How to Be a First Class Presenter

In a recent day home feeling poorly, I got a chance to catch up with daytime TV. I was watching a talk show and the topic was What do other people think of us? They had picked a group of women, who for various reasons weren’t getting the kind of results they wanted in their lives.

Here was Linda, who was very pretty, and had 12 first dates in the last 12 months and zero second dates. Poor Linda just couldn’t figure out why. To help her, the show set her up on dates with several different men then had the guys come to the show and talk about their experiences with Linda. The news from the guys was that Linda liked to talk about herself… a lot. And when the guys were with her, they didn’t really feel that she was with them – or that they were important, or even present.

For business professionals (and singles), there is an important lesson to learn from Linda’s dating experience. To get someone’s attention, to get someone to listen to us – we have to listen to them first. We have to show that we care. As speakers (and daters), we have to show an interest in our listeners.

Connecting is NOT talking about us or our subject. Connecting is a two-way exchange of energy, interest, and attention.

Here are five questions to ask to help you connect better with your audiences. (I’m going to leave the dating comparisons behind, but try listening more to improve your dating adventures). Think of these questions as as your assignment, to help you better prepare for important presentations. Your efforts will set you apart from other business presenters.

1. Who is your audience?
2. What do they already know about your subject?
3. What concerns might they have about your topic?
4. What do they want to learn or know about?
5. How can they use the information that you provide?

Now, you might be wondering: How do I find this out?? You might be thinking that you’ve got plenty to worry about just putting your presentation together. This is where you get to separate yourself from the average business presenter to become the SUPERSTAR presenter.

The SUPERSTAR presenter goes above and beyond the average presenter in that he or she thinks about the audience, and how the audience will best connect with the information that is to be presented.

Here are five ways that the SUPERSTAR presenter completes her assignment:

1. Uses her detective skills to find other people who have presented to the same audience and asks them.
2. Calls a friend who works with some of the audience and finds out what she needs to know.
3. Gets the names of the audience members and sends an introductory email with a few questions.
4. Phones a few of the audience members.
5. Sets an introductory meeting to meet with the group and learn first-hand what their concerns are, then develops the presentation with their concerns in mind.

By using the information she found, the SUPERSTAR presenter will always connect and be relevant and engaging as she gives her presentation.

I challenge you to rise to the occasion and become the SUPERSTAR presenter you were meant to be!

Article Source: http://articlesmore.com

Dana Bristol-Smith is the president of Speak for Success, an organization that works with companies that want their people to communicate with confidence and credibility. You can email Dana at:danasarticles@yahoo.com Visit Speak for Success to learn more and subscribe to Dana's free Ezine: www.speakforsuccess.net

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