How to Improve Your Presentation Before You Even Open PowerPoint
In today's business world,
PowerPoint is the default program for business communications. If something is
important, it's in a PowerPoint deck.
Unfortunately, however, those decks are created in a
haphazard manner: one presentation at a time, with little thought given to the
long-term value of the content within them—and the risks associated with
mismanaging that content.
Yet, systematically managing your company's presentation
content can unleash the valuable information hidden within all of those decks,
while instituting controls that ensure message compliance. And, in the process,
the quality of presentations for everyone in your enterprise will improve
greatly.
Improving PowerPoints starts before you open the deck, and
it is done most effectively by implementing a presentation management strategy.
Such a strategy will empower members of your team, helping
them to make better—more convincing and effective—presentations, ultimately
resulting in more productive meetings.
Let's look at three components of presentation management:
creating, saving, and presenting content.
1. Creating Content
Most companies have brand guidelines, but those guidelines
don't necessarily make it into individual presentations. In addition to PowerPoint
templates with proper logo and brand graphics, it's important to include
messaging guidelines.
Many presentations incorporate the same boilerplate
information, such as company history, product information, etc., which gets
re-created and re-used all the time. So make sure there is one, best,
professionally written version that incorporates your company's brand, tone,
and language.
By doing so, you will not only empower your sales team to
speak intelligently about the various aspects of your company's business but
also save them from countless wasted hours and frustration from having to
fumble around preparing new decks—essentially, re-inventing the wheel—for every
meeting.
2. Saving Content in a Slide Library
Create a slide library: Assign a location or a worksite—or
subscribe to a presentation management service—that's really, really easy for
your team to access and use. This is where you will store all of your best
content: branded, on message, legally compliant.
The slide library should not merely include content that
your team members need so they can do their job every day; it should also
"visualize" the content so users can easily identity the slide or
file they are looking for. Obviously, the library should include PowerPoint
decks, but also PDF, video, image, Word, and Excel files as well.
Let your team know where and how to access the library, and
keep the content updated. Often, marketing departments go to great lengths for
an initiative like a slide library, only to have it die out slowly. Publish and
update regularly to ensure that the content evolves with your business.
When you provide easy access to the best content, you enable
everyone—whether newly hired junior associates or the EVP of Sales—to talk
intelligently and effectively about the company's products and services.
Everyone is empowered to do better.
3. Presenting
For some, public speaking is terrifying. (OK, I'll admit:
They are probably not going into sales.) But, even for the most extroverted
person, giving a presentation can be stressful: You have a limited window to
not only make a great impression but also convince, sell, and motivate people
to act favorably.
Formal training programs, speaking coaches, and practice
will improve your presentation skills. Furthermore, apps and other
technological tools can serve as a discreet coach during your presentation:
They can provide speaker notes, comments, reference materials, and other
assistance to ensure that your presentation is relevant and polished—and, above
all, that it engages your audience.
The Advantages of Presentation Management
In its simplest form, presentation management treats the
sales presentation as communications. It forces executives to consider the
message, the image, the audience, and the delivery—much the same as they would
for a website, print, or TV ad. The presentation thus morphs from a one-time
deck to an enterprise asset.
The advantages of presentation management are clear:
- Consistent branding and messaging: Making sure that everyone in your enterprise is "on message" is critical to not only building your brand in the long term but also improving individual performance.
- Reduced risk: When everyone is on message, no one is going off-brand, potentially misinforming clients, or making promises the company cannot keep. Or, worse, for industries like pharmaceuticals and finance, going against regulations. Fines and lawsuits are expensive. Presentation management is a form of risk management.
- Access to the best content: Users can easily find the slide or file they need for their meeting, and then either edit it a little or use it as is. That process alone can save hours off of a salesperson's prep time for a meeting—time better spent with clients.
- Easier PowerPoint: A good presentation library, with best-of-breed content, makes it easy for individual salespeople to create killer presentations. It gives them a head start, with branded, professionally designed and written slides.
- Less time, more productivity: By making it easier to find content and use it for your specific purposes, you're no longer wasting time fumbling around with PowerPoint. That makes you more productive.
If you need help with your email, web site, video, or other presentation to promote your company, product, or service, please give me a call at 440-519-1500 or e-mail me at john@x2media.us.
X2 Media can help you target your content and get your message to the audience in a way that it is not only seen and heard, but remembered.
Until next month….remember, “you don’t get a 2nd chance to make a 1st impression”. Always make it a good one!
From X2Media I would like to thank you for your time.
John E. Hornyak
X2Media, LLC
No comments:
Post a Comment