Bulletproof presentations: no one will ever shoot holes in your ideas again!

262 Pages·2008·2.39 MB·English

by  G. Michael Campbell

B
ULLETPROOF
P
RESENTATIONS
No One Will Ever
Shoot Holes in
Your Ideas Again!
By
G. Michael Campbell
Copyright © 2002 by G. Michael Campbell
All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Con-
ventions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by
any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by
any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented,
without written permission from the publisher, The Career Press.
Bulletproof Presentations
Edited By Jodi Brandon
Typeset By Eileen Dow Munson
Cover design by Johnson Design
Printed in the U.S.A. by Book-mart Press
To order this title, please call toll-free 1-800-CAREER-1 (NJ and Canada:
201-848-0310) to order using VISA or MasterCard, or for further information
on books from Career Press.
The Career Press, Inc., 3 Tice Road, PO Box 687
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www.careerpress.com
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Campbell, G. Michael, 1948-
Bulletproof presentations : no one will ever shoot holes in you ideas again! / by G.
Michael Campbell.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 1-56414-590-5 (pbk.)
HF5718.22 .C36 2002
658.4’52—dc21
2001054390
To my wife, Molly,
for all the patience and love
over the years
as I pursued my dreams.
To my sunshine team:
Heather, Megan, and Courtney.
To my book team:
Tammy Herrera, Denise Sparks,
Jodi Brandon, Stacey A. Farkas, and Mike Snell.
Special thanks to Janet Elliott of El Paso Energy for the
inspiration for the title and to Shalandra Sollat and Richard
Bretscheider of Microsoft for their help.

C
ONTENTS
Introduction 7
Part I Planning the Presentation
Chapter 1 Establishing your Purpose 13
Chapter 2 Deciding on Your Overriding Theme 21
Chapter 3 Analyzing Your Audience 25
Chapter 4 Analyzing the Situation 35
Chapter 5 How People Listen 47
Part II Preparing the Presentation
Chapter 6 Establishing Rapport in the Introduction 55
Chapter 7 Using Humor in a Business Presentation 63
Chapter 8 Building the Body and Choosing a Strategy 73
Chapter 9 Developing Stories for Your Presentation 83
Chapter 10 Storyboarding Your Presentation 91
Chapter 11 Motivating During the Conclusion 103
Part III Presenting
Chapter 12 Handling Stage Fright 109
Chapter 13 What if I Have to Read the Presentation? 125
Chapter 14 Delivery: Using Your Voice and Body Language 131
Part IV Using Visual Aids
Chapter 15 Choosing the Right Visual Aids 153
Chapter 16 Designing Visual Aids for your Presentation 167
Chapter 17 Creating “Cool” Visuals Using Software Packages 203
Part V Handling Special Situations
Chapter 18 Organizing Team Presentations 213
Chapter 19 Coming Across on Television or Video 227
Appendix Worksheets for Presentation Preparation 235
Glossary 245
Index 255
About the Author 261
I
NTRODUCTION
U.S. News & World Report first reported Americans’ fear of speaking in 1978.
Since then, several follow-up studies have confirmed the fact: Americans fear
speaking before a group more than they do death itself (death came in third!).
The number-one fear among Americans is speaking in public.
The fear of getting up and talking to others hurts the careers of many Ameri-
cans because, as the Harvard Business Review reports, the number-one skill
among all the criteria for advancement and promotion for professionals is their
ability to communicate effectively. Clearly, making an effective presentation,
whether to your peers, your boss, the customer, the general public, or the
media, may play a major role in your career advancement. The number-one
skill for advancement and promotion for professionals is their ability to com-
municate their ideas effectively.
Fortunately, anyone can learn to talk in any situation effectively. In fact, this
book will show you how, as it leads you through a step-by-step program that can
turn even the shakiest speaker into a cool, confident presenter. It will make both
you and your ideas bulletproof! The good news is that you can learn to be a cool,
confident speaker!
Consider this
Everyone has the equal ability to become unequal. Think about that for a
minute! All people are created with an equal ability to grow and change. Not
everyone is created with the same talents, gifts, or abilities. Each of us is unique
in some special way. Our personalities are as diverse as the number of stars in
the sky. Yet there is one constant: By using our talents to the fullest, we can
stand out from the crowd.
“The distribution of talents in this world should not be our concern,” says
noted psychologist Alan Loy McGinnis. “Our responsibility is to take the tal-
ents we have and ardently parley them to the highest possible achievement.”
➢ 7 ➢
8 ➢ BULLETPROOF PRESENTATIONS
Thomas Edison was almost deaf. Yet he did not spend his time attempting
to learn how to hear. Instead he focused on his ability to think, organize, and
create. His accomplishments speak well for his decision to build on the quali-
ties he possessed. “If we did all the things we were capable of doing,” reflected
Edison,” we would literally astound ourselves.”
Figure out what talents you can use for your presentation, and prepare to
astound yourself!
Imagine yourself viewing a speech or presentation as an opportunity. Imagine
being excited about the prospect of speaking before a large group. Think of how
good you will feel as you walk to the podium—cool and confident that your presen-
tation is solid. Think of how your friends and colleagues will envy your ability to
speak in public.
And with the Worksheets provided at this end of the book, you will be able to
repeat that success over and over again!
Consider this
According to Max De Pree, chairman of the board of Herman Miller, Inc.,
“There may be no single thing more important in our efforts to achieve mean-
ingful work and fulfilling relationships than to learn to practice the art of
communication.”
Here is a list of the benefits you will receive from reading, and the tools and
techniques you will learn to use, as you work your way through this book.
1. This is a proven, tested process for developing a bulletproof presentation.
I have taught this method to hundreds of people from all walks of life, from
executives to sales reps to technical people in businesses large and small. I
know it works, because people have told me of the successes they have had in
using this approach.
2. The book contains a series of tools for developing all the correct elements of
a bulletproof presentation. One thing you will want to do is continue to make
solid, bulletproof presentations each time you are called on. The elements of
any presentation are the same and the Worksheets in the Appendix will help
you to repeat your success every time you make a presentation.
3. You will receive guidelines for selecting and using visual aids to enhance the
presentation. The way in which you use and develop your visual aids will have
a dramatic impact on your listeners. The ideas you are presenting are the
“meat” of your presentation, but the visual aids will be the “sparkle” and
polish that will set you apart as a speaker.
4. You will learn about the latest techniques for effectively delivering a bullet-
proof presentation, including body language and voice. The way you deliver
the presentation will show your confidence and grasp of the subject. It will
give the audience confidence in you, and they will want to listen to you!
Introduction ➢ 9
5. Most speakers are very concerned about handling questions during a presen-
tation. They know that the respect a speaker receives from the audience is
often swayed by how effectively the speaker answers the difficult questions
that come up. I will provide you with some valuable and tested models for
handling questions during a presentation. You will sound confident and logi-
cal, even if the audience members don’t agree with you!
6. Finally, you will receive several suggestions for handling stage fright success-
fully. This is the biggest problem most speakers have—speaking while their
voice is quavering and their knees are shaking. There are things you can do to
manage fear, and I will share them with you.
7. Just by buying this book, you are acknowledging a need to learn more about
how successful presentations are developed and delivered. As you continue
through this book, you will learn all the tricks and techniques the profession-
als use that make them look so good.
I recognize there are different types of presentations that you may be giving.
Presentations can range from one-on-one sales presentations to team presenta-
tions, from technical presentations to quick sound bite presentations at trade
shows. Over the course of the chapters, you will learn how to apply the tech-
niques in this book, and they might be used in any of these particular settings.
Consider this
Motivational guru Anthony Robbins wrote in his book, Unlimited Power, that
“the way we communicate with others and with ourselves ultimately deter-
mines the quality of our lives.”
Why do we make presentations? Most organizations thrive because of the
exchange of information critical to their success. Whether it be a formal or infor-
mal presentation, the basic idea of a presentation is to allow the speaker to tell
others about something they need or want to know.
To give bulletproof presentations, you must make sure the audience can hear
and understand you. You must be able to demonstrate to the members of your
audience that your ideas are important to them and you must be able to answer
their questions when they ask them with clear and concise answers. When a
presenter mumbles or evades answering a question, people will stop listening.
Then they will get upset because they believe you are wasting their time.
At the end of each chapter, you will find a review of the main points (called
“Bulletproof Advice”) and an activity that will assist you in building your presen-
tation. Coupled with the Worksheets in the Appendix, you will be able to con-
struct a bulletproof presentation.
Using bulletproof presentations, you will be convincing in your ideas, confi-
dent in your manner, and clear in the delivery of your material!