Secrets of a great presentation - experience worth sharing

In this section I wanted to revel the key checklists or reminders I might use  before making a major presentation. In the 80's we would regularly present to 000s of people and take part in lots of TV work including, Newsnight and the Money Programme. Some lessons were hard learned, a product of embarrassing encounters. It all makes for experience worth sharing!

Presentations
It does no harm to have a flight list or "check list" of some key points or soundbites you wish to include during your pitch.  Steve Jobs was a great presenter, the Apple team Tim Cook, Phil Schiller and Jonny Ives, they are all great at using key words and words that sell.

Writing copy, the sub editors have long been expert at writing snap attention grabbing copy on the street stalls. make sure the headlines are intellectually honest and deliver the promise offered in the "Call to Action". Lessons to learn, listed below. Headlines that hook, content that kills with words that sell.

Planning a TV appearance, get some professional coaching, look good, dress well, tuck in your jacket, don't let the lapels ride up, anticipate the questions, prepare the answers and above all prepare the sound bites. Soundbites are the the short keyword loaded messages you wish to leave on air, they will then be used throughout the day. Soundbites make good footprints and fingerprints to leave around the web.

Watch the makeup
It is suggested the TV appearance cost Nixon the election following the 1960 debate with Kennedy. Kennedy was tanned and relaxed, fresh from holiday, Nixon pale and shifty. Winning the intellectual argument with radio listeners, the TV appearance was a setback from which Nixon never recovered.

I was once invited to appear on TV with Anita Roddick. It was a good cop bad cop thing. Anita was to represent the paragon of capitalist virtue, me the epitome of asset stripping capitalist opportunism. In make up, I noticed white powder was a predominant component of the facial mix for me. Anita, was getting all the colour and embellishment. Strong words with the make up and the production team, ensured a more balanced appearance on set ensued.

Do the research
Once on air, our research team ensured we were well prepared. We explained that frugal packaging, considered to be a virtue, guaranteed above average margins and returns on sales for the Body Shop in the 80s. The essential contribution to society of the product range, challenged by the existence of Pink Peppermint foot balm, hardly an essential component in the race to save humanity.

Yes do the research and be prepared ...

Enjoy these guidelines, check out the blogs below, lessons hard learned make for experience worth sharing.

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