A few years ago, I gave a presentation (for a number of distribution centers in the Chicago region) to a group of about 45 retailers and builders. I had so many calls and so much positive feedback in the next few weeks that I started asking questions like, "Why were you impressed...what made it memorable enough so that you shared it with me?" After all, if it was that good I needed to understand how to make that happen again in the future.
The bottom line? Everyone thought I was really passionate about the subject and understood the audience. That in turn, gave me the following title for a paper I wrote:
"Presentations Only Succeed When They Have GUSTO"
G is for genuine:
I try to know as much as possible about the audience before I ever make a presentation. How old are they, how much experience in their roles, are they the business owners or employees? I need to know these things if I am going to "put myself in their shoes". Everything is more genuine when approached from the listener's perspective. I need to understand their goals, desires and needs.
U is for unconventional:
In this presentation I was following a number of technical speakers and the audience was expecting more of the same. In the few minutes I had between sessions, I set up my audio system and then, when I was introduced, my presentation began with a 90 second, very upbeat, powerful and loud, video with music. None of this, "My name is....stuff"! The video finished with "Are you ready" and my presentation began with a slide that said, "Let's get ready!" I definitely needed to "shock the senses" and get everyone in the audience wondering what was coming next. Opening with a powerful question or statement, anything that get's the audience's attention is a necessary component of making a good presentation. From that point on, of course, the information you are sharing also has to be meaninful and memorable.
S is for specific:
I followed the opening by walking into the audience and asking specific questions of attendees. All of the questions were aimed at points I intended to cover but I needed to get "buy-in" from the audience and now directing the presentation toward individuals and their responses made it much more customized to the audience needs. Adults remember a very small portion of what they hear, a slightly larger portion of what they see but...90% of what they do. You need them to be involved if they are going to remember your presentation!
T is for timely:
In this case, "timely" was about some changes that were desperately needed and had to happen in the near term if these business people were to survive in a new technological age. "Timely" just means that at the end of your session there has to be some sort of call to action. If there is nothing new that needs to happen quickly, the odds are.... nothing new will happen at all.
O is for orchestrated:
A big part of the success of my presentation was based on the fact that everything went off as scheduled and in the allotted time. That doesn't happen unless you do a lot of advanced planning. I checked out the video and audio systems the night before my presentation to make sure that everything was compatible with my equipment. I rehearsed and then rehearsed some more. I had handouts but they were not distributed until the end (no distractions). If the audience is to take notes, make sure paper and pencils are on the tables. You get the idea...don't leave anything to chance!
Making presentations that create change in your audience is all about the GUSTO!
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