Next week I am facilitating a day-long training program for sales professionals in the world’s fifth largest software company. Unlike my usual clients who feel fear of speaking, these folks will be good at
speaking and selling. They are already very successful. So, “What,” I wondered “Do they need from me?”
They need me to focus on the three most important skills forbpresenting – personal presence, genuine connection and telling the authentically persuasive story. Why do I consider these the most important presentation skills? Because, with these three skills, they can magnetize listeners to them and dazzle prospective clients with the mysterious energy of chemistry. And so can you.
Personal Presence is the power that you have when you are totally here in this moment. Presence is created by relaxing deeply into your body so that you are fully grounded. When you are grounded in your body, your physical presence creates a magnetic pull that attracts others to you. Very important for a presenter to be pulling people’s attention to them! A simple grounding exercise can help you develop presence. Try my grounding CD or MP3 audio.
Genuine Connection is the power of being with listeners while you are at the center of attention. To
connect genuinely, you must see one person and allow that person to see you so that a two way exchange of attention is created, one person at a time. To do so, use your eyes softly to establish receptive eye contact. Land your eyes softly on one person at a time as you speak and drink each person in through your eyes. This simple technique invites people to pay attention to you and also draws them to you magnetically. More
than anything else, this causes chemistry to happen with audiences. Rather than projecting yourself out to listeners, receive them as if you are pulling their energy in to you. It feels like loving your audience and allowing yourself to be loved by them.
Tell the Authentically Persuasive Story to engage, enchant and convince. Tell the story with heart, the story that makes people say, “Yes, I want that. I’ll have what he is having!” You know the story. It is the one where your product or service made a major difference for a client. Revel in the telling of that story.
Yesterday, one of my new clients sent me an email telling the following story.
We rehearsed for three presentations this week. The teams were awesome. We had two interviews in one day today. At our VP’s suggestion we used your Grounding Exercise video to get the team “grounded” between the two presentations. Our company owner did the exercise with team. It was very effective. Thanks. Also, we were told after our first presentation today, by an Owner’s Representative that he
had sat through 11 presentations last week. All were by companies larger and broader based than ours. He said that our presentation was by far “better than any of those companies” and that it was the “best he had ever seen”. I thought you would want to know that you are having a positive impact on our company. We appreciate that.
Will I tell this story in the near future? You bet! What is the story you want to tell to help sell your company? If I can help you tell that story, I’d be delighted!
