Presentation Advisors Blog

The Real Question: What's In It For Your Audience?

WIIFM?

What's In It For Me?

That's what you're audience is asking.  That's (for the most part) all they care about.  It doesn't matter what you're presenting.  Could be a presentation about your company.  Could be a new product release to your sales team.  Could be a new initiative you're starting.  It doesn't matter.  Your audience only cares about one thing - what's in it for them?

Does that sound selfish?  Yes.  Is it true?  Yes.  Is it selfish?  No.

Quite often when we sit down and start sketching out our presentation, we rarely think of it in terms of what we're offering the audience.  We think about what product features to mention, or which client logos to show, or how worthwhile our cause is.  But you're presenting to reach a certain goal, and if you want to reach that goal, your audience is going to have to take you there.

I just finished a presentation for a great client who is launching a revolutionary type of software.  It has awesome features.  It blows away the competition.  It looks slick.  Really, it's the cat's meow.

My client is presenting this to his national sales team - that's his audience.  So when we started the design process, one of my first questions was, "What's in it for them?"  How is this product going to change their lives?  The goal of his presentation wasn't to unveil this new software, though at first glance you may think it was.  There's nothing in that for them.

What we needed to do was craft the message in a way that gets the sales team excited about selling the software.  How will this software ignite their sales figures? How will this software help them solve the problems of their customers and make them look good?  How is this going to change their lives?  We had to connect the software with the things that matter to the sales team in order to empower them.

Think about your presentation and your audience.  Is your presentaiton about you or is it about them?  Is it about features or is it about how those features will help a business make more money?  Is it about your charity or how helping your charity will enrich your audience's lives?

I'd love to hear your approach to WIIFM in the comments.  How do you make sure it's all about your audience?

Image courtesy of Thomas Hawk

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Book Review & Giveaway: UnMarketing by Scott Stratten

Rarely do I read a book and highlight the footnotes. Yes, UnMarketing was that good.

Scott Stratten, better known as @UnMarketing on Twitter, has written a book about Marketing that didn't seem like it was about Marketing at all. I read it. I loved it. You will too.

You see, this isn't a book about Marketing in the traditional sense, where you're given all the tricks you need to boost sales, lower customer churn, drive website traffic, and automate half your marketing tasks, all in only four hours a week. On the contrary, Scott vehemently argues against all things automated and describes how his "overnight success" actually took him years of building strong relationships based on trust.  Success in business isn't for the weary, folks.

John Coleman Takes Bull Sh*t to a Whole New Level

I'm so excited to bring this to you.  I came across this video just the other day when Olivia Mitchell tweeted a video of Tim Washer avoiding a presentation disaster through the use of improv humor.   That's a great video as well. 

I'll set the scene and give my thoughts after the jump.  This video features John Coleman, an MBA/MPA student at the Harvard Business School who is tasked with delivering a 7-minute venture capitalist presentation as part of the school's first annual "B.S. Contest" (Yes, that stands for bull shitake) sponsored by the Harvard Business School's Public Speaking club.  The trick, though, is that he's NEVER seen the PowerPoint.  He doesn't even know the "product" he is pitching until AFTER his introduction (which is unfortuantely cut off).  In his case, his product is Robot Vending Machines - whatever that means.  I like it better than the 2nd place presenter's product - Removable Mustaches.  The class presentations are part of the Harvard Business School's Public Speaking club.  The lessons are plentiful.

Scott Stratten Proves PowerPoint is Not a Presentation Prerequisite

Photo courtesy of Sean Zinsmeister

Recently I had the priviledge of sitting in on a talk by Mr. UnMarketing himself, Scott Stratten, hosted by the Connecticut chapter of the American Marketing Association.  If you don't know him, you should - he's kind of a big deal on Twitter.  I drove through rain and crazy amounts of traffic for two hours (each way) just for the opportunity to hear him talk about his new book, aptly titled UnMarketing (seriously...I didn't do it just for the iPad raffle and free drink ticket, I swear).  I'll have a review of the book up very soon, along with a free UnMarketing book to give away so keep an eye out.

Be Like Walt Disney - Turn Your Presentation Into An Experience

Photo courtesy of Joe Penniston

My apologies for the blog silence this past week. You can usually count on two posts per week from me, but last week I was in the Happiest Place on Earth – Disney World.

It was an experience like no other. While my wife and I have yet to enter the joyous stage of parenthood, my two brother-in-laws both have young children ranging from 8 years to 6 months old. My goal for this post isn’t to document our trip (probably not what you’re looking for) but it’s important to note that we went with children, since it completely changed the way we experienced Disney, particularly the way they present themselves as both a magical place and a well oiled machine of a business.

This Soda Pop Eccentric is a Content Marketing Genius

I recently wrote a post about a marketing genius, and I'm not even sure he knows he's one.  His name is John Nese, and to say that Nese is passionate about his job is an understatement. When Nese, the proprietor of Galco’s Soda Pop Stop in Los Angeles, was asked to describe his product in one word, he simply replied: “Happy." How about two words? His second answer was “Smile." So who is this wacky soda man who speaks like Frankenstein? Turns out he's a brilliant storyteller. And he had the cajones to stand up to Pepsi.

Read the rest of this post over at the Post Advertising blog, where I'm a contributor.

Image courtesy of Darwin Bell on Flickr

Ten Tips for Delivering the Perfect Wedding Toast

This post originally appears as a guest post on the Weddingistas blog.

Being chosen as a groom’s Best Man or a bride’s Maid of Honor is truly an honor (as the name implies). It’s a title that one receives when they’ve meant the most as a friend to the bride or groom.

Of course, once the emotion subsides it gives way to the fact that being a Best Man or Maid of Honor comes with great responsibility – not the least of which is the Wedding Toast. 

3 Sure Fire Ways to Win Over Your Audience

When you step onto that stage, or into that boardroom, or in front of those students, or behind the mic for a webinar,  or the many other circumstances that precede a presentation, you're never presenting alone.  Now, that may be true simply because you're part of a group of people presenting, but even if you're solo, you're never really alone.  That's because you're just one part of the presentation equation.  The audience is the other HUGE part of that equation. 

It's no secret that having an audience on your side will make a presentation seem easier, less stressful, and even fun!  But with so much effort put into learning the content, designing the presentation, and practicing the delivery, the audience is often overlooked.  The presenter is seemingly "head down" as they start their presentation, focusing only on the one-way communication coming from them.  However, great presentations are conversations, and the audience is 50% of that.

What's important to note is that the "conversation" doesn't have to be verbal.  While presenting, especially virtually, the interaction with the audience is done through other means, even if it's a supporting nod, a raised hand, a submitted question, or an interested stare.

The audience is so important, and making sure your audience is on your side is key to ensuring a smooth and interactive presentation.  While the key to my heart is through my stomach (feed me!), offering coffee and donuts isn't enough to ensure that your audience will remain engaged and interested throughout.  So here are three sure fire ways to win over your audience.

1. Greet your audience as they arrive
   This is one of those "sneaky yet effective" tips because I really don't see a lot of presenters doing this.  Obviously it lends better to live, in-person presentations, but even on a webinar you can make some announcements and interact with the audience (to an extent) prior to the webinar.  In order to do this effectively, you have to arrive early enough to set up ALL of your presentation needs so you can give ample time to meet and greet your audience as they arrive (instead of using that time to test your remote or run through your slides one more time).  Greeting your audience before you present, as opposed to simply "appearing from behind the curtain." will familiarize your audience with you (and you with them) and even allow you to find allies and dissenters you can call on later to encourage discussion.  Try to remember names for more wow-factor.


2. Offer a high-quality takeaway after the presentation
   Without exception, after every presentation at least one audience member asks for a copy of the slides.  A great way to exceed their expectations is to offer them something better than the slides.  With my standard presentation about effective presenting, I give away printed copies of my ebook.  It's a far better recall device than trying to gaze at my slides which use far more images than works. You don't have to write an ebook, but give them more than just black and white printouts of your slides.  This can be as simple as a well-written word document.  At Seth Godin's Linchpin presentation, nearly every ticket-holder received a free book as well as a free poster (seen below, hanging on my office wall).  He even autographed the books as well as long as you were willing to wait in line. 
   
   
   


3. Be on time, every time
   There's nothing that can turn a good crowd bad than to disrespect their time.  If your presentation is only supposed to last an hour, you better believe they are leaving satisfied with the content and their questions answered in under an hour.  Your audience is sacrificing something (time, money, productivity, etc) to listen to you speak, so you owe them at least enough respect to get them out the door when you promised to.  That doesn't give you the right to speed through your last few slides either, which happens way too often for my liking.  They deserve all the content as well.

Image courtesy of Tattooed JJ via CompFight

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Reader Survey: What YOU Want from the Presentation Advisors Blog?

I apologize.  After recently attending the Audience Conference, I've realize that I haven't done enough to understand what you, MY audience, wants, needs, and cares about in regards to my blog. 

The range of this blog has exceeded what I originally intended, straying from just PowerPoint design to a broader view of presenting, public speaking, marketing, social media, sales, engagement, and more.  I broadened the scope as my passions broadened, but this blog isn't about me - it's about the value I can offer for you, my audience.

I've created a survey to find out exactly what you like/dislike, want/don't want, want to stay the same/want to change, etc.  I would REALLY TRULY appreciate it if you could help me by filling out the survey to let me know how I can better serve you.  Even if this is your first time at the blog, let me know what you'd like to see!  I tried to ask about all aspects of the blog, but if you think there's something missing just shoot me an email or leave a comment. 

All questions are optional and submissions are anonymous.  Thanks so much.

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The Audience Conference 2010 - Social Media, Comedy, and Relationships

Over the weekend I attended The Audience Conference at historic Caroline's on Broadway in the heart of Times Square, NYC.  The conference was to be a blend of social media and comedy, and their similar relationships with content, audience, and the like.  Only a 60-minute train ride and an affordable $100 price tag, I couldn't pass it up. 

Overview:
Via the suggestion and rave-review by C.C. Chapman, I signed up only minutes after learning about this conference.  I was particularly intrigued by the fact that there was NO Tweeting, live-blogging, or connectivity of any kind.  I saw a few people using their iPhones to take notes, but otherwise we were disconnected from our technology.  My iPhone didn't get any service so I had no choice.  I'd have to admit - I felt far more focused and connected (in a non-digital way) with the speaker and my fellow audience members.  I wasn't racing to Tweet out the latest speaker soundbyte and staring at the hashtag column instead of at the speaker.  There is definitely value in spreading presentation content virally, but I thought this was a unique selling point for the conference and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere (and table-service).

Content:
The day started at 10am and was split into two parts: the morning containing "Tech" speakers and the afternoon containing comedians (apart from a sit down interview between host Loren Feldman and Jason Calacanis).  I won't go into depth as to what content they offered, but every talk was different and interesting, and the comedians actually performed their comedy sets and gave some rare insight into their craft during the Q&A sessions afterwords.  Their jokes are content, just like our blog posts, and they A/B test just like Marketers do.  They also, like Marketers, have to know who their audience is, pay attention to their wants/needs, react when expectations aren't met, and connect with them.  All of the comedians brought an honest piece of their lives into their sets, reminding us all of the importance of transparency and storytelling. 

Speakers:
For such an affordable conference and limited amount of tech-related speakers, this conference had an impressive lineup.  Chris Brogan, C.C. Chapman, Chris Pearson (founder of Thesis), and host Loren Feldman from 1938 media.  They certainly didn't disappoint and because of the small venue, all of them were easily approachable which is why a conference like this is so rare.  Instead of swooping in and out, all of the speakers were there for the conference in its entirety. 

As for the comedians, they were all really funny and all had totally different styles but each of them echoed the same sentiment - quality content is king, always be testing and revising, and you have to know and understand your audience.  It made me think about the vast differences in blog topics and writing styles.  Whether you're a food blog or a sports blog, quality content wins and without an audience you're just talking to yourself (so don't ignore them). 

My favorite comedian was Harrison Grennbaum.  He had a fantastic delivery, a welcoming persona, a myriad of joke styles and even finished with an unbelievable magic trick.  Check him out on YouTube. 

Venue
As C.C. Chapman put it so eloquently when I spoke with him briefly, "This is a hidden-gem of a conference."  The venue is quite small, and looked to seat maybe a hundred or so comfortably (although I'm sure they fit 200+ uncomfortably).  This made for a very intimate and connected conference, where you felt like an active participant rather than a passive crowd member.  No matter where you sat, the speaker was no more than a shout away and your question would always go answered.  The food was fantastic compared to more expensive conferences that provide just a box lunch.  I had some fantastic mini-wraps and potato salad for lunch and drinking was encouraged once the comedians took the stage.  I'm sure that resonates with many of you.

I fully expect next year's Audience Conference to outgrown the capacity of Caroline's.  Everyone I spoke to or overheard were raving about the conference, which means word of mouth alone will generate tons of awareness. 

The Presentation Blogger's Thoughts:
Putting away my marketing/social media hat and putting on my presentation hat for just a minute, this was an interesting setting.  No slides or PowerPoint or visuals of any kind.  Just a speaker, a smaller-than-you'd-think stage, and blinding stage-lights.  I have no problem that there weren't any visuals.  Many speakers can tell engaging stories just by their lonesome on stage. 

Lacking visuals, particularly slides, has some inherent positives (usually the fodder anti-PowerPointers use to argue against its use).  Without slides there was nothing the speakers could use as a crutch.  If they stepped on that stage, they needed to know their stuff and as a whole, they did.  I only saw one slightly unsettling technique, which was when one speaker used his iPhone as his notes.  I have no problem with using notes, but I would suggest having a simple small notecard he could have placed on the stool and glanced down at every once in a while.  Instead he held his iPhone and brought it quite close to his face to read what was next.  His content was great and he seemed like a super-smart guy, but I couldn't help but feel a disconnect when he'd look down at his iPhone.    

The Concept of Audience:
A presenter's audience is so important.  Of course without an audience, you don't have much of a presentation.  That's what makes me so crazy when I see poorly prepared presenters with sloppy visuals they use as a crutch.  It's so insulting to the audience - the people sacrificing their own time (and sometimes money) to listen to the presenter.  You're not only doing a disservice to yourself, since whatever your story is will go unheard because of the "noise" created by poor visuals and delivery, but you're wasting the audience's time as well. 

As presenters, writers, marketers, you have to love your audience.  If you ask ANY of the social media influencers out there (you know, the ones that worked hard for years to become an "overnight success"), they'll all tell you stories about how much they care and have cared about their audience.  They created high-quality and valuable content that they were passionate about.  They responded to every comment.  They found where their audience lived (in online terms) and engaged with them.  They attended conferences and shook lots of hands and actually listened to the people they met.

There was no better example of this than at the very end of the conference when I approached Scott Stratten of UnMarketing fame.  Scott is a sought-after consultant, speaker, author, and nothing less than a social media influencer.  Scott used the valuable relationships he's built over the years to leverage Twitter and raise just under $30,000 for Tanner (his goal was $25,000), a special young man whose story pulled on Scott's heartstrings.  Oh, did I mention he did this in ONE DAY?!  Yes, just one-day.  How's that for ROI of Social Media?

I wanted to compliment Scott on his amazing work for Tanner's cause.  I don't know about any of you, but I get a little nervous when I approach speakers and "influencers" at conferences.  I just feel like they get approached every two seconds and all anyone wants to do is pitch their business.  I was afraid he'd presume the same about me.  I'm probably wrong about that because when I pulled Scott aside, he seemed genuinely interested in what I had to say.  We talked about Tanner, social media, relationships, audiences, the conference, and much more.  I promised myself not to take up too much of his time (get in, get out), but Scott was so genuine and cool that we talked for at least 20 minutes.  I'm just one of MANY "audience members" he has (over 60k followers) but he treated me like we were long-time friends and I can only assume he treats everyone like that.  Now he's turned a follower into an evangelist.  I've already pre-ordered his book, but if you haven't click here to order, available September 7th.  

Conclusion:
After reading this I'm sure you're not surprised that I highly recommend this conference.  I don't know what to expect for next year as far as ticket-price, venue, and attendee growth, but if it stays similar to this year's, it's a must-go.  The only other conference with this much value for the dollar is the 140 Conference.  I will no doubt have fond memories of the conversations I had, people I met, valuable information I learned, and the brownies (which were to die for). 

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Image courtesy of Today Is A Good Day on Flickr