” Ronni spins presentations into gold, and with an improved online presence, and we nailed it!” -Jess P, Google
Presentation Challenges & Solutions
1. Anxiety and Nervousness
Learn to control your fear, and don’t try to eliminate it. This energy keeps you sharp. Has the “Imposter Syndrome” cost you opportunities?
2. Poor Audience Engagement
To maintain engagement, lead with the benefits and value that your audience will appreciate. Use relevant stories and analogies, good visuals, and data, and find the narrative in the numbers.
3. Disorganized Content
You need a logical flow that is easy to follow. A good presentation needs a compelling opening, three key messages, and a strong close.
4. Ineffective Visual Aids
Cluttered slides, poor color contrast, and unreadable fonts detract from your message. Often, less is more. You are the show. Your slides are the stage setting.
5. Lack of self-confidence and passion
Whether making a presentation internally or externally, or interviewing for a job, you want to differentiate yourself from the competition and make a lasting impression.
6. Lack of Relevance to the audience
No one is interested in your solution until they see how it meets a need. Your message resonates when you’ve done your homework and you address the desires, hopes, fears, and dreams of your audience.
7. No Call to Action
Often, speakers just stop talking. There is no closure or ending. A call to action clarifies the next steps. A powerful ending recaps the problem, re-states the promise, and confirms the opportunity.
8. Weak Verbal and Non-Verbal Delivery
We speak in two languages. When your body language is congruent with what you are saying, we trust you. Your posture, gestures and movement add or detract from your delivery.
9. Forgetting Content
Don’t memorize your presentation. It keeps you in your head. You want to connect with your audience in real time. Use an outline with key points. Practice transitions from one idea to the next.
10. Monotonous Delivery and No Movement
Vocal variety is key. Slower for data, faster for stories. Move purposefully into the audience to signal key points and heighten engagement.
Overcome these challenges and deliver a more impactful presentation
Know your audience
What do they care about? What keeps them up at night? What are their needs? Values? Dreams? Hopes? Fears? Challenges? Desires?
Empathy
Empathy is the secret sauce for building trust, enhancing understanding, strengthening relationships and opening up new possibilities. Empathy absorbs tension.
Confidence and Passion
When you are confident and believe in the value of what you are offering, your energy and commitment shine through and your audience is engaged
Anticipate resistance
What objections, concerns, doubts might your audience be holding?
How can you address these early on so they can listen and hear?
The opening is key
If you don’t hook them in the first 30 seconds, you’ve lost them. You never get a second chance to make a first impression. Put what's in it for them up front.
Call to action
A powerful ending recaps the problem, re-states the promise, and confirms the opportunity.