Getting that vital spot on a preferred supplier list or retained contract is only a PowerPoint presentation away, so how do you heighten your chances of winning the business? Personal branding consultant Lesley Everett offers some advice.

Be yourself

If what you say is spoken from the heart, you build a rapport with the audience immediately. Do not change your personality to address an audience, keep your language conversational and be yourself. Work out what it is you actually want to say, and then say it!

Open strongly

Your opening is your best opportunity to make a powerful impact and ensure everyone listens. Know your audience and what will work for them and their industry, role, culture and needs. Remember, you never get a second chance to make that all-important first impression.

Use prompts and notes

There are various forms of prompts for presentations: visual aids, slides, PowerPoint, bullet points. What you should never do is read from a full script. A written speech is unlikely to allow you to bring out your personality and will force you to reduce your eye contact with the audience, reducing your impact.

Use visual aids

These should be used to emphasise key messages – never use your visual aids as crutches. Although they can act as prompts, don’t be tempted to go through every point on a slide, as this is tedious and unnecessary. On the other hand, if your slides are too flashy, they will take over and distract your audience away from what you have to say.

Don’t ad-lib

Complete ad-libbing, without prompts, should be avoided. Having notes shows the audience that you’ve bothered to plan and think about the presentation. Make bullet points of your key points, make sure you cover them all and you’ll stay on track.

Stick to your key points

Don’t overdo the number of key points you make in a presentation. Too much information and each point becomes absorbed in the other. Remember the theory: Tell your audience what you’re going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you’ve told them.

Endings are important

This is your parting shot and you need to leave your audience with a positive message and something to think about. Your ending should include: a summary of your key points, an action for your audience and inspiration for your audience to do something different.

About the author

Lesley Everett is an expert on personal branding and image impact in business. She is the author of Walking Tall, published by Walking Tall Publishing, Price £10.99. For more information visit www.walkingtall.org