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How To Create Presentations That Deliver

By The SHSMD Team posted 11-05-2019 10:47 AM

  
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If there's one thing marketers, directors, and C-suite members know they have to do, it's present. Getting your ideas across to decision makers is a routine element of health care marketing —but that doesn't mean it's easy.

Kenny Nguyen, CEO and co-founder of ThreeSixtyEight, an agency based out of Baton Rouge, said one of the biggest problems with today's presentations is lack of urgency. Nguyen and his partners operate Big Fish Presentations, a service line focused on "ridding the world of boring presentations." At SHSMD Connections 2019, Nguyen shared tips for creating presentations that deliver. 

Replace Takeaways with To-Dos
All presentations innately have a "takeaway," an educational nugget the audience can reflect on or say they learned something new. The issue with having only takeaways and no prompts to action is that there is no momentum — and the information tends to fall flat as a result. 

Rather, Nguyen encourages presenters to focus on "to-dos" in the form of a small task that can be completed in 72 hours or less. "The utmost key performance indicator for any presentation is momentum. You want people to take action," he noted. "A presentation isn't about the sale. It's about the momentum. It's the little things that lead to what you want."

The fastest and often simplest to-do you can request of your audience is feedback—what they liked, what they didn't, what they would like to see improved. Nguyen cautions to keep it simple; don't have the respondents get into the "why" of their feedback, because that only slows momentum. 

Connect with Your Audience
Some presentations take place in large arenas, others in small conference rooms. Regardless of the venue, it's important to connect with your audience from the start. One of the best ways to do that is by understanding their preconceived biases and addressing them up top.

"If you don't know the reasons why they would say 'no, you're going in blind," warned Nguyen. "If you're about to pitch something radical that's about to blow their mind, one of the best practices is to address it right up front. You can say, 'I know you probably haven't thought this through because of XYZ, but I have thought about XYZ. These are things you're concerned about, right? Will you at least listen to me and give me 15 minutes? It's all about empathy. And we need more empathy in the world."

Create Compelling CTAs
Every great presentation should have a call-to-action, whether it's a demand, an offer, or a question. Nguyen recommends calls to action be 140 characters or less — something quotable that people can easily tweet. Again, the primary concentration should be on urgency. "It's so important to make people feel like they have to do something after a presentation. 'I have to take action, because people love people who take action.' You can help them be that person," assured Nguyen.

Research, Research, Research
You can be the best presenter in the world, but if you don't have the research to back up your — and your convictions — you'll struggle with making a positive impact. Sometimes, the best way to do that is by going directly to the source, or at least enlisting the help of someone who supports your audience's point of view.

"Listen to them. Don't interrupt, but listen to them and listen to all the reasons why they object," advised Nguyen. "They're always looking for reasons to eliminate you or to now believe in you. The more you can figure out your audience members and why they would resist, the better of you'll be."

Be a Person of Influence
It's estimated the average adult makes up to 35,000 decisions every day. But, we also live in a world of influence. If you can be the person who takes one or two decisions of a decision maker's plate, you simultaneously make them and yourself more influential — and more relevant. "When you're pitching to leaders, perhaps someone who is higher that you in the hierarchy at an organization, they want a roadmap," shared Nguyen. "They make so many decisions, but you can make their decision for them. That's how you can help them become more influential — and how you become more influential in the process."
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