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Issue 8            Linda K. Liebold           www.CoachToSuccess.com ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Presenting with Confidence and Impact Part II:  Planning, Preparing and Delivering Great Presentations & Handling Questions and Objections with Ease How can you make sure your presentations are great?  One way is to personally connect with your audience.  As you plan, prepare, and deliver your presentation, make sure to find ways to relate and empathize with your audience.Even the most accomplished speakers experience some fear before making a presentation. To calm your nerves before a presentation, try the following: Plan - Work with the host organization to understand the kinds of people that will be attending and the kinds of things that will interest them.  Ask for examples or illustrations on your topic, if appropriate. Prepare - Develop your presentation based on what you’ve learned.   Make sure your illustrations and examples are based on things that will relate to your audience. Deliver - Focus on your audience by involving them in your presentation.  Don’t just talk at them; ask them questions; request a raise of hands; and when you can, call on people by name.  Below are some tips on how to plan, prepare and deliver a great presentation. Preparing and Delivering Great Presentations Check the organization’s purpose of the meeting event so that you can fit what you're saying to "where they are at."   Always prepare your opening and conclusion in advance.  Get attention at the opening sentence with a striking statistic, metaphor, or story. State your main points at the outset of your talk.  Then explain them and end with a summary of the same main points.   Find examples and anecdotes that illustrate the main points of your talk. Write them down.  Then use them in your talk.   Vary your pace.  Alternate among lecture, question, exercise, vote, and other techniques.   Prepare "teaser" questions for unresponsive audiences.   Talk about how the audience will benefit by your ideas before explaining your ideas. ("I'm now going to tell you how you can make a real contribution to the community.")   Point out similarities between you and your audience.  ("We are all concerned with the rising number of layoffs in our community.”)   Ask questions; ask for a show of hands; and otherwise include members of your audience in your presentation.    Use names of people in your talk.  If you can, refer to members of the audience by name.  Every once in a while, a member of the audience may raise an objection or ask a question you cannot answer.   Prior to your presentation, think about the kinds of questions and objections you might receive.  Then, determine the kinds of responses you might provide.  Most importantly, be yourself and be honest with the audience.  Below are some tips on how to handle these kinds of situations. Handling Questions and Objections with Ease  Answer the questions asked.  Make sure you understand the question.  Paraphrase the question if necessary.   Support the questioner.  Project that you are glad the questioner is seeking fuller understanding.  This is not an imposition on your time.  Be patient and concerned.   Don't over answer.  Once you detect that you have given a satisfactory answer, go on with the presentation.  When you are finished, do not pause as if expecting to continue a dialogue with the questioner. Go on. Use illustrations, but only if they truly exemplify the point.  Don't use more illustrations than necessary.   If you don't know the answer, say so, and offer to look it up.  Agree on a way to get back to the person with the answer.   Objections are questions; treat them as such.  Usually a person willing to offer an objection is at least somewhat interested.  This is an opportunity to persuade that person to your way of thinking.   Ifanobjection is well taken, say so.  On the other hand, don't be afraid to correct a misperception, if that is the basis of the objection.   Always accept help from the audience.  A supporter can be your best respondent to an objection. The trick:  use your support group to your advantage, but don't make the objector feel ganged up on.   Don't "refute" objections.  You are not there to win a debate, but to gain a supporter.   Never lie.  I hope these presentation tips and the ones from last month’s issue will help you be less fearful, more confident, and more successful preparing and delivering presentations.  If you have any questions or comments, please email me at Linda@CoachToSuccess or call me at 410-544-3655. Interested in a customized program for your organization?  Would you like to learn more about this topic and others like it?  l will be happy to talk with you about creating custom on-site workshops and tele-classes for you and your group.  Contact me at Linda@CoachToSuccess.com Recommended Reading Quick And Easy Way To Effective Speaking by Dale Carnegie     Effective Presentation Skills : A Practical Guide for Better Speaking by Steve Mandel    Loud and Clear: How to Prepare and Deliver Effective Business and Technical Presentations by George L. Morrisey, Thomas L. Sechrest (Contributor), Wendy B. Warman, Wendy S. Warman (Contributor)       Open the Door to Extraordinary Organizational Growth and Success -- with SmartMatch Alliances™.  Would you like to discover… a smart and fun way to grow your business or organization? a way to partner and learn from like-minded people in your profession, industry, niches, and specialties?  a method of establishing a strong, memorable brand for yourself, your organization, your products, and your services?    You can, with SmartMatch Alliances™.   Contact Linda  for more information about creating a powerful marketing strategy and growing your business or organization. If you are interested in participating in SmartMatch Alliance tele-classes, click here. Coming Next Month… How to Achieve Balance in Your Life Would you like to achieve greater satisfaction and balance in your life?  If so, be sure to read next month’s issue of Leadership & Life Tips. Free Coaching Session If you would like a complimentary, 30-minute, no obligation coaching telephone session, send an email to Linda@CoachToSuccess.com. Share Your Tips If you would like to share your own tips and recommended resources, please send them to: Linda@CoachToSuccess.com and they will be included in an upcoming issue of Leadership & Life Tips. About the Author Linda Liebold, M. A., is a business, career and life coach. She is founder of Coach To Success, whose mission is to motivate and empower people to be successful both personally and professionally. Linda has 25 years of experience as a coach, consultant, manager, trainer, speaker, and facilitator.  Since 1984, she has headed Liebold & Associates, Inc., a strategic planning, marketing and communications consulting company. She has worked with hundreds of individuals in over 60 organizations nationwide. She is affiliated with Coach U, Coachville and the International Coach Federation. She is certified in administering the Myers-Briggs Type Inventory (MBTI), Strong Interest Inventory, the California Psychological Inventory (CPI), and other personality, management, team, and individual assessments. For more information click here. ------------------------------------------------------------- © 2008 Linda Liebold All rights reserved. Feel free to forward this e-zine to others. Reproduction for publication is approved, provided the copyright information is included along with the following attribution: From CoachToSuccess.com, an e-zine by Linda K. Liebold, M.A., 410-544-3655 , Email: Linda@CoachToSuccess.com and website: www.CoachToSuccess.com   ------------------------------------------------------------- Leadership & Life Tips is a monthly e-zine featuring professional and personal strategies for success.  Each issue offers thought-provoking and practical tips, tactics, and resources to motivate and empower you to  be the best that you can be in your career and in your life. If you wish to subscribe please send an email to subscribe@CoachToSuccess.com, or to unsubscribe please send an email to unsubscribe@CoachToSuccess.com.