When you are trying to persuade your audience to buy or make a decision, you need to explain the benefits of your proposition. Of course, you’ll spend time on each benefit and support each one with data, testimonials, and so on. But as you expand your points, your audience’s attention might start to wander, so […]
Intrigue your audience
If you can intrigue your audience, you will engage them and maintain their attention. How can you get there? Organize your content for intrigue I heard a keynote by Sam Horn at the Presentation Summit 2013. She talks about how to structure a pitch, whether to get funding, sell a product, or pitch a proposal. […]
Compare options with the Balance SmartArt layout
Have you ever looked for a way to show advantages and disadvantages of 2 options? One way to compare options is with the Balance SmartArt layout. It looks like a scale. What’s so cool about it is that it tilts based on the number of items on each side, creating a very visual way to […]
Use the 4 principles of meaningful communication
When you first find out that you have to give a presentation, you need to think about what you’ll say. Here are 4 principles of communication — guidelines that you should use to ensure that your audience will find what you say valuable and meaningful. 1. Add value People want to hear something they don’t […]
Free video training: How to Turn Your Organization’s Leaders into Powerful Presenters
I recently did the second of two free webinars for the good folks at Training Magazine Network. The recording is now available…and still free, of course! The topic is a timely one: How to Turn Your Organization’s Leaders Into Powerful Presenters. In surveys, employers consistently say that verbal communication is the most important skill they […]