High Impact Client Presentations – Tip #5 of 5

October 30, 2007 in Food for Thought, Tips of the Trade by Andrea | No comments

Today’s blog offers the fifth of five tips to help you avoid the all-too-common trap of speaking more than listening when you’re giving a client presentation. Use these tips any time you are trying to influence a group of people — regardless of your role, your audience, or your time boundaries.

Tip # 1: (Within the first 2 minutes) Get their voices in the room. Click here to read more.

Tip #2: (Within the first 5 minutes) Find out what they want to hear from you. Click here to read more.

Tip #3: (At the 6-minute mark) Don’t be afraid to throw out what you had planned based on what they tell you they want. Click here to read more.

Tip #4: (5 minutes before closing) See how well you met their expectations. Click here to read more.

Tip #5: (1 minute before closing) Know where they stand when you leave. Use a One Word Check-out. Ask, “How are you as you leave the room?” You’ll know immediately what impact you had and what your next steps are. This is often a really uplifting experience for everyone involved – including you! It’s amazing how quickly a room can go from “pooped” to “psyched,” especially when you’ve followed Tips 1 through 4. And if the reverse has happened, well, bummer. But wouldn’t you rather know – and know immediately – so you can deal with it … and adjust your approach for the next time?

Bottom line: Being influential comes as a result of listening first, not talking. This is true whether you’re a consultant outside an organization or a leader within one, speaking in a formal setting or gathered casually around a conference room table, delivering a presentation lasting 30 minutes or 3 days. Use all five tips for high impact client presentations.

These tips were originally presented in BossaNova’s TwentyFourSeven newsletter. Click here to see it and find other articles of interest.