What are the top 3 things that annoy you in PowerPoint presentations? Dave Paradi, author of The Visual Slide Revolution, asked people this question in his research study. Here’s what he found:

1. Speaker reading slides – 73.8%
2. Full sentences on the slides – 51.6%
3. Text too small – 48.1%

If you want to use PowerPoint to your advantage then you need to:

1. Learn how to design slides for maximum impact on the audience
2. Learn how to speak about your slides and integrate them seamlessly into your presentation

Many people approach a presentation as though the slides are the presentation and they are there to support the slide deck. The reverse is true.  As a presenter, YOU are the presentation and the slides are there to enhance your message and make you more persuasive.

Remember, the slides are for the audience, NOT for you. Do not use slides as your crib notes. Your slides should keep your audience focused and enhance their understanding of your content. If it doesn’t help accomplish that goal, don’t include them.

Most presenters don’t use audio visual aids properly.  In fact they use them very poorly. In my UPFRONT Persuasion presentation skills training and coaching, I observe one of two things:

1. Presenters avoid using PowerPoint or visual aids because they are afraid of technology or don’t know how to use them effectively
2. Presenters misuse PowerPoint by overusing slides, reading them and using slides that are poorly designed. PowerPoint Fatigue, Death by PowerPoint, PowerPoint Slapping, Whipping and Abuse are common descriptors.

If you fall into the first category of avoidance, do what you need to do to get comfortable with PowerPoint technology.  There’s ample evidence that supports the use of visuals for persuasion. ”A picture is worth a thousand words” holds true, in that a single image can save a presenter from speaking a paragraph of descriptive details.

• A study done by the Wharton School of Business showed that the use of visuals reduced meeting times by 28 percent.
• Another study found that audiences believe presenters who use visuals are more professional and credible than presenters who merely speak.
• And still other research indicates that meetings and presentations reinforced with visuals help participants remember, reach decisions and consensus in less time (source Wikipedia).

Getting comfortable with PowerPoint technology is only the first step. If you want to avoid the mistake of falling into the trap of PowerPoint abuse, learn how to use visual technology to enhance your impact rather than to distract or annoy your audience.

I would love to hear from you. What are the things that most annoy you?  What are your favourite tips and tricks for effectively using YOUR visuals?

With a bit of coaching, she began using her ‘real voice’ and in doing so, revealed a much more authentic voice that was engaging, passionate and clear. Nancy went on to deliver one of the most persuasive presentations of the workshop.

Your voice is a killer persuasion tool. When delivering presentations, the tone of your voice and the vocal variety you use can have more impact than all other presentation skills combined. If people focused as much on their voice as on their power point slides, my bet is they would see a dramatic impact on their ability to move their audience to take action.

When I observe presenters who present using a presentation mode voice it sounds phony. And that makes it hard to trust the presenter and connect at a genuine level. And of course trust and connection are basic ingredients for persuasion.

What makes a presentation even worse is when people fall into the trap of reading from their slides. When this happens, it’s next to impossible to use your voice authentically and to truly connect with your audience.

Seth Godin, bestselling author, entrepreneur and change agent, isn’t about sales per se – just brilliance and insight. Here’s what Seth has to say about voice and persuasion in his post Your Voice Will Give You Away.

“It’s extremely difficult to read a speech (presentation slides) and sound as if you mean it… You must do one of two things if your goal is to persuade:

1. Learn to read the same way you speak (unlikely)
2. Or, learn to speak without reading

Learn your message well enough that you can communicate it without reading it. We want your humanity.”

Here is a tip on how to break the pattern of using presentation voice.

When I video tape and coach presenters in my training program UPFRONT Persuasion Through Presentations  I stop the presenter who is using presentation voice. To interrupt this pattern, I ask them a few questions and they immediately start using their genuine conversational tone. I then stop them again and point out that this is the voice, their ‘real’ voice that they need to use. This exercise helps them ‘get it’ at a body level.  What is even more powerful is when they view the video afterwards and see the difference between the two voices.

The next time you have an important presentation to deliver, rehearse it with a friend as follows:

1. Get them to video tape you on your smart phone or flip camera to establish a baseline.
2. After about two or three minutes, ask them to stop you and to start asking you a few related questions to engage in a back and forth conversation. i.e. “Why is this presentation important? What did you do to prepare for this presentation? Who is in the audience? How do you think they will react?”
3. Compare the differences. First what felt different between the presentation tone and the conversational tone? Then view the video and observe the differences.

I have heard countless times how impactful this exercise is during my workshops. It works to stop the phony pattern and to start using a conversational, genuine tone.

Remember – being an effective presenter is not about being slick. It is about being ‘you,’ and being the best ‘you’ that you can be.

What about you? How do you make sure you are using a conversational tone? What tips can you share back with me?

“If I could show you a way to easily solve your problem, would that be of interest to you?”

Let’s look at this question and examine why it isn’t effective.

Here are just a few reasons:

1. The intention behind the question is not one of curiosity about your customer’s needs; it is a leading question that is about you.
2. It is a closed question and the only information you will glean is a “yes” or “no”.  More importantly, it is a ‘gotcha’ question because the only logical answer is yes.
3. It is a question that leads right into a pitch.  As soon as the customer answers the question (yes), the next words that will come out of your mouth will be pitching words.

I call these types of questions ‘Pitches that are disguised as questions.’ I sometimes hear such questions during our role play practice in our Intentional Selling  sales training. People who pitch their products or solutions too early in the sales process are guilty of falling into this trap and using these types of questions.

Does that mean you should never use such questions? No, not necessarily.  Although leading questions are not my personal favourite during ‘Discovery’, they can be used to direct the conversation to where you want to go.  For example, after you’ve asked questions and uncovered the client’s needs, this type of question can be used as a way to transition to your pitch or message.

Here’s another example of how this might fit into your questioning approach:  When you hear an objection, resist the temptation to respond until you’ve asked several questions.  First you need to get clarification, check assumptions and get a deeper understanding of the stated concern. You could then use this leading question to transition to your response. However, do not let it be the first and only question.

The key point is to be clear about the intention of your question. Is it to understand their needs or to lead the person to your message?  If it is to understand and learn more, this question is not the best.

Tip: Create a ‘Questioning Toolbox’ which documents examples of high value, open-ended discovery questions. This best practice enables you to have proven questions on hand for easy reference. You can add to your toolbox, share with peers and hone your questioning skills as you explore the impact of new questions with different clients.  In my sales pursuits I am amazed at how a small tweak in a question can dramatically alter the response I get from clients.

What questions do you use that might lead to pitching too soon? How could you change it to discover more about your client? Leave a comment, or send me an email with your thoughts.

If you want to be more strategic with your ‘Discovery’ questioning skills, call me. Let’s talk. 905-877-5808.

Jim participated in the Intentional Selling™ program as part of a company wide initiative. Part of the training process includes identifying limiting assumptions that might unconsciously block sales success. Jim became aware of the following limiting beliefs:

• Since he was already achieving sales success, he was open to a “refresh,” but he assumed he would not learn anything new.
• He believed he already knew his clients and their needs, so honing questioning skills would yield little added value.
• He believed his relationships with his clients, along with periodic product updates, golf treats, and lunches were enough to create new sales.

With a record of sales success and strong relationships, it was initially difficult for Jim to see a need to change anything in his selling process. Nevertheless, he listened and participated in the training program but without any clear intention to do anything differently. However by the end of the training, his curiosity was peaked and he made the decision to apply what he learned in his next client sales meeting.

Jim had the opportunity to meet a long standing client for lunch the day after he completed the Intentional Selling™ workshop. Afterwards, he called me (and his VP) to report on what happened:

After friendly rapport building and catching up, he quickly shifted the focus of the lunch meeting. During the Intentional Selling training session, he learned the importance of setting context for sales success in meetings and presentations using a structured approach. The ‘Engage’ structure helped him set the stage for strategic questioning by stating the purpose, plan, pay off and expectations for the meeting. He then proceeded to ask questions strategically, something he had not done for a long while because he assumed he already knew this client and her needs. He was typically in a pattern of pitching new products when he met with her.

He reported that he was astonished with what followed and what he learned. As he was asking questions and gathering information, he resisted the temptation to jump in with solutions. He forced himself to dig deeper and ask the “question underneath the question.”

He kept in mind this phrase from his selling workshop: “The quality of the question determines the quality of the answer.”

Jim learned all kinds of things about his client and her business which both amazed and surprised him. His client gained new awareness and insights about her business and she told Jim he created a lot of value for her just with the questions he asked her.

After the meeting, she called Jim and thanked him again for a very productive meeting and told him it was the best meeting she had ever had.

As a result of the meeting, Jim came up with some very creative and big solutions that were spot on and she was on board! That meeting took their relationship to an even stronger level.

Jim attributed the successful sales meeting to clear intention to establish focus about the meeting purpose and to ask strategic “Discovery” questions in a new and structured way.

Have you fallen into the same trap of assuming you know what your client needs? I would love to hear from you.

This sales success story is an excerpt from my article ‘Intentional Selling for Professionals – 3 Common Mistakes Smart People Make‘. Click here to read the full article.

In my sales training and coaching,  I’ve seen even seasoned sales professionals lead with their product, solution or ideas rather than leading with questions. Pitching product (showing up and “throwing up”) is hoping that if I talk about my product enough, something will stick. But it will annoy, overwhelm and cause your client to shrug and think “So what?” Whether you’re conducting sales meetings or delivering presentations, product pitching simply does not work. If you do not take the time to fully uncover the real needs of your client or audience, you are sabotaging your sales success.

Many sales people are under the misguided assumption that they do ask questions. But I have seen the most seasoned sales professionals fall short time and again. While they may start off asking a few questions, the minute they hear “a need,” they jump in with how their solutions will address the concern rather than asking more questions to get underneath the concern and to understand the impact of the problems.

Early in my sales career, I met with the VP of Sales for a company that sold textbooks and educational productions to schools, colleges and universities.  After creating rapport and setting the context for the meeting, I spent the first 30 minutes of our time together in questioning and note-taking mode. I asked a broad spectrum of questions to fully understand his challenges, what was working, and what was not.

When I asked him about his desired outcomes, he said “I want my sales people to do what you are doing with me. Ask questions to know their clients’ needs. They bring out their text books and materials far too early in the sales meeting.”

Neil Rackham of the Huthwaite organization and author of Spin Selling conducted extensive research on the selling behaviours of high performing sales people. What he found through his research was that high-performing sales people did three things very differently during meetings from those people who were not effective. High-performing sales people:

1)      Asked a lot more questions

2)      Allowed the client to do most of the talking

3)      Waited much longer before jumping in with a solution

Just like a good doctor does a thorough diagnosis before prescribing a remedy, sales people have to take the time to do a thorough ‘Discovery’ before recommending a solution. They have to ‘earn the right’ to talk about their products and solutions by asking questions first. This allows them to position their products and solutions in the context of their clients’ needs. Instead of feature dumping, they can use benefit statements, stories and examples that are relevant and targeted to needs. Instead of “So what?” their clients and audiences will say “Ah-hah!”

To follow up on my earlier story about the VP of sales, my relationship with this client thrives to this day. They continue to  embrace the concepts of Intentional Selling and ‘Discovery’ questions are used company wide in their sales process.

If you want to learn more about selling mistakes to avoid, click here to read “10 Tips That Work For Truly Persuasive Presentations.”

Love to hear from you. How have you used questions in your selling strategy? What might stop you from using more questions?

While we covered the gamut in our feedback critiques, the art and skill of storytelling was the prevalent theme that was woven throughout the fabric of the day. Everyone incorporated story and more than a few were masterful storytellers.

What made them masterful? Two things were at play:

1. Content (what they said)
2. Performance (how they delivered it)

With regard to the former, the masters knew how to structure their content and  incorporated persuasion elements intentionally.  They were like Jedi Masters.

Persuasion  tactics are consistently used by masterful presenters, not only in their stories but throughout their presentations. Chip and Dan Heath, the authors of Made to Stick, a NY Times best seller, refer to the “stickiness” of an idea or recommendation in terms of its ability to transform the way people think and act.

Persuasion elements turn dull presentations from black and white into brilliant technicolor and brings them to life.  Sadly, many sales presentations I observe fall short of these critical tactics.  Remember, we are all selling something – our products, services, ideas or requests.

6 Ways to Be Persuasive

The following ‘Convincing Elements’ are some of the core elements of structure in our presentation skills training program, UPFRONT Persuasion Through Presentation.

1)      Third party testimony (social proof that others endorse your idea or solution)

2)      Analogies (an elegant comparison of a new concept to one that is familiar)

3)      Expert testimony (a credible source that shifts the burden of proof)

4)       Evidence (factual proof and data don’t lie)

5)      Personal experiences (speaking from the heart to stir emotion and believability)

6)      Examples (a general idea becomes concrete when exemplified)

The above elements are examples of persuasion elements that make your presentation ‘sticky.’ Imagine if I had only talked about persuasion elements in this post without providing these six specific examples. It might have sounded like a nice concept but we often only ‘get it’ when we hear an example.

A key point:

Use variety and balance for your persuasion elements. Too often I see expressive sales people who rely too heavily on their beloved stories.  Conversely, I see ‘techies’ who load up their presentations with only facts/data and charts (yawn). Remember, people adopt ideas on the basis of emotion and back it up with evidence. Balance your data with story and balance your story with data.

I have a fun challenge for you. I have peppered this post with a variety of persuasion elements as a model of what I am writing about. Go back and read this post again, but this time see if you can spot the persuasion elements that I have woven in. See how many you can find. (Tip: I stopped counting at 8.)

Drop me a line with your count and your reaction to this post – I would love to hear from you.

P.S. For more tips on presentation effectiveness, click here to download my article “Ten Tips That Work For Truly Persuasive Presentations”.

For me, there’s nothing more compelling than watching a masterful storyteller in action. It is magical. Ever since primitive tribes sat around a fire to tell their adventures, we’ve become fascinated by stories. But how do your become skilled at this when making a presentation?

Here is one technique that will take your storytelling game to the next level and leave your audience frothing at the mouth for more. It is one of the tips I share in my article “10 Tips That Work for Truly Persuasive Presentations.”

Creating Word Pictures

Use multi-sensory language. Weave a tapestry with your words to paint pictures. Help your audience see, feel and hear what you have to say. Go beyond using words that appeal only to the thinking brain and be more intentional in using sensory rich language.

Masterful storytellers tap into all five senses through which we experience our world.  This is what makes storytelling so persuasive and memorable.

Twenty years ago, I was engaged by Linda Lundstrom, our Canadian icon in women’s fashion design, in a coaching project. I hired a professional writer to create a case study about this fascinating woman and the stellar culture she created in her company.

The writer wrote a compelling story that I remember to this day – 20 years later! She used words such as “weaves a tapestry into the fabric of her organization.” I found her language so compelling that I continue to use this thread of words in my own storytelling.

When developing your stories and communications, remember to use language that will appeal to the grand majority of your audience. We tend to rely on our own language preference and speak from that place. For example, if we are visual people, we will naturally use words such as “in my mind’s eye, look at the big picture, take a look, it is clear”.

Become aware of other preferences in your audience and weave a broader picture. Build on these powerful visual words by adding a variety of sensory rich words. Here are some categories and examples. I encourage you to add to this list with words that resonate for you.

• Visual – “See, look, bright, picture, colourful, illuminate, clear, flash, appear, perspective, focused, foggy, bull’s eye, imagine, map out, paint the picture”
• Auditory – “Hear, listen, loud, sound, melodious, be heard, resonate, tune in, rings true, discuss, expression, off key”
• Kinesthetic – “Feel, pressing, touch, exciting, fits, firm, spike, elevate, hands on, secure, nailed down, concrete steps, weave, mould, compress, bend, feel comfortable, handle it, keep in touch, stay connected, flex, hang on to that thought”
• Gustatory – “Taste, juicy, succulent, flavour, sweet, sour, bitter, mouth-watering, palate, sucks, chewy, smooth, crunchy, thirst-quenching, delicious, yummy”
• Smell – “Scent, aroma, odour, sniff , whiff, stink, smells, fragrance, perfume”
• Digital – “Think, know, understand, comprehend, contemplate, wonder, organize, be cohesive, be congruent, logical, sequential, ordered, steps,”

We have a lot to learn from travel writers or wine critics who use their craft to persuade their audiences. One of my favourite wine critics is our own Canadian Tony Aspler. Whenever I read his articles in the Toronto Star, I find myself pulling out paper and pen and jotting his recommendations down. I take action, which is a good indication that persuasion is at work.

“The wine has that characteristic passion fruit and gooseberry nose with a fresh, clean palate that sustains on mouth-watering acidity for a long time”.

” It’s dense purple-ruby in colour with a blackberry and vanilla oak nose; it offers well extracted fruit and it’s fresh and lively on the palate with a lingering chocolate and black fruit flavour. Just the job for a steak or other red meat dishes.”

When you start becoming more aware of the stories you enjoy listening to or reading, you’ll spot the words that appeal to your senses. What have you noticed about your favourite authors’ use of sensory words?

A guest post by Dr. Patsi Krakoff, author of the blog WritingontheWeb.com and writer/editor of Content for Coaches and Consultants.

Presentations can be really good and still not generate any action from the audience. Why is content marketing and persuasion so elusive, and what can you do drive results, to set people on fire?

When it comes to making a presentation, most professionals start from their point of view. Of course, who wouldn’t?

“We’ve got a state-of-the-art 128-bit secure site, offering the best rates on the Web.”

While this business professional understands that its customers want security and low prices when ordering services online, they fail to ignite passion or spark action in readers. Storytelling can light a fire and make your presentation drive action.

Stories of real people connect with readers in a way that data and words on a screen can’t. In his best-selling book Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting, published in 1997 by Harper-Collins, master screenwriter Robert McKee argues that stories “fulfill a profound human need to grasp the patterns of living—not merely as an intellectual exercise, but within a very personal, emotional experience.”

There are two ways to persuade people.

The first is by using conventional marketing rhetoric, which is what most professionals use. It’s an intellectual process  in which you write, “Here’s our company’s biggest advantage, and here is what you need to do.” You build your case by giving statistics and facts and quotes from authorities. But there are two problems with this rational approach.

First, the people you’re talking to have their own set of experiences. While you’re trying to persuade them, they are arguing with you in their heads. Second, if you do succeed in persuading them, you’ve done so only on an intellectual basis. That’s not good enough, because people are inspired to act by emotions.

The other way to persuade people—a more powerful way—is by uniting an idea with an emotion. The best way to do that is by telling a compelling story.

In storytelling, you not only weave in a lot of information, but you also arouse your reader’s emotions and energy.

Persuading with stories is hard. It demands vivid insight and storytelling skills to present an idea that packs enough emotional power to be memorable.

In the sample quote I used about a “128-bit secure site,” wouldn’t it be more interesting if the presentation included a vivid story about a client who had a bad experience using an unsecured website? Horror stories ignite emotions, which drive action.

Stories connect us to what really matters most in ways that rhetoric and facts can’t. What story have you recently experienced that packs a punch? How can you use it to light up your audience to take action?

I’d love to hear from you.

This is a guest post from my associate Judie Knoerle, owner of Red Cup Presentations and author of UPFRONT Persuasion Through Presentation.

As a presentation coach I find the most often asked question is, “What do I do with my hands?” Holding them behind your back signals you’re hiding something. Clutching them in front of your body,  protecting vital organs, signals you’re nervous. Gesturing as you would in normal conversations usually entails unconsciously emphasizing almost every word in a phrase. None of these actions is appropriate for presentations. After all, how can you be persuasive if NOTHING is accented or when EVERYTHING you say is important enough to emphasize with gesture?

So, what do you do with your hands during a presentation? Can your gestures help you be more persuasive? The answer is yes.

There are three things to remember regarding gestures:

1. Show a palm. You begin to establish trust with your palms facing the audience. Avoid making fists, pointing and clutching.
2. Stay open to your audience. Keep your hands away from the centre of your body.
3. Hold a gesture.

My advice is to think of your sentences as bulleted lines of text. Rather than gesturing every word in the sentence, accent only the first word of the bulleted text – holding the gesture until you’ve completed the phrase. Singers do this. Preachers do this. You can do this with practice.

Stand in front of a mirror holding a very full cup of water. When you can speak a line of dialogue without spilling a drop, you’re learning the technique of holding a gesture. Try it first with your left hand, then your right, then hold a cup in each hand.  Now try it without the cup of water, showing your palms to the audience. In no time at all you’ll look more professional, more calm and more in control of your body language. Audiences want to listen to your message without distracting hand movements. Holding a gesture exudes confidence and confidence persuades.

After you mop up the water and dry off your clothes you will quickly grasp the art of holding your gestures. While this may seem a bit silly, it is one of  the best techniques for answering the question about what to do with your hands. You will look more professional, more powerful and you will be more persuasive.

I would love your reaction.What are your thoughts or tips?

Judie Knoerle, my colleague and author of UPFRONT Persuasion Through Presentation,  a globally branded presentations skills program has contributed this post to our Persuasion Series. Judie is a presentations coach extraordinaire and she is called the “Presentations Whisperer” in Chicago where  she lives.

I’ve always believed that we should surround ourselves with people who replenish our energy rather than drain it. Audiences feel similarly about presenters.

If you speak at a low volume with limited voice modulation and few gestures, you will drain the energy of the audience as they struggle to engage with you and hear what you have to say. At some point they tune you out. They’ve had to work too hard to connect with your message.

On the other hand, when a speaker has an assertive tone, sufficient volume for the size of the room and a smile that pulls in the audience like a magnet, that’s when energy is contagious. The audience feels it and is engaged. When you are passionate about a topic, the energy comes more naturally.

But what if you are asked to speak about a topic you’re not that enthused about? You must learn to generate a sense of passion with your voice, your gestures and your expressions. Energy is contagious. When you look genuinely excited about a topic, you energize your audience.  Your energy reflects confidence. Confidence persuades.

Here is a tip on how to bring vigor into your presentations. Practice in front of trusted colleagues and get their feedback on your energy level. Ask them to rate  you on a scale of 1- 10, 10 being ideal. As you recharge, get out of your comfort zone by increasing your voice projection and using larger, more open gestures. Remember, while this new style may feel uncomfortable to you at first, how you feel inside and how you look to your audience are never the same.

When you invigorate your presentations, get ready to look out into the audience and notice how they are tuned in and smiling back at you.

What do you do to liven up your presentations?  I would love to hear from you.