Sales Presentations Training

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You know that I’m a huge fan of humor and I love this quote by Dan Pink:

“Laughter is a form of nonverbal communication that conveys empathy and that is even more contagious than the yawn…”

I picked this up from a great post over at Presentation Zen called Bill Clinton and the art of speaking in a “human voice” I hope you enjoy this and Thanks again for your continued support!

Steve Mertz
I’m a Laughter Sherpa!

Technorati Tags: Google, Sales Presentations Training, Public Speaking, Humor

Phil Rosenthal was a writer and producer for “Everybody Loves Raymond’ for its entire nine-year run. He has a new book out called “You’re Lucky You’re Funny”. I read the review on the book and liked what I read about how he incorporates humor into his show. His secret is specificity. When your are speaking to an audience there are specific pieces of humor that may only be known to that organization or association. If you do your homework and discover what humor is specific to them you are going to be there hero and remembered long after the event.

He mentions that one of the reasons we see so many failed comedies today is that writers keep looking to get the next laugh instead of trying to “tell a great story’. The same is true for you. Many executives are initially reluctant to share a personal story with their employees, I think this is a mistake. If the story has relevance to your current situation and it makes a powerful point-I would encourage you to use it in your presentation! By taking advantage of telling a great story that is personal to you-your audience will have a strong emotional bond with you and your message. don’t miss out on this opportunity! Via: New York Times.

Steve Mertz
Humor Speakers Sell

Technorati Tags: Public Speaking, Presentations, Phil Rosenthal, New York Times

The monthly meeting of NSA Colorado will be October 13,2006. The meeting will be from 2 to 6pm. We will be hearing some great public speakers including Shep Hyken, CSP. Shep will be speaking on Getting clients and selling product! Sales strategies for speakers and consultants. Shep has built and sustained his successful business for twenty years. Shep brings real life experiences that new and seasoned speakers can use.

Next on the agenda will be Michael Benidt and Sherly Kay speaking on Perfecting Internet Connecting. Their program will show you how to get crucial information faster! If you are overwhelmed by information overload-Don’t miss this great information!

We are also pleased to be joined by Scott Halford, CSP. Scott is a former NSA/Colorado President and Emmy award-winner. Scott has a very successful business model. Instead of 100 speeches to 100 different clients a year, he strategically selects 5-7 companies and works in each one 10-20 times per year-Great information!

This will be a great Friday meeting on Presentations, Marketing and Internet Searches. Don’t miss our NSA/Colorado meeting this Friday!

Steve Mertz
See You Friday!

Technorati Tags: NSA/Colorado, Shep Hyken, Michael Benidt, Sheryl Kay, Scott Halford 

A friend of mine has to give a one hour presentation before a committee next month. It will determine whether or not she gets to manage her own Starbucks store-I’d say a lot was riding on her presentation! It’s been a pleasure to watch this young lady grow over the year that she has been working at my favorite Starbucks and I’m pleased that she asked me for some presentation advice.

I asked her about the process. She told me that she will be presenting to about seven managers who will be looking for her best ideas on increasing revenues for the store. She mentioned to me that she had seen two previous presentations by her peers to the committee. What struck me the most is when she said how a particular individual was so out of character at his presentation. Gone was the smiling, gregarious and joking young man that we all had come to appreciate-In his place was the serious, no smile, no humor, stoic presenter!

I’m sure we all witnessed the same occurrence. What strikes me funny about this is that everyone knows “you” and they love your ability, leadership and unique character…so, why would you leave that at home the day of your presentation?
I get the fact that this is a huge deal for these young up and coming stars but my advice to my friend is to let the committee she the real her and her delightful humor. I can work with her on her presentation skills and ensure that she will give a very tight presentation but as with all speakers-it’s up to us to let the committee see our real and genuine self!

Steve Mertz
Let the Genuine You Shine Through!

Technorati Tags: Career Training, Public Speaking, Presentations Skills, Starbucks

Just about 90 minutes West of Denver is some of the world’s greatest skiing in Vail, Colorado. It could also be our next meeting place for your executive team. Whether you are preparing for an important sales presentation, IPO Road Show or looking for executive coaching-Why not meet up in Vail, Beaver Creek or Keystone? Vail mountain is tentatively scheduled to open November 17th, so it’s not too early to start planning your executive retreat!

Aside from all the fabulous outdoor activities Vail also offers great facilities for our conference needs. My staff and I would be happy to discuss any projects you may have upcoming and work out some logistics for a Vail getaway. Interested? Give me a call on my cell at 303-619-8972 or feel free to email me at smertz at msn.com

Get the G5 fired up and let’s meet at Vail for your next executive retreat! 

Steve Mertz
All Work and No Play…

Technorati Tags: Vail, Beaver Creek, Keystone, Executive Coaching, IPO Road Show, Sales Training

I was on a conference call last evening with some speakers. A woman on the call mentioned that she had given a presentation last week that lasted an hour and thirty minutes…And her presentation included 129 PowerPoint slides! At first, I thought she was joking.

When we called her on it, she became a little defensive. She saw no problem at all showing 129 PowerPoint slides in a 90 minute presentation. Let’s see-that’s only one slide every 1.4 minutes!! (Check that, 1.4 slides every minute) Which begs the question-Was the audience paying for a PowerPoint slide show or the speakers expertise?

I’m sure you all know by now that I believe slides should only be used to clarify or accentuate a point in your presentation. When PowerPoint becomes the show it makes it easier for the meeting planner to hire someone else who will give a cheaper slide show. Audiences want to learn from your experiences and your expertise!

Steve Mertz
Beyond PowerPoint!

Patricia Fripp has some excellent presentation tips in this months news letter. She discusses converting a Seminar to a Keynote. Regardless if you are looking to do this-you will find some excellent tips to increase your sales presentations. You can read How Can You Convert a Seminar to a Keynote here. Enjoy!

Steve Mertz

I Have Good Mentors!

Technorati Tags: Presentations, Coaching, Public Speaking, Patricia Fripp

Know Your Audience is always a critical factor in the success of your presentation. Thomas P. Mullen and Mala Narain of the Park Li Group strategy consulting group, stress you need to know how they listen!

People have distinctly different way of dealing with presentations about strategy, David Wagner writes in Sloan Management Review.

“Each audience member will emphasize one of four primary focuses-data, structure, vision and the human element-and the effective speakers are those who integrate all four aspects into their presentations.”

Listeners who are primarily data driven will be evaluating your presentation to see if “it is grounded in the appropriate facts and figures.” My translation: Engineer types, CFO’s!

Audience members who look first for structure want to see how all the different aspects of your talk fit together. My translation: College Professors

“Where are all these strategy discussions going to lead us,” is what the people who are listening for vision want to know. My translation: CEO’s, Consultants

And, finally people who focus on human dimension want to know where they-and everyone else-fit in. My translation: You and I!

“The key to success is to always assume all four types of listeners are present in every audience. Identify your default mode and leverage those skills as much as you can, but address the needs of the other types of listeners as well.”

While this information is not new it certainaly is valuable and gives us a timely reminder when giving presentations. It also gives credence to the fact that speaking off the cuff-puts you at a distinct disadvantage with audiences. Lastly, let’s not forget to chart out our use of humor in our presentations!

Steve Mertz

Know Your Audience

Technorati Tags: Sloan Management Review, Presentations, Humor, Career Training

With the ever increasing global economy-many of us have been exposed to international opportunities. The opportunities can be very rewarding but Dr. Gary Goodman gives us some timely advice on the hidden costs of delivering an international speech. Read his full article here.

Steve Mertz

International Opportunities

I had the opportunity to view three excellent presentations at the NSA/Colorado chapter meeting on Saturday, September 9^th. All three presenters did an excellent job of connecting with the audience and giving them information that they could use immediately. There are common traits of great presentations that I want to high lite here:

1. The speakers did not warm up on their opening-they got right into their material and immediately captured the audiences attention. The first 20 seconds of an opening can really set the tone for your presentation so it’s always worth the effort to make it fresh and compelling to your audience.

2. They used stories that were universal to any audience that anchored their key points. Your audiences love to hear personal stories of yours and how or what you learned from those experiences to help you overcome obstacles and achieve success from the experience. Even if you are a CEO of an organization-your audience will relate and appreciate stories that are yours and anchor a key point you are making.

3. All three presenters used generous amounts of humor to poke fun at themselves and anchor key points.

4. They kept on topic and stuck to the allotted time they were given. By sticking to your topic your audience will leave with the key points you sere making. Those who tend to wander off topic can leave an audience with a feeling of “we liked the presentation, but don’t really remember any specific points.”

5. All the speakers engaged the audience and were able to make a great connection because of the interactivity.

6. Handouts were effectively used and yes, the one PowerPoint presentation did support and enhance the presentation!

Steve Mertz

Great Presenters are Fun to Watch!