Tips for Creating Memorable Sales Presentations

The Power of Repetition We've all been there—sitting through a presentation where the speaker tries to cram so much information into a five-minute speech or a one-to-two-page document. It's overwhelming, and let's be honest, how much do you actually remember afterward? * The One Message Rule Here's the thing: In a short presentation, your audience is likely to remember just one main message. That's right, just one. Your objective should be to decide what that one crucial takeaway is and to build your entire presentation around it. * Why Repetition Works Cognitive psychology has taught us a lot about how humans process and remember information. One key insight is the power of repetition. When something is repeated, it reinforces neural pathways in the brain, making the information easier to recall later. In the context of a brief presentation, repetition acts as a spotlight, focusing your audience's attention on what matters most. * Tips for Effective Repetition 1. Identify Your Core Message: Before you even start building your presentation, know what your one key message is. Everything else is just supporting material.    2. Reinforce Through Variation: Repetition doesn't mean saying the same sentence over and over. You can use different examples, stories, or data points to reinforce your main idea. 3. End with What You Started: Start by stating your main message and end with it too. This creates a cognitive frame that makes the information more memorable. 4. Engage Multiple Senses: Use visuals or even sounds to echo your main point. A well-placed image that gets shown a couple of times can make your message stick. The irony here is beautiful. By saying less, you're actually communicating more. You're making it easy for your audience to grasp and remember your main point, which is pretty much the essence of effective communication. In a world filled with information overload, less really is more. As you prepare your next five-minute pitch or one-pager, remember the power of repetition. Nail down that one message you want to convey and let repetition do the heavy lifting for you. So, the next time you're tempted to go overboard with details, take a step back. Ask yourself, "What's the one thing I want my audience to remember?" Then focus, repeat, and watch your message resonate.

Mastering the Sales Presentation: 5 Ways to Elevate Your B2B Strategy Sales presentations are back in style! Decision-makers are once again seeking proposals and presentations to make informed choices. Here's how to ensure your presentation hits the mark: 1. Understand Buyer Intent: Buyers are making rare decisions they want to get right on the first try. They're looking for certainty in uncertain times.Your presentation should demonstrate how you can deliver the desired outcome and prove you're the right strategic partner. 2. Focus on the Client's Problem: Prove you understand their challenges better than they do. This is a crucial step in establishing trust and demonstrating your expertise. 3. Paint the Desired Future State: This is the perfect way to introduce your solution. Show how your product or service directly aligns with the client's vision for their business. 4. Offer a Clear Roadmap: Outline the milestones you'll work through together. This helps build confidence and reassures the client that you have a plan to achieve their goals. 5. Encourage Questions: Invite questions throughout the presentation and dedicate ample time for Q&A at the end. This shows your openness to feedback and willingness to address any concerns. By following these strategies, you can craft impactful sales presentations that resonate with buyers and win you more deals. Remember, it's not just about showcasing your company and solution, but also about understanding your client's needs and demonstrating how you can help them achieve success. Found this useful ♻️ Repost it to your network and follow Anthony Iannarinofor more sales strategies.

Your PowerPoint slides aren't a script; they're the scenery for your story. You’re in a meeting, the presenter stands, walks up to the screen. Click ⁞ ⁞ Slide one: data ⁞ Slide two: bullet points ⁞ Slide three: flowchart Uggggh. How is it that we forget or possibly have never been told, that at the heart of any compelling presentation is a story. Why does storytelling matter? Let’s delve in. ⁙ The Role of Storytelling: The human brain is hardwired to love stories. From cave paintings to a Netflix futuristic series, stories have been the currency of human experience. Your presentation is no different. The story you tell connects the dots, providing context, emotion, and meaning to the data. ⁘ Tip: Think of your presentation as a mini-documentary. The slides are your visuals, your voice is the narration, and your message is the plot. Engaging Over Informing: Data and facts are crucial, but they only take you so far. A study by Stanford professor Chip Heath found that 63% of participants remembered stories, but only 5% remembered a single statistic. ⁘ Tip: Weave anecdotes or case studies into your presentation. They not only make your point but also make it memorable. How to Craft Your Story: The best stories have a clear structure — a beginning that sets the scene, a middle that introduces conflict, and an end that resolves it. ⁘ Tip: The 'Hero’s Journey' is a presentation storytelling framework popularized by Nancy Duarte that you can adapt. Start by presenting a problem (the villain), introduce your solution (the path), and conclude with the transformation it brings (the new future). Remember, your slides are not the star of the show—your audience is. And every star needs a killer script. Use storytelling to turn your next presentation from 'yet another PowerPoint' to an unforgettable experience. 🌟 ______________________________________________________________________________ Would you like more super-useful storytelling tips? Subscribe to 'Beyond the Deck' 📩 You’ll find a link in the comments and in the featured section of my profile.   #presentations #PresentationDesign #SlideGraphics #facilitation ______________________________________ #hellomynameis Christine I unpack PowerPoint design to help you create exceptional presentations.

One of my clients is brilliant but he’s also laid back. As a result sometimes he is perceived as being a “low energy” speaker. Recently he asked me how he could bring more energy to the stage. Since I don’t struggle with this I was stumped and gave him a half-baked answer about vocal variety. I was annoyed I didn’t have a better answer so have since given this a lot of thought. I now think bringing more energy to the stage gets down to 7 things: 1️⃣ Layer energy into your content. Share stories. Share humor. Add in audience participation. Make sure that you’ve run your content through my free resource: 12 Questions You Must Ask for a Killer Speech. 2️⃣ Layer energy into your visuals. I told my client he should have a designer redo his deck. It lacked energy. Make sure that your visuals are bringing the energy up, not down in your presentation. Add more color in the deck, break things up with a funny photo, etc. 3️⃣ Pregame physically and mentally While higher energy personalities might need to calm themselves down by taking slow breaths, you might need to pump yourself up with a quick walk, jumping jacks, or another physical energy booster like an upbeat playlist you listen to before you take the stage. Mentally: Focus on your passion for the topic and let that energy flow out. Talk to yourself in the third person–“(Your name) you’re going to rock this speech and have lots of energy!” 4️⃣ Demonstrate energetic and confident body language 55% of communication is nonverbal, so level up your body language. For you this might mean quickly walking or even running onto the stage to start. During your presentation it might look like making your gestures bigger to meet the size of the room, holding eye-contact longer, physically moving and working the stage more, smiling, and animating your facial expressions to match the words that you’re saying. 5️⃣ Add vocal variety. Speed up, slow down, get loud, or get quiet. One way to do this is to look for the big statements or ideas in your speech and ask yourself, “How can I add vocal variety around this part?” Need some examples on how to do this? Watch TED talks. Virtually every TED talk speaker begins with a slower rate of speech and then gradually speeds up, only to slow back down at the end. 6️⃣ Use confident language and end your phrases strong and loud. Many speakers who lack energy get quieter at the end of each sentence or end every sentence like it has a question mark. Right?! Instead use confident phrases like “I know you can do this.” “I believe in your ability.” 7️⃣ Wear color. I’m no fashionista but I told my client to avoid black, gray, or white (his go-to) and instead consider a brighter blue shirt. What other ideas do you have on how my client can bring more energy to the stage? If you’ve ever struggled with this, what have you done? ----- Hi, I'm Eva. I help professional speakers develop and deliver compelling speeches. Need help? Send me a DM. Back

You might be making a huge mistake in your presentations— And it has nothing to do with your slides or delivery. Sure, those things matter… …but there’s a crucial step most people miss: 🎯 Knowing your audience Think about it— If you were writing a letter to someone you love… …would you start with “To whom it may concern?” Of course not. You’d think about: → Who they are → What they care about → How you want to make them feel The same goes for presentations— If you don't consider your audience, you might as well be talking to an empty room. So, how do you tailor your message? ↴ 1️⃣ Know their pain points → What keeps your audience up at night? → What challenges are they facing? Address those concerns head-on and show how your ideas can help. 2️⃣ Speak their language Skip the jargon and use words that resonate. Presenting to executives? → Discuss bottom-line impact Marketers? → Talk about engagement and ROI Developers? → Get technical with specs and features The key here is to frame your message in terms that matter most to your audience— Show them you understand their world and priorities. 3️⃣ Tell a compelling story People remember stories, not statistics. Use anecdotes, examples, and analogies to make your points stick. Suppose you’re presenting to a group of execs about a new software solution. Instead of diving into technical details… → Share a story about how one of their competitors struggled with manual data entry errors that cost them a major client Then, show how your software could’ve prevented that from happening. When you make your *story* relevant and relatable… ↳ You grab their attention and make your *point* memorable So, next time you're getting ready to present, remember: A great presentation isn’t about you—it’s about your audience. Know them. Speak to them. …and watch your ideas take flight.

Save this checklist to avoid information dumps and instead motivate your audience to take action. ⬇️ Whether you're leading a team meeting or speaking at a conference, you want your audience to be focused and motivated. ✅ Simplify Your Message: Focus on key points that resonate. Cut unnecessary details. Can some info be shared via email or document? ✅ Highlight the Impact: Show benefits, not just data. Connect your insights to the audience's goals and obstacles. ✅ Engage Your Audience: Ask questions, invite participation. Keep it interactive and collaborative. ✅ Connect Emotionally: Use personal stories to make your message relatable and memorable. Emotional connections drive action. ✅ Clear Call to Action: Be specific about what you want your audience to do next. No ambiguity! You can transform your presentations from mere information dumps to powerful, engaging experiences that leave a lasting impact. Executive presence isn't just about what you know - it's about how you share that knowledge and inspire others to act. Hear more on this week's episode 397 of the Speaking Your Brand podcast.

Most speakers do this: - Stumble through an unprepared intro - Speak as though it’s a chore - Overload slides with text - Then rely solely on them - Ignore the audience - Neglect storytelling - No CTA or lesson Instead: - Prep an engaging, thought provoking intro - Speak with authenticity and enthusiasm - Prioritize relatable images, minimal text - Use slides as a backdrop, not a crutch - Make audience interaction the goal - Support facts with stories - Provide actionable advice The difference between good and great is simple. But simple is often profound. Take the time to be different and your audience will take the time to remember you. What's one profound tip you lean upon when preparing your presentation?

I've dedicated over 2,000 hours in the past three years to coaching professionals, helping them become more authentic, engaging and persuasive communicators. The ability to command an audience’s attention to tell an effective narrative is crucial for influencing others. With Kaiser Permanente, I recently delivered a two-day intensive public speaking course advising clinicians and hospital leadership on becoming more confident speakers. Here are some best practices that separate good speakers from masterful ones. These tips will be beneficial for: (1) Preparing for your upcoming speaking engagement or presentation. (2) Leading critical internal meetings where persuasion is key. (3) Any situation where you need to effectively convey a story to your audience. Best practices:  (1) 🖼 Use words that evoke vivid imagery in the minds of your audience, no corporate buzzword bingo! (2) 🔬 Pay close attention to audience reactions (or lack thereof) in real-time. If you notice eyes glazing over and no “nodding along” where it should be obvious, you haven’t landed your message. Vary your tone, cadence, and volume or simply repeat your message to make it stick. (3) 👋 If using hand gestures, ensure they are deliberate, crisp and clearly visible to the camera to avoid distracting your audience (otherwise all they'll see is you shrugging your shoulders!) (4) 🎙 Adjust your distance from the microphone to ensure clear, undistorted audio at an appropriate volume (don't yell!) and so you can effectively play with vocal range  (5) 👀 Avoid looking at yourself on the screen; it will derail your delivery. Instead, rotate through the 'gallery view' to see all attendees and vibe off audience energy (6) 📒 Familiarize yourself with your material to speak naturally. But if using notes, place them at eye level so it’s not obvious you’re looking down to refer to them What advice from your virtual speaking experiences resonates with you? I'd love to hear your top tips! #publicspeakingtips #executivecoaching #communicationskills

My product review meeting with senior execs took a nosedive 📉 because I made this BIG mistake. Ouch! 🫠 I spent weeks preparing a 6-month strategy and suggestions for the product, with numbers, potential impact and a roadmap ready. I was determined to nail it. 5 minutes in, I saw eyes rolling, unimpressed faces and heads shaking in dismissal. I had lost my audience. Questions followed. Though I had answers, I just froze and couldn't deliver the rest of my presentation. I couldn't pinpoint what went wrong until I started working with a coach. "When presenting, you have 27 seconds to hook or lose your audience. You need a compelling narrative to engage them, and back it up with facts and figures." Since then, whether preparing presentations for roadmap walkthroughs, initiative kick-offs, promotions, or interviews, I craft a story around these 3 core questions: - What is the decision to be made? - What do they care for? - What is your specific ask? 📌 Weave your story around these questions to show (not tell) them the problem. Here's what you should do before your next presentation: ⭐ Before presenting: Understand your audience and what matters to them. Engage in 1:1 conversations before the meeting to learn about their concerns and objections. ⭐ While presenting: - Share your ask briefly. - Outline the problem in one sentence. - Present the TL;DR version of the solution, highlighting the business impact before/after your solution – save the details for later. - Showcase the impact of your solution on the target customer's life (behavior, usage, adoption, churn, etc.). ⭐ Closing your presentation: Recap the problem and your proposed solution. Repeat your ask. The duration of each stage depends on the setting you will present in, however, embrace brevity. Make every word and minute count. - - - - If you found this post helpful, re-share it so it can benefit more PMs. Follow Bosky Mukherjee, Product Coach for more stories and tech career insights! 😊 #productmanager #productmanagement #productcoach #womenintech #womeninproduct #storytelling

Here's the world's simplest presentation tip (when you're sharing to execs). Start the presentation with a summary of your takeaways. "What 4-5 major points do I want my audience to walk away knowing?" I ask myself that before I have any major presentation. I had to learn this lessons that hard way btw... I used to put my takeaways on the last slide. In journalism, that's called burying the lead. I didn't realize it was a problem - until one day a mentor pulled me aside. "Andrew, you're forcing us to do a lot of work to understand your main takeaways. On every slide, we're trying to guess if this is a good story or a bad story!" "Next time, start with an executive summary. Then share more details in the following slides. We'll ask better questions and you'll be more likely to get your resources." That very simple change has made a huge impact when presenting to senior audiences.