Shamus Brown’s Top 5 Sales Presentation Tips

When its time to give your next sales presentation, here are my favorite tips for delivering powerful, charismatic, and engaging sales presentations.

#1 – PLANT YOUR FEET SQUARELY ON THE FLOOR

How you hold your physical body during your sales pitch communicates a tremendous amount of information about you to your audience. Studies have shown a person will unconsciously interpret approximately 55% of the meaning of your message from physiological cues in your body position, stance, and facial expressions.

Deliver your presentation from a position of confidence. Stand with your feet squarely between your shoulders. Distribute your weight evenly between your legs, and plant your feet firmly on the ground. Keep your arms relaxed at your sides, until your are ready to make a gesture.

Shifting your weight from one leg to another communicates to the audience a lack of confidence. This comes across unconsciously in that if you were to ask someone, a typical response might be “he didn’t seem like believed in his company” or “I not sure that I can trust her”.

Try both the balanced and the unbalanced speaking postures right now, and see which one makes you feel more confident and ready for your next sales presentation.

#2 – GET PUMPED UP

It is your job to lead the audience. The reason they are there to get something from you. So you must lead them where you want them to go. If you want people to get excited about your product or to feel a sense of trust towards you and your company, you must first create this emotion within yourself.

How do you do this? Simple. Do whatever it takes to get yourself excited. Jump up and down. Clap your hands. Play your favorite music loud. High five your sales partner. You can do this where you won’t be seen by the prospect (in your car, in the customer’s stairwell, bathroom or outside the building). What do you think a rock star or an actor does to warm-up before going on stage?

The idea is to begin your presentation in an absolutely great state. Do this right and the audience will follow your where you want them to go.

Special tip: Use this technique before making important phone calls so that you are “on” when you make the call.

#3 – WARM-UP THE AUDIENCE

Another thing big rock stars do before coming out on stage is they have warm-up acts. The job of a warm-up act is to get the audience in a mood will be receptive of the main act’s energy.

You can accomplish this same effect by simply playing music before you start your presentation. Many laptops have CD players these days, or you can use a boom-box. The type of music you play will depend on your audience, and the emotional state that you want to warm your audience up to. Just think about how this will set you apart from your competition’s stale PowerPoint slide show.

#4 – BEGIN WITH AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

The more rapport you have with an individual or a group, the more receptive they will be to your message. One way to build rapport with your audience is by asking questions of your audience during your first few minutes on stage.

Ask a question or two that most people can easily answer (but don’t put anyone on the spot too much). Questions such as “How far did you come to get here?” and “How long have you been working in this field?” easily get conversation going and begin creating a relationship between you and your audience.

#5 – SUSTAIN EYE CONTACT WITH INDIVIDUALS

You probably know you should do this. Now here’s why and how.

The more frequently you change the location of your focus, the more new information your brain is taking in. Your eyes are the visual sensory input system for your brain. Change focus fast enough and frequently enough, and you overload your brain to the point where you forget where you are at in the presentation. Aaaaggh!

Maintain your concentration on what you want to say next by fixing your visual focus for short periods of time. Do this by completing a thought or a sentence (whichever you find easier) while sustaining eye contact with one person. Move eye contact to a new person with each new thought or sentence.

© 1999-2004 Shamus Brown, All Rights Reserved.

The Different Types of Audio Visual Presentation Equipment

If you need help in being productive, the answer is the use of Audio Visual Presentation Equipment. There is a wide selection at most of the online web stores. These sites are user-friendly, and you can easily browse through and select the items you may need. These items range from the simple flip chart, to overhead projectors as well as the more complex LCD/DLP projectors.

Some business companies are yet comfortable using the olden day’s equipment – and these are yet freely available. However, with the advancement of technology there is a wide range of the latest models as well. These websites offer very competitive prices and a personalised service. You can always expect them to help you in choosing the most appropriate equipment depending on your presentation.

Given below is a list of some of the basic Audio Visual Presentation Equipment and its details:

LCD Projectors

There is a range of them with a wide choice of specifications. You can choose a projector based on the capacity of lighting that you will require, the clearness of the image, resolution, zooming power and so much more. The rental charge will depend on the quality and brand of the projector.

Overhead Projectors

An overhead projector is very basic but is one of the most reliable projectors which are widely used today. This projector displays an image to a much larger proportion onto a screen or onto any white surface, making it possible for the audience to view even from a distance. The prime function of this projector is to enlarge images for easy viewing by the participants/audience. These images are made on transparencies.

TV and Video

Televisions and videos are an important part of Audio Visual Presentation Equipment. They are available in a wide range with built-in DVD players.

Projection Screens

A projection screen is a surface and a support structure used to display a projected image so that the audience can conveniently view the image. These screens are available as wall screens and tripods.

AV Trolleys

AV Trolleys are required for overhead projectors, television and any other equipment.

Other Presentation Equipment

These include microphones, CD Radio Cassette players, remote controls, pointers, conference kits and much more.

Computer Based Displays

Computer based displays are also commonly used for audio visual presentations. These can be on the laptop and presented via data projectors. Computer-based presentations are more professional and modern. They are more modern and advanced than the slides that were used in the past; making a smooth transition. These visuals can be enhanced with the use of sounds and videos.

Designing Visuals

Good designs will give you good brand image and help get your marketing message across effectively. The preparation of audio visuals can be handed out to a professional, if you are facing time constraints. Design agencies are very competent in carrying out these types of jobs. A professional will always know how best to design your visual and it is best that they are kept simple and uncluttered.

Today the world expects more visual than audio. Many decades ago visual equipment were not very well known. Television, computers, films now play a vital role in every person’s daily lives.

Presentation Skills & Public Speaking – 10 Tips to How to Design & Prepare for a Presentation

Top 10 Tips to help you Plan and Design and Prepare for your Presentation

Next time you are faced with the daunting prospect of having to write a presentation, try out these tips from Skillstudio and you’ll be surprised at just how effective they can be at helping to design and prepare for a presentation.

  1. Prepare Prepare Prepare – The more time you spend preparing your presentation beforehand the more confident you will be on the day.
  2. Get to know your audience. Put yourself in their shoes. What’s in it for them? What understanding do they currently have? Do they want a detail or strategic level talk from you?
  3. What’s the one key goal you want to achieve by giving this presentation? Make sure that this is clear to your audience at the beginning and end of the presentation.
  4. Split your presentation into a beginning a middle and an end. Use the middle section to develop your ideas.
  5. Remember the power of three. Wherever possible think of things in threes. eg three key points to make at the beginining, three key points to develop further in the middle and three key points to make at the end. Your middle can further expand on the three points with three additional points each. etc
  6. Brainstorm the likely questions you will be asked by your audience. Prepare answers using the Power of three.
  7. Try using a mind map to help you organise your ideas into logical chunks. The clearer your thinking is the easier it should be to understand when you are presenting.
  8. Avoid the trap of preparing for your presentation at the last possible minute. It will only mean you lose a night’s sleep – on the night before you have to present!
  9. Lead your audience through your presentation using sign-posting. Recap on what you’ve just covered and then use rhetorical questions to move onto the next section. Always summarise your main points just prior to the end of your presentation.
  10. Plan to end your presentation with a call to action, a request for a decision to be made, or whatever you believe is the most appropriate means to achieve your overall goal.

Do You Know the Worst Times of the Day For Giving a Presentation?

If you have been invited to speak to a group of people and plan to talk for 30 – 40 minutes or even longer, it is important to understand that different hours of the day will result in different responses from your audience. 2 notoriously bad hours for a lengthy presentation are late morning, the hour preceding lunch, and late afternoon, the final hour before the end of the workday. In both situations, it is not easy to keep your audience’s attention.

Your body definitely goes through time rhythms throughout the day in which there are hours when you are more alert and hours when you are tired or fatigued. Whereas speaking at 7 am is tough because many people are still trying to wake up, the evening hours are usually good, especially for those in business who are accustomed to attending meetings and other organizational events after dinner.

Where your presentation is held is also another consideration. If you are going to be speaking in Las Vegas, for example, the morning hours will probably mean low attendance, so it would be wise to schedule your presentation for sometime in the afternoon in the city that never sleeps. In Atlantic City, on the other hand, morning hours would work well because many of those attending workshops, seminars, and conventions in this coastal city are coming from surrounding states or from within New Jersey. Bear in mind that Las Vegas’ tourists or conventioneers are coming from all over the country or even further and will be staying overnight. Atlantic City’s traffic is different than Las Vegas in that the conventions in this seaside city, because they are more localized, often mean that many in attendance may or may not be staying overnight.

What also must be kept in mind is whether you are the only speaker or whether you are one of many on the roster. Giving a persuasive or informative presentation to a group of people who have just listened to a comedian may not be the smartest move. Speaking before the comedian, for example, would be a better spot for you.

While you may not have the opportunity to choose the time for your presentation, much will also depend on your topic and the type of audience to whom you will be speaking. If you are going to give a presentation on maintaining a healthy heart to a group of retirees, it would be wise to avoid the evening hours. Keeping some of these seniors awake after their dinner with a serious presentation on heart healthcare could prove much more challenging than if you were to speak to them in the morning.

If, for example, you have been invited to speak to a women’s business group that meets the first Monday evening of the month, then your time has been scheduled. If, on the other hand, the hour has some flexibility, ask your host about the audience and discuss with this individual what they feel would be the best time for you to speak.

Planning your presentation at an optimal hour or in a good time slot may not always be possible. Should you be invited to speak at an hour in which your audience may not be as alert as you would like, it is doubly important to speak with enthusiasm, with excitement, and with passion to keep their attention on you. If you know they are going to be tired, wake them up!

I Flopped Badly At The National Finals!(How Not To Prepare For/Deliver An Important Presentation)

Background

In November 1997, while observing my annual leave from work(as a 27 year old brewer in Guinness Benin Brewery), I wrote and presented a paper titled “Statistical Process Control (SPC) and Target Setting” at the 1997 edition of the Nigerian Institute of Management’s Young Manager’s Competition. The paper was based on work I had done(mostly in my free time) in setting up various process control/reports computerisation systems in departments(Production/Brewing and Packaging/Bottling) where I worked.

The paper discussed the use of CUSUM(Cumulative Sum Deviation) charts, Total Waste Unaccounted For(TWUF)(TM) – a concept I developed in the process of carrying out a beer waste investigation on one of the brewery’s product lines – along with other simple SPC tools, based on the real-life projects I had carried out at various times during the course of the year(1997).

Regarding TWUF(TM), I had returned to the brewing department from another secondment as Packaging Shift Manager to the Packaging (bottling) department in February 1997, when I was recalled on the request of the Packaging Manager – Alex Okorodudu – to carry out a beer waste investigation on one of the bottling lines. In the course of that investigation, I developed the concept of TWUF(TM), which through mass balancing made it possible to quantify beer losses that could not be traced to a known waste point.

Eventually, I used TWUF(TM) to identify the startup and shutdown operations at the bottle filler machine as being responsible for creating an apparent(i.e. false) beer waste situation. Modification of the mentioned filler procedures led to an immediate normalisation of waste values recorded.

Deciding To Enter For The Competition/Getting Approval From Management

My decision to enter for the NIM competition was influenced by a need I felt, to share the experiences I had gained in the practical application of statistical tools for useful purposes in a business.

Prior to entering that paper for the competition, I had given out copies of it to senior managers in the company’s Lagos office, like Alistair Reid(then Operations Manager, Lagos), and Abiola Popoola(Head of Human Resources). Apart from seeking their input, I did this to get their consent and be sure it was okay to use the company information I had included.

Important Note. If you plan on using any data from your current workplace in an activity outside the company, it is imperative that you consult competent officers of the company to advise you on how to go about doing it. Play safe by getting the responsible person(s) to give you the go-ahead, before you send out any information or material regarding the company’s activities. That way, you are unlikely to make the mistake of giving out sensitive information that could get you into trouble.

You may not have plans to enter a paper for a competition like I did, but you might want to send out an article for publication in a newspaper or other media. Check with those concerned to be sure that all you have put into your write-up is “safe for public consumption”.

Presenting The Paper At The Zonal Finals

On 15th November 1997, I presented my paper before a packed audience in Kakanfo Inn(Ibadan, Oyo State) where the Western Zonal finals were held. At the end of the day, I was announced as runner up, which meant that I had qualified for the Lagos national finals along with the winner of the zonal competition. Looking back, I recall feeling very confident during the delivery of my paper on that day.

Not long after I resumed work from my annual leave, I informed my boss – Greg Udeh – of my outing at the NIM zonals, and the fact that I would have to travel to attend the National Finals in Lagos. He was naturally pleased to learn of my initial achievement at the zonals and the next day, announced my achievement at the brewery meeting for departmental heads. Not long after, I found myself – midway through conversations – getting asked about the competition and being wished best of luck etc. Maybe all that attention got to me, and made me “forget” to at least mentally rehearse my presentation.

Travelling For The Lagos National Finals

Due to limited number of brewers available that day, I had to cover afternoon shift duty on Friday (2.00pm till 9.00pm) before I could take off on my journey to Lagos. It was nobody’s fault really – just one of those unexpected developments that shift workers have to deal with.

The finals were scheduled to hold from 9.00am prompt on the morning of Saturday December 13th 1997 – so I knew I had to get into Lagos before 7.00am, in order to pick up a cab in time to reach the Victoria Island “Management House” of the NIM – venue of the finals.

Within thirty minutes of arriving at the ever busy Benin city Iyaro motor park, the Peugeot station wagon I boarded took off with six passengers for Lagos. This was at about 10.30pm. Some four hours later, we arrived at Ojota park in Lagos. All the cabs and buses had retired for the day by this time(approx 2.30am Saturday morning), so there was nothing else to do but plead with a taxi driver to let me catch up on some sleep in the passenger front seat of his cab. 🙂

Suddenly I heard the loud chanting of a bus conductor calling passengers for Palmgrove. The time was about 5.45 am. I quickly thanked my “sleeping companion” and picked up a taxi heading towards Pedro/Shomolu. Arriving at my parent’s house in Gbagada Estate, I hurriedly took a shower, changed my clothes, and explaining to my surprised mother that I had little time left, jumped back into the taxi, which sped off towards Victoria Island. At about 7.30 am, we arrived at the NIM Management house on Idowu Taylor street.

Relief written all over my face, I quickly went in and confirmed that start time was 9.00am. That was when it dawned on me that I had not eaten anything since the night before. One of the security men at the gate kindly directed me to a “quick-snacks corner”, where I “quickly” downed some, with a bottle of soft drink.

Returning to the NIM premises, I found a place to sit that enabled me observe preparations being made for commencement, while I opened my folder and began studying the paper copies of my presentation (projector) transparencies.

Presenting At The Lagos Finals – The Unthinkable Happens!

Not long after, following some welcome speeches/opening remarks and introductions, the competition commenced. When the 3rd (of eight) finalists – Mitchell O. Elegbe – finished presenting his paper(titled “Achieving Competitive Advantage Through Information Technology In Emerging Economies“), I heard my name being announced. Minutes later, I was standing in front of the packed auditorium introducing my self and paper.

Based on hindsight, I now realise that the unavailability of a projector at the zonal finals(which caused the organisers to ask us to dispense with our transparencies and speak freely referring to any speaker notes we had) probably blinded me to the need to rehearse for the National finals with a projector.

As “luck” would have it, the projectors had been made available at the National Finals and I found myself having to pause intermittently to slot in the appropriate slide for the next set of points I wanted to make. This went well initially, but since I had not really taken time to rehearse since the zonals, especially following from the fact that I had found no need to use the slides back then, I struggled quite a bit. I cannot be certain, but it is possible that THAT also contributed to my not thinking “clearly” when I later experienced a little setback during the presentation.

To cut the long story short, about ten (10) minutes through my presentation, I turned to pick a slide containing charted data depicting the use of the CUSUM concept, but found it was missing. Feeling my heart skip a beat, I lifted the other slides up by the edges to see if the CUSUM chart was there but it was not. Speaking into the microphone, I apologised to the puzzled audience, explaining that I was missing a slide. One of the judges, after some seconds had passed, said “Mr Solagbade, your time is fast running out. “.

I nodded, but kept on looking – convinced I could still find it in enough time to use it and finish the presentation! Unfortunately when it was about 1 minute left(out of the 15 minutes allowed) I still could not find it. I had wanted so badly to impress the judges and audience like I had done at the zonals, that I could not help feeling at this point, that the mishap would have killed any chance I had of getting anything better than last place!

This made me decline to take up an offer from the judges to allow me three(3) extra minutes to do a decent round up of my presentation. Instead, I told the audience – in a very serious tone – that I was convinced the paper had a lot of useful information for companies in the manufacturing industry, and encouraged them to take time to visit the NIM library and read through it in future. Dropping the microphone, I returned to my seat as muffled applause/murmuring from the audience continued.

Surprise! Despite My Blunder, I Still Get Placed 5th Overall

Going by what I said above, you can therefore imagine how shocked I was, when the judges in announcing the final results later in the day pointed out that the verbal presentation(I had flunked) only carried 20% of the total marks available, while the quality of actual paper submitted carried 80%!

However, before they announced the results, they also read out other criteria for rating the contestants, one of which they defined as “the confidence demonstrated by a contestant in his/her paper“. Looking back, I believe it was the confidence with which I had recommended that the audience refer to my paper in the NIM library that led the judges to award me points that resulted in my winning 5th place despite my bungled presentation.

So it happened, that despite an aborted presentation, my paper which was adjudged to be of high standard(with the concept of Total Waste Unaccounted For – TWUF(TM) – being singled out for mention) eventually placed me 5th out of eight(8) finalists. As the results were being announced, my mind went back to what one of the judges had said to me during lunch after the last contestant – Friday E. Eboh – had completed his presentation(titled “Public Relations In Management: Issues and Challenges“).

He had said “Solagbade, you should have simply continued with your presentation when you could not find the slide quickly enough. You were doing well up to that point, and to be honest, I don’t think anyone would have noticed if you did not show THAT particular slide.” I realised he was right. I alone knew the slide existed – they did not! So, if I had chosen to skip it during my presentation, they would not have known better!

I learnt a painful but useful lesson that day, to always rehearse my presentation well ahead of time, no matter how well I think I know it. The experience also impressed upon me, the importance of running through a checklist of all the items I need to take with me for a presentation so as to avoid missing out any important ones – like I did the CUSUM charts slide.

Back At Work – A Senior Manager Tells Me Where I Went Wrong

When I returned to work the following week, I sent a little note about the outcome of the finals to one of the senior executives in Lagos – Ian Hamilton – who had been particularly supportive, telling him how bad I felt for not having done better etc. He sent back a post-it note attached to my note, on which he wrote “Tayo, 5th place overall in NIgeria! You should be proud of yourself” Then regarding the mishap during my presentation, which betrayed inadequate “practice” on my part, he wrote: “Even the members of the (Guinness) board rehearse their presentations many times before they have to deliver them!

I took his correction to heart and used it to drive myself to become proficient in delivering presentations subsequently. I believe an indication of how proficient I had become was evident during a presentation I was invited to deliver at the Center for Management Development, in Lagos. This event took place in September 2002, about 9 months after I had voluntarily resigned my appointment with Guinness to go into business for myself.

(Read my article titled http://ezinearticles.com/?Should-You-Quit-Your-Job-or-Start-Your-Business-Part-time?&id=172008″>”Should You Quit Your Job Or Start Your Business Part-Time?” to learn why I decided to quit my job despite the promise of a bright career future in the company).

On that day, less than 15 minutes after I was introduced/began delivering my paper, the following happened within about 5 minutes of each other:

a. The center’s Training Manager slipped me a note asking that I “Please finish in 1 hour” (instead of the two hours I had been originally told I would be making the presentation in).

b. An electric power cut suddenly occurred!

Both potentially disturbing/unexpected “changes” however did not bother me. When the lights of the PC projector went out that afternoon in the CMD’s main auditorium, I was fully prepared in every way. I simply picked up the printed power point speaker notes I had put on the table while preparing to start my talk, flipped to the page containing the points I was making before the lights went out, and – after making a joke about the loss of power supply – continued, and eventually concluded, my presentation well within the revised one hour time slot.

Useful Lessons You Can Take Away

The most important point I wish to make here is that this activity I chose to engage in (i.e. writing a research paper based on my workplace experiences/entering it for a national level competition) gave me an opportunity to interact with senior managers on an informal level – and get noticed/establish potentially useful relationships.

If nothing else, the fact that I had sought them out in the pursuit of a personal development goal could have made them think of me positively, and probably influenced the positions they would have taken if/when an issue regarding career moves had to be taken. In addition, I got considerable attention across the brewery for getting that far in the competition. All of these would have made me get noticed by a larger number of decision makers – which would NOT have been the case if I had not gone for that competition.

It is possible that the above possibly led them to recommend(or support) that I be given certain career advancement opportunities ahead of my peers in the company. I say the foregoing in light of the fact for instance, that a year later, in 1998, I would be nominated twice – first time for four weeks, and the next time ten weeks – to relieve the substantive
Technical Training & Development Manager(TTDM) – on a management grade one-step above that which I belonged to.

The point I have tried to make above, by referring to my career, is that you can intelligently create opportunities to showcase your unique abilities to decision makers in your company, by engaging in activities that afford you the desired exposure. However, it might be wise not to make impressing your superiors the main objective of venturing into such an activity as the one I took up for instance.

Towards improving your presentation skills, and taking needed actions/precautions, you may find the following lessons I learnt of some use:

1. Get Adequate Pre-Presentation Time: I should have sought the support of my boss/brewery management to get away from work earlier so as to be able to travel for the event and arrive on time. This might have helped to get myself organised and I could have discovered the absence of the slide BEFORE the presentation.

2. Practice, Practice, Practice! I would have fared better if I had made conscious effort to rehearse my presentation well ahead of the finals. The achieved familiarity with my presentation might have made me more confident to carry on despite being unable to find the slide.

3. Coaching Tips From Experienced Others: I could have sought tips about handling hitches or problems during presentations. Experienced speakers – like many of the company’s senior executives may have been able to share their personal ideas about how to prepare with me. Some may have prompted me to be ready for when things go wrong – drawing on their personal experiences. For instance, today, if I have to coach anyone on making presentations, one of the most important topics I would cover is “What Can Go Wrong, And What You Can Do – Inspite Of Setback(s) – To Ensure You Still Deliver A Good Presentation“.

4. Quitters NEVER Win: If I had remained calm, and carried on with my presentation without letting on that something was wrong, I could probably have earned enough additional points to eventually do much better than winning 5th place. Instead I let myself get upset upon discovering that my slide was missing. You will want to avoid making the same mistake if/when you find yourself in a similar situation.

Summary

Overcoming temporary defeat(i.e. failure) or adversity; recovering from setbacks, or correcting and learning from mistakes we make, will ALWAYS make us improve in our abilities to do what we do. It is for this reason that I end this article by saying: even if you DO have a bad presentation outing, know that the experience presents you with a potential learning opportunity to become BETTER at delivering presentations.

Simply make up your mind to identify where you went wrong, and learn what you need to do differently in future, to make your presentation successful. Do this as/when necessary, and you will eventually achieve your desired goal of being able to deliver successful presentations repeatedly and consistently.

Good luck!

Crafting a Powerful Persuasive Presentation

When it comes to meeting people and presenting in person, you are in a good position to ‘read the room’, to get a sense of how your information is or isn’t being accepted. You can see first-hand the nuances of body language, facial gestures and signs of disengagement of people looking at their mobile phones.

With most of your meetings now happening virtually, it becomes more challenging to put your finger on the pulse of your client or prospects response via the small screen. It can be further complicated when your audience of one or many has their camera turned off forcing you to rely only on verbal clues.

The good news is that you can still deliver an impactful presentation that convert. Before sitting down to craft your next presentation, consider these three things; the objective of the presentation, the decision to be made by the client or prospect and how much time you’ll for delivering the presentation.

Once you know those first few things, you can then sit down to reverse engineer the layout and content of the presentation.

The Objective of the Presentation

When you just read the above paragraph, you might have thought to yourself that the objective and decision to be made are one in the same and they are not.

Before we can even begin to write the content of the message, you need to know what the objective of the presentation is. Determine whether the message is intended to educate on a product or service; to inform the audience, such as a company announcement or to get their buy in. Lastly, is it to inspire or motivate the audience as many corporate leaders might be doing for their employees and stakeholders.

The Business Decision to be Made

In preparation of any presentation you might be giving, you need to understand one key thing-that the presentation is being made so that the person or team members listening can make a decision. Your role as the presenter is to give them the information they need to make a decision to say yes, say no, move forward with the next meeting, raise their hand to an idea or at the very least ask questions.

Delivery Time

You are starting on the wrong foot with your presentation if you have not determined how much time you have to delivery your presentation. It is a huge mistake to have a presentation run longer than the audience is expecting and could effectively squash an opportunity as a result.

First and foremost, find out how much time you are given to speak. Then immediately knock off 10-15 minutes. This will ensure that you end early and allow time for any Q&A at the end.

So, if you are given an hour, plan for a about 45-50 minutes and then reverse engineer the presentation. This means you need to craft the presentation with this timing in mind. Perhaps you allow 5 minutes for the introduction and perhaps another 10 minutes for the conclusion and closing. That means I need to divide up the remaining 35 minutes for the body of the presentation.

The brain likes the number 3. That means your listeners will remember more of your presentation if you deliver the content as three topics. Those three topics along with their talking points would be spread across the 35 minutes for about 10 – 12 minutes for each topic being shared.

You can use this format for any amount of time given for your presentation.

So now that you know your objective, what desired decision the audience needs to make and how much time for delivery, we can now move onto building a persuasive presentation.

Building a Persuasion Presentation

When it comes to delivering your presentation, it is important that you have a structure to your talk-it allows you to establish a foundation for your talk.

There are two formats to consider:

A. Past, Present, Future

Start by having a discussion on where your audience (client, stakeholder, peers) was in the past.

Establish what is happening in the present (what are they achieving or not achieving).

Explain how you can improve their future, where you can take them.

B. Why you?, Why your company?, Why now?

Each time you give a presentation, there are three questions that you need to answer for the prospect or client, even if they don’t ask you directly.

You ned to answer the question of why they should work with you as an individual.

You need to answer the question of why they should consider your company, product or service, especially if they currently have a current vendor or company that they are satisfied with.

You need to answer the question of why they should work with your company right now. This is where you demonstrate the opportunity cost.

Presentation Format

The classic presentation structure has four main parts: An introduction, the body (the 3 main talking points), a conclusion and a close.

Building a persuasive presentation is never complete until you add a conclusion and end with a clear and confident close.

The conclusion provides a quick reference back to your attention-grabbing opening, pulls the loose ends together and brings your argument to an end. The presentation is only complete when you close, i.e., include a specific call to action.

So, there you have it. A process that will allow you to draft a presentation by first asking key questions, using your time strategically and then building the argument for your presentation.

Facebook Presentation Secrets for Social Media

Facebook Presentation Secrets for Social Networking.

Presentation is all about what your visitor sees first (usually an image and/or video) on Facebook and social networking. Scrolling through the feed content, your social media post must attract attention. Therefore, a featured image or video thumbnail of the required dimensions and file size is of paramount importance.

Learn how to create curiosity with presentation in social networking and on Facebook. Know what your audience on social media is looking for. There are 3 basic requirements to meet the criteria. Address an identified need within your niche on Facebook and social media. Offer a solution and create curiosity.

Your content must do the talking and consistent posting on Facebook. But we will get around to consistent posting with Facebook and social media later in this article. Done with an exceptionally well designed auto posting tool.

Timing Strategy for Social Media and Facebook.

Consistent posting needs timing and strategic writing with attention grabbing presentation. Therefore, it will require a few days and even weeks of sharing posts to establish optimized engagement time. That is why I mentioned the auto posting tool for social networking and Facebook. Which you will have access to shortly.

To target the right audience on Facebook and social media you post at times when audiences are most active. If you want to target a United States audience for instance, then search Google for the time zone. Then calculate the time you must post to social media and Facebook from your location.

Posting to Facebook and social networking at the wrong time can be devastating from a marketing point of view. Because your audience you wish to target may be sleeping. Therefore, all that presentation work just goes down the social media and Facebook feed in hope of some hits.

Creating presentations (posts) that will keep your visitors occupied is the whole point to posting on social networking and Facebook. Therefore, posting at the wrong time completely defeats the purpose. You have 2 powerful free tools, Google, and YouTube. Learn the secrets of how and what to do research on.

Creating Content for Facebook and Social Media.

Text position for social networking and Facebook post featured images are important for presentation. The key is consistent content and presenting your message in a timely and curios fashion. With social networks and Facebook, timing and presentation is crucial.

The image displayed with your post being it social networks, Facebook, or blog post. Will be cropped from the sides for mobile content display. Avoid creating “broken message” presentations this way with your writing and designing. Text focused to the sides of images will be cut off.

Although for social networking and Facebook posts our goal with text position is focused more on creating curiosity. Again, leveraging presentation and what your visitor sees first is the secret. URLs shared must be from your own blog, YouTube videos and/or bridge and landing pages. But never an affiliate link.

Social media and Facebook does have quite a few “hoops” to jump through. Like adding hashtags for instance. Because you are preparing your presentation (post) to share to selected Facebook Groups. The list of Facebook Groups I personally use will be available at the end of this article.

For knowing which hashtags are currently trending on social networking and Facebook, you can use a tool called (hashtags dot org). First you need to get to know your way around creating content consistently for social media and successful presentation.

Secrets for Social Networking and Facebook Posting.

The secrets of using emojis for social media and Facebook post presentations come highly recommended. Draw your visitor’s attention to the presentation by making it colourful. Create interesting 1 – 3 sentence posts. Make those first few sentences powerful and “need” specific.

But also use your free Facebook posting tools to add H1 and H2 headers to your presentations (posts). To focus your presentation on the H1 and H2 headers, add hashtags at the end of your presentation. Because then your H1 Header is the first text in your social media and/or Facebook post.

Adding headers however is only available when you do manual posts in Facebook groups. But it is a great way to make your presentation easier understandable by both your social media audiences and search engines. Remember to include your target keywords in the presentation (post) headers.

Use emojis to replace words in the text for Facebook posts, triggering curiosity. Use Bold and Italic text to highlight focus points as demonstrated above. And remember that all these social media presentation techniques can be accessed and leveraged 100% for free! All you need is to be a little creative really.

You can also ask your friends on Facebook if your post draws attention. Listen to people’s opinion and adjust accordingly. Remember, with social networks and Facebook our primary objective is to create curiosity through presentation. Because as mentioned earlier, the only secrets are presentation and timing!

Bridge Pages for Social Media and Facebook.

The fact that Facebook will not ban or block Google links, give us the upper hand from an affiliate marketing point of view. Google sites is an outstanding method to create consistent social media and Facebook posts. A Google site is a custom URL, and the slug can contain your target keywords.

But we will get to writing SEO friendly content and backlinks for the bloggers here a little later in the article. Keep reading, these social network and Facebook presentation secrets are rather simple to follow. You have 3 options for Bridge Pages with affiliate marketing on Facebook.

1. CB Pro Ads

2. One Page Profits

3. Clone Me

With Google sites all the work is on you, from writing to creating images. It is your job to create striking presentations for social media and Facebook. With the remaining 3 tools, all the bridge pages are done-for-you. You do not need to create any content or write anything except linking your affiliate networks.

We are creating Goole Sites and using Bridge Pages because sharing raw affiliate links will get you suspended on social networks and Facebook. Social media marketing is all about bridge pages, landing pages and funnels.

But for the purpose of this article. We are only going to focus on bridge pages for social networks and Facebook. And generating sales with affiliate marketing through this technique. Leveraging social networking, social media along with writing and media design secrets.

Secrets to using Google Sites for Facebook.

The secrets to using Google sites for social media and Facebook presentations is almost an unfair advantage. On second thought, no, not almost. It is an unfair secret advantage, especially once you get the hang of SEO. Because SEO is just the ability to best tell search engines what your content is about.

Share with Groups on Facebook but with different text on each share. But before you do there is one paramount requirement with regards to your presentation. Your Google Site URL will select a particular image on your Google site as social media post presentation image.

The question is, which “secret” image is automatically selected for social media and Facebook? And the answer is, the Google site logo. And a good, suggested dimension is 940 x 788 / 950 x 650. These presentation images can be created with Microsoft Paint or Canva for social media and Facebook.

But there are also a few great SEO techniques we will discuss under the last subheading. Keep reading and learn a lot about content creation, social media, Facebook, writing and presentation. You will be blown away by the traffic potential with social media and Facebook.

Apart from link building, strategic keyword placement in titles are important. But so is the first 2 – 4 lines of your Google site content. Much the same as the requirements for a great post on social media and Facebook. All part of the secrets to presentation and creating curiosity.

Get More out of Social Networking and Facebook.

Multiple social network profiles (pages, groups, spaces, communities) play a major role with presentation secrets for social media and Facebook. Especially Facebook pages because you get to leverage the call-to-action button. Which then redirects to a bridge page, Google site or landing page.

Audience engagement with Facebook is great for building reputation. Adding presentation secrets to the mix and creating curiosity makes success imminent. The more active and consistent you are the more visible you will become.

So, the secrets to getting the most out of social networks and Facebook. Focus on quality content and presentation, along with consistency and engagement. It is a lot of work to stand out on the internet, especially on social media. Because it had become rather crowded with marketers chasing the quick buck.

Always be real and do not make everything you offer on social networks a sales pitch. In fact, if your presentation creates enough curiosity, you will never have to sales pitch again. Ever. Commenting and offering solutions without any sales pitch and/or URL is another secret to build recognition on Facebook.

Be sure to get known as “the guy who helped” instead of the guy trying to sell something on social media. When people on social networks and Facebook recognise your knowledge, you will be unstoppable. Growing your audiences through presentation secrets and knowledge.

Secret List of Groups for Facebook Presentations.

Giving you 11 of my favourite secret Facebook Groups with social media that will drive a lot of traffic to your posts (presentations). Because we are looking at a total group member count of 1 824 800. Almost 2 Million Members! But that is just the tip of the traffic iceberg with social media and Facebook!

Make Money Online (151.6K Members)

Make Money Online Club Australia (193.3K Members)

Earn Money Online USA – Canada – Australia (85.3K Members)

Affiliate Marketing – Worldwide (335.3K Members)

Make Money Online Club (218.5K Members)

Affiliate Marketing Work – Worldwide (222.3K Members)

No1 Online Earning Community (245.6K Members)

Advertise Business and Make Money (69K Members)

Affiliate Marketing for Everyone (163.4K Members)

Unlimited Advertising + (80.2K Members)

Network Marketing Pro (60.3K Members)

Remember to follow the presentation and design secrets in this article. You will soon master the art of leveraging social media and Facebook for traffic. Getting unlimited free traffic can be done, but it is hard work. And unfortunately, there are no shortcuts. Competitive presentation requires maximum effort!

Establish the right time to post your presentations (Google Sites) on social networks and Facebook. And post only one post per day to each Facebook group. But read the group rules and understand what is allowed. Spamming and over posting is not a good idea. The secret is to build an audience over time.

Bonus Traffic Technique with Facebook Pages.

Leveraging Google sites and the call-to-action button with Facebook pages for social network traffic. One important thing to remember is that for everything we discuss in this post. There is probably a Google article and/or YouTube video that will show you exactly how it is done.

Therefore, just search your browser or YouTube for a video on how to use the call-to-action button with Facebook pages. Then follow the steps and redirect the call-to-action button to your landing page. Like a Google site or bridge page that must then redirect to your affiliate offer.

Using the post scheduling tool mentioned earlier is a fantastic way to build Facebook audiences. And eventually they start clicking on the call-to-action button. That is why interesting content with curios presentation is the secret to social media. Give people reason to want to like and follow your content.

Exit mobile version