Great Lesson From Bill Cosby’s Keynote

by | Jul 5, 2011 | Creative Marketing

In certain situations especially situations that involve our nerves we tend to make huge adjustments to our personality.  We stop being ourselves which is about the worse thing we can do at that time.  Bill Cosby’s keynote speech is a great reminder.  When you are creating marketing materials or putting together a presentation remember to be yourself.

Remember that you created your company or your product because you thought it was a good idea.  You were the one who decided people needed what you are selling.  And you probably came up with that theory because you yourself needed what you were selling.  Don’t let nerves get the better of you and don’t compromise your vision of your product.  Don’t let anyone run you over with their own thoughts or ideas about what your product can be.

You’re the one that’s developing your brand.  This is your “baby” for all intents and purposes.  Whatever it is that you’re marketing, you, your company, your product, just remember that you have designed this, you have put your energy into it, and you should be proud of it.  Hold your head high and don’t let anyone cause you to stray off of the path that you see for your product.

Become an expert in what it is that you are trying to market.  This will help you to feel confident about your brand.  Will all the knowledge that you will gain learning all you can about your product, it will be harder for anyone to steer you off course.  And back up that knowledge.  That way when someone asks you a question, you will be ready with an answer.

Know who your customers are and know who your competition is.  Know what the competition is offering to your customers.  Remember that the more information you know the more confident you will feel and come across.  Nothing will get the better of you then.  And keep in mind, everyone has a few blunders here and there.  Allow those experiences to be a lesson that propels you forward and prepare you for the future.

Keeping Presentations Simple

by | May 25, 2011 | Presentation, Presentation Design

When it comes to presentations often times we think more is better. This is not the case. By sticking to a simple outline you will have much greater success with your audience.  May I suggest a few ideas that I found in a book called Made to Stick? This book contains a simple outline that keeps your ideas and presentations quick and to the point.  Remember most audiences will forget what you presented to them within 10 minutes after especially if you bombard them with too much stuff, but the feeling can stay forever.  Here is the outline

1.  Simple: Strip the idea to its core and bring out the most important concept of your presentation.  They call it “finding the core.”

2.  Unexpected: Do something that the audience does not expect.  Get creative and think of a special way you can get the audiences attention.

3. Emotional:  Get their emotions involved any way possible.  Tony Robbins is great at doing this.  We all love to be inspired!   Know what your audience is going through and cater to their needs.  Put yourself in their shoes.  Your audience has given you an open ear so you need to make it worth their time. (Let me add a quick note about swearing.  Profanity is  a huge turn off when presenting. I have seen a lot of great speakers use bad language to get the audience to laugh.  Donald Trump does this, and it kills him.) A good smile and a great story will get you a lot farther.

4.  Stories:  A great way to get your audience’s emotions turning is to tell good stories.  Unexpected stories.  Stories that relate to your audience.  I personally like to tell personal stories to let the audience know that I am human and relate to their circumstance.

There you have it.  The next time you are writing, presenting, or selling use this simple outline and you will get the success you are looking for

YDRAW