VAR 101: How to Give an Amazing Presentation

Melissa Henley Director of Marketing Communications Laserfiche

Agenda

‣ Crafting your message

‣ Designing your deck ‣ Presenting with

confidence ‣ Q&A

I Present …

A Lot!

You May Know Me From …

‣ Empower General Sessions

‣ Empower Classes

‣ User Groups ‣ Webinars

Crafting Your Message

Know Your Audience

‣ Size ‣ Roles ‣ Background

knowledge ‣ Relationship to you ‣ Balance of introverts

and extroverts

Know Their Expectations

‣ Time ‣ Topic ‣ Structure ‣ Most important: Are

you excited and interested?

Know Your Strengths

‣ Figure out what you’re good at

‣ Be passionate! ‣ The most important

element is you

Know Your Core Message

‣ It must be relevant ‣ It must be urgent ‣ It must be

important

Organize Your Content

‣ Utilize “The Rule of Three”: Support your core message with three main takeaways

Structure Your Presentation

‣ Opening ‣ Need or Problem ‣ Solution ‣ Call to Action

“Hook” Them Early

Time For a Reality Check

‣ Will the audience follow?

‣ Will they care? ‣ Is the journey

engaging?

Designing Your Deck

Keep Your Audience Awake

‣ A picture is 3x as effective in conveying information as words alone

‣ Words and pictures together are 6x as effective as words alone

Choose Images Wisely

‣ Vibrant ‣ Emotional ‣ Meaningful ‣ Can be photos,

diagrams or illustrations

Avoid Animation

‣ Can get blurry ‣ Definitely annoying ‣ Use only when

absolutely necessary

Keep Things Easy to Read

‣ Use at least 30 point font

‣ Keeps content minimal ‣ Keeps slides easy to

read in a variety of formats

Manage Short Attention Spans

‣ Max: 45 minutes ‣ Reality: 15 minutes ‣ Remember, no more

than 2 minutes on any one slide

Remember Your Takeaways

‣ Keeps people on track ‣ Ensures you aren’t

making slides too complex

‣ Makes sure everyone gets the same value as you

Presenting with Confidence

“Winging It” is for the Birds

‣ Practice (in front of an audience if you can)

‣ Record your practice sessions

‣ Get comfortable!

Making the Most of What You Have

‣ What’s your venue setup?

‣ How much time do you have?

‣ What equipment will you use?

Presenting in Person

‣ Arrive early ‣ Interact with your

audience ‣ Watch your eye

contact ‣ Don’t forget to breathe!

Presenting a Webinar

‣ Make time for a pre-event sound check

‣ Display a welcome slide

‣ Be more lively than usual

Presenting on Camera

‣ Be careful about wardrobe

‣ Talk to the camera ‣ Don’t move excessively ‣ Turn off your cellphone!

Engage Your Audience

‣ Change it up ‣ Give an example ‣ Get personal ‣ Add humor if

appropriate

Ask for Input …

‣ Plan in advance ‣ Directly address

individuals ‣ Ask for feedback ‣ Draw on their

experience

But Be Prepared to Tweak on the Fly

‣ You may have to think on your feet

‣ Remember to take things offline

‣ You can always hold questions for the end

Some Books I’ve Found Useful ‣ Harvard Business Review Guide to Persuasive

Presentations ‣ How to Deliver a TED Talk: Secrets of the

World’s Most Inspiring Presentations ‣ Lead With a Story: A Guide to Creating Business

Narratives that Captivate, Convince and Inspire ‣ Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck …

and How You Can Make Them Better

Thank you!