The Introduction That Positions For Success

Writen by Marlene Chism

Your introduction sets the tone of the speech, creates a sense of anticipation, positions you as the expert, generates interest and grabs attention, yet so many people flop when introducing themselves or their guests. Whether you are introducing your guest at a club meeting, presenting the speaker at an awards banquet or meeting forty strangers for the first time, the introduction is the tool that makes the difference. A good introduction doesn't happen by chance. Planning your introduction will give you results.

Introducing yourself

Every professional belongs to a networking group where they stand and introduce themselves. Instead of using the same "speech" every meeting, create several 30-second introductions, also known as the "elevator speech" tailored to the group. For example, if you sell insurance and you are introducing yourself at the "Classic Car Club", then your introduction should mention that you insure classic cars. If you are a banker and you are in front of small business owners, mention the SBA loans you have available. In other words, find out something specific about the group and how you can serve them, and make that evident in your introduction.

The biggest mistake is stage hogging. It's ok to make a statement about an upcoming event but it shouldn't take up more than a few extra seconds. If you have several announcements, spare the details and bring along brochures or flyers. Let the group know that they can get more information after the meeting. Or, ask the emcee to make the announcements before introductions begin.

Introducing your guest

Don't leave it to chance when you bring a guest. There is no better opportunity for a guest to shine than when you strategically formulate an introduction showcasing her talents. Various components for this type of introduction include the following:

A.Name of your guest

B.Their company name

C.A short vignette or story to anchor the points

D.Something relevant to the audience

E.A special recognition or award received

F.Something in the news that is relevant to their business

G.Seasonal information

For example, I invited Stacy a friend and business associate as a guest to a business club in which I belong. The members in this organization are decision makers or business owners who could use Stacy's product, or were in a position to refer Stacy to other businesses. Rather than randomly introducing Stacy and reciting the name of her company, I specifically mentioned that last May Stacy lost her home in the tornado that destroyed her community and from that experience she created two businesses to protect business owners and home owners. I gave a short introduction about how insurance professionals and CPA's can recommend the product to their clients.

This statement gained the immediate attention of the group and gave them an anchor to remember her by.

Then I strategically mentioned the name of her business and explained that she "databases" the contents of your home or business so that you are protected before the theft, fire or storm.

Then to add some validation, I mentioned that Stacy's business had been recently highlighted on the local news channel and in 417 Magazine, which added to Stacy's credibility.

Mentioning this magazine that is read by most everyone in the audience will have people noticing and remembering her information well after the meeting, or perhaps looking up the information later. Add to the fact that it was the month of April which is tornado season in the Ozarks and the fact that many of the professionals in the audience were insurance professionals, CPA's and other business owners Stacy had several business cards handed out to her with a request for a follow up.

If you can plan ahead of time, write out your guest's introduction and check off the components listed above to see how many you can incorporate in a thirty second introduction.

Introducing the Speaker

Some of the same rules apply when introducing the speaker at an awards banquet or seminar. It is your responsibility as the introducer to make sure the speaker has a planned intro. The worst introducers are those that rely on fond feelings and memories to make the introduction. A prepared introduction sets the stage and lets the audience know who the speaker is and what topic he is speaking on.

A formal introduction for a speaker shouldn't be much longer than one minute. Give the speaker's credentials and other meaningful information, and don't build the speaker up so much that he is a let down to the audience. Leave out the things that aren't pertinent to the audience. For example, if your speaker is talking to Chess enthusiasts, it won't matter that he climbed Mt. Everest unless he played a game of chess when he got to the top.

Talk to the speaker a few days in advance to see what is necessary for preparation. Interview the speaker and use the "TIP" formula (Topic, Importance to the audience, and Personal information) to create your outline. The reason the TIPS formula works well is that you want to start out with the topic. Why? Because that information answers the "what's in it for me" question on the mind of every audience member. Once that question has been answered, the audience wants to know why it is important to them and then they want to know why that particular speaker has the credibility to speak to them. It makes for a much more logical and interesting introduction that the usual listing of credentials before the audience knows what the speaker has to say.

Most professional speakers come prepared with a written introduction, and may already have someone in mind to do the introduction. If that happens to be you, make sure you have rehearsed the introduction and know how to pronounce every word, including the correct pronunciation of the speaker's name.

The second to worst kind of introduction is from the person who hasn't practiced reading the intro. Stick to your script. Don't adlib or give away additional information. For example, if your speaker is going to do a magic act and wants it to be a surprise, you might blow it if you suddenly decide to mention his magic tricks in your introduction. Always ask permission from the speaker if you are going to vary from his script. Doing otherwise means you steal his thunder and disappoint the audience.

Marlene Chism, MA is the president of ICARE Products and she works people who want to be better communicators and with people who want to take charge of their personal and professional life. Marlene can be reached at marlenechism@mchsi.com. Visit the web at http://www.stopyourdrama.com

Presentations Equipment And Handouts

Writen by Michael Russell

This follows our earlier article which covered the preparation and choosing of the venue for your presentation

Equipment

With all the equipment available today it is possible to prepare, check, amend and polish a presentation before you enter the venue. No matter what format and equipment you are going to use, you have the opportunity to put together a comprehensive, detailed and convincing presentation. As we have previously pointed out in the Preparation article, the more you do in advance, the better the project will be. This also applies to choice and use of presentation media. From giving just a simple speaking presentation to the most advanced computer assisted one, checking equipment and facilities is extremely important. Obviously, a spoken presentation will require a simple desk or lectern, possibly a microphone and speakers. A sophisticated presentation will require more advanced technical equipment and backup. If you are using a flip chart or white board always make sure you have sufficient marker pens of various colours and erasers available. When using an overhead projector check it is working and is focused correctly before your meeting begins. Also Check your transparencies are in the correct order, are clear and not damaged and focus them so the information is available to all of the guests. Don't forget to have a suitable pointer to hand as you will probably need one. If your choice is a full PowerPoint computer assisted presentation or similar, you will have done all the preparation in advance. When you arrive at the venue ensure all the services you require are available and in good working order. You will, of course do all this before the presentation and before the guests arrive. The right equipment is a tremendous help when making a presentation. Technology is now so advanced that choosing the right equipment is a pleasure, not a chore. Having the right equipment improves your chances of making a successful presentation.

Handouts

Most presentations include some sort of handout to give to the guests, possibly a brochure, fact sheet, specification details or maybe a report. Again, this is an important element of your presentation. Always present the information in an attractive folder, rather than using a few sheets of paper stapled together. The cost of small binders or folders is very cheap and will make a much better impression than papers stapled together. If you have printing facilities in your organisation have some folders printed with your logo or other promotional advertising as they will help to advertise your company and also look professional. During your presentation mention the promotional material (handouts) and tell your visitors exactly what they contain. Encourage them to read, examine the information and take it away with them for further study. This method helps to keep your presentation in their minds long after it has been completed. I was once at a presentation in Berlin given by General Motors. They were announcing new models and they handed out three full size A4 ring binders to all the guests, each containing full technical details of the new models. There were about two thousand delegates at that conference so you can imagine the cost of producing, shipping and handling that amount of literature. Obviously General Motors thought it was well worth it. Very few brochures remained in the conference venue after the event. Therefore, you need to give careful consideration to the compilation of your handouts if you are using them. They will become an important part of your promotion.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Small Business

Show The World Your Wares Easily And Inexpensively

Writen by Cavyl Stewart

You've spent a lot of time preparing your PowerPoint presentations and now you're ready to show the world all your company has to offer. You set up some appointments for sales presentations with a few members of the local Chamber of Commerce. On the appointed day, you lug your laptop and your presentation to your prospective client's office and start your show. They're impressed with what they see and you get the job. And that's the way things are supposed to work.

But what happens when you're ready to start finding clients outside a 30-mile radius? For one thing, your costs for getting new work will soar. Not only will your travel expenses increase, but the time spent traveling will keep you from working on other tasks that need to get done.

It's hard when you're trying to grow your business solo and you're the one wearing all the hats. You can multi-task to a certain extent, but still, when you work alone, there's just so much you can accomplish in one day. Sure you can hire help, but that means adding payroll and other employee management tasks to your already overburdened schedule.

What if there was a way you could show your PowerPoint presentations to anyone in the world, at any time of the day, without going broke? Do you think you could nail new business? Is this the thing that you've been wishing for night after night, while you lay there wide awake trying desperately to fall asleep?

Well for one low annual fee, which works out to be about $50 per month, you can show your PowerPoint presentations as many times as you want, to anyone, anywhere in the world. No, you're not dreaming! The technology exists right now.

When you want someone to view your PowerPoint presentation, you send that person an invitation by email. The invitation provides a link and an access code. Your guest simply clicks on the link, enters the code, then sits back and enjoys the show!

Because your guests view the presentation from a standard web browser, they won't need any special software to see your presentation. And even though you're not physically present, you can still control the show.

There are no limits to the number of presentations that you can store in your private account. You can jump around from slide to slide and select the slides you want your audience to see. You can also switch between different presentations while your viewers are still logged in. And best of all, you can read right from your notes without anyone else noticing.

Up to ten viewers can logon and view your presentation simultaneously. You can show your presentations to an unlimited number of viewers, but there is an additional cost for this. Anyone who has a PDA can view your presentation, too, as long as Flash is built into the PDA.

So if you're ready to show the world your new product demonstration, or you need to conduct a meeting with different people who are located in different offices, or you are in the training business and you're setting up virtual classrooms, or even if you need to train others on the use of a particular product, you need OnlinePRESENTER.

OnlinePRESENTER requires Windows 98, 2000, XP or NT and PowerPoint 2000, XP, or 2003.

This cutting-edge way to show off your PowerPoint presentations is well worth the price of admission. Without leaving the comfort of your home office, you can be showing your wares to prospects living in New York or New Delhi! So sit back and let the show begin.

Copyright © 2004 Cavyl Stewart. Get the most out of the software you use everyday. Check out the add-in software directory for more information on OnlinePRESENTER and other great time saving PowerPoint add-in tools. Visit: http://www.find-small-business-software.com/powerpoint-addins.html - Also, be sure to check out my Exclusive, 100% free, 100% original content ecourses.