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INSIGHTS Get our weekly blog Speak For Success! SUBSCRIBE GenardMethod.com page 1 Gary Genard’s 7 Key Components of Successful Presentations Want to increase your visibility? Become a recognized leader in your industry? Sell your product or service? Motivate or inspire your audience? Deliver a toast or introduce a speaker at an important event? To succeed in any of these situations, you need to know how to deliver a powerful presentation. You’ll find plenty of advice, including among my articles, on developing dynamic presentation skills. And those skills are important. But if you want your message to resonate and move audiences to action, you need to understand what goes into crafting a successful talk. Here are what I consider the 7 key components of effective presentations. Follow this road map, and you’ll be well on your way to speaking effectively when it’s your turn to take center stage. #1: Greeting. Speakers often pay scant attention to their greeting. But that’s a mistake. Your greeting is an essential element of your presentation, for all of these reasons: (1) It’s your first and best opportunity to establish rapport with listeners; (2) Your audience is paying maximum attention at this point; (3) Your credibility and the audience’s trust in you start here; (4) Your tone and “flavor” as a speaker are established now; and (5) You either demonstrate you’re going to be interesting ... or not. Establish solid eye contact (don’t keep glancing down at your notes as nervous speakers do). Know exactly what you’re going to say so you get off to a strong start. #2: Grabber! You need to compel your audience’s attention as you begin your speech. That means avoiding what I call the “Today, I’m Going to Talk About DOT DOT DOT Syndrome.” What could be more boring? Instead, launch your presentation with something original, intriguing, and slightly creative. Here are 12 foolproof ways to open a speech by using an effective grabber. 1. Question 2. Story 3. Quotation 4. Visual 5. Statistic 6. Startling statement 7. Personal anecdote or experience 8. Humor 9. Expert opinion 10. Sound effect 11. Physical object 12. Testimony or success story Use one of these or come up with another way to begin that you think will hook this audience. Do this well and your audience will be rapt at your every word.

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  • INSIGHTS

    Get our weekly blog

    Speak For Success!

    SubScribe

    GenardMethod.compage 1

    Gary Genards

    7 Key components of Successful Presentations

    Want to increase your visibility? Become a recognized leader in your industry? Sell your product or service? Motivate or inspire your audience? Deliver a toast or introduce a speaker at an important event? To succeed in any of these situations, you need to know how to deliver a powerful presentation. Youll find plenty of advice, including among my articles, on developing dynamic presentation skills. And those skills are important. But if you want your message to resonate and move audiences to action, you need to understand what goes into crafting a successful talk.

    Here are what I consider the 7 key components of effective presentations. Follow this road map, and youll be well on your way to speaking effectively when its your turn to take center stage.

    #1: Greeting. Speakers often pay scant attention to their greeting. But thats a mistake. Your greeting is an essential element of your presentation, for all of these reasons: (1) Its your first and best opportunity to establish rapport with listeners; (2) Your audience is paying maximum attention at this point; (3) Your credibility and the audiences trust in you start here; (4) Your tone and flavor as a speaker are established now; and (5) You either demonstrate youre going to be interesting ... or not.

    Establish solid eye contact (dont keep glancing down at your notes as nervous speakers do). Know exactly what youre going to say so you get off to a strong start.

    #2: Grabber! You need to compel your audiences attention as you begin your speech. That means avoiding what I call the Today, Im Going to Talk About DOT DOT DOT Syndrome. What could be more boring? Instead, launch your presentation with something original, intriguing, and slightly creative. Here are 12 foolproof ways to open a speech by using an effective grabber.

    1. Question

    2. Story

    3. Quotation

    4. Visual

    5. Statistic

    6. Startling statement

    7. Personal anecdote or experience

    8. Humor

    9. Expert opinion

    10. Sound effect

    11. Physical object

    12. Testimony or success story

    Use one of these or come up with another way to begin that you think will hook this audience. Do this well and your audience will be rapt at your every word.

  • INSIGHTS

    Get our weekly blog

    Speak For Success!

    SubScribe

    GenardMethod.compage 2

    #3: Preview of Your Speech. Let the audience know what youre going to talk about and where youre going with this topic. Ever listen to a talk that has you wondering 5 minutes into the presentation what in the world the topic is? Audiences are much more receptive if they think theyre in good hands with a speaker who knows where he or she is going. As the old advice reminds us: Tell em what youre going to say, say it, then tell em what you said. Listeners need to know the direction youre going in so they can follow you there. Heres an acronym that might help: B-L-U-F, or Bottom Line Up Front.

    #4: Main Points, with evidence. Make sure you clearly lay out the main points youre going to talk about. Big topics need a place for you and your audience to land. And when you deliver those points, back up each one with evidence. Otherwise, its just your opinion, and why should your listeners believe you over the person who tells them something different? Evidence can take many forms: expert opinion, personal anecdote, statistic, story, client testimonial, report, experimental data, photographic evidencethe list is as long as what is credible and supportive for your talk and your area of expertise.

    #5: Vivid and Visual Language. If theres a forgotten child in the family of effective speaking skills, its this one. Words can either denote (refer to explicitly) or connote (suggest an association). Of the two, connotations are much more evocative and, usually, powerful. For instance, my New World Dictionary tells me that female parent is explicit and serviceable enough; but the word mother connotes love, care, tenderness, etc.

    Added to this is the fact that some aspects of language work best in writing; and others are better for speaking. Generally, short impactful sentences employing Anglo-Saxon (not Latin) words, and that include images and metaphors, will bring your presentation to life. And dont forget emotional words!

    #6: Transitions. Its surprising how many speakers neglect transitions, and so harm their presentations. How many times have you heard these phrases: The next slide...; My next point is...; Okay, now...; and the infamous, Moving right along... The translation of each of these desperate pronouncements is: I dont know how to get from what I was just talking about to the next main point, so Ill just baldly announce whats coming next. For your presentation to be a logical and organic whole, you must create effective transitions.

    One good way to do this is by using an internal summary [Weve just taken a look at the most outdated practices in supply chain management], followed by an internal preview [Now Id like to show you our approach, which we think eliminates the worst of these problems]. Transitions can and should contribute to your talks logical shape.

    #7: clincher. Just as your opening needs a Grabber, your closing will benefit from a Clincher. You must do more, in other words, than simply recap your main points, which is all that many speakers do. You must ensure that your conclusion is strong by making it sticky. Whatever you say at this critical time must continue to resonate with your listeners long after youve finished speaking.

    How can you accomplish this? Ask yourselfkeeping in mind your audience and the speaking situationwhat you could say that will help keep your message in the minds of audience members.

  • INSIGHTS

    Get our weekly blog

    Speak For Success!

    SubScribe

    GenardMethod.compage 3

    Get the complete guide to dynamic public speaking. Gary Genard covers it all in How to Give a Speech, from calming your nerves to mastering Q & A.

    Available in paperback and e-book editions. learn more

    D i g D e e p e r !

    Every speaking engagement is situational, depending upon the audience, the event, and other possible factors. There are few rules which can always be applied. But if you keep in mind the 7 components above, youll create well-constructed presentations that engage, influence, and perhaps entertain audiences.

    Key taKeaways:

    Its important to put together a well-constructed talk to influence listeners.

    Greet your audience warmly then grab their attention right away.

    Preview your speech so your listeners know where you and they are going.

    Use vivid language and pay attention to your transitions.

    End vividly and memorably so your talk sticks in peoples minds.