Fearless Presentations

If you deliver presentations at the office, you'll often look for ways to create better PowerPoint presentations. Let's face it. Most meetings are pretty boring. They are also repetitive. So, if you are a speaker, and you deliver PowerPoint slideshows, they can be a challenge. As the speaker, we want to do something a little different. Also, your audience will want you to do things a little different every once in a while. So, below are a few simple ways to create better PowerPoint presentations without a lot of additional effort. I'm embarrassed to say that, just this past week, I delivered a terrible PowerPoint speech to my office. Keep in mind, I've been teaching public speaking skills for over 20 years. I also deliver two to four classes, workshops, or speeches every week. So, if I can fall into this trap, anyone can fall into this trap. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/three-simple-ways-to-create-better-powerpoint-presentations/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwAR2JRgUnFZeo5SjMlYPkphsA_Ka098FXjJ3nH2O2lWO_0j75Tr1p0cb0nQw

Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you present a bid proposal. Here is the scenario... You have done your homework. A team at your company painstakingly created the perfect sales proposal. In fact, the potential client was so impressed, that they moved you to their "shortlist." Now, though, they want you to present a bid proposal to the purchasing committee. Your team is one of just six to eight other companies competing for this contract. How do you make sure that the committee picks your team? Well, not to brag, but over the years, groups that I have coached have received over 80% of these contracts. Just follow this simple sales presentation outline, and your team will have a better shot at winning as well. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/present-a-bid-proposal-great-sales-presentation-outline/

You have identified a problem or opportunity for your company. Now you need to get approval. So, how do you present a proposal to management that will get approved? The process is actually pretty simple. In fact, the method of how to present a proposal to management that we use works about 100% of the time. Just follow the simple steps below, and your project will easily get funded. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/how-to-present-a-proposal-to-management/

As we approach the 100th podcast episode, I'm amazed at how my company and training program have changed. I'm actually shocked at how important continuous improvement methodologies have been to this process. By the way, if you are looking for a long series of academic continuous improvement methodologies, this isn't it. However, if you can see what happened to me, The Leader's Institute ®, and Fearless Presentations ® over the last year, I hope you can gather some great tips to improve your own success! SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/blog/

Do you need a business presentation coach? Well... It depends... Last week, I gave a number of different reasons why presentation skills are important to business success. Great presentation skills can create opportunities for advancement and increase income. How exactly do you improve your presentation skills, though? In this post, we are going to cover the pros and cons of hiring a business presentation coach. In addition, we'll cover how to choose a good coach. BLOG: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/blog/

I was reminded this week about the importance of presentation skills in the workplace. Three participants in my presentation skills class in Detroit taught job placement skills. I noticed a couple of interesting things as the class went on. First, these participants offered tips in their class presentations similar to what I teach. These three class members also developed their presentation skills very quickly. Basically, they had well-developed communication skills that helped them be more successful in business. They developed presentation skills quickly because they already had great communication skills. The opposite is true as well. Presentation skills help you communicate better in the business world. (That is the importance of presentation skills in the workplace!) SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/the-importance-of-presentation-skills-in-the-workplace/

Okay, so we know that stories are fantastic pieces of evidence during the formal presentation. In addition, stories are as fantastic as answers to tough questions during question and answer sessions. But when we are under a deadline or currently in front of a tough audience, why are stories hard to remember? Three challenges occur when we are asked a tough question from the audience or we are otherwise put on the spot. First, panic sets in. When we panic, it is very difficult to think clearly. Second, the negative self-talk can make us feel even more uncomfortable when already feeling anxious. Finally, and most devastating, we second-guess ourselves constantly during the process. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/blog/

Great speakers know how to tell a great story. This podcast will give you the five key steps of storytelling that these great speakers know. This is a continuation of the podcast on how inserting stories into your presentations reduces public speaking fear. In that podcast, I mentioned a recent class member who told me that he just wasn't good at storytelling. If you feel the same way, than these steps of storytelling can be very helpful for you. Just between you and I, though... Whether you follow these steps exactly or not, just the fact that you are inserting stories into your speeches is a big advantage. Most presenters in the business world give very BORING speeches. A well-placed story makes your message much more interesting and entertaining. Want to Know How to Tell a Great Story, the Steps of Storytelling Are Not as Important as the Story Itself. Storytelling in our personal lives is very normal. When we get together with friends or family, we build rapport by sharing stories about ourselves. I went to my High School reunion a few years ago. I was visiting with friends that I haven't seen for decades. What was funny, though, was that I expected that it would be a bunch of old people reminiscing about stories from our teenage years. However, the opposite occurred. It was really interesting to hear about what my friends had done since High School. We spent hours catching up. And the way that we caught up was by telling great stories to each other about our experiences. Many of my friends had accomplished some pretty impressive things. However, none of them sounded like they were bragging. The biggest public speaking secret that I know is that you can do the exact same thing in your speeches. When you share stories of your successes, your audience lives vicariously through your stories. I remember growing up hearing the phrase, "Experience is the best teacher." After being a business owner for 20 plus years now, I realize how dumb that statement is. Experience is NOT the best teacher. Someone else's experience is the best teacher. When I hear a story about how someone else accomplished a goal that I want to accomplish, I can learn from it. I don't have to experience all the turmoil that he or she went through. So, follow the steps of storytelling below. However, just realize that the steps, in and of themselves, are not as important as the actual stories. Pick a good story to tell, the steps don't matter. SHOW NOTES: fearlesspresentations.com/blog

Feel nervous about speaking in public? Tell a story in your speech (early), and you can reduce public speaking fear dramatically. One of the first public speaking secrets that we share in our public speaking training classes is that stories are your friend. When you tell a story, you reduce presentation jitters and build rapport with your audience. Don't believe me? Watch any professional motivational speaker on YouTube. You will find that their entire speech is composed of a series of individual stories that they link together. In this post, we will cover some of the major benefits of telling stories as well as some tips on how to do it. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/blog/

Looking for an elevator speech template? In this podcast, I'm going to explain how to create a 30 second commercial (elevator pitch) for yourself. (Or for your company.) This elevator speech can be used to introduce yourself to a new contact, help you get an interview, or help you sell an idea to a decision-maker. This type of presentation is critical when you have to grab a person's attention in a positive way and time is short. In this podcast, we will cover a brief history of the concept, an elevator speech template, and a few examples. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/blog/

So you did it! You graduated at the top of your class. Now you have to write your Valedictorian Speech. However, since this is the first (and only) time you will ever do it, you may not know exactly how to write a valedictorian speech. You are not alone. Just about every Valedictorian or Salutatorian has gone through this. You work very hard to get to the top, and now you have five minutes to educate, entertain, and inspire your classmates. And, of course, the task is so much easier because your classmates are so accepting and non-judgmental. (Yeah, right!) Well, this podcast can show you step-by-step how to write a Valedictorian Speech (or Salutatorian Speech). This is the final part of our five-part series on How to Design a Presentation. In the previous podcasts, we have covered how to persuade an audience, best practices for a commencement speech, and wedding toast tips. So, check out any of the other podcasts for additional details. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/valedictorian-speech-how-to-write-a-valedictorian-speech/

Have you been asked to deliver a commencement speech? Or have you worked your butt off to become valedictorian or salutatorian, and now you have to deliver a graduation speech? In this post, we will cover one of the more challenging types of presentation creation: How to Write a Graduation Speech. (By the way, I have also included a few popular graduation speech examples as a guide for you.) This post is a continuation of our How to Create a Presentation series. We are going to break this post down into three parts, though. We will show you how to create a commencement speech in this post. Next week, I'll show you how to write a valedictorian speech and how to deliver a salutatorian speech. Each of these graduation speeches has a slightly different purpose, but all of them need to be inspirational and funny. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/how-to-write-a-graduation-speech-graduation-speech-examples/

Want to learn how to write a persuasive speech? Want to make sure that you persuade your audience without raising resentment? Well, if you use the techniques that you likely learned in school, you will often fail at both of these goals. In high school, you most likely learned that to write a good persuasive speech, you have to do research, list the pros and cons, and then use lots of data to win over your audience. This technique is a terrible way to persuade people. Most often, it actually cause the other person to want to play "Devil's advocate" and argue with you. In this article, we are going to show you a simple way to win people to your way of thinking without raising resentment. If you use this technique, you audience will actually WANT to agree with you! SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/persuasive-speech-how-to-write-a-persuasive-speech/

Continuing in our series on how to design a presentation, in this episode, we will show you how to write a wedding toast. Over the years, I've had a few people come through our entire presentation training classes just to be able to not be terrified when they give a best man toast or father of the bride toast. Even though, this is typically a very short speech, there is always a lot of pressure involved. Anytime we are being honored with an important role in a wedding, we want to do well. This article can give you a few tips to make your words the absolute best wedding toast, ever. (By the way, even if you aren't participating in a wedding, this guide can help you deliver any short toast or speech.) SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/wedding-toast-how-to-write-a-wedding-toast/

Looking for how to write a speech in a few simple steps? Over the last 20 years, our instructors have dissected thousands of speeches. In that time, we've been able to identify simple things that can easily make or break a presentation. We've assembled a simple, step-by-step process that explains how to write a speech quickly and easily. In fact, once you understand the concepts below, you can use our Online Speech Creator to organize and print your presentation. A little warning, though, the process is very simple if you follow every step. If you skip a step, you can get bogged down, and the process can take a lot of time. However, if you follow the steps, you can write any speech in just a few minutes (versus hours or days)! Being direct and concise in your speech This podcast is the first in a series designed to help people create their presentations from scratch. Last year, I wrote a post about writing a eulogy. In this series, we will cover a few other types of speeches that are common such as a wedding toast, a school book report, a persuasive speech, and a graduation speech. A Few Concepts You Need to Know Before Writing a Speech Remember that, in a speech, less is more. Short is better than long. No one ever said, "That meeting was so good, I wish everyone would have spoken longer." So, a few concepts (bullet points) covered really well is much better than a bunch of stuff covered in a cursory way. Another great tip is that writing a presentation word-for-word and then trying to memorize your entire speech is hard. Instead, create a presentation outline and use literary devices to add "meat to the content." For instance, examples and stories are fantastic reinforcement for your points or concepts. You can also use analogies, quotes, and visual aids to prove your points. SHOW NOTES: https://www.fearlesspresentations.com/how-to-write-a-speech-just-few-simple-steps/