Business Presentations

While there are a lot of jokes and humor portrayed to the public about the fears associated with public speaking, many professionals are forced to overcome their fears in order to conduct business. Entrepreneurs pushed further into public speaking when engaged in raising money for the company, securing partners or winning new customers. However, there are many forms of communications business leaders need to be prepared to engage in throughout the cycle of business.

In business, you will have the opportunity to lead meetings, give sales presentations, present your company to investors, present your company to the public, speak at company events or community events, and provide informational or motivational speeches. Each speaking situation requires different behaviors and preparation.

To prepare for your business presentation, know your audience. What kind of information is your audience looking to learn about? How many will be in attendance? How old are they and how long will their attention span last? What time of day will the presentation be given, will the audience have eaten right before? The more you know about the audience, the better you will be able to tailor your presentation to their needs.

Understand where your presentation will be given and how much time you will have to give your presentation. Know the environment you will speak in, and ask if it will be in large conference room or a small meeting room? Will it be warm or cool in the room? Where is the presentation going to take place, and do you know how to get there? Will there be a projector available? If not, do you need one or do you need to bring one? How much time should be left for the audience to ask questions?

The presentation should not consume the full speaking time as time should be set aside for questions during the full presentation. Memorize your opening and closing statements, but use notes to guide you through the body of the presentation. Either keep a watch or have a timer assist you in keeping your presentation to the allotted time.

PowerPoint has become a standard tool in delivering business presentations, but PowerPoint can be overdone easily. In creating the PowerPoint slides for your presentation, utilize a clean template that does not interfere with the information you wish to portray. Utilize information on your slides that will grab the audience’s attention that is not redundant with your speech. Use PowerPoint to enhance and enforce your words rather than repeat what you are saying. Limit the special effects and animations on the slides as much as possible, these effects are more distracting than enhancing. Lastly, utilize “eye” words within the slides. Charts, graphics, bullet points and more are visuals that speak to the “eye.”

Delivering a presentation takes practice and the ability to overcome the fears associated with speaking in front of others will subside over time. Most people will engage in a nervous habit while they are speaking, so practice will allow you to become aware of your habits and work towards overcoming those (such as twirling hair, rocking back and forth, stuttering, knuckle cracking and so forth).

When giving a presentation to a large audience, practice standing in one place with good posture and keeping your arms and hands in a comfortable position where they are not touching anything else on your body. If there is a podium available, utilize it to keep you in one place and avoiding nervous body movements. You will also want to be aware of your clothes, are they appropriate for the environment? Make sure your clothes will not hinder your presentation in any way (avoid “wardrobe malfunctions”).

Once you have mastered your body position, practice utilizing your voice in an appropriate manner. Knowing your audience will help you know what tone of voice to use, how loud a voice to use and what vocal pitch to use. Too monotone sends a very clear picture to an audience just as a cheerleader voice would. Depending upon your audience, you will want to utilize a variety of vocal cues to emphasis key components to your presentation.

For more information about Business Presentations, go to www.toastmasters.org/.

If you’re interested in improving your oral presentation, you may benefit from reading Little Rock based professional speaker AND FORMER GOVERNOR’S CUP JUDGE, Paul Vitale’s book, Sell With Confidence. Although it’s geared toward training sales professionals, it has many valuable takeaways which can help you improve your pitch. Many of the findings can benefit you and your company not only in the Governor’s Cup, but in sales and business pitches long after the competition. Click on the link below to  find an excerpt from the book’s first bonus section, Thirteen Habits of Pitching with Confidence.

Paul Vitale – Sell With ConfidenceIf you would like to purchase the complete version of former Govenor’s Cup judge Paul Vitale’s Sell With Confidence please click here.

Elevator Pitch

The “elevator pitch” is a short introduction about yourself and your business to people you meet through networking, business connections, or just about anywhere. Most professionals utilize the usual 30 seconds to simply state their name, position and company they represent. While this is a common format, this approach is not the most effective.

The elevator pitch is an opportunity to not only make a memorable first impression, but it is also an opportunity to engage the listener and possibly win a new customer. Carmine Gallo wrote “Mastering the 30-Second Pitch” for NewsWeek in 2005 (www.businessweek.com/print/smallbiz/content/may2005/) and notes “how you pitch the story behind your small-business’s services, products or companies means the difference between making a sale and being shown the door.” Likewise, if you want a new network connection to set-up lunch for additional information next week, how you introduce yourself makes a big difference.

Gallo, a corporate presentation coach, suggests turning your bland introduction into a 30 second story. To do this, ask and answer four questions to yourself: What is my service, product, company or cause? What problem do I solve (or what demand do I meet)? How am I different? Why should you care?

Once you have answered the four questions, combine the condensed answers together into your elevator pitch. This story should leave the listener to wanting more information about what you do rather than an excuse to get away from you. Once you have crafted your elevator pitch, practice it until you have the 30 seconds memorized.

Examples: “Language Line Services is the world’s largest provider of phone interpretation services for companies who want to connect with their non-English-speaking customers. Every 23 seconds, someone who doesn’t speak English enters the country. When that person calls a hospital, a bank, an insurance company or 911, it’s likely that a Language Line interpreter is on the other end. We help you talk to your customers, patients or sales prospects in 150 languages.”

“Studio 31 is a marketing and communications firm that specializes in providing a marketing department to companies too small to retain their own. Small businesses are responsible for 90% of economic growth for the country since 2001 yet are 60% more likely to experience unstable income generation. Studio 31 provides full marketing and communications services to stabilize and grow small businesses.”

Elevator Pitch Presentation Guidelines

Each team competing in the 2010 Donald W Reynolds Tri State Competition will have a member of the team make a 90 second elevator pitch during the awards luncheon on May 18-20, 2010 at the Red Rock Casino. The winnings teams in both the Undergraduate and Graduate tracks will receive $1,000. Winners will be announced during the awards dinner.

Elevator Pitch Presentation Format:
During the awards luncheon each team will select one member to go on stage and make the Elevator Pitch. The team member will have 90 seconds to introduce him/herself by name and present the complete business idea to a panel of judges.

The time limit is strict, and teams will be stopped immediately at the 90 second mark, regardless of where the team is in its summary. Therefore, it is important teams prepare a concise, timed summary of the business idea.

At the conclusion of the presentations the judges will score the presentations and one team from both the Undergraduate and the Graduate track will be announced at the awards dinner and receive $1,000 in cash. All winners are at the sole discretion of the judges and their decisions are final.

What an “Elevator Pitch” is:
 An Elevator Pitch is an extremely concise presentation of an entrepreneur’s idea, business model, company solution, marketing strategy, and competition delivered to potential investors. It should not last more than 90 seconds, or the duration of an elevator ride.

What an “Elevator Pitch” is not:
 It is not a “sales pitch.” Don’t get caught up in using the entire pitch to tell the Investor how great your product or service is. The Investor is “buying” the business, not the product. It should not exceed 90 seconds in length.

Creating the “Elevator Pitch”

Criteria your “Elevator Pitch” might address:

1. Company, Who are you?
 Did you identify your name, personal role, position, or title in venture? Did you state the company’s name?

2. Need, What need is your product or service offering a solution to?
Briefly describe what it is you sell without the non technical details. Explain the problem your customer’s face and how this solves their problems.

3. Who is your market?
 Briefly discuss who you are selling the product or service to. What industry is it? How large of a market do they represent?

4. What is your business model?
 More simply, how do you expect to make money? Do you sell the product to wholesalers for a flat fee? Do you charge a subscription? Do you split revenues with a partner?

5. Who is behind the company?
 “Bet on the jockey, not the horse” is a familiar saying among Investors. Tell them a little about you and your team’s background and achievements. If you have a strong advisory board, tell them who they are and what they have accomplished.

6. Who is your competition?
 Don’t have any? Think again. Briefly discuss who they are and what they have accomplished. Successful competition is an advantage-they are proof your business model and/or concept work.

7. What is your competitive advantage?
 Simply being in an industry with successful competitors is not enough. You need to effectively communicate how your company is different and why you have an advantage over the competition. A better distribution channel? Key partners? Proprietary technology?

8. Investment Strategy, What are you seeking?
 What are you looking for from the investor? How much money you need and what it will let you do.

For more information about Elevator Pitches, go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elevator_pitch
www.businessknowhow.com/money/elevator.htm
www.elevatorpitchessentials.com/essays/ElevatorPitch.html
www.startupnation.com/pages/contact/elevator_pitch.asp