Learn best practices to help you master your presentation and take your skills to the next level.
Many advisors rely on in-person events to prospect for new clients—and knowing how to work a crowd during your presentation is critical for turning your prospects into leads.
As a presenter, it’s important to bring a real understanding of how your audience is listening to your presentation, and your success will depend on how you connect with them. Here are tips to help you master your presentation and take your skills to the next level.
Have a connecting story.
The connecting story should be in your opening statement; this will be the heart of your presentation. It will help create an emotional response from the audience, so they have an easier time remembering your main points after the event.
A compelling connecting story must be ordinary, extraordinary and show your why.
Ordinary – You need to be relatable. Share a story that you have in common with your audience. Show them that you understand their struggles and concerns because you’ve been in their shoes.
Extraordinary – Be careful not to get overly boastful but explain a problem your audience has that you’ve managed to solve.
Show Your Why – Express the reason you’re so passionate about what you do and why you want to help them.
Roadmap your content.
Roadmapping involves breaking your content into sections and then telling the audience what three or four topics they will learn throughout your presentation. A pro tip is to timestamp your roadmap so your audience knows what to expect. This prevents them from getting distracted.
Here’s an example: In the next 30 minutes, I’m going to show you how to make sure you have a monthly income throughout retirement, you pay as little as possible in taxes and you’re protected so that you no matter what, your loved ones will be okay.
80% of your audience will decide if they want to book an appointment with you within the first two sections of your presentation, so make these key points strong.
Don’t overwhelm your audience.
When it comes to content, a common mistake that most advisors make is trying to teach their audience way too much. Overloading your audience with information leaves them feeling overwhelmed, scared, and confused, which is the last thing you want because people who feel this way don’t make decisions. They tend to panic and freeze. Here are a few key indicators that you’re packing too much content into your presentation:
Refer back to yourself.
Referring back to yourself at least two times throughout your presentation makes you more approachable and lets your audience know how to connect with you after the presentation. You can do this by giving examples of conversations you’ve had with clients.
Here is an example: Clients often ask me, “[insert your name], do I get the same tax deductions in retirement?
This type of language will help you get more appointments scheduled during and after the event.
Name the appointment.
Naming your appointments has a bigger impact than you may think. Research shows there’s a 10-15% more chance your audience will book an appointment with you if you use a results-based title. A results-based title describes the end result of working with you.
Some examples include the following:
- “The Great Retirement Appointment”
- “The Peace of Mind Appointment”
- “The Happy Retirement Appointment”
Overall, it is important to build a trusting relationship with your audience by being transparent and approachable. Focus on connecting with, helping, directing and inspiring them to optimize your success. There are a number of strategies you can use to optimize your presentations. For a more in-depth look at best practices for mastering your presentation, check out our most recent webinar with Professional Speaker & Presentation Coach Pat Quinn. Click here to watch now!
