How to Improve Sales, Credibility and Confidence In You and Your Team with
Three Tips for More Powerful Presentations
By Mark Faust

Few skills are as easy to improve and as powerful in results, as effective public speaking skills. It’s balderdash to misquote the survey ranking speaking as the number one fear. In most polls it does rank high, but few professionals will say giving a speech is truly worse than bankruptcy or being fired. And yet those can be the results of poor speaking skills.

Rather speaking is a skill that is rarely improved but extremely critical to gaining credibility, persuading clients, leading a team and bottom line making more money. In fact more studies prove a direct correlation of improved presentation skills to improved incomes than any other skill including sales or negotiations. It has been proven that sales and negotiation savvy and even confidence improves with enhanced platform ability because of the usual improvement of extemporaneous speaking ability.

What has been shown in almost every industry through sales research is that there are a variety of opportunities to increase sales through the use of more platform style presenting. It cannot replace the consultative questioning that must preempt any proposition, but when appropriate it builds consensus much quicker than traditional across the table presentations.

Research has gleaned that facts presented while one is standing in front of a group are 35% more likely to be believed and that propositions are 64% more likely to be moved upon when given by a speaker to a group, rather than by a presenter across the table.

Eyes, Hands & Feet

1. One of the most gripping tactics of speaking is prolonged eye contact. Most speakers, even those quite experienced, will give half second glances at various points of the audience. While this is better than only looking down to read and up only for a possible visual aid, it is almost as weak. Even if you are reading a speech verbatim, it would be better to have one point, statement or question every three minutes where you can step away from the platform and hold just two or three direct eye contact points for three to five seconds each. Five seconds will seem like an eternity if you are not used to this, but if you know your material, this becomes more comfortable very quickly and it is absolutely powerful in how it connects you with the audience.

2. One of the most common power draining postures is hands and arms drooping at the side, coming up for only an occasional punctuation. Appearance greatly improves if you can find a comfortable resting point for your hands directly in front of your diaphragm, with the elbows bent at a 90-degree angle. Hands should come up as much as possible. Almost as if they were paintbrushes that visually project what the verbal is saying. It is very rare for speakers to over gesticulate, and too common that they lack almost any visual punctuation.

3. Standing in one spot is boring, for you and the audience. Move! Studies show that the memory of your key points increases dramatically with the effective use of body placement. But don’t move while making that key point, only from segues of one point to another or as you are in an anecdotal phase of your presentation. It is fine to come back to the podium to check your notes or grab a prop. But try to only come to that area when you need to get something from it.

Now of course, content is king, but style is the beautiful queen that captures and keeps attention. There is a science to both and each must be honed regularly.

Ask yourself how much more you and your team could achieve if your presentation skills were even better. Most decisions are based more on how the presenter made their points than what the points were. In many cases, the difference between one proposal and another is minor, the differentiating point that moves people to decision is the Powerful Presentation.

Practice with your team. Evaluate each other after presentations. Observe closely and learn from the best presenters. Make it a point of continuous improvement. It is one of the most valuable skills in life, for anyone.

Take action and schedule something right now to build this skill and build your profits.

Mark Faust is Principal of Echelon Management a consulting and training firm that works with leaders of successful executive teams and sales teams who want to raise the bar and improve performance. He also delivers speeches to thousands of people every year. Mark can be reached at 513-621-8000, faust@echelonmanagement.com