Performance Is Everything...
This isn’t about performance management, but more about “performance” as a means of getting your point across, pitching to lenders or investors, or persuading people to follow you.
I recently attended a week-long session on training others. The people training us had a large amount of material to put across in a relatively short space of time and we were expected to then pass it on to others. Some of those trainers were good, some were “OK”, and some lost the attention of the delegates pretty quickly.
What I learnt (apart from a lot of new facts) were some very important lessons for presenting to/training others:
Know your audience:
Do your research in advance: who are you talking to? What is their experience and/or level of expertise? Where are they from? What is their purpose in coming to hear you (may not be as obvious as it sounds)?
Control the environment;
Check the room where you’ll be speaking an hour ahead of the start time. Does it have all the equipment you need? Does it all work? Is the seating suitable? Is it set out in the most suitable way? Check your presentation on the big screen: are all words and colour combinations visible on a large screen in a large hall? Do you have enough flip chart paper & that pens work (preferably with a “chisel tip” rather than a point)? Is all the material there (and does it match the trainees’ handouts)? If you’re relying on internet access, is it available and stable?
Know your stuff:
Make sure you not only know your content (facts, figures, etc), but how you’ll deliver.
Practice, Practice, PRACTICE!
In advance. Rehearse out loud and TIME your presentation. Then allow extra time for questions. That’s your total presentation time.
Introduce Yourself:
Who you are, what your area of expertise is, why you're there.
Speak clearly:
If there’s a microphone, use it. Say things once only. If you have a presentation slide behind you, that reinforces the point and people can ask you to repeat.
Slides:
Use slides to list your main points and as illustrations. Don’t just read them out. Limit the number of words on slides (too many words means they may be too small to be seen). Use speaker notes if you need to. If you’re properly prepared, this won’t be necessary. To change slides, either use a remote control or have someone change your slides.
Engage (attention):
Move about and bring energy to the audience. Face them. Watch/listen for signs of non-comprehension, tiredness, boredom. Watch the time. If necessary, say “We’ll discuss at the end/during lunch/dinner but let’s move on.”
Examples:
Keep them brief and relevant. I look for something less than 12 months old unless it is a “universal truth”.
Questions:
Have rules for questions (e.g. save until the end, etc). Some prefer to keep them until the end, others to allow people to “jump right in”. If you don’t know the answer, admit it, promise to find it and get back to the questioner. The more you present on a topic, the less you’ll need to do this.
Remember:
Your audience are there to listen to you. They want you to succeed. If you do, they won’t be disappointed.
I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in the world financial services industry running different service, operations and lending businesses, I started my own Performance Management Consultancy to offer solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management. I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services. For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.
Labels: Leadership, Selling, Strategy
posted by William Martin @ 19:43
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