Presentations are an important tool that provides you and your business an opportunity to connect with multiple prospects in a powerful & authentic way. If done correctly, presentations are one of the most effective ways to help you attract clients and income easily and quickly.
Typically they are either no cost or low cost – an easy investment for the audience – and for you. They can include Preview Teleclasses, Community Talks, Free or low cost workshops, or Open Houses – any scenario where you give the audience valuable content, and also a taste of what they can expect when working with you.
No matter how large or small your audience, no matter how formal or casual or intimate your presentation is, you want it to be Soul-Centered. What is a Soul-Centered presentation? It’s a talk or presentation that is authentic, of high-content, and of high value. It’s true to your soul-centered mission, your soul-centered vision, and speaks directly to your ideal client with confidence, gracefulness, and total integrity.
This may seem simple – just be true to yourself, right? – but creating presentations can become a minefield of potential mistakes and lost opportunities if you don’t have the right strategy. Here are five of my top tips that I share with my clients to help them create presentations that are effective, powerful, and Soul-Centered.
1. Give at least 4 presentations a year: This may seem obvious, but I can’t tell you how many people go out of their way to avoid presenting at all. So I want you to be honest with yourself: Have you been staying far away from invitations you’ve received to speak, or from reaching out to set up presentations? Are you operating under a fear of giving talks or presentations because you’re scared of being seen or not being good enough? If yes, I encourage you to work through your obstacles so that you can get in front of your target audience and show them what you’ve got (‘cause you KNOW it’s good!).
If you recognize you’re not really showing up to give presentations, my coach’s request is that you set a goal of setting up at least 4 for the following twelve months…and more if you’re already giving presentations!
2. Script out a powerful and effective Call to Action: Probably the #1 mistake I see folks make when they give presentations is that they do a beautiful job of giving valuable content to their participants, and then….they don’t tell their audience how to take the next steps with them! Or maybe you mention your services, but it’s super-brief and beside the point. My recommendation is to spend a full 10% of your presentation time on your call to action. Don’t rush it. Script it out (even if you don’t read from it). Speak passionately about how your prospects can take the next steps with you. Stand up for the powerful service you provide, let your audience know about it, and create a super-duper easy invitation for them to connect with you further.
3. Don’t give away too much: Your presentation should be high-value and chock-full of content – ALWAYS – however beware of over-giving. Don’t give so much information that your prospects’ experience is so complete that they don’t feel the need to take the next steps to buy your service or product. Let me be clear: This is absolutely not a business trick. This is about really serving your prospects: if you give away so much in a presentation that people leave feeling like they don’t need anything further from you, you’re doing them a disservice. They may feel complete in that moment, but we know the value of ongoing support. Whatever your service or project is, your work is more valuable when it is in a deep ongoing experience rather than a stand-alone half hour or 60 minute interaction.
4. Be authentic & make a personal connection: When giving presentations, it’s common to feel that you “have to” use a certain voice or language or energy or style. Sometimes a big audience feels scary, or sometimes the intimacy of a small group can be worrisome. But please remember: Don’t try to be anyone else other than yourself. If you’re not being authentic to who you are, your presentation, content, and call to action probably isn’t going to connect deeply with your audience. Remember: your audience is there to hear YOU. Speak from your heart, speak what you know to be true, reveal yourself.
5. Follow-up with your participants:The presentation doesn’t end when the actual talk is over. Always remember to follow-up with your participants within 24-48 hours to let them know how much you enjoyed being with them and to remind them of your call to action. Follow-up is KEY.
Your Soulful Coaching Call to Action
1) What is your biggest block or fear when it comes to making presentations? Maybe there are two; write them down. Awareness is so important here.
2) Make a list of 5 local or virtual venues, communities or associations that you could speak at and send out inquiry letters.
3) Script out your presentation and make sure to include a powerful call to action, an authentic and personal connection, and plans to follow-up afterwards.
Do you want to learn more about soul-centered marketing strategies, visibility and being seen in the world in a BIG way? I invite you to register for BE SEEN! We’ll spend a full 3-hours together at this live workshop. If you are in the NYC area on July 19th, please join me for a transformative experience that will radically change your approach to visibility and to being seen for your message. Register today (it’s my LAST live event in NYC before I move)! http://soulfulcoach.com/be-seen.php
