Entries tagged with "messages" | Benjamin Ball Associates

Benjamin Ball Associates – Presentation Training Experts » Entries tagged with "messages"

How to Harness the Power of Persuasion December 12th, 2012 | Add a Comment

“It’s not just what you say that counts, it’s also how you say it. The success of your argument critically depends on your manner of presenting it.” Alain de Botton Be More Persuasive Persuasive presenting takes more than just a few well-chosen words. To succeed it is essential that your team offers the ‘whole package’. Whether you are talking to investors, pitching for new business, or appealing to your colleagues you can improve how you Pitch, Present & Persuade. Use the Five Pillars of Persuasion Persuasion isn’t about emotive language and pleading looks; persuasion comes from the interaction of 5 elements: 1. Knowing your audience – what really matters to them? Create messages that speak from their point of view 2. Offering a simple message – keep your ideas clear and to the point 3. Telling them a story – …
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Filed under: Featured, General Presentations

Pitching for new business – where to start? May 26th, 2010 | Add a Comment

We spend a lot of time helping clients pitch for new business. This can be business from new clients or from existing clients. Interestingly, many people make the same basic mistake when pitching. The maddening thing is, this mistake is obvious. What is this obvious pitching mistake and why do people make it? The big mistake is talking about yourself too much. For example, if I have invited you to pitch for a bit of business, the last thing I want to hear are your other big clients and the awards you have won. I want to hear about me, my problem and what you are going to do to fix it. Yet, we see this pitch-winning mistake over and over. Our theory is that poor pitch presentations happen because people are …
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Filed under: Pitching Success

The election has changed the rules of media interviews May 26th, 2010 | Add a Comment

For the last 13 years we have got used to a certain type of media interview. The interviewer is aggressive and the interviewee is trying to get their points across, often without any true conversation. Listening to Ed Miliband on the Andrew Marr show last week was typical of this style. But, post election, Ed sounded so last government: hectoring, arrogant and not listening. The new coalition politics seem to be changing this. Media interviews with new ministers sound very different. The new coalition seems less concerned about sound bites and repeated messages. As a consequence the interviews are softening. Interviewees now focus more on understanding and explanation. The interviewer gets to think a bit more and help make complex stories understandable. But, what does this mean for media training? We believe the …
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Filed under: Media Training

The hard bit is making your presentation easy January 3rd, 2010 | Add a Comment

Making your presentation simple We all get tied up in the detail. We can’t see the wood for the trees. Your job as a presenter is to make it easy for the audience. Keep working at your talk, your presention - the single big idea, until it is clear, simple and concise. Only when you can write the big idea of your talk in one sentence are you ready to start preparing the rest of it. The good news is people remember very little about any talk – typically they recall 3-4 ideas, not more. Therefore, don’t try and introduce too many concepts – make it simple and make it clear. When we train people at Benjamin Ball Associates for effective presentations, we often use the 30 second summary test The 30 second summary test You will …
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Filed under: Featured, General Presentations, Investor Presentations

Facts are forgotten, stories get repeated December 31st, 2009 | Add a Comment

We all love stories, we tend to dislike lists of facts. Whatever your presentation subject, turn it into a story. Stories are powerful because the human mind works through stories, and enables us to relate things together. Try structuring the driest facts you know into a story and you will see how they can come alive and become memorable. One exercise Benjamin Ball Associates regularly uses in presentation training is to collect a list of ten or so random items (eg Chocolate, a bus, 52%, The Pope, etc ) and then challenge my client to put them together into a story. Usually the story can be remembered with surprising accuracy, no matter how bizarre. …
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Filed under: General Presentations, Investor Presentations

The “So What ?” Test December 30th, 2009 | Add a Comment

When putting your talk or presentation together, and deciding what to include and what to leave out, always use the “So What?” test. For everything you plan to say, ask yourself “So What?” ie why is this included in the presentation. If you don’t have a compelling answer, then leave it out. Don’t be afraid of having too short a talk. Most audiences would prefer a shorter rather than a longer presentation. …
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Filed under: General Presentations

COMPELLING BUSINESS PRESENTATIONS – How to find a winning opening line December 30th, 2009 | Add a Comment

TOP TIPS When presenting, the first few seconds of your talk are the most important. You can win, or lose, your audience within the first 10 seconds. Structuring an opening that grabs attention and sets the scene will mean the audience will be with you for at least the next few seconds. Grab Attention Before you start speaking, your audience will be on your side. They want to hear what you have to say and are interested in …
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Filed under: Featured, General Presentations

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