You are here
When you visit the shopping mall you might look at the map to find the location of a store that you want to visit. The map could be overwhelming and confusing, especially if you are looking at this map for the first time.
There is one thing for which you first search. When you find it you will feel a sense of relief. Your eyes will flit about the map until you find this starting point. You might feel some impatience and frustration if it takes you too long to find that spot.
And once you have found this thing - only then will you be ready and able to start processing the rest of the information.
That important starting point is the spot on the map that states "You are here."
The "You are here" spot tells them where to start and more importantly what information to temporarily ignore.
Before you can take your audience on a journey with your presentation they first need to know where you and they are on the map. That is very important when you are presenting a detailed report, a multifaceted plan or a complex idea.
How do you use the "You are here" technique?
Selling
In a sales presentation you might start with the client's expectations. Your research will tell you what those are. If you don't know the client's expectations you should not be presenting. Don't make the mistake that I've seen many sales presenters commit - they start by telling you about themselves, their company history, blah, blah, blah. Nobody cares until they know where they are on your map.
Proposing Change
When you are presenting a new way of doing things you could start with the status quo and point out the weaknesses or current complaints.You have that information if you did your research.
Reporting
When presenting a detailed financial report you could say "Look at line 10 in your reports to see where we stand. Then let's move to line 11 through 17 to see the component parts."
Get your audience to the "You are here" spot and do it quickly. You'll have a more productive journey.
George Torok
PS: Tell me how this tip helps you.
PPS: Thanks for your comments and feedback.
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Executive Speech Coach, Business presentation tips from George Torok, the Speech Coach for Executives.
George,
ReplyDeleteI love the analogy. I work with teams making oral proposals for large contracts, and they inevitably want to begin -- as you say -- by bragging about their companies, their capabilities, their past performance. It takes confidence in their knowledge of the potential client and contract (plus a bit of humility) to say "This is what you're experiencing. This is what's not working for you. This is what you want and how you want it. This is where you are."
If your audience doesn't think you understand where they are, how are they possibly going to trust you to get them where they need to be?