m62 Newsletter

“Maybe you feel the same about newsletters as we do – a little dull perhaps? Rather too heavy on the self-promotion? We have done our utmost to ensure that these aren't accusations that you will be able to levy at ‘Killer Presentations', m62's newsletter of which this is the first edition.

Each edition will cover several topics of direct relevance to people involved in delivering sales and marketing presentations. The tone is intended to be readable and informative with a enlivening of lighter matter.

As this is the first Killer Presentations Newsletter, we are particularly keen to hear your views, suggestions, criticism or praise – please feel free to let me know what you think”

Nicholas B.Oulton
CEO and founder, m62 visualcommunications

---

What will you be presenting in 2006? - bullets or visuals?

With over 450m PowerPoint™ users worldwide, it's no wonder that most of the presentations you see at conferences or in sales meetings look the same. Most presenters still believe that a blue background, with white text and yellow bullets is the best format.

Consider the facts. During a recent ‘Killer Presentations' webinar, we conducted an online poll which showed compelling evidence between the effectiveness of bullets vs images. When over 600 attendees were asked to recall a specific message several minutes after it was presented in two formats: as bullets and text; and as a visual image.

Q How many bullets do you recall?   Q Can you recall/draw the visual?

The psychology behind visuals is compelling. The statistics we all know are that we recall 60-70% of what we see and hear. This compares with the fact that people only remember 20% of a written proposal – so this has to be three times more effective as a presentation!

Bullet points don't help the audience remember or understand your point, they simply make you feel better as a presenter. Stop using them and your presentations will be better, more interesting and more memorable.

Bullets or visuals? You decide.

---

How effective are your sales team in their competitive bids?

Most businesses would like to secure a higher proportion of the contracts they bid for. Bidding is a tough game. Competitive markets and falling barriers to entry strengthen the negotiating position of buyers. As more contracts are put out to competitive tender and new entrants are invited to bid, the prospects of winning a particular opportunity are increasingly tougher.

A key part of the bidding process will include a presentation. That’s why you need to have a Killer Presentation – one that kills the competition and not your prospective customers. Do you measure the success rates of all campaigns? Are you confident of an 85+% success rate?

All high value deals are going to involve at least one important face to face meeting when a decision is likely to be made following a presentation. In these days of need generation rather than demand fulfilment, visual communication is certain to play a part. A really persuasive sales presentation needs to create belief that you can deliver. And this lies in proof; testimonial, technical process and logical.

Once you have the proof, it's about turning this into a visual presentation – one that will turn the tables on your competition. Our approach has succeeded in helping companies win over 85% of their specific key bids. Why not contact us to see how we can improve your success rates?

---

Why does PowerPoint always get the blame?

You will no doubt have seen lots of articles and heard lots of comments about the use of PowerPoint and I bet most of those were negative. The real issue is about the use (or should that be ‘misuse') of PowerPoint. Late last year, the following headline in the Washington Post caught my attention:

PowerPoint: Killer App?
By Ruth Marcus

Did PowerPoint make the space shuttle crash? Could it doom another mission? Preposterous as this may sound, the ubiquitous Microsoft "presentation software" has twice been singled out for special criticism by task forces reviewing the space shuttle disaster.

I had to respond. My view is that bad communication killed the crew of the Columbia, not PowerPoint. If you wish to read my letter to the author, please follow this link to the pdf document.

(If you wish to read the full Washington Post article, please follow this link)

---

Audience focused not presenter cued

A list of bullet points is designed to assist the presenter, indicating what he or she is going to talk about and in what order. They serve as a prompt to remember their lines. The performing arts phrase for this is to ‘cue the presenter'.

We believe that whilst producing cue cards is a useful first step, they add little or no value to the audience. The presentation should be about the audience, not the presenter. Change the way you think about lists of bullet points and you will change the way you think about presenting and about PowerPoint.

To illustrate this, take a look at the following example from Hitachi Data Systems…Read the bullets on the first slide: the key information is that this survey was completed across the whole of Europe with 800 clients and concluded that Hitachi ought to ‘Go for Leadership'. Hence the revised slide has a European map, the survey graphic and the conclusion, the rest is patter (words said by the presenter while the slide is on view). The end result is not only more attractive but actually increases the audience's engagement and interest levels. The first slide is written for the presenter (‘What shall I say?'), the second for the audience (What do they need to see?).

Which version would you rather see?

---

Did you Know?

Our visual thoughts are 400 times faster than our verbal thoughts!

---

And finally……

…on a recent presentation skills course we facilitated and whilst awaiting his turn to deliver a presentation to his colleagues, the tension must have got to one of the sales team.

He seemed relaxed, looked it too. He had sat attentively, leaning slightly forward, legs crossed, and with a look of concentration on his face. Yet only when he stood up, and promptly fell flat on his back, did we realise that he had a dead leg from the excessive pressure he had used to cross his legs!

So, when you are ready to deliver your ‘killer presentation’ – make sure you stay calm, relaxed, and channel your nervous adrenalin to your delivery, and not your legs!

email: newsletter@m62.net
telephone:
US: +1 (212) 672 1979
UK: +44 870 602 6262
Far East: +65 6322 0855
web: www.m62.net