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What Are Effective Presentation Skills (and How to Improve Them)

Presentation skills are essential for your personal and professional life. Learn about effective presentations and how to boost your presenting techniques.

At least seven out of 10 Americans agree that presentation skills are essential for a successful career [ 1 ]. Although it might be tempting to think that these are skills reserved for people interested in public speaking roles, they're critical in a diverse range of jobs. For example, you might need to brief your supervisor on research results.

Presentation skills are also essential in other scenarios, including working with a team and explaining your thought process, walking clients through project ideas and timelines, and highlighting your strengths and achievements to your manager during performance reviews.

Whatever the scenario, you have very little time to capture your audience’s attention and get your point across when presenting information—about three seconds, according to research [ 2 ]. Effective presentation skills help you get your point across and connect with the people you’re communicating with, which is why nearly every employer requires them.

Understanding what presentation skills are is only half the battle. Honing your presenting techniques is essential for mastering presentations of all kinds and in all settings.

What are presentation skills?

Presentation skills are the abilities and qualities necessary for creating and delivering a compelling presentation that effectively communicates information and ideas. They encompass what you say, how you structure it, and the materials you include to support what you say, such as slides, videos, or images.

You'll make presentations at various times in your life. Examples include:

Making speeches at a wedding, conference, or another event

Making a toast at a dinner or event

Explaining projects to a team 

Delivering results and findings to management teams

Teaching people specific methods or information

Proposing a vote at community group meetings

Pitching a new idea or business to potential partners or investors

Why are presentation skills important? 

Delivering effective presentations is critical in your professional and personal life. You’ll need to hone your presentation skills in various areas, such as when giving a speech, convincing your partner to make a substantial purchase, and talking to friends and family about an important situation.

No matter if you’re using them in a personal or professional setting, these are the skills that make it easier and more effective to convey your ideas, convince or persuade others, and experience success. A few of the benefits that often accompany improving your presentation skills include:

Enriched written and verbal communication skills

Enhanced confidence and self-image

Boosted critical thinking and problem-solving capabilities

Better motivational techniques

Increased leadership skills

Expanded time management, negotiation, and creativity

The better your presenting techniques, the more engaging your presentations will be. You could also have greater opportunities to make positive impacts in business and other areas of your life.

Effective presentation skills

Imagine yourself in the audience at a TED Talk or sitting with your coworkers at a big meeting held by your employer. What would you be looking for in how they deliver their message? What would make you feel engaged?

These are a few questions to ask yourself as you review this list of some of the most effective presentation skills.

Verbal communication

How you use language and deliver messages play essential roles in how your audience will receive your presentation. Speak clearly and confidently, projecting your voice enough to ensure everyone can hear. Think before you speak, pausing when necessary and tailoring the way you talk to resonate with your particular audience.

Body language

Body language combines various critical elements, including posture, gestures, eye contact, expressions, and position in front of the audience. Body language is one of the elements that can instantly transform a presentation that would otherwise be dull into one that's dynamic and interesting.

Voice projection

The ability to project your voice improves your presentation by allowing your audience to hear what you're saying. It also increases your confidence to help settle any lingering nerves while also making your message more engaging. To project your voice, stand comfortably with your shoulders back. Take deep breaths to power your speaking voice and ensure you enunciate every syllable you speak.

How you present yourself plays a role in your body language and ability to project your voice. It also sets the tone for the presentation. Avoid slouching or looking overly tense. Instead, remain open, upright, and adaptable while taking the formality of the occasion into account.

Storytelling

Incorporating storytelling into a presentation is an effective strategy used by many powerful public speakers. It has the power to bring your subject to life and pique the audience’s curiosity. Don’t be afraid to tell a personal story, slowly building up suspense or adding a dramatic moment. And, of course, be sure to end with a positive takeaway to drive your point home.

Active listening

Active listening is a valuable skill all on its own. When you understand and thoughtfully respond to what you hear—whether it's in a conversation or during a presentation—you’ll likely deepen your personal relationships and actively engage audiences during a presentation. As part of your presentation skill set, it helps catch and maintain the audience’s attention, helping them remain focused while minimizing passive response, ensuring the message is delivered correctly, and encouraging a call to action.

Stage presence

During a presentation, projecting confidence can help keep your audience engaged. Stage presence can help you connect with your audience and encourage them to want to watch you. To improve your presence, try amping up your normal demeanor by infusing it with a bit of enthusiasm. Project confidence and keep your information interesting.

Watch your audience as you’re presenting. If you’re holding their attention, it likely means you’re connecting well with them.

Self-awareness

Monitoring your own emotions and reactions will allow you to react well in various situations. It helps you remain personable throughout your presentation and handle feedback well. Self-awareness can help soothe nervousness during presentations, allowing you to perform more effectively.

Writing skills

Writing is a form of presentation. Sharp writing skills can help you master your presentation’s outline to ensure you stay on message and remain clear about your objectives from the beginning until the end. It’s also helpful to have strong writing abilities for creating compelling slides and other visual aids.

Understanding an audience

When you understand your audience's needs and interests, you can design your presentation around them. In turn, you'll deliver maximum value to them and enhance your ability to make your message easy to understand.

Learn more about presentation skills from industry experts at SAP:

How to improve presentation skills

There’s an art to public speaking. Just like any other type of art, this is one that requires practice. Improving your presentation skills will help reduce miscommunications, enhance your time management capabilities, and boost your leadership skills. Here are some ways you can improve these skills:

Work on self-confidence.

When you’re confident, you naturally speak more clearly and with more authority. Taking the time to prepare your presentation with a strong opening and compelling visual aids can help you feel more confident. Other ways to improve your self-confidence include practicing positive self-talk, surrounding yourself with positive people, and avoiding comparing yourself (or your presentation) to others.

Develop strategies for overcoming fear.

Many people are nervous or fearful before giving a presentation. A bad memory of a past performance or insufficient self-confidence can contribute to fear and anxiety. Having a few go-to strategies like deep breathing, practicing your presentation, and grounding can help you transform that fear into extra energy to put into your stage presence.

Learn grounding techniques.

Grounding is any type of technique that helps you steer your focus away from distressing thoughts and keeps you connected with your present self. To ground yourself, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and imagine you’re a large, mature tree with roots extending deep into the earth—like the tree, you can become unshakable.

Learn how to use presentation tools.

Visual aids and other technical support can transform an otherwise good presentation into a wow-worthy one. A few popular presentation tools include:

Canva: Provides easy-to-design templates you can customize

Powtoon: Animation software that makes video creation fast and easy

PowerPoint: Microsoft's iconic program popular for dynamic marketing and sales presentations

Practice breathing techniques.

Breathing techniques can help quell anxiety, making it easier to shake off pre-presentation jitters and nerves. It also helps relax your muscles and get more oxygen to your brain.  For some pre-presentation calmness, you can take deep breaths, slowly inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.

While presenting, breathe in through your mouth with the back of your tongue relaxed so your audience doesn't hear a gasping sound. Speak on your exhalation, maintaining a smooth voice.

Gain experience.

The more you practice, the better you’ll become. The more you doanything, the more comfortable you’ll feel engaging in that activity. Presentations are no different. Repeatedly practicing your own presentation also offers the opportunity to get feedback from other people and tweak your style and content as needed.

Tips to help you ace your presentation

Your presentation isn’t about you; it’s about the material you’re presenting. Sometimes, reminding yourself of this ahead of taking center stage can help take you out of your head, allowing you to connect effectively with your audience. The following are some of the many actions you can take on the day of your presentation.

Arrive early.

Since you may have a bit of presentation-related anxiety, it’s important to avoid adding travel stress. Give yourself an abundance of time to arrive at your destination, and take into account heavy traffic and other unforeseen events. By arriving early, you also give yourself time to meet with any on-site technicians, test your equipment, and connect with people ahead of the presentation.

Become familiar with the layout of the room.

Arriving early also gives you time to assess the room and figure out where you want to stand. Experiment with the acoustics to determine how loudly you need to project your voice, and test your equipment to make sure everything connects and appears properly with the available setup. This is an excellent opportunity to work out any last-minute concerns and move around to familiarize yourself with the setting for improved stage presence.

Listen to presenters ahead of you.

When you watch others present, you'll get a feel for the room's acoustics and lighting. You can also listen for any data that’s relevant to your presentation and revisit it during your presentation—this can make the presentation more interactive and engaging.

Use note cards.

Writing yourself a script could provide you with more comfort. To prevent sounding too robotic or disengaged, only include talking points in your note cards in case you get off track. Using note cards can help keep your presentation organized while sounding more authentic to your audience.

Learn to deliver clear and confident presentations with Dynamic Public Speaking from the University of Washington. Build confidence, develop new delivery techniques, and practice strategies for crafting compelling presentations for different purposes, occasions, and audiences.

Article sources

Forbes. “ New Survey: 70% Say Presentation Skills are Critical for Career Success , https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2014/09/25/new-survey-70-percent-say-presentation-skills-critical-for-career-success/?sh=619f3ff78890.” Accessed December 7, 2022.

Beautiful.ai. “ 15 Presentation and Public Speaking Stats You Need to Know , https://www.beautiful.ai/blog/15-presentation-and-public-speaking-stats-you-need-to-know. Accessed December 7, 2022.

This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

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Powerful and Effective Presentation Skills: More in Demand Now Than Ever

When we talk with our L&D colleagues from around the globe, we often hear that presentation skills training is one of the top opportunities they’re looking to provide their learners. And this holds true whether their learners are individual contributors, people managers, or senior leaders. This is not surprising.

Effective communications skills are a powerful career activator, and most of us are called upon to communicate in some type of formal presentation mode at some point along the way.

For instance, you might be asked to brief management on market research results, walk your team through a new process, lay out the new budget, or explain a new product to a client or prospect. Or you may want to build support for a new idea, bring a new employee into the fold, or even just present your achievements to your manager during your performance review.

And now, with so many employees working from home or in hybrid mode, and business travel in decline, there’s a growing need to find new ways to make effective presentations when the audience may be fully virtual or a combination of in person and remote attendees.

Whether you’re making a standup presentation to a large live audience, or a sit-down one-on-one, whether you’re delivering your presentation face to face or virtually, solid presentation skills matter.

Even the most seasoned and accomplished presenters may need to fine-tune or update their skills. Expectations have changed over the last decade or so. Yesterday’s PowerPoint which primarily relied on bulleted points, broken up by the occasional clip-art image, won’t cut it with today’s audience.

The digital revolution has revolutionized the way people want to receive information. People expect presentations that are more visually interesting. They expect to see data, metrics that support assertions. And now, with so many previously in-person meetings occurring virtually, there’s an entirely new level of technical preparedness required.

The leadership development tools and the individual learning opportunities you’re providing should include presentation skills training that covers both the evergreen fundamentals and the up-to-date capabilities that can make or break a presentation.

So, just what should be included in solid presentation skills training? Here’s what I think.

The fundamentals will always apply When it comes to making a powerful and effective presentation, the fundamentals will always apply. You need to understand your objective. Is it strictly to convey information, so that your audience’s knowledge is increased? Is it to persuade your audience to take some action? Is it to convince people to support your idea? Once you understand what your objective is, you need to define your central message. There may be a lot of things you want to share with your audience during your presentation, but find – and stick with – the core, the most important point you want them to walk away with. And make sure that your message is clear and compelling.

You also need to tailor your presentation to your audience. Who are they and what might they be expecting? Say you’re giving a product pitch to a client. A technical team may be interested in a lot of nitty-gritty product detail. The business side will no doubt be more interested in what returns they can expect on their investment.

Another consideration is the setting: is this a formal presentation to a large audience with questions reserved for the end, or a presentation in a smaller setting where there’s the possibility for conversation throughout? Is your presentation virtual or in-person? To be delivered individually or as a group? What time of the day will you be speaking? Will there be others speaking before you and might that impact how your message will be received?

Once these fundamentals are established, you’re in building mode. What are the specific points you want to share that will help you best meet your objective and get across your core message? Now figure out how to convey those points in the clearest, most straightforward, and succinct way. This doesn’t mean that your presentation has to be a series of clipped bullet points. No one wants to sit through a presentation in which the presenter reads through what’s on the slide. You can get your points across using stories, fact, diagrams, videos, props, and other types of media.

Visual design matters While you don’t want to clutter up your presentation with too many visual elements that don’t serve your objective and can be distracting, using a variety of visual formats to convey your core message will make your presentation more memorable than slides filled with text. A couple of tips: avoid images that are cliched and overdone. Be careful not to mix up too many different types of images. If you’re using photos, stick with photos. If you’re using drawn images, keep the style consistent. When data are presented, stay consistent with colors and fonts from one type of chart to the next. Keep things clear and simple, using data to support key points without overwhelming your audience with too much information. And don’t assume that your audience is composed of statisticians (unless, of course, it is).

When presenting qualitative data, brief videos provide a way to engage your audience and create emotional connection and impact. Word clouds are another way to get qualitative data across.

Practice makes perfect You’ve pulled together a perfect presentation. But it likely won’t be perfect unless it’s well delivered. So don’t forget to practice your presentation ahead of time. Pro tip: record yourself as you practice out loud. This will force you to think through what you’re going to say for each element of your presentation. And watching your recording will help you identify your mistakes—such as fidgeting, using too many fillers (such as “umm,” or “like”), or speaking too fast.

A key element of your preparation should involve anticipating any technical difficulties. If you’ve embedded videos, make sure they work. If you’re presenting virtually, make sure that the lighting is good, and that your speaker and camera are working. Whether presenting in person or virtually, get there early enough to work out any technical glitches before your presentation is scheduled to begin. Few things are a bigger audience turn-off than sitting there watching the presenter struggle with the delivery mechanisms!

Finally, be kind to yourself. Despite thorough preparation and practice, sometimes, things go wrong, and you need to recover in the moment, adapt, and carry on. It’s unlikely that you’ll have caused any lasting damage and the important thing is to learn from your experience, so your next presentation is stronger.

How are you providing presentation skills training for your learners?

Manika Gandhi is Senior Learning Design Manager at Harvard Business Publishing Corporate Learning. Email her at [email protected] .

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Everything about Effective group presentation methods

• July 25, 2022

I think we all believe in the miracle of teamwork, but has it ever happened to you that you decide to do teamwork, but you don’t know what to do or what steps to go through? Although group work usually ends with success, we all saw groups that ended up failing, maybe because they didn’t know what presentation skills they need.

But it can have other reasons as well, Read this blog until the end to understand where your strengths and weaknesses are and what can be done to have better teamwork and an effective presentation .

You may like: Executive Presentation Skills Workshop

1. What Is A Group Presentation ?

when we are having a presentation with a group of people that’s a group presentation. and this group can be made up of friends, classmates, colleagues, or anyone else who is working together on a project. in my view, if you want to involve everyone in the project and to ensure that everyone is on the same page group presentation is the best way.

There are a few things you should keep in mind when it comes to group presentations .

I want to mention a few things plea keep them in your mind about group presentation.

• First, you should make sure that everyone on the team is prepared.
• Second, you should make sure that the presentation is focused and on track.
• Finally, you should make sure that everyone on the team is comfortable with the presentation .

so till here, some have we were learning that what is the definition of group presentation after that I’m going to tell you what is important to have it.

Why Is It Important To Have A Group Presentation ?

I’m calling them as reasons, there are the reasons why we need them and why it’s important that much.

first: it’s your chance to get everyone on the team involved with the presentation so you can look at it as a chance.

second: it’s an opportunity to ensure that everyone on the team is on the same page.

finally: if you need other people to focus on the project it’s a great chance.

2. what is teamwork?

you should not forget about teamwork cause a good team presentation is made of good teamwork. teamwork is when a group of people comes together to achieve a common goal. There are many benefits to teamwork, including the ability to accomplish more than what one person could do alone, the ability to share knowledge and skills, and the ability to provide support for one another.

so we talked about group presentation and why we are doing it then we had to work on how we can have a better group presentation. one of the greatest factors that are involved in it is teamwork, cause a good team presentation is made of good teamwork. teamwork is when a group of people comes together to achieve a common goal( i don’t know if have i ever mentioned it on my blogs or not but people with the same goals with a good strategy can change the world) lets back to our topic here are many benefits to teamwork, including the ability to accomplish more than what one person could do alone, the ability to share knowledge and skills, and the ability to provide support for one another.

why is important to have teamwork?

we worked on the meaning of teamwork is time to say why it is important to have that. There are many reasons why teamwork is important I’m giving you three important reasons to believe that soo is so much important.

one of the most important is that it allows for a greater level of productivity. When a team works together, each member can focus on their strengths and contribute to the overall goal. This can help a team to achieve more than what one person working alone could ever hope to achieve.

Another reason teamwork is important is that it allows for the sharing of knowledge and skills. When team members work together, they can share their expertise and learn from one another. This can help to improve the skills of the team as a whole and make them more effective at giving presentations.

Finally, teamwork is important because it provides support for one another. When team members work together, they can offer encouragement and motivation to one another. This can be a great way to keep team members focused and on track during a presentation .

you may like: Body Language While Presenting – How To Use It Effectively

3. choose a team captain

When it comes to giving presentations, one of the most important things you can do is choose a team captain. The team captain is responsible for coordinating the team’s efforts and making sure that everyone is on the same page. They will also be responsible for giving the final presentation , so it is important to choose someone confident and capable of delivering a great presentation .

so like always we are talking about the most important factors that you should keep in mind and do to improve your chance of success.

the team captain is responsible for coordinating the team’s efforts and making sure that everyone is on the same page and will also be responsible for giving the final presentation , so it is important to choose someone confident and capable of delivering a great presentation, so it’s important to choose a good team captain.

There are a few things you should keep in mind when choosing a team captain.

I’m mentioning a few things to keep in your mind when you are choosing a team captain.

• First, they should be organized and able to keep the team on track.
• Second, they should be confident and able to deliver a great presentation .
• Finally, they should be comfortable working with a team.

Why is it important to choose a team captain?

There are a few reasons why it is important to choose a team captain. some of the reasons may be the same as what I said in explaining the captain’s meaning.

First, as I said before the team captain is responsible for coordinating the team’s efforts and making sure that everyone is on the same page. This can be a difficult task, but it is important to choose someone who is up for the challenge.

Second, the team captain is responsible for giving the final presentation . This means that they need to be confident and capable of delivering a great presentation .

Finally, the team captain is responsible for working with the team. This means that they need to be comfortable working with a group of people.

4. know your roles within the team

so why do we use a captain to make everything clear so everyone knows their roles?

in a group presentation, all of the group members need to know their roles so they can do them faster and be prepared for them. There are a few different roles that you can play on a team, and each one has its own set of responsibilities.

• The first role is that of the presenter . The presenter is responsible for delivering the presentation to the audience . They should be confident and capable of delivering a great presentation you had to choose them by their personality
• The second role is that of the support staff . The support staff is responsible for helping the presenter with the presentation . They should be able to answer any questions that the audience has and help to keep the presentation on track.
• The third role is that of the audience . The audience is responsible for listening to the presentation and providing feedback. They should be able to ask questions and provide input on the presentation

5. have a strategy in place for question time

When it comes to giving presentations, one of the most important things you can do is have a strategy in place for question time.

first ill make it clear when is question time. Question time is when the audience gets to ask the team questions about the presentation .  you had to look at it as a great opportunity to get feedback from the audience and to clarify any points that they may be confused about.

have these three in your mind :

• First, you should make sure that you have a strategy in place for how you will answer the questions.
• Second, you should make sure that you are prepared to answer the questions.
• Finally, you should make sure that you are respectful of the audience ‘s time and do not take up too much time with your answers.

Why is it important to have a strategy in place for question time?

the reason that I’m giving you after each part the response that why is important is that I want you to know that it’s so much important to take a look at a few reasons why it’s important to have a strategy in place for question time.

• First, it is a great opportunity to get feedback from the audience . This feedback can be used to improve the presentation .
• Second, it is a great opportunity to clarify any points that the audience may be confused about.
• Finally, it is a great opportunity to show the audience that you are prepared and that you respect their time.

6. team needs a full group rehearsal

If you want to give a great presentation , it is important to have a full group rehearsal. This rehearsal should be done with the entire team, and it should be focused on going over the presentation from start to finish so care about this one cause it’s too important. This rehearsal will help to ensure that everyone on the team is on the same page and that they know what they need to do.

Why is it important to have a full group rehearsal?

There are a few reasons why it is important to have a full group rehearsal.

have these reasons to know why it’s important :

• First, it is a great opportunity to get everyone on the team on the same page.
• Second, it is a great opportunity to ensure that everyone on the team is comfortable with the presentation .
• Finally, it is a great opportunity to make sure that the presentation is focused and on track

7. Do A Member Analysis

so what to do if we want to have a member analysis you should first make a list of all the members of the group. Then, you should write down the strengths and weaknesses of each member. After you have done the member analysis, you should assign roles for the presentation .

as I told you before it’s one of the ways to go and know your roles.

Make Sure Everyone Is Prepared

so this one is more about the captain I mean the captain should check this but the other members should know too. the captain should make sure that everyone on the team is prepared. 

8. Individual And Group Practice Are Equally Important

 it is important to do both individual and group practice . Individual practice will help you to understand your role in the presentation . Group practice will help you to understand how to work with the other members of the group.

9. Watch Other Group Presentations Together

I can mention this one as a hint so that the reason that is at the end of my list so go and watch other group presentations . cause this will help you to meet the exact mistakes that you may have in your presentation,  the other reason that I’m recommending it to you is that It will also help you to understand the different elements of a group presentation .

so as your last job go and see the other group presentation and try to cover their week ness in your own presentation.

I’m sure that giving a group presentation can be a difficult task for you. However, if you follow the presentation tips and presentation method above, you will be well on your way to giving a great group presentation .

after all, we are here to help you if you faced any problem in the middle of the process my colleagues in temis marketing are here to help you.

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Complete Guide for Effective Presentations, with Examples

July 09, 2018 - dom barnard.

During a presentation you aim to look confident, enthusiastic and natural. You'll need more than good words and content to achieve this - your delivery plays a significant part. In this article, we discuss various techniques that can be used to deliver an effective presentation.

Effective presentations

Think about if you were in the audience, what would:

• Get you to focus and listen
• Make you understand
• Activate your imagination
• Persuade you

Providing the audience with interesting information is not enough to achieve these aims - you need to ensure that the way you present is stimulating and engaging. If it's not, you'll lose the audience's interest and they'll stop listening.

Tips for an Effective Presentation

Professional public speakers spend hours creating and practicing presentations. These are the delivery techniques they consider:

Keep it simple

You shouldn't overwhelm your audience with information - ensure that you're clear, concise and that you get to the point so they can understand your message.

Have a maximum of three main points and state them at the beginning, before you explain them in more depth, and then state them at the end so the audience will at least remember these points.

If some of your content doesn't contribute to your key message then cut it out. Also avoid using too many statistics and technical terminology.

Connect with your audience

One of the greatest difficulties when delivering a presentation is connecting with the audience. If you don't connect with them it will seem as though you're talking to an empty room.

Trying to make contact with the audience makes them feel like they're part of the presentation which encourages them to listen and it shows that you want to speak to them.

Eye contact and smile

Avoiding eye contact is uncomfortable because it make you look insecure. When you maintain eye contact the audience feels like you're speaking to them personally. If this is something you struggle with, try looking at people's foreheads as it gives the impression of making eye contact.

Try to cover all sections of the audience and don't move on to the next person too quickly as you will look nervous.

Smiling also helps with rapport and it reduces your nerves because you'll feel less like you're talking to group of faceless people. Make sure you don't turn the lights down too much before your presentation so you can all clearly see each other.

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Body language

Be aware of your body language and use it to connect:

• Keep your arms uncrossed so your body language is more open .
• Match your facial expressions with what you're saying.
• Avoid fidgeting and displaying nervous habits, such as, rocking on your feet.
• You may need to glance at the computer slide or a visual aid but make sure you predominantly face the audience.
• Emphasise points by using hand gestures but use them sparingly - too little and they'll awkwardly sit at your side, too much and you'll be distracting and look nervous.
• Vary your gestures so you don't look robotic.
• Maintain a straight posture.
• Be aware of cultural differences .

Move around

Avoid standing behind the lectern or computer because you need to reduce the distance and barriers between yourself and the audience. Use movement to increase the audience's interest and make it easier to follow your presentation.

A common technique for incorporating movement into your presentation is to:

• Start your introduction by standing in the centre of the stage.
• For your first point you stand on the left side of the stage.
• You discuss your second point from the centre again.
• You stand on the right side of the stage for your third point.
• The conclusion occurs in the centre.

Watch 3 examples of good and bad movement while presenting

Example: Movement while presenting

Your movement at the front of the class and amongst the listeners can help with engagement. Think about which of these three speakers maintains the attention of their audience for longer, and what they are doing differently to each other.

Speak with the audience

You can conduct polls using your audience or ask questions to make them think and feel invested in your presentation. There are three different types of questions:

Direct questions require an answer: "What would you do in this situation?" These are mentally stimulating for the audience. You can pass a microphone around and let the audience come to your desired solution.

Rhetorical questions do not require answers, they are often used to emphasises an idea or point: "Is the Pope catholic?

Loaded questions contain an unjustified assumption made to prompt the audience into providing a particular answer which you can then correct to support your point: You may ask "Why does your wonderful company have such a low incidence of mental health problems?" The audience will generally answer that they're happy.

After receiving the answers you could then say "Actually it's because people are still unwilling and too embarrassed to seek help for mental health issues at work etc."

Be specific with your language

Make the audience feel as though you are speaking to each member individually by using "you" and "your."

For example: asking "Do you want to lose weight without feeling hungry?" would be more effective than asking "Does anyone here want to lost weight without feeling hungry?" when delivering your presentation. You can also increase solidarity by using "we", "us" etc - it makes the audience think "we're in this together".

Be flexible

Be prepared to adapt to the situation at the time, for example, if the audience seems bored you can omit details and go through the material faster, if they are confused then you will need to come up with more examples on the spot for clarification. This doesn't mean that you weren't prepared because you can't predict everything.

Vocal variety

How you say something is just as is important as the content of your speech - arguably, more so.

For example, if an individual presented on a topic very enthusiastically the audience would probably enjoy this compared to someone who covered more points but mumbled into their notes.

• Adapt your voice depending on what are you're saying - if you want to highlight something then raise your voice or lower it for intensity. Communicate emotion by using your voice.
• Avoid speaking in monotone as you will look uninterested and the audience will lose interest.
• Take time to pronounce every word carefully.
• Raise your pitch when asking questions and lower it when you want to sound severe.
• Sound enthusiastic - the more you sound like you care about the topic, the more the audience will listen. Smiling and pace can help with this.
• Speak loudly and clearly - think about projecting your voice to the back of the room.
• Speak at a pace that's easy to follow . If you're too fast or too slow it will be difficult for the audience to understand what you're saying and it's also frustrating. Subtly fasten the pace to show enthusiasm and slow down for emphasis, thoughtfulness or caution.

Prior to the presentation, ensure that you prepare your vocal chords :

• You could read aloud a book that requires vocal variety, such as, a children's book.
• Avoid dairy and eating or drinking anything too sugary beforehand as mucus can build-up leading to frequent throat clearing.
• Don't drink anything too cold before you present as this can constrict your throat which affects vocal quality.
• Some people suggest a warm cup of tea beforehand to relax the throat.

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Pause to breathe

When you're anxious your breathing will become quick and shallow which will affect the control you have on your voice. This can consequently make you feel more nervous. You want to breathe steadily and deeply so before you start speaking take some deep breaths or implement controlled breathing.

Controlled breathing is a common technique that helps slow down your breathing to normal thus reducing your anxiety. If you think this may be useful practice with these steps:

• Sit down in an upright position as it easier for your lungs to fill with air
• Breathe in through your nose and into your abdomen for four seconds
• Hold this breathe for two seconds
• Breathe out through your nose for six seconds
• Wait a few seconds before inhaling and repeating the cycle

It takes practice to master this technique but once you get used to it you may want to implement it directly before your presentation.

Completely filling your lungs during a pause will ensure you reach a greater vocal range.

During the presentation delivery, if you notice that you're speaking too quickly then pause and breathe. This won't look strange - it will appear as though you're giving thought to what you're saying. You can also strategically plan some of your pauses, such as after questions and at the end of sections, because this will give you a chance to calm down and it will also give the audience an opportunity to think and reflect.

Pausing will also help you avoid filler words , such as, "um" as well which can make you sound unsure.

• 10 Effective Ways to use Pauses in your Speech

Strong opening

The first five minutes are vital to engage the audience and get them listening to you. You could start with a story to highlight why your topic is significant.

For example, if the topic is on the benefits of pets on physical and psychological health, you could present a story or a study about an individual whose quality of life significantly improved after being given a dog. The audience is more likely to respond better to this and remember this story than a list of facts.

Example: Which presentation intro keeps you engaged?

Watch 5 different presentation introductions, from both virtual and in-person events. Notice how it can only take a few seconds to decide if you want to keep listening or switch off. For the good introductions, what about them keeps you engaged?

More experienced and confident public speakers use humour in their presentations. The audience will be incredibly engaged if you make them laugh but caution must be exercised when using humour because a joke can be misinterpreted and even offend the audience.

Only use jokes if you're confident with this technique, it has been successful in the past and it's suitable for the situation.

Stories and anecdotes

Use stories whenever you can and judge whether you can tell a story about yourself because the audience are even more interested in seeing the human side of you.

Consider telling a story about a mistake you made, for example, perhaps you froze up during an important presentation when you were 25, or maybe life wasn't going well for you in the past - if relevant to your presentation's aim. People will relate to this as we have all experienced mistakes and failures. The more the audience relates to you, the more likely they will remain engaged.

These stories can also be told in a humorous way if it makes you feel more comfortable and because you're disclosing a personal story there is less chance of misinterpretation compared to telling a joke.

Anecdotes are especially valuable for your introduction and between different sections of the presentation because they engage the audience. Ensure that you plan the stories thoroughly beforehand and that they are not too long.

Focus on the audience's needs

Even though your aim is to persuade the audience, they must also get something helpful from the presentation. Provide the audience with value by giving them useful information, tactics, tips etc. They're more likely to warm to you and trust you if you're sharing valuable information with them.

You could also highlight their pain point. For example, you might ask "Have you found it difficult to stick to a healthy diet?" The audience will now want to remain engaged because they want to know the solution and the opportunities that you're offering.

Use visual aids

Visual aids are items of a visual manner, such as graphs, photographs, video clips etc used in addition to spoken information. Visual aids are chosen depending on their purpose, for example, you may want to:

• Summarise information.
• Reduce the amount of spoken words, for example, you may show a graph of your results rather than reading them out.
• Clarify and show examples.
• Create more of an impact. You must consider what type of impact you want to make beforehand - do you want the audience to be sad, happy, angry etc?
• Emphasise what you're saying.
• Make a point memorable.
• Enhance your credibility.
• Engage the audience and maintain their interest.
• Make something easier for the audience to understand.

Some general tips for using visual aids :

• Think about how can a visual aid can support your message. What do you want the audience to do?
• Ensure that your visual aid follows what you're saying or this will confuse the audience.
• Avoid cluttering the image as it may look messy and unclear.
• Visual aids must be clear, concise and of a high quality.
• Keep the style consistent, such as, the same font, colours, positions etc
• Use graphs and charts to present data.
• The audience should not be trying to read and listen at the same time - use visual aids to highlight your points.
• One message per visual aid, for example, on a slide there should only be one key point.
• Use visual aids in moderation - they are additions meant to emphasise and support main points.
• Ensure that your presentation still works without your visual aids in case of technical problems.

10-20-30 slideshow rule

Slideshows are widely used for presentations because it's easy to create attractive and professional presentations using them. Guy Kawasaki, an entrepreneur and author, suggests that slideshows should follow a 10-20-30 rule :

• There should be a maximum of 10 slides - people rarely remember more than one concept afterwards so there's no point overwhelming them with unnecessary information.
• The presentation should last no longer than 20 minutes as this will leave time for questions and discussion.
• The font size should be a minimum of 30pt because the audience reads faster than you talk so less information on the slides means that there is less chance of the audience being distracted.

If you want to give the audience more information you can provide them with partially completed handouts or give them the handouts after you’ve delivered the presentation.

Keep a drink nearby

Have something to drink when you're on stage, preferably water at room temperature. This will help maintain your vocal quality and having a sip is a subtle way of introducing pauses.

Practice, practice, practice

If you are very familiar with the content of your presentation, your audience will perceive you as confident and you'll be more persuasive.

• Don't just read the presentation through - practice everything, including your transitions and using your visual aids.
• Stand up and speak it aloud, in an engaging manner, as though you were presenting to an audience.
• Ensure that you practice your body language and gesturing.
• Use VR to practice in a realistic environment .
• Practice in front of others and get their feedback.
• Freely improvise so you'll sound more natural on the day. Don't learn your presentation verbatim because you will sound uninterested and if you lose focus then you may forget everything.
• Create cards to use as cues - one card should be used for one key idea. Write down brief notes or key words and ensure that the cards are physically connected so the order cannot be lost. Visual prompts can also be used as cues.

This video shows how you can practice presentations in virtual reality. See our VR training courses .

Two courses where you can practice your presentations in interactive exercises:

• Essential Public Speaking
• How to Present over Video

Try these different presentation delivery methods to see which ones you prefer and which need to be improved. The most important factor is to feel comfortable during the presentation as the delivery is likely to be better.

Remember that the audience are generally on your side - they want you to do well so present with confidence.

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Who needs what? – Target groups and their needs

Target groups are individuals or groups (families, teams, organizations) that generally live in a geographically circumscribed area (thus, in cities, individual municipal or rural districts).

For the needs assessment, it’s important to describe the target group as precisely as possible .

The trick here is to avoid creating a target-group definition so broad that it becomes difficult to create a narrowly targeted project. At the same time, the group must not be so tightly drawn that the description hardly applies to anyone.

The following questions will help you in describing the target group :

Be aware! Many projects...

... act at multiple levels, and thus have more than one target group – for example, a project that cares for neglected children (target group 1) while at the same time lobbying for children’s rights (target group 2: politics and public).

• Who are the members of the target group? How old are they?
• What geographic area do they come from (a particular city neighborhood, a rural district)?
• What is their social situation, family status, and/or education status? Do they have a migration background?
• What is their financial situation? What problems are the target group facing? What are the group’s potentials and strengths?

Descriptions of the existing situation and needs often emphasize target groups’ problems and deficits. This is an obvious way forward, as most such projects are aimed at alleviating hardship. However, it is equally important to consider positive aspects . Therefore, you should ask:

• What development opportunities does the target group have?
• What strengths, talents and resources do its members possess?
• What are target-group members’ wishes and hopes?

In the target group description, it is useful to distinguish between direct and indirect target groups.

The direct target group includes the individuals you want to target in an unmediated way with your project activities, and among whom you want to achieve an effect. There may be subgroups within direct target groups, which requires further differentiation within your offering.

YEA and its diverse target groups

Among YEA’s direct target group – disadvantaged children – some children may demonstrate a need for additional support. These children make up a subgroup.

• The indirect target group includes persons in the general environment of the direct target group. They often contribute to the project’s success within the direct target group. Because they play an important intermediary role, indirect target groups should always be taken into account.

In a mentoring project, for example, children belong to the direct target group, while their parents are part of the indirect target group.

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Elements of effective group presentations, 4 key steps, presentation analysis – know your subject.

• Identify the purpose of your presentation.
• Identify what your subject or topic should/will be.
• Make sure you can show how your topic relates to the audience.

Audience Analysis – Know your audience

• Consider the audience demographics (age, gender, culture, etc.)
• Use appropriate examples that can be understood by your audience.
• Use the appropriate vocabulary, but watch using jargon.
• Make sure you can properly pronounce every word in your speech.

Group Analysis – Know your individual and group strengths and weaknesses

• Confident Presenters do well with introductions and conclusions
• Detail oriented people can handle the discussion points.
• Fast thinkers are good at handling questions.

Practice, Practice, Practice – aim for group cohesiveness

Create one presentation.

• Work together to have ONE introduction, body, and conclusion for the presentation.
• Use only one template/slide style for the entire presentation.
• Everyone works on their slides and sends/gives them to the one compiling.
• Everyone must contribute (i.e. research, proofreading, etc.).
• Keep a group mindset – Say “we found ...” not “I found ..."
• Work together to build a strong supported case.
• Explain how the next topic is relevant to the previous one.
• If first time the next speaker has talked, introduce the speaker and his/her topic.
• Sometimes an easy way to transition is to acknowledge the overlap in topics/points.

Appearance of all group members matter

• Try to dress similar – does not have to be identical.
• Consider professional attire (i.e. slacks, button-up shirt, etc.)

Delivery Tips

• As part of opener/introduction, introduce the group members.
• Include a preview slide of what will be covered.
• When practicing, use your visual aids to check for typos or needed changes.
• Rehearse as if an audience is present.
• Share constructive feedback.
• Do not hold your speech notes while speaking. Place them so you can see them.
• Face the audience not the projected slides, no one wants to listen to your back.
• Smiling during a sad story will hinder message you are trying to give.
• Wild hand gestures can be very distracting.

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6 Effective Ways to Reach Your Target Audience

GRIN also recommends this free guide:

Influencer Marketing Best Practices

One of the biggest pain points that you face as a marketer is reaching your target audience effectively. In fact, the main goal of digital marketing is to convey the right message to the right people. And to do that right, you need to learn how to reach your target market effectively.

If you market your product to the wrong set of people, you’ll end up wasting your time and money. You need to figure out a way to reach your target audience to market your products. Here are the steps you need to take to reach your target audience more effectively.

How can we best reach our target audience?

Step 1: define your target audience.

To reach your target audience, you must first define your target audience. And, for this, you need to understand your customers.

You can do this by building a consumer persona. A customer or buyer persona is a generalized representation of how your ideal buyers would be like.

You list their demographic and psychographic attributes and preferences to gain a better understanding of your target audience.

Then you can market your brand and products only to those who are most likely to be genuinely interested in them. This means that there will be higher chances of getting leads and conversions. This will help you increase revenue by investing less.

See Also: Who Is Your Target Audience? How to Identify and Reach Your Most Likely Buyers

Step 2: Create Useful and Relevant Content

The best way to reach your target audience is by providing them with useful and relevant content. Writing about topics that are of interest to your intended audience is a sure shot way of grabbing their attention.

The more targeted and relevant your content marketing is, the easier it will be for you to reach your target audience and engage them.

Content marketing plays a major role in helping you generate leads and conversions. It can be implemented in various ways to get your desired results.

Here are some of the most common methods:

• Video marketing – Videos are highly engaging and interactive in nature. A good quality video can catch the attention of the viewer easily.
• Blog posts and articles – Written content may not work as well as videos and images, but it still helps you get the attention of your audience. Just make sure that you write about topics that are of interest to your target audience and are useful to them.
• Social media content – You can connect with your target audience through social media platforms as well. Through a combination of images, videos, and text, you can engage and reach them more efficiently.

See Also: A Master Class on Streaming Marketing: Boosting Live Stream Engagement

Step 3: Leverage Influencers

Influencer marketing has quickly become the go-to marketing style for digital marketers. You can utilize the power of social media influencers to reach your target audience more effectively. In this form of marketing, you partner with influencers to market your brand to their audiences.

Influencer marketing is a very effective marketing technique that can help you attain numerous marketing goals.

If you partner with relevant influencers from your niche, you can reach potential customers who might be interested in your brand or niche. This allows for qualified lead generation and helps you reach your target audience.

However, determining the ROI of your influencer marketing campaign can be a difficult task.

Software like GRIN can make influencer marketing easy for you. You can search for influencers and can even contact them and send them sample products with GRIN. And you can manage your campaign and determine your ROI right from the platform.

GRIN makes influencer marketing easy for you by providing statistics and tracking all from one portal.

A well-managed and executed influencer marketing campaign can help your brand reach out to more people. You can extend your reach, generate leads, and drive sales without breaking the bank.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Huda Kattan (@huda)

For instance, Huda Kattan is a popular Instagram influencer in the beauty niche. She regularly collaborates with international beauty brands.

If a beauty brand collaborates with her, they can reach her massive audience base of over 36 million people. What’s more, is that these people will be relevant for the brand as they are already interested in beauty products.

Step 4: Use Targeted Advertising

You can reach your target audience more effectively by using targeted advertising. Whether it is Google ads or social media ads, they all provide advanced targeting options to help you reach your target audience. You can target the ads based on demographics, location, and interests of your audience.

This will make sure that your ads are only displayed to those who are likely to show interest in your brand. This means you don’t need to spend a fortune on ads to reach your target audience who are more likely to convert than anyone else.

Facebook, for instance, gives you access to multiple targeting tools that will help you create and run ads. They even offer analytics so that you can further optimize your advertising campaigns. Other social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter also have their own advertising tools.

You can also create ads through Google Ads and showcase them to your target audience across the internet. Or you can remarket your products and services to people who have shown interest in them previously. This too can be achieved through targeted advertising.

See Also: Influencer Marketing & Paid Media: How-To

Step 5: Referral Marketing

Many businesses use a referral system to expand their reach and generate leads. A referral system can help you harness the power of your own customer base to expand your reach. You can give a referral code to your customers and incentivize them to share it with others. This way, you can reach your target audience quickly and with lower investment.

You can, of course, play around with your incentives. You could offer a discount to your new user and the referrer or could even give them a special offer. This not only incentivizes the new customer but also the referrer to make a purchase from you again.

The people who join through such a system may genuinely be interested in your brand and products. This method has helped businesses to grow and establish their network on a larger scale.

Step 6: Reach Your Target Audience on Social Media via Hashtags

With people spending more time on social media platforms, you can’t ignore the importance of them to reach your target audience. However, to target people who might be interested in your brand, you need to use hashtags.

Relevant, industry-specific hashtags can help you broaden the reach of your social media content. And, it will help make sure it’s displayed to people who might actually be interested in it.

For example, if you have a luxury hotel brand, you could use hashtags like #luxurytraveler or #luxurytravel. This will help you reach people who might actually be interested in booking your services.

Also, remember to use more specific hashtags than generic ones. In the above example, using generic hashtags like #travelblogger or #traveler might not be much effective. That’s because these people might be interested in travel, but most of them might not be interested in luxury travel.

See Also: An Essential Guide to Instagram Hashtags: How to Grow Your Instagram Followers

Conclusion: Following these steps increases your odds of reaching your target audience

Reaching your target audience is an important step in marketing your business and your products. It is only when you reach your target audience effectively that you’ll be able to drive more sales conversions.

Leverage these effective techniques to reach your target audience and grow your business.

Are you ready to stake your claim in the creator economy? Discover more helpful tips and resources from the experts at GRIN: Creator Management Learning Center

Updated: July 2023

Frequently asked questions.

Once you have identified your target audience, you need to see what types of media they use. You can look up demographic information for most media channels, including all major social media platforms. After figuring out where your audience spends their time, it’s time to create compelling content to share organically and through targeted ads. 

When determining who your target audience is, consider the following five criteria: 

Use all five to determine who is most likely to purchase your product or service, which can help you narrow down your marketing strategies to save time and money. 

There are many ways to reach your target market, but here are three of our favorites: 

• Partner with creators – Work with content creators whose followers match your target audience. Since they’re experts in what their followers like, they can help you create relevant and compelling content. 
• Advertise on social media – Many social platforms allow you to narrow down the audience for your ads based on demographic information. This can be very useful in getting your content in front of the right eyes. 

Use hashtags on organic social content – When posting organically on social media, add relevant hashtags that people in your target audience use.

Brands can reach customers through various marketing and advertising techniques, including posting organically on social media, partnering with creators, using display and search ads, and more. 

Marketers use demographic and psychographic information to narrow down their target audience. An example of a target audience would be women in Florida between the ages of 25-45 with a bachelor’s degree. Target audiences can be as specific or general as you like, and if you don’t know who your audience is yet, look at your typical customer to get more information. 

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Preparation is the single most important part of making a successful presentation. It is an absolutely crucial foundation, and you should dedicate as much time to it as possible, avoiding short-cuts. Good preparation will ensure that you have thought carefully about the messages that you want (or need) to communicate in your presentation and it will also help boost your confidence.

There are a number of aspects that you need to consider when preparing a presentation. They include the aim of the presentation, the subject matter, the audience, the venue or place, the time of day, and the length of the talk. All these will affect what you say and how you say it, as well as the visual aids that you use to get your point across.

The Objective

Whenever you are asked to give a presentation or speak to a group of people, you need to start by asking the purpose of the presentation.

In other words, what is the presentation expected to achieve, and what outcome(s) do the organisers and the audience expect?

These outcomes will shape your presentation, because it must be designed to achieve the objective and deliver the desired outcomes.

For example, you might be asked to give a talk to a gardening club. You might be told that the purpose of the talk is to fill a regular meeting slot, and that the members of the club have expressed a desire to learn more about pruning. You therefore know that your talk needs to be entertaining, fairly light, but knowledgeable, and that your audience wants to learn something new.

As you prepare your presentation, make sure you keep asking yourself:

“How is saying this going to help to achieve the objective and outcomes?”

The Subject

The subject of your presentation or talk about comes from the objective. They are linked, but they are not necessarily exactly the same thing.

For example:

The subject may be given to you by the organisation that has invited you (such as talking about pruning to the gardening club).

You may be knowledgeable in a particular field (perhaps you have an interest in local history).

The subject may be entirely your choice within certain limitations (you might, for example, be asked to give a presentation at an interview on a project which you feel has particularly developed your skills).

The Audience

Before preparing material for a presentation, it is worth considering your prospective audience.

Tailoring your talk to the audience is important and the following points should be considered:

The size of the group or audience expected.

The age range - a talk aimed at retired people will be quite different from one aimed at teenagers.

Gender - will the audience be predominantly male or female?

Is it a captive audience or will they be there out of interest?

Will you be speaking in their work or leisure time?

Do they know something about your subject already or will it be totally new to them?  Is the subject part of their work?

Are you there to inform, teach, stimulate, or provoke?

Can you use humour and, if so, what would be considered appropriate? If you are in any doubt about this, it is probably best to avoid anything even remotely risqué.

It is important to have as much advance information as possible about the place where you are going to speak.

It can be helpful to arrange to see the venue before the event. It does much to quell fear if you can visualise the place while you are preparing your talk. However, even if you cannot visit, you will probably find it helpful to know:

The size of the room;

The seating arrangements (for example, theatre-style, with rows of seats; or round-table);

The availability of equipment, e.g., microphone, laptop and projector, flip chart;

The availability of power points and if an extension lead is required for any equipment you intend to use;

If the room has curtains or blinds. This is relevant if you intend to use visual aids, and so that you can ensure the correct ambiance for your presentation;

The position of the light switches.  Check if you need someone to help if you are using audio/visual equipment and need to turn off the lights;

The likelihood of outside distractions, e.g., noise from another room; and

The availability of parking facilities so you do not have a long walk carrying any equipment you might need to take.

If this information is not available ahead of time, it will help to get there a bit early, to give you time to set up.

There will often be no flexibility in the time of day that a presentation is made. However, it does affect what you can do, and how you might organise your presentation, because of the likely state of your audience (see box).

How time of day can affect your audience

The morning is the best time to speak because people are generally at their most alert. However, as it gets towards lunch time, people begin to feel hungry and lose concentration. This is particularly true if the event has not included a coffee break.

After lunch, people often feel sleepy and lethargic. If you are given a slot immediately after lunch, it is a good idea to get your audience involved. A discussion or getting your audience moving about will work a lot better than simply presenting a lot of slides. A flip chart may also be a more useful tool than a laptop and projector, especially if it means you can open blinds and use natural light.

Towards the end of the afternoon, people again tend to lose concentration as they start to worry about getting home, the traffic or collecting children from school.

Evening or Weekend:

Outside regular office hours, people are more likely to be present because they want to be rather than because they have to be there.  There is a better chance of audience attention in the evening. However, if the presentation goes on for too long, people may have to leave before you have finished. People will also be less tolerant of a poor presentation because you are in their time, not their employer’s.

Length of Talk

Always find out how long you have to talk and check if this includes or excludes time for questions.

Find out if there are other speakers and, if so, where you are placed in the running order.  Never elect to go last.  Beware of over-running, as this could be disastrous if there are other speakers following you.

It is important to remember that people find it difficult to maintain concentration for long periods of time. This is a good reason for making a presentation succinct, well-structured and interesting. Aim for 45 minutes as a maximum single-session presentation, and preferably leave at least 10 or 15 minutes for questions. Nobody minds finishing a session early.

Providing Information in Advance

Always check what information you will need to provide in advance.

Organisers of big events and conferences often like to have all the PowerPoint presentations several days ahead of the event. This gives them time to load all the presentations, and make sure that they are properly branded for the event.

Some events also need speakers’ biographies ahead of time, to put in conference literature. When you are asked to give the presentation, make sure you ask what is needed by when—and then supply it.

You will not be popular if you turn up on the day and announce that you have completely rewritten your presentation on the train. It is entirely possible that the organisers may even not be able to accommodate that, for example if the audio-visual is being supplied by a separate company or by the venue.

And finally…

Being asked to give a presentation is an honour, not a chore.

You are representing your organisation or yourself, if you are self-employed. You are also not there by right, but by invitation. It is therefore important that you put in the time and effort to ensure that you deliver what your audience wants. That way, you may just be invited back another time.

Continue to: Organising the Presentation Material

See also: Can Presentation Science Improve Your Presentation? Preparing for Oral Presentations Managing the Presentation Event Coping with Presentation Nerves

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6 steps to a successful presentation

If you feel nervous at the thought of having to stand up in front of your peers and deliver a presentation you're not alone, but you're unlikely to get through university without having to do it. Follow these six steps to ensure success

Your tutor or lecturer mentions the word 'presentation' and the first thing you do is panic but there's no need.

Depending on your subject, you might be expected to summarise your reading in a seminar, deliver the results of a scientific experiment, or provide feedback from a group task. Whatever the topic, you'll usually be presenting to your tutor and fellow students.

While   getting up and making your case in front of an audience isn't easy, especially when you're not used to it, it really is good practice as many graduate employers use presentations as part of the recruitment process.

To help ensure that your presentation stands out for the right reasons, Graham Philpott, head of careers consultancy at the University of Reading provides some advice.

Prepare carefully

Give yourself plenty of time to prepare thoroughly, as a last-minute rush will leave you flustered when it comes to delivering your presentation.

'There are two important things to think about when preparing for a presentation,' says Graham. 'What do you want the audience to do once you have finished, and who are the audience? If you know these two things, preparation becomes so much easier.'

Plan out the structure and format of your presentation. 'A simple and successful way to structure your presentation is - agenda, message, summary - or to explain it a different way, tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you've just told them,' advises Graham.

To help plan your content, Graham explains that 'there are only two purposes to a presentation, one is to inform, the other is to persuade. So, your content will either tell the audience what they need to know or convince them.' To make sure you stay on track ask yourself what you're hoping to achieve.

You can make detailed notes as part of your planning, but don't rely on these on the day, as reading from a prepared text sounds unnatural. If you want to take a memory aid with you use small index cards, as referring to A4 sheets of paper during your presentation can be distracting and highlight your nerves if your hands shake.

At the planning stage also consider the timings of your presentation. Time limits are set for a reason - falling short or going over this limit will likely result in a loss of marks, especially if it's part of an assessment or exam.

Don't forget to also devise answers to common questions you may be asked at the end of your presentation. You might think this adds to your workload, but it actually prevents you from being caught off guard on the day.

If you have to give a group presentation, discover  three tips for successful group work .

Use visuals wisely

'A presentation doesn't necessarily need a visual aid,' says Graham. 'However, if you decide to use them, they can help the audience understand what you're saying, and give you a framework to talk around.'

Bear in mind that visual aids should complement your oral presentation, not repeat it, nor deliver the presentation for you. While your slides should offer a summary of points, or illustrate the concept you're discussing, you need to remember that you are the main focus.

When putting together your slides and visual aids:

• Keep them simple . Stick to one idea per slide to avoid cluttering them and use short phrases or sentences.
• Think about accessibility . Does the design of your presentation interfere with its readability? Will everyone in the audience be able to read your slides? To ensure your presentation is accessible minimise the number of slides, use high contrast colours and a large, clear font. If using graphics, make them as simple as possible and avoid over-complicated charts or graphs. If using videos, make sure they are captioned.
• Don't let them distract you . If you intend to provide hand-outs for your audience, distribute them at the beginning or end of your presentation. Doing it halfway through can disrupt your flow.

Don't fall into the trap of merely reading aloud what is written on your slides - instead use them as a starting point from which you can expand and develop your narrative.

It's also worth pointing out that a presentation is only as good as its content. Your presentation could look visually beautiful, but if it lacks knowledge or substance your audience is unlikely to be fooled. 

Consider your audience

Speaking of your audience, it's essential that you keep them in mind at every stage - from the preparation of your presentation right through to the delivery.

To show that you have thought about the audience consider how much background information they will need. Do they already have some knowledge of the topic you're presenting?

Spending the first half of your presentation telling an audience what they already know will be frustrating for them. Equally, if you go straight into the detail, they may get lost. It's vital you get the balance right.

The tone of your presentation will also depend on your audience - if its purpose is to demonstrate to your seminar group that you've understood a certain topic you could strike a light-hearted tone. If it's an assessed piece of work on the other hand, you'll need to be more serious.

Practice with a friend

Before the main event you should run through your presentation in full more than once. 'It's also a good idea to practice the presentation out loud. This will give you a much better idea of how long it takes, and whether there are any parts that don't flow very well,' adds Graham.

'It might feel cringey, but practicing to an audience - friends, coursemates, family, your careers consultant if it's for a job - will really help too. Their feedback will be especially important when it comes to checking that your main point is getting through, loud and clear.'

Ask your practice audience to sit at a distance to check that everyone attending can hear you speaking and that they can see the slides. If possible, try to do this practice run in the room you'll be giving your presentation in.

This level of preparation will enable you to work out whether your presentation is the right length when spoken aloud and give you the chance to get used to expressing yourself in front of others.

 While you practice make sure that you:

• Speak slowly  - nerves can make you rush but try and moderate your speech. Take a breath at the end of every sentence or point you make.
• Face the audience  - to give a confident impression regularly make eye contact with your audience. If using a screen stand at a 45-degree angle so you have a good view of both your audience and your slides. Don't turn your back on your audience.
• Leave time for questions  - factor this into your overall time limit and be prepared to field any questions that come your way.

Another good tip is to record the practice run - you can do this on your phone or on Teams or Zoom. Play it back and reflect on it. Ask yourself if it's clear, concise, and if it makes sense. Pay particular attention to less obvious factors such as your facial expression and mannerisms. Do you come across well? Are you talking too fast or waffling? Are you smiling and personable?

Be positive

Leading up to the presentation try developing a positive attitude. This may seem easier said than done, especially if you're nervous but it will make a huge difference to how you perform.

Acknowledge your nervousness but don't let negative thoughts win. Instead of thinking about all the things that could go wrong visualise a positive outcome and focus on what you can do to ensure it runs smoothly.

On the day nerves can conspire to make you think that the room is against you, but this isn't the case. Remember that your tutor and your coursemates want you to succeed. To set your presentation up for success make sure your introduction is strong. Start with a confident attitude and a smile.

Don't rely on technology

We've all witnessed the agony of a presenter struggling with a faulty USB stick, failing to connect to the internet or not being able to get the projector to work. However, with a little bit of planning, you can minimise the risk of technology tripping you up.

If possible, test your presentation beforehand with the same equipment that you'll be using during the main event. Otherwise, arrive early on the day and have a run through. Make sure you know how to link your laptop to the projector and if your presentation includes links to web pages or video clips make sure these lead to the right places and are working beforehand. Bring back-ups of your documents and print out a few copies of the slides to share if things go wrong.

And if a piece of technology does fail, don't panic. It will happen to everyone in the room at some point. If you prove yourself prepared in the face of a disaster and handle it with grace it could impress your tutor more than if everything went according to plan.

Find out more

• Learn more about university life .
• Discover how to manage student stress .
• Find out how to get the most out of lectures and seminars .

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7 Steps to a Successful Target Audience Analysis

Appinio Research · 20.10.2022 · 13min read

Running successful marketing research means it is crucial to have a clear understanding of the target audience.

Whether they are demanding online enthusiasts or internet-savvy PR consultants, single top earners or working-class family men, male or female, middle-aged or young, mobile shoppers or sports fanatics, the target audience must be the central focus.

To attract potential customers to a website and ultimately convert them into buyers, it is important to identify the core target group.

This involves understanding their wants and needs, how they make purchase decisions, and what added value they expect from a service.

The key to success is connecting with the consumer, and this can only be achieved by precisely identifying the target audience before addressing them.

The ultimate goal is to tailor the customer approach as closely as possible to the needs and desires of the target group. By finding the right match between the product or service and the people who will use it, businesses can increase their chances of success in the market.

Why is the Target Group Analysis so important?

Entrepreneurial success hinges on the foundation of customer satisfaction .

To ensure that satisfaction is achieved, it's imperative to gain detailed information about the market through a target audience analysis.

Armed with this knowledge, a product or service can be customized to the needs of the target group and marketed to them effectively.

Failure to carry out a target group analysis can result in a product missing its intended audience. Therefore, knowing your customers is key.

Any information learned about your target group is invaluable, and can be obtained through research, surveys and studies, that we're going to cover in this guide.

Finding and defining the right Target Group

To effectively reach the audience for your product or service, it is crucial to understand who they are.

This is why the first step in research is defining the target audience, also known as the target group.

A target audience refers to a group of individuals who share similar needs and wants. This group is often characterized based on demographics and socio-economic factors, such as "unmarried women between the ages of 25 and 40 with a high income."

In addition to factors like gender, age, income, and location, details on marital status, education, occupation, and social standing can also be significant.

By carefully examining the product and the people who are interested in it, defining the target audience allows for a more targeted and effective approach to consumers, making marketing more efficient.

Once the target audience is defined, the next step is to analyze their purchasing behavior.

Exploring the behavior of the Target Group

Defining the target audience by focusing on socio-demographic data is only the first step.

Conducting a target group analysis requires delving into the lifestyle and behavior of the intended audience to understand their purchasing habits and challenges.

These questions below will help you gaining valuable insights into your target audience:

• What is their current life situation?
• What needs are not being met by existing products or services?
• What motivates their buying decisions?
• Who has the most influence on purchase decisions?
• What channels do they typically use for purchases?
• How frequently do they make purchases?

It's also crucial to consider psychographic characteristics, including attitudes, values, and behavior. This could include their environmental awareness, character traits, brand preferences, and consumer habits. For instance, while some may be more conservative, others may be more open to new products and ideas.

Further segmenting the target audience into different main groups can also be helpful.

More questions about target audience analysis? Talk directly to our experts.

Connecting with your customer

To obtain information about the consumer behavior of your target audience, direct questioning is often the simplest and most efficient method.

This can be done through qualitative surveys or simple questionnaires, even if you do not yet have a large customer base.

By targeting individuals who meet the desired characteristics of your target audience, you can gather the necessary data and gradually improve your target group definition through customer surveys and tracking of purchasing behavior.

Since user behavior changes rapidly, particularly in the digital realm, it is crucial to regularly check the relevance of your target audience.

The target group analysis is an ongoing and dynamic process that requires continuous evaluation.

It is recommended to carry out the following measures regularly:

• Internal company data: What information about customers is already available?
• Analyzing a target audience analysis of a similar product
• Conducting qualitative interviews or surveys
• Conducting internal user testing to identify and address weak points
• Observing market trends and current developments
• Surveying superiors, colleagues, or contact persons.

Online Surveys: address the Target Group quickly and easily

Once users or consumers have been using your product or service for a while, it's important to understand more about them.

You can start by asking questions about their hobbies and interests, beyond their work and family life. This information can be obtained through direct surveys and questionnaires, which provide concrete details about why they are using your product or service and help you understand your target audience better.

In the past, this process was seen as difficult because it required personal interviews with each individual customer.

However, nowadays, online surveys make it easier to conduct a target group analysis. Once you create a questionnaire, it can be sent to all customers, making it simpler and more efficient to gather feedback and opinions.

When to use customer satisfaction surveys

Knowing when to conduct customer satisfaction surveys is crucial in order to get the most out of them.

If you want to gather feedback on a specific product or service, you should target recent customers.

For instance, you could find out which bottle or label of your new smoothies is the most popular or how the trailer of your latest action thriller appeals to frequent movie-goers. These results can then be used to refine and enhance your products.

Regular online surveys can also help you improve the overall customer experience.

By engaging both top buyers and newcomers, you show that you value their feedback and care about their satisfaction.

You can use these surveys to assess levels of satisfaction, identify areas for improvement, and gather ideas for new products. Offering rewards such as vouchers or incentives can also motivate customers to participate.

If you want to gauge the performance of your products and services, consider targeting inactive customers.

By asking what they don't like and what it would take to win them back, you can gather valuable insights that will help you make improvements.

For building long-term relationships with loyal customers, it's important to ask them specific questions about their experience .

Find out what they like, what they would change, and what they want to see in the future. By showing that their opinions matter, you can encourage them to share detailed feedback.

You can also dive deeper into the customer's journey by asking about their decision-making process.

• How did they research potential vendors?
• What factors influenced their decision?

By breaking down the customer's journey, you can gain a better understanding of what your target group is looking for. Ultimately, your goal is to offer them exactly what they want.

Designing the questionnaire

Online survey tools can be a great way to gather specific feedback from your target audience.

Whether you're looking to survey your most loyal customers or get general feedback on a product, there are three key factors to consider when designing your questionnaire:

Ask clear and concise questions Your respondents should be able to understand exactly what you're asking and provide specific answers. Unclear questions can lead to imprecise answers, so it's important to be as clear as possible. Concise questions are also more enjoyable for participants to answer.

Ensure a sufficiently large sample size To achieve statistically significant results and reduce the margin of error , your sample size should be between 500 and 1,000 participants.

Use customer-oriented language and neutral questions When writing your questions, make sure you're using language that resonates with your target audience. A void technical terms or jargon that might not be familiar to them. Additionally, avoid asking leading questions that might bias the answers.

It's important to keep your survey's purpose in mind when selecting the questions you'll ask.

By following these tips, you can create an effective survey that provides valuable insights into your customers' experiences and needs.

Here are some of the questions used to measure customer satisfaction :

• How satisfied are you with product x of brand x all in all?
• How would you rate the (business) relationship with company x / brand x all in all?
• How satisfied were you with the answers or suggestions for solutions that brand x offered you?
• How satisfied were you with the customer service of brand x / company x all in all?
• How likely is it that you will recommend x (product / company / brand) to friends, colleagues or relatives?

Head over to our platform to discover the full customer satisfaction questionnaire and get your customer satisfaction survey ready in minutes.

Furthermore, online survey tools enable you to ask targeted questions about a brand or company's products or services, including overall satisfaction levels, product quality, pricing , value for money, selection, and product features.

Additionally, it is valuable to inquire whether customers would use the brand or company again or recommend it to others.

• Which of these factors are the two decisive criteria to buy products / services from companies x / brand x for you?
• Product features/conditions
• Product / Service Benefits
• Value for money
• Possibility of adaptation to my needs
• Offer and selection
• Something else, namely: (open text)
• What is your overall impression of x (product / company / brand)?
• How do you like the design of x (product / brand) all in all?
• How likely is it that you will take a closer look at x (product / company / brand)?
• How likely is it that you will buy a product from the category x (industry) in the next few weeks?

Qualitative surveys leveraging free-text responses

In order to achieve the highest possible quality , you should include open-ended questions in surveys.

In contrast to other question types that have predefined answer alternatives, qualitative surveys like focus groups use free-text fields that allow participants to enter their answers in their own words.

This type of survey is particularly useful in obtaining information that may not have been considered yet.

By asking participants to describe their personal attitudes towards a product, it's possible to learn about how they use it and if they encounter any difficulties.

Additionally, customers can share what features and functions they find appealing and what they think is missing. Participants can even be asked to share photos or videos of themselves using the product, like a picture of their own kitchen.

Open-ended questions are especially useful when it comes to analyzing the opinion of the target audience.

When several statements are combined, a detailed opinion with requirements and needs emerges. Free-text questions can provide valuable insights for new developments as well as existing products.

While this type of survey may be more elaborate, the answers are directly available in digital form when using online survey tools.

Results can be illustrated using word clouds , making systematic evaluation of open-ended questions possible.

Curious to see how it looks like? Sign up to our platform for free and browse all Appinio free studies and templates!

Creating user profiles of target group representatives

Gathering information from surveys among both customers and non-customers can provide valuable insights, which must be analyzed, evaluated, and illustrated.

The goal of these analyses and evaluations should be to create user profiles that help to understand the desires and needs of the target audience.

For each typical target group representative (or for each main target group), a meaningful user profile can be created with a name, age, occupation, and other key features that describe what this user expects from the product or service.

By creating user profiles, the anonymous target audience becomes more human and easier to understand.

It is crucial to continuously update these user profiles with newly acquired data from personal conversations or surveys to keep them as up-to-date as possible.

The clearer the user profile is, the sooner you can surprise and inspire your target audience, and the stronger your grasp on consumers will be.

Target group analysis is not only the basis for any successful study, but also enables the refinement of product strategy and brand value in the long term through the updating of target group profiles with additional primary research.

Want to know more about how to conduct your Target Group Analysis? Book a demo and ask our experts.

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Wait, there's more

07.09.2023 | 17min read

Demographic Segmentation: Definition, How-To, Examples

06.09.2023 | 22min read

What Is Research Design? Elements, Types, Examples

05.09.2023 | 17min read

How to Ask Open-Ended Questions? Examples, Advantages

Chapter 10 The Presentation: The Power of Solving Problems

Making your presentation work, learning objective.

• Learn how to deliver your message in a powerful and effective way.

When deciding on the structure of your presentation, there are a number of things to consider. Will you present to a group or to an individual? Where will you be giving your presentation? What tools will you use? Sometimes these options are under your control, but often in business-to-business (B2B) sales, you will have to adapt your presentation to your prospect’s needs. In either situation, you can maximize your presentation if you know what to avoid, what to prepare for, and how to make your solution come to life with the tools you have.

The Right Size

A good salesperson can read group dynamics as skillfully as she can read an individual prospect’s verbal and nonverbal cues and is comfortable in one-on-one and in group presentation situations. This is critical because as a salesperson sometimes you have control over the kind of presentation you will deliver (group versus individual), but in many situations, the size of the audience to which you will present is determined by the needs and structure of your prospect’s organization. In many organizations large purchasing decisions are the responsibility of purchasing committees or of a combination of individual and group decision makers. [1] You might find that you begin with several individual presentations to decision makers in an organization and then are asked to give a follow-up group presentation to a purchasing committee.

Presenting to Individuals

In one-on-one presentations, of course, you only have one person’s needs, preferences, and background to research and adapt to, so customization is usually an easy task. You can closely observe your prospect’s nonverbal communication and listen to her stated needs and concerns and respond accordingly. Does he look worried when you tell him that your company’s integrated marketing plan usually takes four months to develop? You can explain that for preferred prospects you are sometimes able to turn around a faster solution. Does he seem distracted when you begin discussing product features? You can back off and begin asking more questions.

As you learned in Chapter 3 “The Power of Building Relationships: Putting Adaptive Selling to Work” in the discussion about social styles, you will be in a better position to deliver value during your sales presentation if you know something about your buyer’s personality before going into the meeting: Is your prospect conversational and people oriented, or is he task oriented and businesslike? Does your prospect care about details and thorough descriptions, or does he prefer to see the “big picture”? Is he competitive? How does he feel about change? Understanding these things about your prospect will help you to favorably position your product and plan your presentation so that you can put emphasis on the things that matter most to the individual. If you know your prospect is highly competitive, for instance, he will probably be interested in learning about the features that set your product apart from others on the market and the ways in which your product can give him or his company a competitive edge.

Writing up a customer trait description before your meeting can be very helpful so that you can use the information as a guideline in preparing your presentation. [2] If you’re working with an existing customer or if you’ve interacted with your prospect prior to the presentation, you can use your observations to write a trait description. If you haven’t met the prospect before, try asking other salespeople in your organization, noncompetitive salespeople at other companies, or other contacts you have who might have met your prospect and who can tell you something about her personality. [3] Also, use the company resources including the CRM system to gather as much information as possible about the company and your contact. In addition, it is also a good idea to send a precall questionnaire to your contact to gather information such as the names and titles of the people who will be attending the presentation, how much time has been allotted for you, objectives for the meeting, and any other information that will help you plan the meeting. This information can provide valuable information and help you create an agenda, which is a good idea to send to the prospect before the meeting.

In adapting to an individual buyer, it’s also important to consider his motivation. [4] What are his responsibilities in the organization? What pressures does he face? Is he on a strict budget? Is he concerned with his status in the company? If you have two buyers who purchase the same product, chances are they’ll be doing it for different reasons: [5] one person might buy a car from you because he sees it as a status symbol, while another person might buy the same car because it gets good gas mileage and is well built and reliable. Keep in mind that delivering value isn’t only about meeting a prospect’s needs; it’s also about showing him that you understand his specific motivations and concerns. The best salespeople present themselves as advisors their customers can trust. [6] Is a prospect worried about proving herself in a new role in her company? Show him how your product can help him perform her role better, or demonstrate how people in similar positions at other companies have used your product with success.

Sell with Success Stories

Listen to how Rachel Gordon, account manager at WMGK, uses success stories with other customers as a selling tool in her presentations to new prospects.

Presenting to Groups

If customization is that straightforward with an individual buyer, why would you ever choose to sell to a group? Besides the fact that sometimes the nature of the sale demands it, selling to groups is also more efficient than selling to individuals. If you’re selling accounting software to a number of departments in an organization, rather than meeting individually with a decision maker from each department, you can save time by giving your sales presentation to a number of decision makers at once. Group presentations can also help you identify the decision makers in an organization if you aren’t yet sure who they are. By keeping an eye on group dynamics during the presentation you can usually observe the “pecking order” among members and identify the individuals in the group whose opinions hold the most leverage.

Additionally, group presentations can be a way to win greater support for your sale. If you know one or two people in an organization who are excited about your product, you can allow their enthusiasm to influence others in a group setting. [7] Recall Selena Lo of Ruckus Wireless, who finds the “fox” within each of her target organizations and leverages his support of her product to sway the group buying decision.

If you know what is at stake for each member of the group, you will be able to facilitate the discussion during your presentation much more effectively. This is why it’s important to gather information about everyone who will attend your sales meeting. Again, think of Lo’s method, where she reads each group member’s bio and googles their names before going into a group meeting. Find out the individual’s needs within the organization. What is her status? How does she perceive the urgency of the problem you want to solve? Does she have any ego involvement in the product or service? [8] (For instance, an accountant in the organization might feel threatened by new accounting software if it replaces part of her current role.) This will help you understand the most important concerns you will need to address in the presentation, and if certain parts of your presentation apply more directly to certain members of the group, you can direct those parts specifically at those individuals.

Keep in mind that people act differently in group settings than they do when you are interacting with them alone, so finding out about individual members’ personalities is less important in group presentations. Instead, adjust your presentation to the dynamics in the room. Watch the group for nonverbal cues; when one member is talking, observe how others react to see whether or not they support what she’s saying. [9] If the energy in the room feels low, or if you get the sense that the group is getting restless, consider moving on to the next part of your presentation or changing tactics.

Sometimes you won’t know who or how many people you will be presenting to beforehand, so you won’t be able to research the individuals. However, it’s always a good idea to ask when you call to schedule your meeting. You may be able to find out information that your contact at the organization wouldn’t otherwise volunteer.

Group Presentations

Hear about how to use a group presentation to your “unfair” advantage in this video:

The Right Place

You also might not know where your presentation will happen. If you know you’ll be presenting to your prospect at his office or in a conference room at his company, you won’t have control over the environment. What happens if your prospect has reserved a meeting room and when you arrive there are no empty walls on which you can project the PowerPoint presentation you brought along? When you know you’ll be presenting in an unfamiliar environment, make sure to have a contingency plan in place. If slides or other multimedia equipment are central to your presentation, talk to someone at the company to make sure you’ll be able to use the equipment. And if this fails, be ready to rely on your handouts, product samples, or the good old whiteboard to carry the presentation through.

Of course, in other situations, you will have control over the environment. In real estate, for instance, the presentation takes place inside the product. In retail, the presentation generally happens at your store. And there are other selling situations in which the prospect will come to your office or a conference room at your company or where you will meet at a “neutral” location like a rented meeting space. [10] Here are a few guidelines to follow, depending on the environment in which you’ll be presenting.

Your Place of Business

When the prospect comes to you, treat her like you would treat a guest in your home. Make sure you set up any presentation materials well in advance and have refreshments set out in the conference room or your office. Think about ways you can add personal touches—for instance, a sign with the prospect’s name on it (“[Your company name] welcomes [prospect’s company name]”), or, for a group presentation, information packets at each person’s seat with his or her name on the front. Sales professional John Chapin suggests having small items on hand that you can give to your prospect, such as pens or calculators with your company logo on them. [11] Small, thoughtful details can make an important difference.

A Neutral Location

If you are giving your presentation in a neutral location like a rented conference room you have the freedom to set up and work out any technical bugs well beforehand. When Keith Waldon of Earth Preserv was preparing for the presentation that secured his biggest customer, JCPenney, he rented a boardroom in a building near JCPenney’s corporate headquarters. He opted for the rented space so that he could pull out all the stops for the presentation. “I wanted to catch JCPenney by surprise,” Waldon says.

When the five executives arrived, Waldon had set up multimedia equipment for video, sound, and slides. He had placed a thick binder of presentation materials (including television storyboards, magazine advertisements, and product comparisons) at each executive’s seat with his name and the JCPenney corporate logo embossed on the front. Besides the conference room, Waldon had also rented an empty storefront in the same building, and halfway through the presentation, he took his customers to see the retail window display he had created there to look like one JCPenney might use to display Earth Preserv products in their stores. [12]

Since you will have time to set up beforehand at a rented location, you can treat the presentation the way you would treat a presentation at your home office. Bring refreshments, set up any multimedia equipment well in advance, and arrive early to make sure everything is in working order at the facility. Make sure you know the name of the facility’s contact person; you can call her several days ahead of time to find out what equipment she has at on hand and what you will need to bring. [13]

Your Prospect’s Place of Business

When you deliver your presentation at your prospect’s location, you won’t have the luxury of extensive setup time, and you may find that you have to adapt to the space and resources on hand. However, there are a few things you can do to make a good impression and ensure that things go as smoothly as possible:

• Arrive early and set up any technology you plan to use so that you can minimize the chance of something going wrong.
• When it’s possible, call ahead to find out about the space in which you will be presenting and the materials that will be available to you.
• Let your prospect know how long you will need to set up—particularly if you are using multimedia equipment.
• When you arrive, the first person you interact with will probably be the receptionist. Introduce yourself and let her know that the customer is expecting you.
• In addition to your presentation items, consider bringing food, coffee, or small giveaway items.
• In B2B sales, if your presentation will be around the lunch hour, it’s often customary to offer to take your prospect to lunch before or after the meeting. [14]

Webinars and Video Conferences

So how do you give a sales presentation if your prospect lives across the country, but you have a limited budget for travel? Unless there is a good chance that a prospect will become a key customer, it usually isn’t practical for a salesperson to travel long distances to make one presentation. However, thanks to improved technology, it’s becoming increasingly common for salespeople to address this problem using Webinars, video conferences, and online meetings. These technologies are allowing companies to reach more prospects in less time and to reach prospects internationally and across long distances.

Remote Presentations

Learn more about how and why salespeople are now using the Web to make sales presentations.

http://www.webex.com/overview/index.html

Of course, there are some drawbacks to giving sales presentations through video conferencing rather than in person. For one thing, it’s always easier to establish rapport with your prospect if you’re able to have a face-to-face interaction. Video conferences offer the benefit of visuals, so you and your prospect can read one another’s body language and visual cues, but this is not a complete substitute for sitting in the same room with someone. Additionally, since the presentation relies entirely on technology—both on your end and on the prospect’s end—there is a greater chance that a technological malfunction could prevent the presentation from working.

In-person presentations are still the most effective and personal method, so whenever you are able (and when it is practical) to give a face-to-face presentation, this is your best option. However, technology keeps improving, and online meetings and video teleconferences are becoming more successful as an alternative method all the time. [15] Depending on your selling situation, this is something you might consider. As online sales strategist Joanna Lees Castro points out, video conferencing can be almost as effective as an in-person meeting in a number of selling situations, and it is certainly a better, more personal approach than e-mail or telephone. [16]

Even though video conferencing feels different from in-person communications, you should essentially treat your online meetings the way you would treat any sales call. Keep in mind that nonverbal communication has a strong influence on interactions—and, especially with good technology, your customer can see you clearly. Pay attention to your body language and facial expressions, and avoid personal gestures (like playing with your hair or scratching an itch). [17] Dress professionally, plan your agenda carefully, and make sure to prepare and get your materials set up ahead of time. If you are conferencing from a location other than your office, arrive early to make sure the technology is set up to run smoothly for your presentation.

It is also important to resist the temptation to multitask during your video conference. Close down any other applications you might have open on your computer, clear off your desk, and make sure you will not be interrupted until the call is over. Mute any cell phones and close the door to the room in which you are presenting. Give your customer your full attention. While this level of focus is a given on your end, unfortunately, you can’t always be certain that your prospect will give a video conference meeting his full attention by minimizing distractions. For this reason, it is especially important to have a clear agenda that you follow closely. Keep your presentation brief, and be aware that you will have to work harder to hold your prospect’s attention. Live interaction from your audience is critical to make sure your participants are engaged.

Besides a greater likelihood of distraction, there are a few other extra considerations to keep in mind in a video conference situation. Sales and Management magazine notes that privacy is expected during a video conference, so if you want to record part of your presentation, it is important to ask your prospect for permission. [18] When the presentation is over, Joanna Lees Castro suggests closing the meeting with a clear call to action in which you include a wrap-up and well-defined next steps that you and your prospects should take. At the end of a conventional sales presentation, Lees Castro points out, next-step discussions can happen more organically, as the customer is walking you to the door, but this is obviously impossible in an online situation. [19]

The Right Tools

In the best sales presentations, the product or service comes alive. Try to see the presentation through your prospect’s eyes. What is the best way to capture his imagination? How will you tell the story that will make your product or service compelling? In what ways can you delight or surprise your customer? Few people know how to do this better than Dann Ilicic, CEO of Wow Branding. Wow, a small start-up, frequently outperforms big name competitors when vying for a prospect. Ilicic approaches each presentation with the same mind-set: you can’t bore your customer into buying from you, so why not dazzle them? One customer said the presentation Ilicic put together for his company couldn’t have been better: “Dann unquestionably knocked it out of the park compared with the other firms, and they were really high-end firms with spectacular portfolios.” [20]

So how does Wow Branding wow its prospects? Ilicic’s approach offers three lessons:

• Take customization to a new level . Ilicic says he and his team spend about fifty hours preparing for a sales presentation. They call low-level employees in the customer company, the company’s past customers, and companies that have chosen not to do business with the prospect to learn things the prospects might not even know about themselves. Glumac, an engineering firm in Portland, Oregon, and one of Wow’s customers, said Ilicic’s technique “was a brilliant move…because he wasn’t asking what our imagery should be”; instead, he researched to find out what the image already was.
• Never miss an opportunity to delight . Ilicic likes to surprise his customers with the small things: like stamping green thumbprints throughout a proposal for an agricultural company—or, for a pharmaceutical company, handing out vitamin bottles on which he has replaced the label with a message about Wow. Sometimes he brings in a cake on which he reveals the suggested name for a new company. Because Ilicic’s intensive research allows him to understand his customers so well, he is able to perfectly match the wow factor to each prospect and make the product come alive.
• Always make the presentation creative and fun . This technique engages the customer, even when the meeting agenda isn’t exciting itself. It also allows Wow to get around difficult or sensitive parts of the presentation. Rather than talking about Wow’s successes, Ilicic records customer testimonials about his company and plays these for his prospects. On another occasion, rather than potentially putting a prospect on the defensive by telling the company what their image should be, Ilicic told them that Wow had been assigned a branding project for their biggest competitor. He launched a multimedia presentation to show them their competitor’s branding overhaul, and by the end his prospects were asking themselves, “Why didn’t we think of that?” After the presentation, Ilicic revealed that he hadn’t actually made the campaign for the company’s competitor; it was for them. [21]

So what techniques can you use to achieve these goals in your sales presentations? The tools you choose will depend on the situation and your presentation style. As Ilicic demonstrates, the possibilities are almost endless, but whatever tool you use, it is important to carefully consider your choice and how you can maximize its effectiveness.

PowerPoint Presentations

PowerPoint slides provide an easy way to organize your presentation and add helpful visuals. For many salespeople, PowerPoint is one of their go-to presentation tools. It can be an especially helpful tool for salespeople who are starting out and want the security of a clear framework from which to present. An added benefit is that it doesn’t take much technological know-how to put together a clean-looking PowerPoint demonstration.

On the other hand, not all presentation situations lend themselves to PowerPoint (e.g., conference rooms with no wall space on which to project or presentations given in the field), so if you plan to use this tool, make sure that you will be presenting in a space where you can make it work. Additionally, be aware of—and avoid—a number of common mistakes salespeople make when using PowerPoint that can ruin a presentation. As sales coach and author Anne Miller says, “Putting PowerPoint into the hands of some sales reps is like putting matches into the hands of some children.” [22] To maximize PowerPoint as a tool to successfully sell your story, use the tips in Figure 10.5 “Guidelines for PowerPoint Visuals”. [23]

Figure 10.5 Guidelines for PowerPoint Visuals

The following dos and don’ts can also be helpful as you are creating a PowerPoint presentation.

• Don’t turn down the lights. It takes the focus away from you, and it can put people to sleep.
• Don’t go overboard with technological gimmicks. Fancy fades and clever add-ons will only distract from you and from the content of your presentation. [24]
• Don’t hide behind your computer screen when using PowerPoint; make sure you face your audience and make eye contact. This can be a temptation when the computer is set up on a podium close to eye level.
• Don’t fill your slides with words. Use bullet points, separate each point with white space, and cut out any unnecessary words you can.
• Don’t bore your audience with visual sameness. Slide after slide of bulleted lists gets monotonous; visuals and charts have a stronger impact. [25]
• Do make your slides easy to read. Avoid small fonts, visual clutter, and dark text against dark backgrounds. [26]
• Do replace descriptive headlines with headlines that sell. No one cares about a headline that describes what’s already on the page. [27] For example, rather than writing “Our Statistics” at the top of the page, write “See Significant Savings in the First Year.”
• Do use the 10/20/30 rule: Make sure you limit your slides to 10 or fewer. Focus on the things you want people to remember, rather than overwhelming them with information. Give yourself 20 minutes to go through your 10 slides. Any more than this and you will reach the limit of your audience’s attention span. Finally, use only 30-point or larger font size so that your audience can clearly read what you’ve written. [28]

10/20/30 Rule

Guy Kawaski, best-selling author, venture capitalist, and entrepreneur, created this rule and describes it in this video.

• Do remember that that PowerPoint is only an aid . “You are the star,” says communications consultant Ronnie Moore. “The media and visuals support you.” [29] Use dynamic speaking strategies, move around, keep your audience involved; don’t let your technology take over.

Brochures, Premiums, and Leave-Behinds

It is usually expected that you will have printed material to give your audience during a presentation. In addition to a printed supplement to your PowerPoint presentation (i.e., something that conveys the same information as your slides and on which your audience can take notes), you might decide to bring along brochures with information about your company, products, and services. What are the benefits of brochures? According to sales expert and author Geoffrey James, in some situations you need a brochure to make your firm look serious. However, James lists “I promise to read your brochure” as one of the top ten lies customers tell sales reps. His conclusion: the brochure might gain you credibility, but it probably won’t get read. [30] Don’t rely completely on brochures because they won’t be a focal point of your presentation.

Sometimes a brochure can work as a reminder about you and your company after you’ve left, but this is assuming your customer doesn’t throw the brochure away. When it comes to reminders, a better bet is leaving something functional that your customer will actually use regularly. These reminder objects—calendars, refrigerator magnets, pens, or mouse pads labeled with your company name—are called premium leave-behinds and are a proven method of reminding customers you exist. [31] Almost all salespeople bring some sort of brochure or premium leave-behind on their sales calls.

Samples and Demonstrations

There is almost no better way to make your story come to life for your customer than letting him experience it for himself. Think of television courtroom dramas: when the lawyer is making her final statement to the jury and she wants to pull out all the stops, what does she do? She doesn’t just give the jury the facts or tell them the version of the story she wants them to believe—she brings the story to life; she puts the gun in the defendant’s hand; she brings out the pictures of the stab wounds. Think about this when you plan your sales presentation. During the presentation, you can bring your story to life by offering product samples for your prospects to try or by running demonstrations that let them see for themselves what your product can do. When winemakers sell their products to large distributors, they don’t just bring in descriptions of their wines for the buyers to read; they offer tastings so buyers can experience the product. When caterers want to sell their services to someone who is planning a wedding, they bring in samples from their menus, so the customer can say, “Wow this pasta really is delicious!” Or think of Keith Waldon of Earth Preserv who didn’t just tell JCPenney, “We can make displays of our environmentally friendly products for your store windows;” instead, he set up a real shop window display so his prospects could see their place in his story.

Power Selling: Lessons in Selling from Successful Brands

Sell to Someone Unexpected

For the founders of Cranium, Inc., maker of the popular Cranium board game, playing is believing. When the company first launched in 1998, they knew that 50 percent of board games failed in their first year. Cranium’s strategy? Avoid the traditional board game buyers—toy stores—and sell to someone unexpected. Cranium’s founders managed to get an introduction to Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, and they arrived at his office with a game board and challenged him to a match. After playing a few rounds, Schultz decided this was just the game Starbucks had been looking for—something that would support coffeehouse culture—and Cranium, Inc., had its first major sale.

Next on Cranium’s list? Barnes & Noble Booksellers. The company’s founders scheduled a meeting with Terese Profaci, the bookstore’s director of gift merchandising, whose boss told the sales reps on the way in, “I don’t know why you’re here. We don’t sell games.” Still, Profaci’s boss had her play a round of the game with some employees at corporate headquarters, and in the end, Barnes & Noble was won over. [32]

Besides bringing your story to life, there are a number of other good reasons to use demonstrations:

• To educate your prospect . If you are selling a complex product, such as a highly involved software program, the best way to help your customer understand how it works is to show her.
• To involve your prospect . Let him find the results for himself. Just as car shoppers get to take the wheel in a test drive—and this often makes the difference between a decision to buy or not to buy—customers who use your products for themselves are more likely to make a personal connection with it. A salesperson selling insulated windows, for instance, might place a piece of glass in front of a heat lamp and ask her customer to put out his hand and feel the heat. Then the salesperson might substitute the sheet of glass for a window sample. “Now put out your hand,” she will tell the customer. “Can you feel how this window is going to keep the elements out and save you money on your energy bills?” [33]
• To prove the performance of your product . [34] Of course, you can tell your prospect “our air purifiers are quieter than the leading model, and they take up less space in your home.” But if you bring your air purifier to the presentation and set it next to the leading model, and if you ask your prospect to turn both machines on, he can see for himself that your product is smaller, and he can hear for himself that it makes less noise.

Give Them the Numbers: Cost-Benefit Analysis and ROI

When you present your solution to the customer, especially in B2B sales, closing the sale usually depends on whether the cost of your solution is offset by the value it delivers. [35] If you can quantify your solution using cost-benefit analysis and ROI (return on investment) analysis, you can help your customer determine whether a project or purchase is worth funding.

A cost-benefit analysis asks the question “Will this purchase save more money in the long run than it costs?” [36] Imagine you are selling an energy-efficient commercial dishwasher to a pizza kitchen. The dishwasher costs $3,000, but average cost savings per year are $800 in energy bills and $200 in water usage: a total of $1,000. [37] Your dishwashers are guaranteed to last a long time; in fact, you offer a five-year warranty on any purchase. At a savings rate of $1,000 each year, your customer will have saved $5,000 in energy and water expenses by the time his warranty expires. Based on this information, you present this cost-benefit analysis to your prospect:

$3,000 = cost (initial investment) cost savings – initial investment = benefit $5,000 – $3,000 = $2,000

In this case, the cost savings is $1,000 per year times five years for a total of $5,000, minus the initial investment of $3,000, means that there is a benefit of $2,000.

In other words, the dishwasher has a three-to-two cost-benefit ratio over five years ($3,000 in cost to $2,000 in benefit). You can tell him, “This purchase will save you money in the long run. After you make back what you spent on the dishwasher in cost savings, you will continue to save $1,000 each year.” Similarly, you can show your customer a return on investment (ROI) analysis . ROI shows the customer the return (profit or cost savings) compared to the investment he will make. In the case of the dishwasher, the ROI would be calculated by dividing the benefit (in this case $2,000) by the cost of the product or initial investment (in this case $3,000), then multiplying the result by 100, which would yield a 66 percent ROI after five years.

$2000 (savings over five years) ÷ $3,000 (initial investment) × 100 = 66% ROI

You can maximize ROI by cutting costs, increasing profits, or accelerating the rate at which profits are made. [38] Some businesses have a minimum ROI that must be met before a purchase can be approved. While you might be able to learn this information in your preapproach, it is more likely that you will have to discuss minimum ROI with your customer during the sales presentation. You might present your solution and find out more about your customer’s specific needs (including budget constraints and minimum ROI) during the first sales presentation and then write up a proposal in response to your findings, which you deliver during a second presentation.

Key Takeaways

• Presenting to individuals requires a different set of skills and techniques than presenting to groups, so make sure you have a clear strategy for your presentation that takes the size of your audience into account.
• When presenting to an individual, keep your prospect’s personality in mind and adapt your approach accordingly. Take his position and responsibilities in the company into account in the way you present your solution.
• Selling to groups can be a more efficient presentation method, and sometimes it is required in your customer organization. When conducting a group presentation, take group dynamics into account, keeping in mind that people act differently in group situations than they do in one-on-one interactions.
• When you are delivering your presentation at your place of business or in a neutral location (like a rented space), treat the customer as you would treat a guest in your home. Set up refreshments and supplies well ahead of time so that you are well prepared when the prospect arrives.
• When you are presenting at your prospect’s place of business, try to find out about the presentation venue beforehand—but be prepared to adapt if your prospect doesn’t have the equipment or setup you were expecting. Arrive early so that you have time to set up.
• If your presentation is given as a Webinar or video conference, treat the presentation as you would treat an in-person interaction. Dress professionally and set up ahead of time. Make sure to minimize distractions.
• When delivering a PowerPoint presentation, keep your slides brief, uncluttered, and easy to read. Don’t let the technology overshadow you, the presenter.
• There is almost no better way to bring your product to life than by using samples or demonstrations to get your prospect involved.
• Your customer will expect you to bring a cost-benefit analysis or ROI analysis as a way to quantify your solution.
• You are giving a presentation to a busy manager who initially tells you that she can only give you thirty minutes of her time. She seems brisk and businesslike at first, but when you are in her office, you notice a picture of her son in a soccer uniform and mention that your kids are involved in soccer. After this, she relaxes and begins discussing her children at length. Keeping in mind that (a) you have an agenda to get through but (b) establishing a connection is important to you, and you want to take your cue from your prospect, how do you respond, and why?
• You are giving a presentation to a group and notice that one member of the group is more vocal than others and tends to dominate the conversation. What are some strategies you could use to make sure that other members of the group have a chance to participate and contribute their opinions?
• Choose a product or service and prepare a short sales presentation that includes a demonstration. What other items do you need besides the product or service to perform the demonstration (e.g., Internet service for software; water for instant coffee; plates, silverware, and napkins for food products)? How is the product demonstration integrated into your presentation? How do you use the demonstration to engage the prospect with the product or service?
• Assume you are selling environmental design consulting, and an important part of your sales presentation involves using your company Web site to demonstrate previous projects you have completed, interactive customer surveys, and your company’s brand image. However, when you arrive at your customer’s place of business to set up your presentation, you learn that the Internet has been down all morning and may not be back up until the next day. What could you have done to prepare for this sort of unforeseen problem in advance?
• Find a PowerPoint presentation you have created for another class—or if this is unavailable, find a PowerPoint presentation online; Slideshare is a good resource: http://www.slideshare.net . Offer a critique of the presentation based on the information you learned in this chapter.
• Assume you are a sales rep for an Internet advertising company. Your prospect, an online hardware retailer that specializes in compression pumps, is concerned about making the investment for Internet advertising. You want to incorporate the ROI into your presentation. If the prospect spends $90,000 in advertising, it will generate 120,000 clicks to the company Web site. At a 2 percent conversion rate (2 percent of the customers who visit the site make a purchase), that is 2,400 orders. If each order is $230, the sales generated from the online ad would be $552,000. What is the prospect’s ROI (show your math)? How would you incorporate this ROI into your sales presentation?
• Imagine that you are selling high-end electronic equipment. Your prospect has agreed to purchase a laptop for $800. Now you tell him about the benefits of purchasing the service agreement, which includes free battery replacement and computer cleaning every year for three years for only $120. A replacement battery costs $200, and a computer cleaning costs $85. How much will the customer save if he purchases the service agreement assuming he needs to replace the battery and have the laptop cleaned once a year? How would you incorporate this into your sales presentation?
• Gary M. Grikscheit, Harold C. Cash, and Clifford E. Young, The Handbook of Selling: Psychological, Managerial, and Marketing Dynamics , 2nd ed. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 1993), 152. ↵
• Gary M. Grikscheit, Harold C. Cash, and Clifford E. Young, The Handbook of Selling: Psychological, Managerial, and Marketing Dynamics , 2nd ed. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 1993), 127. ↵
• Gary M. Grikscheit, Harold C. Cash, and Clifford E. Young, The Handbook of Selling: Psychological, Managerial, and Marketing Dynamics , 2nd ed. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 1993), 136. ↵
• Gary M. Grikscheit, Harold C. Cash, and Clifford E. Young, The Handbook of Selling: Psychological, Managerial, and Marketing Dynamics , 2nd ed. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 1993), 128. ↵
• Gary M. Grikscheit, Harold C. Cash, and Clifford E. Young, The Handbook of Selling: Psychological, Managerial, and Marketing Dynamics , 2nd ed. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 1993), 135. ↵
• Ian Brodie, “Becoming a Trusted Advisor,” Ian Brodie: Business Growth for Professional Service Firms, blog post, July 5, 2008, http://www.ianbrodie.com/blog/becoming-trusted-advisor (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• Gary M. Grikscheit, Harold C. Cash, and Clifford E. Young, The Handbook of Selling: Psychological, Managerial, and Marketing Dynamics , 2nd ed. (Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 1993), 165. ↵
• Barton A. Weitz, Stephen Byron Castleberry, and John F. Tanner, Selling: Building Partnerships , 5th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003), 264. ↵
• Barton A. Weitz, Stephen Byron Castleberry, and John F. Tanner, Selling: Building Partnerships , 5th ed. (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2003), 265. ↵
• John Chapin, “Sales Presentations—How Location Can Affect Your Presentation and What to Do,” CompleteSelling.com, blog post, March 14, 2008, http://www.completeselling.com/members/completeselling/blog/VIEW/00000009/00000076/Sales-Presentations---How-Location-can-affect-Your-Sales-Presentation- and-What-to-Do.html (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• Susan Greco, “Anatomy of a Launch: The Five-Hour Multimedia Sales Presentation,” Inc. , October 1, 1995, http://www.inc.com/magazine/19951001/2441.html (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• “Sales Trends: Electronic Sales Presentations,” KnowThis.com, http://www.knowthis.com/principles-of-marketing-tutorials/personal-selling/selling-trends-electronic-sales-presentations (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• Joanna Lees Castro, “Using Video Conferencing to Host an Effective Online Sales Presentation—6 Best Practice Tips,” EzineArticles, http://ezinearticles.com/?id=1316495 (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• “Video Conferencing Etiquette Checklist,” Manage Smarter, June 8, 2009, http://www.presentations.com/msg/content_display/training/e3i0fe06f39ca140432cc75be4595e2c6e1 (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• Stephanie Clifford, “Fasten Your Seatbelts,” Inc. , February 1, 2007, http://www.inc.com/magazine/20070201/features-sales-performance-ilicic.html (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• Anne Miller, “Death by PowerPoint,” Sales and Sales Management Blog, February 22, 2008, http://salesandmanagementblog.com/2008/02/22/guest-article-death-by-powerpoint-by-anne-miller (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• Jim Meisenheimer, “How to Use PowerPoint During Sales Presentations,” EvanCarmichael.com, http://www.evancarmichael.com/Sales/407/How-To-Use-PowerPoint-During-Sales-Presentations.html (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• Geoff William, “The Perfect Presentation: Technology,” Entrepreneur , July 13, 2007, http://www.entrepreneur.com/marketing/marketingbasics/article181582.html (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• Geoffrey James, “Top 10 Lies Customers Tell Sales Reps,” BNET, April 23, 2009, http://blogs.bnet.com/salesmachine/?p=2323&page=2 (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• Brad Sugars, “Building Repeat Business from Day 1,” Entrepreneur , May 22, 2007, http://www.entrepreneur.com/startingabusiness/startupbasics/startupbasicscolumnistbradsugars/article178724.html (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• Julie Blick, “Inside the Smartest Little Company in America,” Inc. , January 1, 2002, http://www.inc.com/magazine/20020101/23798.html (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• EDTM, Inc., “4 Steps to Close More Sales,” http://www.solarstop.net/edtm/sales_demonstration.htm (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• Gerald L. Manning and Barry L. Reece, Selling Today: Creating Customer Value , 9th ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2004), 256. ↵
• David H. Miles, The 30 Second Encyclopedia of Learning and Performance (New York: AMACOM, 2003), 139–40. ↵
• Energy Star, “Commercial Dishwashers for Consumers,” U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy, http://www.energystar.gov/index.cfm?c=comm_dishwashers.pr_comm_dishwashers (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• “Cost of Ownership, ROI, and Cost/Benefit Analysis: What’s the Difference?” Solution Matrix, http://www.solutionmatrix.com/tco-roi-cba-difference.html (accessed May 16, 2010). ↵
• Powerful Selling. Authored by : Anonymous. Provided by : Anonymous. Located at : http://2012books.lardbucket.org/books/powerful-selling/ . License : CC BY-NC-SA: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike
• Rachel Gordon - Selling With Success Stories. Authored by : Kim Richmond. Located at : https://youtu.be/ysguVTGkyA4 . License : All Rights Reserved . License Terms : Standard YouTube License
• Super Sales Presentations - Sales Training Presentation Skills Video Preview from Seminars on DVD. Authored by : Seminars on Demand. Located at : https://youtu.be/1pilX9TS930 . License : All Rights Reserved . License Terms : Standard YouTube License
• Guy Kawasaki 10-20-30 Presentation Rule. Authored by : Robin Good. Located at : https://youtu.be/liQLdRk0Ziw . License : All Rights Reserved . License Terms : Standard YouTube License

• Programs & Tools

Target Audience vs Target Groups [Learn Effective Targeting]

If you’re asking the question “what’s the difference between  target group vs target audience ?”, then you’re not alone.

There are few industries where so many industry terms, with different meanings, are used so interchangeably as in  branding and marketing .

Who you’re aiming to serve  is a perfect example of that.

But before you go about identifying your future customers, you should be armed with the  best tools  to do so.

In this article, we dissect  target group vs target audience  so you can put this one to bed and get some clarity in your  strategic brand  building efforts.

Target Audience vs Target Groups [The Video Breakdown]

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Target Audience Definition

The  target audience  identifies:

The broadest targeted group of people who are most likely to want or need the solution a brand provides.

The  broader  the group of people the brand targets, the  less specified  they are, therefore the  less likely they are to want or need the solution.

Target Group vs Target Audience (What’s The Difference?)

So, first things first…

Are they the same thing or are they different?

The reality is, different industry players, different experts, different agencies in the world of  branding and marketing  use these terms in  different ways .

Some use  target group , others use  target audience , while others use both depending on the context.

Although you wouldn’t be out of place in a marketing or branding agency using one or the other,  technically there is a difference.

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Your Target Group Is Part Of Your Target Audience

When you refer to your target audience or target group, you’re referring to specific groups of people  though one is more specified than the other .

The target audience is  broader , while the target group is  narrower .

What Is A Target Audience?

Your target audience is the  entire group of people  your brand identifies as the people who  are most likely to want or need the solution your brand offers .

Essentially your target audience is  everyone you want to target your  brand messaging  towards  with the goal of acquiring as many of them as possible as new customers.

A target audience is not two-dimensional and not all the people in this audience are the same.

The broader the target audience, the more diverse the people are within it.

In fact,  there may be many different “types” of people  within your audience who can be categorized into more specific groups.

Here are  7 ways to tap into your target audience.

What Is A Target Group?

A target group  is one of these more specified groups of people within your broader target audience.

They identify more defined and specific groups of people within the broader target audience of which there could be many.

These groups of people are  more defined than the larger target audience ; therefore  messaging can be tailored more specifically .

Groups such as these are more aligned to each other with the problems and challenges they face than the broader audience and can therefore be targeted in more specific ways.

Although a broader based brand message directed at the larger target audience would likely strike a chord with all of the individual target groups, a more tailored message  speaking directly to individual groups  allow brands to  resonate on a much deeper level.

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Your target audience demographics are not enough.

Although your target audience is the broadest group of targeted people for your brand,  the audience shouldn’t be so broad  that your brand message doesn’t connect with them.

Demographics are the first port of call when defining your target audience.

Demographics are essentially a set of categorisation tools that filter out the people who are not your target audience.

Before you define your target audience, your target audience is everybody.

Then, using demographics such as

Marital Status

Personal Income

Household Income

You pull a broad group of people from the “everybody” group which excludes people who your brand doesn’t want to target or who are the least likely to want or need your brand solution.

But this isn’t enough.  You can’t stop with demographics , as this demographic based group of people still contains a large portion of people, that don’t want or need your solution.

Why Psychographics Are Critical In Identifying Your Audience

The demographically filtered group of people need further refinement and the next level is achieved by leveraging psychographics.

While demographics exclude people based on their circumstances, psychographics add another layer of categorisation through behaviours.

By defining how your audience live their lives, you exclude people who don’t fall into that category, further defining the target audience and the group of people most likely to want or need your services.

Behaviours such as

Music preferences

Food Preferences

News Sources

Magazine Publications

Car of Choice

Weekend Activities

All of these psychographics help to  paint a more detailed picture of who your target audience is , so you can tailor your  brand communication and messaging to them more effectively.

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Your Target Audience Strategy Needs Emotion

By applying demographic and psychographic filters to your target audience, you’re left with a group of people who are beginning to represent your  core target audience.

But this group of people is still not the finished article.

More detail is required, which will shape the  way your brand  will engage with them including your:

Messaging Strategy

Storytelling Approach

Brand Personality

Human Brand Persona

Tone of Voice

Brand Language

The detail required from this point helps to shape your understanding of who the audience is.

While demographics and psychographics identify the group of people, they tell us very little about:

Who they are

The problems they live with

The challenges they face

The desires they have

The fears they carry

The emotional connection to these issues

It’s only when you begin to understand these critical factors that define the “Who” behind your audience, can you begin to  strategize a way to resonate with them.

How Target Audience Analysis Reveals All

To get to the bottom of who your audience is, needs some hands on, roll the sleeves up kind of work.

They’re out there and you don’t have to look too far before you find what you’re after.

They’re online, positing, contributing, sharing, leaving trails, clues and insights for you to discover.

Using the group of people you’ve identified, what their  circumstances  are and how they  spend their time  you can find  groups and congregations  you can tap into.

This is where you’ll find your  audiences’ emotions .

Of course they won’t be spilling their guts for the world to see in their posts, but sure enough,  they’ll be leaving insights into their challenges and struggles  which lead back to the emotions associated with them.

There is some  investigative work in effective  target audience  analysis but if you plan on building a brand built to resonate and make connections; this is where such brands are born.

No doubt if you’re trying to understand target group vs target audience , you’re in the development phase of  building a brand .

It’s essential you have a firm grasp of the different target audience, market, groups and segments to identify an audience with the right level of  specificity, insights and emotion.

What about you? Do you have a preferred technique you use to identify your target audience or target groups?

What’s your greatest challenge around defining your target audience and is there something holding you back.

Let me know in the comments Right Now!

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To Win Over an Audience, Focus on Building Trust

• Allison Shapira
• David Horsager

Five tactics for leaders.

When we craft a presentation, we sometimes spend more time on how to deliver the message than on the strategy and vision that will make the message more effective. We make a monumental mistake when we skip strategy and head straight for delivery. Instead, presenters should focus on building trust. The authors identified five competencies a leader can utilize to gain buy-in and build trust in the context of a presentation: clarity, compassion, competency, connection, consistency.

A few years ago, David was giving a talk at the National Speakers Association on the topic of trust. Standing in front of a room full of professional speakers, he made a bold assertion: “Communication is never the core issue. Trust is.”

Allison, who was sitting in the audience, felt a rush of defensiveness. As a public speaking and communication expert, she thought, “How could you say communication is not the issue? I’ve spent my career teaching people that communication skills will make or break their effectiveness as a leader.”

But she soon realized he was exactly right. In order for our presentation skills to be effective, we need to first build trust with our audience.

When we craft a presentation, we sometimes spend more time on how to deliver the message than on the strategy and vision that will make the message more effective. We make a monumental mistake when we skip strategy and head straight for delivery.

Trust Is a Process

David has spent his career helping organizations build trust. David and his team at the Trust Edge Leadership Institute publish the Trust Outlook , an annual study on the impact of trust across industries and around the world. Over the years he’s learned a lot about the importance of establishing trust, and how leaders win and lose it.

In the 2020 Trust Outlook, 80% of Americans said they would not follow a leader they do not trust. According to the research, the number one reason people will not buy from a sales person is lack of trust. Furthermore, in the U.S. nearly 8 in 10 people would not refer the products or services of someone they do not trust. Trust is how organizations win our loyalty: respondents reported that the leading reason they wanted to work for an organization — more than compensation or company culture — was trusted leadership.

After the conference, Allison reflected on new ways leaders could use communication skills to build trust. She thought about how she and her team teach persuasion: they stress that persuasion is not a speech, it’s a process. The strategy before the speech is essential to gaining the buy-in of the audience.

Allison found a direct link between that mindset and the issue of trust. As speakers, our first goal is to build trust: in our credibility, our belief in what we do, or our ability to deliver value. Only then can we mobilize our audience to take action around a shared vision.

Five Competencies for Leaders

When Allison finally talked with David, they realized their views on the topic were complementary. Together, they identified five competencies a leader can utilize to gain buy-in and build trust in the context of a presentation, based on David’s research. When preparing for an all-hands meeting or a presentation to their leadership team, a leader can review all five competencies and ask themselves how they are addressing each one in their presentation.

1. Clarity .

One of the most frequently asked questions in Allison’s leadership communication programs — from American business executives to international leaders of all sectors — is how to get to the point. Leaders and their teams know that when they ramble, they lose their audience’s attention and their ability to make a persuasive point. They’re picking up on something real: David’s research shows that people trust clarity and distrust what is ambiguous or overly complex. A leader might not be trusted because they’re not clear about their vision. A manager might not be trusted because they’re not clear about expectations. A sales professional might not be trusted because they’re not clear of the benefits of their product or service.

Clarity is especially important when speaking to an unfamiliar audience with no prior knowledge of your work; clear communication lets our competency shine through. We achieve this by identifying the goal of our presentation in advance and then using a clear structure with logical transitions to achieve that goal. Then, we read our presentation out loud and ask ourselves if it will make sense to our audience, adjusting it until it does.

2. Compassion.

Not feeling appreciated was the top reason people reported for leaving a job in the 2018 Trust Outlook. One of the ways David’s team teaches compassion in the workplace is through appreciation. Leaders need to ask themselves, “How do I demonstrate that I care about my audience?”

There are a few ways they can project compassion. When we use more inclusive language such as “We did this together” instead of “I did this for you,” we draw the audience in. When we put ourselves in our audience’s shoes and empathize with how they feel, then we make them feel heard and understood. Compassion is also about spending time before the presentation to be prepared and organized, showing we care enough about the audience to prepare content that is relevant to them. The compassionate presenter consistently uses language such as, “So what this means to you is…”

3. Competency.

One of the ways we inspire trust is by demonstrating that we know how to do our job. Whenever we speak, our audience is evaluating not only whether we believe in what we’re saying but also whether we are capable of doing it.

We can project competency in many ways when we speak. First off, we can demonstrate knowledge of our topic by either using examples from our own experience or sharing current trends in our industry. Secondly, we demonstrate competency by investing in our presentation skills so that we present a cohesive, persuasive presentation. When a leader says “I know we only have 20 minutes but I could speak for an hour on this topic, so just interrupt me when we’re at time” they communicate a lack of competency in preparing their content for the time allotted (as well as a lack of compassion for their audience’s time).

4. Connection .

In his seminal HBR article “ The Neuroscience of Trust ,” Professor Paul Zak shared how stories tap into the emotion of your audience, producing oxytocin in their brains and leading to a feeling of trust and connection. Using stories is a powerful way to introduce yourself to a new audience, because it’s through shared values that the audience starts to connect with you on a personal level.

What personal examples can you share in your presentation? We recommend a specific focus on stories that demonstrate transparency and vulnerability. In the 2020 Trust Outlook, 92% of employees said they would trust their senior leader more if that leader would be more transparent about their mistakes. There are nuances here, of course: this doesn’t mean that transparency equals trust, because confidentiality is also trusted. However, we relate more to someone’s challenges than to their capabilities.

5. Consistency.

While we address this competency last, it’s actually one of the most important. One of Allison’s favorite speakers is the head of a business unit in a Fortune 50 financial institution. What makes this woman a powerful speaker isn’t her elaborate oratory skills. Instead, it’s her ability to be the same confident, authentic speaker on stage in front of 1,000 people as she is in front of a group of five people.

Does your message constantly change or does it remain consistent? Are your actions consistent with your words? Trust goes beyond a brand or a logo, it’s how an audience feels in every interaction. In order to demonstrate consistency, we need to be consistently prepared and intentional about both our words and our actions. Consistency is how we build a positive reputation, both on an organizational and individual level.

These five competencies are not easy to build, however once you make them standard practice in your leadership style, they will become easier to include. When you take time to prepare a presentation, speech, or difficult message, take time to ask yourself how you are building trust with your audience. The results will have a massive and positive impact on retention, company morale, productivity, and business outcomes.

• Allison Shapira teaches “The Arts of Communication” at the Harvard Kennedy School and is the Founder/CEO of Global Public Speaking, a training firm that helps emerging and established leaders to speak clearly, concisely, and confidently. She is the author of the new book, Speak with Impact: How to Command the Room and Influence Others (HarperCollins Leadership).
• DH David Horsager is the CEO of Trust Edge Leadership Institute and a global authority on building high-trust teams and organizations. He is the Trust Expert in Residence at High Point University, inventor of the Enterprise Trust Index™, director of global study: The Trust Outlook® and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Trust Edge and his latest release Trusted Leader.

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Define Goals for Your Presentations – Here’s How to Succeed Every Time!

The way it often goes is that you start with a great idea, and eagerly start to work towards realizing it.  Your goal seems clear!  Then as you go along, more goals start to sprout . 

New ideas and new goals can quickly crowd out your original clarity, and as your thoughts are a mess, the whole project falls apart. To avoid this, it’s absolutely essential that that you define goals as soon as possible.

Why is defining goals so important?   

Goals are totally necessary to success in any situation. Having a fixed goal in mind helps to focus and realize your wishes and ideas, and also helps to measure how close you are to that goal.

Goals also serve as an incentive; when achieved, they boost self-confidence. Without goals, people can become aimless and waste a lot of energy. Whatever the goal is, (e.g. getting a raise, saving enough money for a vacation, completing a qualification) – achieving those goals makes us feel happy and confident.

The Importance of Goals in PowerPoint Presentations

Goal setting is also important in the context of PowerPoint presentations. This is because when you put a presentation together, there is an intention behind that presentation, whether it’s sales-oriented or purely informative. What is the purpose of your presentation? Why do you want to talk about a certain topic? Learning to define concrete objectives helps you create a really effective presentation around your goal.

Goals are also beneficial in these areas within presentations:

• Goals as a guide for the presentation process

Goals serve as a guide in the planning and creation of a PowerPoint presentation . They help structure the entire presentation process and ensure that all content, slides, and arguments align with the desired goals.

By defining clear goals, you can better plan the flow of the presentation and ensure that all relevant information is covered.

For more tips on how to prepare your presentations properly, you can also refer to the article “ Preparing Presentations: 11 Tips “.

• Goals to enhance clarity and effectiveness of your presentation

Defining goals significantly contributes to the clarity and effectiveness of your PowerPoint presentation . When you know exactly what goal you want to achieve with the presentation, you can select and present the content more purposefully.

Goals help avoid irrelevant information and focus on the essentials. This makes the presentation clearer and more concise , facilitating your audience’s understanding and absorption of the message.

• Goals as a guide for your audience

Goals also serve as a guide for the audience. When the audience is aware of the presentation’s goals, they can better understand what is expected and which information is relevant.

Goals help the audience recognize the underlying structure of the presentation and process the information more effectively. By defining clear goals, you ensure that your audience perceives the presentation as relevant and valuable and actively engages with it.

Bring Order into Chaos

You need to get clear and keep in mind why you want to give your presentation and what you want to achieve with it . A structured plan will help you to get chaotic thoughts in order. The ideal way of doing this is to use the SMART method . This article will go through what it entails and how to use it to set effective goals for your presentations.

Here are the steps to define your goals in PowerPoint presentations:

• Analyze the presentation context

The first step is to thoroughly analyze the presentation context . This includes considering the audience, occasion, time frame, and expectations of the presentation. Having a clear understanding of the context allows you to define goals that are appropriate and tailor the content and presentation style accordingly .

It is important to have a basic understanding of your target audience to adapt the presentation to them and choose goals accordingly. Read more in the article “ Target Audience Analysis”.

• Identify the main message

It is important to identify the main message of the presentation. What is the central statement or primary goal that needs to be conveyed? By establishing a clear main message, the presentation becomes focused and concise.

Learn how to identify, define, and communicate your main message in the article “ Developing Key Messages for Presentations “.

• Set specific goals

Building upon the main message, you can define specific goals. These goals should be clear, measurable, and realistic.

For example, a goal could be to convey specific information, promote certain behavior, or elicit a particular response from the audience. The goals should be aligned with effectively communicating the main message.

• Assess goal attainment possibilities

Before finalizing the goals, it is important to assess the possibilities of achieving them . Consider the available resources, time, and the presenter’s skills. It is important to set realistic goals that are achievable and do not exceed the scope of the presentation.

By carefully following these steps, a clear goal definition can be achieved in PowerPoint presentations, supporting the success of the presentation and achieving the desired impact.

Define Goals Optimally with Information Questions

Before we go into more detail about the principle of SMART goals, it’s useful to revisit some basic tips on the subject of goal definition. To be able to grow both professionally and personally, we need goals that help us to make progress. The same applies to companies: it is essential to define goals and to realize visions in order to grow.

Who is giving the presentation?

Even setting a goal can be a challenge. Setting a goal that is too high to reach, or too low to ensure progress, is counterproductive. A good way to help define goals is to ask information questions. When preparing a presentation, it’s really useful to ask yourself the following:

What topic are you covering?

Why this topic, exactly? What in particular do you have to say about it?

What does your audience expect from you?

How will you convey your key messages? How do you want your presentation to look; how can you optimize your slide design to help?

When are you going to give your presentation? Do you have enough time to prepare?

Where will your presentation be taking place? Does it have suitable equipment, such as a projector and screen?

Defining Goals with the SMART Formula

As mentioned above, the SMART method offers a solidly useful way to define goals.

SMART is an acronym for the following terms:

S – Specific : Formulate your goals precisely so that you know exactly what you want to achieve.

M – Measurable: Define clear criteria to measure your goals.

A – Attainable: Make sure your goals are achievable and can be practically implemented.

R – Relevant : Make sure your goals align with your overall vision.

T – Time-bound: Set a deadline for yourself.

Here’s an example of how to apply the SMART method in practice. We’re going to use the goal of “more Facebook fans”, which can obviously also be applied many other things.

1. The specific goal is to reach 50,000 fans.

2. This is measurable as Facebook counts your fans for you.

3. Since you already have 45,000 fans, this is a goal that is achievable. Sufficient funds and time are available for acquiring the additional 5,000.

4. This would benefit your company, since more fans ensure higher traffic.

5. This is scheduled and should be achieved by the end of the year.

SMART Method PowerPoint Templates

In order to help you define your goals as effectively as possible, we offer numerous templates around the topic of Smart working. These can help you to design a PowerPoint presentation around your goal easily and optimally. Our Smart Goals PowerPoint template slide set offers practical working aids, explanations and overviews around the Smart method, and checklists for defining goals and creating presentations.

WOOP – an Alternative to the SMART Method

Like the SMART method, the WOOP method, is an acronym intended as a tool for defining and achieving goals. The method was developed by Professor of Psychology Gabriele Oettingen. The individual letters stand for the following terms :

W – Wish: The starting point is defining what you want to achieve.

O – Outcome: The next step is to visualize the result. What will change if you implement your wish? Will your business be positively changed by the goal? Does thinking about this step fill you with the energy needed to implement it?

O – Obstacle : What are the obstacles that might prevent you from reaching that goal? This is when you identify and and all reasons that may keep you from achieving your goal.

P – Plan : Plan how you will break down these barriers and work consistently toward your goal.

Conclusion: Define Your Goals and Achieve Success!

We hope the above article, setting out really effective means such as the SMART method for defining goals, will mean you are optimally equipped for your next presentation. Get your next presentation in order with a structured plan, and persuade your audience without any difficulty.

If you have any questions about the SMART method and define goals, or about PowerPoint presentations in general, please don’t hesitate to contact us at [email protected] .

Other articles which may be of interest to you:

• Use Handouts to Enhance Your Presentations
• The best presentation structure: tips&tricks
• Create a PowerPoint Presentation: helpful tips

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