easily glance at it while speaking. Looking at your watch can be distracting for both you and the audience. Sometimes there is a clock on the back wall but don't count on that. Never stand in front of an audience and ask, "How are we doing for time?" You should know because you are the presenter.

To make it easier to trim your presentation, create it as a series of modules. Rehearse the presentation as modules so you can separate or reorder them when necessary.
If you had three examples use only the best one. Have more than one version of your stories. Those might be 5 minutes, 3 minutes and 30 seconds.

Be clear on your purpose and what you need to say to achieve it. It's never as much as you think. I coached a CEO to cut his 60 minute presentation to 12 minutes. He originally prepared 60 minutes because that was the maximum time the client scheduled. After listening to his original 60 minutes we uncovered only 12 minutes of pertinent material.

By the way, that CEO closed that deal. It was a $10 million contract.

If you can't explain your message in 5 minutes, you don't really understand it. On the other hand if you are able to explain it in 60 seconds or less then you are clearly aware of the relevance of your message to your listeners.

Einstein was able to explain his theory of relativity to the public with a simple analogy of a man walking on a train. He did that under 60 seconds.

Here's one more test for you. Summarize your presentation in six words. When you can do that you know your message and can easily adapt to changing time frames.

Forward this tip to your colleagues who want to be more effective presenters.

Call George Torok to arrange:

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An Engaging Keynote Speaker for your corporate meeting or association conference
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Superior Presentations: Participant Feedback from Lyle video


The next public seminar of "How to Deliver Superior Presentations is March 28, 2012, by the Toronto Airport. Hurry to reserve your spot at http://www.PresentationSeminars.com  

If you have questions, call George Torok at 905-335-1997


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How Will You Show Your Blind Audience?


If you want to show them what you see - how will you do that?

If your purpose is to persuade your audience to see things your way - what will you do if they are blind? Often your audience is blind to your message. This old poem by John G. Saxe is a good reality reminder. Not everyone can see things the way you do. By the way, I used this poem as an example when I delivered an important explanation to our cynical corporate auditors about our procedures. This poem saved my skin.
Your audience is blind until you open their eyes. If they don't see - it's your fault not theirs.

Your audience sees things differently

The Blind Men and The Elephant

It was six men of Indostan,
To learning much inclined,
Who went to see the elephant (Though all of them were blind),
That each by observation Might satisfy the mind.


The first approached the elephant,
And, happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
At once began to bawl;
'God bless me! but the elephant Is very like a wall!'

The second, feeling of the tusk,
Cried: 'Ho! what have we here
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me 'tis mighty clear
This wonder of an elephant
Is very like a spear!'


The third approached the animal,
And, happening to take The squirming trunk within his hands,
Thus boldly up and spake:
'I see', quoth he,' the elephant Is very like a snake!'


The fourth reached out his eager hand,
And felt about the knee:
' What most this wondrous beast is like Is mighty plain,'quoth he;
' Tis clear enough the elephant Is very like a tree!'

The fifth, who chanced to touch the ear,
Said: 'E'en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
Deny the fact who can,
This marvel of an elephant Is very like a fan!'


The sixth no sooner had begun
About the beast to grope,
Than, seizing on the swinging tail
That fell within his scope,
'I see', quoth he, 'the elephant
Is very like a rope!'

And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right
And all were in the wrong

—John Godfrey Saxe




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Sir Ken Robinson Presenting At TED on Creativity in Education

Insightful, entertaining, funny and provocative. Watch this speaker deliver his message and notice how he does it.





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Superior Presentations Public Seminar in Toronto Mar 28


Attend this public seminar - How to Deliver Superior Presentations - in Toronto on March 28.
Visit www.PresentationSeminars.com to register now


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How to Meet With and Speak to Your CEO

How to Present to the CEO of Your Company and Win.
Guest Post by Dan McCarthy

Most employees NEVER get to have a meeting with the CEO of their company. So if you do, it’s a one-shot deal that you don’t want to screw up. After all, exposure is a double-edged sword, and many CEOs and senior executives have short attention spans but long memories.

This post isn’t written for the seasoned executive or middle manager who has regular interactions with the CEO. These managers have already earned their scars through the school of hard knocks, and are now completely at ease using the executive restroom. 

Rather, it’s written as a way to provide some mentoring assistance to the early career rising stars. 

Follow these tips, and you’ll not only survive, you’ll thrive!

1. Study your audience.
Prepare like you would for a job interview. Learn everything you can about your CEO ahead of time. Read the information provided on your company website – often found under “About”, or “For Investors”. Do a Google search, including recent news, in order to get an external perspective. Read or view any recent speeches. Talk to others that know the CEO, and have had meetings with him/her.
You may not end up using any of this information, but it will make you feel more prepared and comfortable. And who knows, there may be an opportunity to make a personal connection or informed comment, or at least prevent you from putting your foot in your mouth.

2. Give yourself permission to BE an expert.
Yes, you are meeting with the high ranking person in your company. However, CEOs can’t possibly be experts in every little aspect of the company. That’s YOUR job, to be their expert in your area. If you’re not, you have no reason to be at the meeting.

3. Appreciate the CEO’s perspective.
Imagine a 12-16 hour day where you are in back-to-back meetings ALL day, every day. Each meeting has a vastly different topic. In the eyes of each person you are meeting with, it’s the most important thing in the world to them, and you’re expected to be interested and make a high level decision. That’s day of a typical CEO. Understand and appreciate that perspective as your prepare for the meeting and set your expectations realistically. 

4. Be clear on what would be a “win”. 
Ask yourself what you’d like to achieve as a result of this meeting? Are you looking for approval, and if so, is that a reasonable expectation? Or are you looking for interest and a definitive next step? Being clear and realistic on what would be your “win” will increase your chances of getting what you’re looking for. 

5. One page.
No multi-page reports or PowerPoint presentations! Bring a ONE-PAGE executive summary. The one-pager gives the CEO something to take notes on and a take-a-way reference document. Anything more will be ignored and discarded.
However, bring all of those reports and supporting documentation with you, in case you need them to respond to a question.

5. Honor thy Executive Assistant.
The CEO’s Executive Assistant can be your best friend or worst nightmare. When requesting and setting up the meeting, approach her (not to be sexist, but it’s usually a high ranking her) with the utmost respect. Don’t make the mistake of getting too casual. Explain your reason for the meeting, and ask for 30 minutes of the CEO’s time.
If you are offered a choice between an early or late meeting, take the early one, as there will be less chance of it being rescheduled. Send your one-page summary in advance, as most Exec Assistants will print and provide a briefing package at the end of the day for the next day’s meetings.

6. The arrival.
If you are traveling, allow LOT’s of extra travel time – plan for the worse. Arrive at the office five minutes early, and then expect to wait. Don’t be surprised if your meeting has to be rescheduled (especially if you got one of those late meetings). 
Introduce yourself to the CEO’s Executive Assistance, but don’t hover around her desk making small talk. It’s not her job to keep you and every visitor entertained, and if she did, she’d never get any work done.

7. First impressions.
Wear a suit (when in doubt, overdress), watch your posture, speak clearly and confidently, and greet the CEO with a smile and firm handshake. Wait to be offered a seat, or until the CEO sits down first (they often have a favorite chair). 

8. Small talk?
If you’ve done your homework, you’ll know if it’s better to start with small talk (Hey, I see you’re a Fighting Irish fan – so am I!”) or get right to the point. However, don’t assume – let the CEO set the tone. Be prepared to introduce yourself and answer questions about your background, role, etc…
CEOs are people too - it might even be a welcome relief to spend time with a "regular" employee for a change.
Depending on his/her style and mood, this could eat up most of your time if you’re not careful. Be patient, but after 5-10 minutes, make a tactful transition to the meeting topic.

8. Get to the point and expect questions.
Both in meetings and one-on-ones, CEOs are notoriously quick studies and action oriented. Don’t try to make a case and gradually build up to what you’re looking for – state it right up front. Then, present your background and rationale, and be prepared to be interrupted and have to think on your feet. Assuming you’ve done your homework, this shouldn’t be a problem. When asked a question, make sure you understand the question before you answer it. Then, answer it directly and succinctly. If you don’t know, DO NOT attempt to bluff your way through it. Just say “that’s a good question, and I don’t know, but I’d be glad to get the answer and get back to you”.
If challenged, and you disagree, don’t automatically back down and agree. Remember, you’re the expert. If you back down too readily, you’ll lose credibility. However, don’t be stubborn – know when to back off and drop that bone.
Take notes, but don't write down every word like a court stenographer.

9. End early if possible.
If you’ve achieved your win, and there’s still 10 minutes left, close your notepad and offer to give that 10 minutes back to the CEO. They will either thank-you, or invite you to stay. Either way, they will appreciate the gesture, as will the next person waiting outside for their turn.
Thank them for their time, and thank the Executive Assistant on the way out.

10. You own the follow-up.
A wise mentor once told me “never leave an executive with a long to-do list”. For one thing, it may not get done. But more importantly, the CEO will appreciate your respect for their time and your willingness and ability to get things done on his/her behalf.
After the meeting, send a brief thank-you, meeting summary, including any decisions and next steps.

How about you? What advice would you give to someone who’s going to meet with the CEO for the first time?

Dan McCarthy is the Director of Executive Development Programs (EDP) at the Whittemore School of Business and Economics. He is responsible for all administrative, fiscal, operational, and policy matters associated with the development, delivery, and marketing of Executive Development Programs at the Whittemore School. 


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Power Presentations Tip 58: So What?


You probably didn't hear it but your audience is asking this question often during your presentation. So what? There it is again. Most of the time, it's silently echoing in their minds. If you don't answer this question you might lose them. And your presentation fails.

This question is the silent killer of many presentations because it is seldom spoken yet often interrupting their thoughts. This question is important because it is about relevance and it is relevance that determines decisions and actions.

A variation of "So what?" is "Why is that important to me?"

This question generally pops up after you state a fact. For example:

We are using the latest technology in this new product.

So what?

It's been tested by the military.

So what?

We received the industry award last year.

So what?

Don't assume that your listeners understand the relevance just because you do. Instead it's more productive to assume that they are asking "So what?" after every key fact you state.

You can keep them engaged by anticipating that question and answering it. Here are some sample phrases that you can use to connect your facts to relevance:

  • What that means to you is
  • How that helps you
  • The reason I tell you that
  • Why that's important is
  • And that means

By answering the questions in the minds of your listeners they will feel that you understand what's important to them. That keeps them interested. It builds trust and credibility for your message.


So what? There it is again.

If you want to persuade people to act you need to show them the relevance. What that means to you is more effective presentations.


Call George Torok to arrange:

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An Engaging Keynote Speaker for your corporate meeting or association conference
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Communicate in the Language of Your Audience

Adjust your vocabulary to suit each particular group to which you present. If they are shareholders, bankers, or accountants and your topic is leveraged buyouts, you require a different vocabulary than if you are talking to marketing people or account executives on strategic selling.

Each audience has its own unique language, familiar expressions and sense of humour with which you must be comfortable or you will not gain credibility.

Be careful of semantics. The words you use will have different connotations in different contexts. The same expression can be specifically or vaguely defined. Some words are used in relative terms and others are absolute, such as large, small, wide, long, easy, difficult, liberal, conservative, ethnic, religious, expensive, cheap – it depends on how you use them.

Use meanings that are familiar to your audience. If necessary, explain your own definitions. For example, “politics” can refer to our system of government, in which there are political parties, or it can refer to the power dynamics between people or departments in a company. “Values” can refer to the company’s mission statement, or the particular beliefs of individuals.

In a sales presentation, there is a world of difference between mentioning that a product is “cheap” or saying it is “inexpensive” and “affordable”. Different professions and industrial sectors use different euphemisms.

For example, sales people are often titled “account executives”, “account managers”, “associates”, or “product representatives”, even “technical consultants” rather than simply “salespeople”.

Recruiters sometimes call themselves “executive search consultants”, “human resource consultants”, or “headhunters”. I recommend that you use jargon only with appropriate groups. You will never be criticized because you used words that everyone understood.

Make use of vivid, expressive words that paint pictures the audience can see. Abstract concepts like “recession”, “restructuring”, “corporate culture”, “revenue enhancement” and “free trade” are not as clear as “happy customers”,”job losses”, “plant closings”, and “profit after tax”. Examine your everyday speech and look for vague expressions that you can replace with more direct and explicit ones. Don’t go on talking about “rationalizing your departmental budget” when you really mean you are “cutting costs”!


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Power Presentations Tip 57: Two Laws of Answering Questions

2 Laws of Answering Questions
Two Laws of Answering Questions


  1. You don't need to answer the question now.
  2. You don't need to answer the question.
These two laws are important because most of us were taught just the opposite for most of our life. First our parents and then our teachers drummed into us that we must respond immediately to their questions. And some of us went through that defiant period. But it's still difficult to shake that tyranny of responding to questions.

When you deliver a business presentation today you must learn and reinforce the two laws of answering questions.


1. You don't need to answer the question now.

Just because a member of your audience raises their hand or shouts out an uninvited question doesn't mean that you should disrupt your presentation to cater to their needs.

There are times when you are making an important connection in your presentation that you want to complete. When that occurs you can acknowledge the questioner with a nod to indicate that you see them and want them to hold their question for a moment.

If you already announced that you will take questions later, remind them to hold till the question period.

If the person asks a question on a topic that you plan to talk about later, ask them to hold that question because you will come to that topic.


2. You don't need to answer the question.

There are some questions that you don't need to answer. If it is off topic you could point that out. Or you might say, let's focus on...

You don't need to answer hostile questions.

If the questioner is attacking you personally, you could respond with, "This is not about personalities, this is about..."

Or you could simply ignore the questioner and ask for other questions from your audience. If possible, don't allow that attacker to ask another question.

The message for you: When you present you decide when and how you will respond to questions. Don't get fooled into dancing at the whim of offensive audience members.

Naturally there are exceptions. Sometimes that offensive person might be your boss. But that is a question for another day.

This tip is an excerpt from the recent audio class, "How to Ask, Answer and Anticipate Questions in Your Presentation". Watch for more free audio classes this year.


George Torok
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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How you stand determines how you feel.

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