You have your presentation ready. The slides are prepared, and they include charts, tables, bullet points, and photos. You have rehearsed several times and feel comfortable with the content and flow. So, why does it feel like it’s falling a little flat?
Here is how to connect with your listeners and give your talk the energy it needs.
1. Humanize your data
Look at your visuals and find a place where you can share a relevant experience of your own. For example, if you are talking about the impact of incentives on productivity, don’t just throw numbers at your audience. Instead, talk about how incentives work at home with your children and their allowance. This not only adds a little humor but also brings the data to life.
2. Tell a business story
If you are presenting a chart that tracks your division’s revenue over time, tell a story about the actions that led to a sudden spike in revenue in a particular month. This engages the audience by bringing your point to life. Plus, you give them an inside view of the situation.
3. Add an example
Real-life examples can be very convincing. If you are suggesting a particular course of action, you could say something like, “Look what happened to Company X when it did what we proposed. Its revenues increased by 28%!” Or ask someone in the room, “Juan, you had this experience at your last company. Can you tell us about it?”
4. Present a “what if” scenario
Use this tool with care, but it can create an emotional connection with your audience. When showing a chart of month-over-month sales increases, you could say, “Imagine if we could continue this trend for the next 12 months. Wouldn’t that be spectacular?” If you are talking about a product launch, you could say, “What if we could launch this product in six months rather than nine? Wouldn’t that be amazing?”
5. Share a personal story appropriate to your presentation
Start identifying experiences in your life that make for an interesting story. Tell the story with emotion. Keep it short and make sure it relates to one of the messages in your presentation. Here are two example stories:
Story 1: Go Home — You are Going to Fail
I spent my junior year abroad at a French university. I had studied only two years of French. Upon arriving, I spent six weeks in an intensive French class. At the end, the director brought me into his office. He said, “You have to go home. You don’t understand French well enough. You will fail at the university.”
I replied, “I’m not going home.”
He said, “I’m not responsible when you fail.”
For two months, I copied the notes from my French friends. I got a French boyfriend who did not want to learn English. Guess what? At the end of the year, I received A’s in all my classes. (Tie back to your presentation: I know some people believe this project is going to fail. I’m going to show you how we will succeed just as I did in France.)
Story 2: The Misunderstood Number
In a beautiful art gallery specializing in unique sculpture and crystals, I was chatting with the gallery owner who appeared to know a lot about his pieces. A person who the owner recognized came in carrying a box. He said, “This is a very special piece.”
Upon seeing it, the gallery owner became visibly interested and asked, “What’s the price?”
The seller said, “Twelve.”
The gallery owner thought and said, “I’m interested but don’t have the cash. I can get it at the bank tomorrow.”
After some further discussion, the seller said, “I’ll take five now and you can pay the balance by check.”
The gallery owner said, “I think I have five thousand in the safe.”
The seller of the piece was shocked and said, “I’m not asking for twelve thousand. I’m asking for one thousand two hundred.”
Of course, they did the deal. (Tie back to your presentation: The story shows how one needs to be clear about a number. So, for example, if you are making a presentation recommending a company but its proposal contains facts or numbers that are not clear, you could say: “This proposal is not clear about some numbers. For next steps I suggest we call the company to clarify what its offer actually means.”)
Write your own!
Choose two to three ways you can connect with your audience by humanizing your data, telling a business story, adding an example or presenting a “what if.”
Claudyne Wilder runs a boutique presentation business. Wilder Presentations offers Get to the Message presentation workshops and consulting services to organizations ranging from Fortune 500 pharmaceutical firms to community-based non-profits. Claudyne is the creator of TorchMetrics, an innovative online tool that operates on your device as a customized speaking coach.
With a Masters in organizational development, Claudyne coaches on including the right content with the right number of details as well as on message-oriented slides and persuasive, engaging delivery. Having extensively studied Argentine Tango for over ten years, she brings the idea of “connection” to her clients to help them more passionately engage with their audience.
The views and opinions expressed in this blog post or content are those of the authors or the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer, or company.