Face Value: Getting the most from business presentations

"The biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has been achieved" George Bernard Shaw, the Irish Dramatist and Socialist's words continue to provide a reality check for Communication Directors in organisations worldwide. For those who give business presentations, a slight amendment may be appropriate; "The biggest problem with a presentation is the illusion that it has been effective".

Whether you are giving a one to one sales presentation or addressing thousands of delegates at a large conference, your success depends on how you help your audience answer one simple question, 'What's in it for me?'

Often presenters judge the impact of their presentation by how confident they felt, how they didn't over-run and how their slides used clip art instead of bullet points. Many conveniently forget that their presentation is just a means to an end. The 'end' might be to close the sale of a product or to encourage staff to change the way they work. If these outcomes aren't realised then, inescapably, the presentation has failed.

The problems facing presenters are well understood by Leeds based visual communications company, Walnut Media.

'Clients come to us because they need to generate more value from their business presentations,' explains Dan Sacker, Project Manager. 'As video and web conferencing provides lower cost communications, bringing people together for a meeting or conference is seen as an increasingly costly option. Companies understand the power of face to face communication in moving an audience to take action, but are often frustrated when their presentations don't deliver the required results.'

"Many presenters rush headlong into creating support slides without first defining what they want to achieve. We're able to give clients the external perspective that adds clarity and makes their message more accessible and more likely to achieve their objectives."

Creating distinctive support material is also central to Walnut Media's services. "As well as designing slides, we'll often produce video to augment a presentation. Succinct video clips give presenters the evidence to support their case - testimonials and interviews can add credibility, case studies can show how a product or service works in practice."

Walnut Media often uses Microsoft PowerPoint to create presentation support. They have also developed Showsuite™ to cater for the unique needs of sales and marketing presenters.

Industrial Giant 3M quickly recognised the value of Showsuite when it needed to raise awareness about complex new European legislation among its clients. Mike Blacksmith, Marketing Manager for 3M Abrasives Systems UK explains.

"We needed a fresh look for this presentation that didn't have the feel of just a set of PowerPoint slides; we needed something which was innovative but also modular and flexible in terms of adapting the content. Showsuite gave us this and with the guidance of Walnut Media's team we now have a rich presentation resource that includes details about the legislation, details on what do to comply and impressive video testimonials from satisfied users of our products."

Chris Phillips, Marketing Executive at Primecare, whose sales teams also use Showsuite, elaborates on the benefits:

"Showsuite provides us with a powerful audio and visual tool for communicating with our prospective customers and other target audiences. Presenters can now easily explain what we do and with the dynamic visual support Walnut Media have created, illustrate the numerous services we provide."

As organisations strive to achieve more with less, the impact of every activity is scrutinized against the bottom line. Business communicators need to justify spending hundreds of man-hours on gathering staff together for a conference. Sales teams need to generate new business to justify their existence.

If these types of presentations aren't delivering the value you expect, consider taking a different approach.

Get Specific: Clearly define what you want your audience to do after your presentation and give them a compelling reason to do it.

Make it Interesting: Think about what your audience's problems are concerns are and tailor your message to them. Don't try and convey too much detail - they'll remember more if you say less.

Don't just Tell Them, Show Them: Don't use presentation support slides as a crutch to prompt you what to say. Use visual material to present the evidence that supports your case.

Walnut Media is a leading visual communications production company based in Leeds. For more information about Showsuite and other presentation design and production services, contact Gary Nutland - 08707 427070 or visit www.walnutmedia.com.