| Internet marketing and public speaking? Not | | | | Listen to your presentation, note the rhythm |
| quite ham and eggs, is it? | | | | and cadence, the "uh's", "y'knows", and check |
| | | | your mastery of the subject. |
| Those two phrases are rarely found in the | | | | |
| same sentence. After all, many people decide | | | | If videotaping, note your mannerisms and body |
| to do their marketing in cyberspace so | | | | language, and coordinate your gestures with |
| they'll never be required to deliver a sales | | | | your vocal inflection. |
| presentation or a speech. | | | | |
| | | | 5. Practice with colleague, friend or spouse |
| If you are one of these people, you are | | | | |
| making big mistake by not developing your | | | | After completing the solo practice session, |
| speaking skills, because you are cutting | | | | you are ready to practice in front of another |
| yourself off from the vast off-line market. | | | | person. Choose this person carefully, as you |
| | | | do not want a hypercritic who will find |
| Why should internet marketers seek to improve | | | | excessive faults with your presenting style. |
| their public speaking? For the simple reason | | | | Neither, however, do you want the type of |
| that by so doing, they and their products can | | | | person who finds no faults whatsoever, and |
| become known to people who are are | | | | praises you to the skies. You need honest and |
| uncomfortable buying on-line. They prefer to | | | | constructive criticism aimed at "tweaking" |
| know their is a human being at the other end. | | | | your presentation. |
| | | | |
| In this brief article, I'll give you a | | | | 6. Convene a "Murder Board" practice session |
| "shortcut system" that will enable you to | | | | |
| package your substantive knowledge so it can | | | | The "Murder Board, a term I bring to my |
| be delivered in an interesting, engaging | | | | training workshops from my military |
| manner. It is a distilled version of what I | | | | background," is a rigorous practice session. |
| provide business people in my workshops who | | | | It is the speakers equivalent of the flight |
| are almost universally in the off-line world. | | | | simulator used for training pilots how to |
| | | | deal with in-flight emergencies, or the moot |
| To whom can your presentations be delivered ? | | | | court readying lawyers for courtroom combat. |
| How about Rotary Clubs and other civic | | | | |
| organizations who are always looking for | | | | Select no more than four people to be your |
| speakers?; What about fellow internet | | | | simulated audience, and share with them all |
| marketers at seminars?; And remember high | | | | the intelligence you have gained on your |
| schools and colleges, where your audience is | | | | prospective audience. These four people will |
| likely to be more computer literate than the | | | | then role play your audience. |
| general population, experienced in buying | | | | |
| on-line but eager to go eyeball-to-eyeball | | | | Their comments, questions and criticism help |
| with the internet marketer who has a great | | | | you correct your style of delivery, find the |
| product. | | | | gaps in your knowledge, and anticipate |
| | | | questions and objections. |
| Keep in mind that an effective speaker is one | | | | |
| who concentrates on satisfying the needs of | | | | 7. Arrive early to meet and greet |
| the audience members, so that these people | | | | |
| conclude that what you are proposing | | | | Personal contact and interpersonal skills are |
| (selling) is in their best interest-for your | | | | important for the success of any |
| purposes, buying your product, Ebook or | | | | presentation, but they are absolutely vital |
| service. | | | | when you attempt to persuade people to buy |
| | | | the product you are selling. We tend to |
| The Ten Tips outlined below are not classroom | | | | accept information from people we like, but |
| theory, but instead evolve from the real | | | | reject it from people we don't like. |
| world lessons I have learned in almost 3000 | | | | |
| presentations, and in my workshops for | | | | When you arrive early, you can get to know |
| off-line marketers. They have worked for me, | | | | members of the audience and let them relate |
| they have worked for my clients, and they'll | | | | to you as a human being. If it appears |
| work for you. | | | | appropriate, mention names during your |
| | | | presentation of people you have had the |
| 1. Have a specific objective | | | | occasion to meet prior to the presentation. |
| | | | Nothing is so sweet to the human ear as the |
| If you don't know what you wish to accomplish | | | | sound of one's name being mentioned |
| with your presentation, your audience | | | | positively by a speaker. |
| certainly won't know either. Your objective | | | | |
| may be as limited as making sure your | | | | 8. Use visuals to support, not to impress |
| audience will remember your URL, or a full | | | | |
| understanding of the benefits they will gain | | | | Visual aids, including the ubiquitous |
| by buying your product. | | | | PowerPoint, can make or break a presentation. |
| | | | The advantage of using them is that most |
| Remember that giving a great speech or | | | | people are visual and can more readily absorb |
| presentation should never be your goal; it is | | | | information that is graphically presented.The |
| merely a means to an end, and that end is | | | | danger is that visuals can bore an audience, |
| what you want your audience to do with the | | | | setting them off into daydreaming, not |
| information presented. | | | | listening. |
| | | | |
| Be specific, and in preparing your | | | | Be careful in word choice in your |
| presentation, spell out your objective in no | | | | visuals-and, of course, in your delivery-to |
| more than a sentence or two. Print it out and | | | | avoid Geekspeak, unless you are speaking to |
| tape it to your computer monitor. This will | | | | an audience as familiar with this unique form |
| keep your preparation focused and on target | | | | of jargon as you are. |
| as you progress throughthe drafting of your | | | | |
| presentation. | | | | Bottom line ion visuals: Don't have the |
| | | | wonders of PowerPoint remembered, but the |
| 2. Know your audience's problems, needs and | | | | substance of your presentation forgotten. |
| concerns | | | | |
| | | | 9. Employ rhetorical devices |
| To be a successful marketer, your | | | | |
| presentation must be audience-centered. You | | | | Repetition of key concepts, the careful use |
| must know the problems of the people to whom | | | | of the strategic pause, and parallel |
| you are speaking, because your objective is | | | | construction are just a few of the devices |
| to offer them a solution. This requires | | | | you can use to add spice and cadence to your |
| in-depth-research about your audience. | | | | presentation. |
| | | | |
| Keep in mind that the prime motivation for | | | | Two examples of such techniques will |
| people to listen to you is their perception | | | | illustrate this important tactic. Winston |
| that your presentation will benefit them. | | | | Churchill, instead of saying "We in Britain |
| "What's in it for me?" is the classic | | | | owe a great debt to the pilots of the Royal |
| question of all audiences, on-line or | | | | Air Force," expressed this thought with the |
| off-line | | | | memorable words "Never in the field of human |
| | | | conflict have so many owed so much to so |
| 3. Structure backwards | | | | few." |
| | | | |
| We have learned to write and speak in a 1-2-3 | | | | President John F. Kennedy used a classic |
| structure: (1) Introduction- (2) Body - (3) | | | | device of parallelism when he said, "We must |
| Conclusion. For oral presentations, this is | | | | never negotiate out of fear, but we must |
| highly counterproductive: In contrast to | | | | never fear to negotiate." |
| reading a memo, people do not have the luxury | | | | |
| of going back and reading again what was | | | | Use your imagination to see how you can |
| missed the first time.You want your audience | | | | arrange words to create such cadence and |
| to hear and understand the bottom line | | | | rhythm. |
| message- "This product iwill solve your | | | | |
| problem." | | | | 10. Conduct immediate post-presentation |
| | | | analysis |
| Initiate your draft with your conclusion, | | | | |
| focusing on merging your objective with your | | | | Your instinct after completing a challenging |
| audience's problems, interests and concerns. | | | | presentation is to breath a sigh of relief |
| | | | and relax. Big mistake. |
| Place your conclusion on a card marked (3), | | | | |
| then develop an introduction that signals the | | | | Within minutes, sit down with a note pad or |
| audience that you know its problems and will | | | | tape recorder and record the questions asked, |
| be offering a solution. Place this on a card | | | | the reaction of the audience to your |
| marked (1). | | | | presentation, your impression of your own |
| | | | performance, etc. |
| Finally, place your supporting arguments on a | | | | |
| series of cards marked (2A), (2B), etc. This | | | | Don't wait until the next day. Short term |
| 3-1-2 System provides focus, structure, and | | | | memory is precisely that, and you will |
| thematic unity, and is the heart of my | | | | remember only generalities. The immediate |
| training workshops. | | | | analysis will provide specifics. |
| | | | |
| 4. Practice solo with tape-recorder or | | | | Transfer this specific information to your |
| video-camera | | | | data base, and you have an excellent head |
| | | | start to use in the Murder Board leading to |
| After completing the presentation draft, | | | | your next presentation.. |
| practice by yourself with a tape-recorder or | | | | |
| video-camera. You will be at your weakest in | | | | Use these tips, and the next time you leave |
| this initial practice, hence the advice to | | | | your keyboard, you'll find you are now as |
| have nobody present whose comments could | | | | eloquent in front of a group of potential |
| seriously hurt your confidence. | | | | customers as you are behind your computer. |
| | | | |