If you want better results from your presentations, I know you will find this post useful.
It’s about the direct link between a great presentation and a stand-up comedy routine.
A funny fact
Any good comedian will confirm that you start a stand-up routine with your 2nd best joke and finish with your best joke. That’s because you need a good joke to earn the crowd’s attention at the start and you save your best joke for the end, as that’s the part of the routine people will most remember after the show.
A successful business presentation is very similar.
Getting your message across
When you are giving a presentation to a prospective client or customer, you need to start strong. You need to begin with something that will capture their attention and engage their interest. Stating one of the biggest benefits of your product or service right off the bat, is usually the best way to achieve this.
Once you have captured their attention and interest, you have earned some time. This is where you get into rapport with them and explain (whatever your presentation is about) in more detail and gain their feedback.
Finally, when you’re ready to finish the presentation, you need something extremely powerful to end with. Whatever you say at the close of your presentation will form a huge part of the way people think and feel about your product or service. Just as a comedian finishes with their best joke for maximum impact, you can finish with the most valuable benefit of whatever your presentation is about.
A simple framework
- Start strong.
- Build rapport.
- Provide the key details.
- Encourage feedback.
- Finish even stronger than you started.
If your current business presentations ignore the importance of a strong start and stronger finish, it’s almost certainly losing you money. Of course, you can use this idea to improve the effectiveness of any type of presentation, from a sales presentation to a presentation to a local interest group or business group.
One word of caution
Don’t let the simplicity of this approach fool you into discarding it! I’ve used it to sell millions of pounds (and dollars) worth of products and services for my clients over the years.