Platform / Speaker Coaching
Did you ever see a good movie with bad acting? What did you talk about after the movie? The bad acting! Each year thousands of executives, managers and sales professionals are required to make presentations to audiences of all sizes and diversity.
The majority of those presentations fall far short of their desired outcome. Not because the presenter did not know the material but because they did not know how to use the platform to enhance the message. Just what will be the topic of discussion after the presentation? The message will be lost in the discussion of the poor presentation.
How coaching can help
Presenting from the platform is not a big leap from talking
one-on-one in the office lobby; you have already developed
all the basic skills necessary. It is simply a matter of tailoring
it to the platform. As a coach I will work with you on your
presentation to tailor it so that your natural skills are
used to create a natural presentation style. What an audience
is looking for is authenticity.
 Presentation Tips
- If you plan on using a lot of PowerPoint slides-just send the disc and stay home. The PowerPoint should be a back drop, simply a prop to enhance your message.
- Don’t stand behind the podium and read your speech. Think about it, you read to your children at bedtime to put them to sleep.
- You have to tell stories. You loved it when you sat and listened to your grandfather tell you stories. Audiences love it too and a good speech is simply several 3 minute stories tied together.
- Move around-it gets rid of nervous energy and a moving target is hard to hit.
- If you have trouble telling jokes-don’t! Cute stories can get a giggle and if they don’t, well at least you told a story.
- Want real credibility, close with a “Q & A”.
Executive presentations
It is easy for an executive to deliver good news; who cares
how it is delivered, it's good news. But, how about bad news;
layoffs, low return on investment, reorganizations, product
failures or being acquired. Improving your platform skills
will not change bad news into good news but it can clarify
the message preventing rumors and unnecessary fears.
When you have that high-impact message to present to a group,
we can help you make it as powerful as possible. We will not
change who you are. We will work with the structure of the
speech (not the intent). We will help you with posture, body
language and your tone of voice; we want them to enhance the
message. We do not train, we coach.
Selling from the platform
Many of today’s organizations have teams or committees making decisions and sales professionals are discovering that the old “one on one” selling skills are just not enough. Product presentations that are given to groups are only successful when you meet the needs of each of the individuals in the audiences.
Selling from the platform requires more physical activity and a greater emphasis on interaction with each individual participant. As coaches we will help the presenters integrate PowerPoint, flip charts (yes-flip charts), transparencies, and how to create greater dialogue with the participants.
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