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One of the best ways to get your message out there is through presentations either from a stage/platform or online – one to many is far more effective than one to one.
But for many, the idea of actually doing the presentation sends them into a nervous sweat [sometimes that’s actually not a bad thing!].
To help you and more importantly to help others hear your message I’ve written some tips for you below:
1. No more than three key points should be discussed. People simply can’t retain too much information in this type of forum. Don’t baffle the audience. Think three key messages and stick to them.
2. Slow down. Take deep breathes. When people are nervous they can tend to speed up their speech or worse still, mumble. Remeber to breathe.
3. Nerves are good. I hinted at it above. Feeling nervous makes you grounded and you come across as more natural.
Related: 8 Proven Rules to Get Your Value Across
4. Own your mistakes. If you missed a key point from the last slide it’s totally OK to admit it. We were often taught that if you got to the end of a presentation and you’d forgotten a key point then offer the audience some ‘bonus’ material and talk about it then! You are human after all!
5. Embrace your flusters! If you feel yourself reddening, sweating or simply getting flustered it’s OK. Walk away from your spot to maybe the other side of the stage or, if you are online change your posture, breathe and continue. You may even want to have a line up your sleeve that you can use to distract the audience at that stage so that you can re-focus.
6. Look up and talk. Never ever read your presentation. It’ll be boring, you won’t be able to project your voice or engage with your audience. Preparation is the key and if you’re as passionate as you say you are about the topic – show it!
7. Stick to the time slot. The number of people that say to me, ‘I’ll wing it!’ scares the living daylights out of me! Why? Because it’s rude to go overtime plus you’ll lose peoples attention.
Presenting is an ideal marketing tactic for any financial adviser – actually let me re-word that, any financial adviser who wishes to. If it’s not up your alley then don’t do it let someone else in the business but make sure you share these tips with them because even the most confident people need some tips now and then!