One on One Presentation Stories

The number one thing people remember from any presentation whether it’s a one on one presentation or ten thousand people are in the room and it’s a speaker up on a stage.

The number one thing people remember the stories stories are the ultimate example.

People do not remember facts delivered in a straightforward way.

Now this is one reason why a lot of people feel they are much better in one on one presentations than they are so-called formal presentations standing out in front of people because a lot of people are comfortable giving case studies example stories talking to one person and they don’t feel comfortable doing that to large groups.

Well that’s a problem for them.

You don’t have that problem.

If you normally tell story tell stories in your one on one presentations anything that is a message that’s important to you.

You need to have stories examples case studies that will flesh out that story.

Now here’s where the skill comes in place.

It’s not just you following a set script.

It’s more like if you remember the old timey jukeboxes you’ve got a seven B to C three you’ve got all these different options.

Some may be in the genre of all these and some may be in the genre of hard rock but you’ve got a lot of different choices.

So this is where the more you know about the person you’re meeting and the more you get them to ask questions or to answer your questions.

That’s where you can tailor.

So for example if I’m meeting with a prospect who’s interested in hiring me for public speaking training I might ask them again is there anything that makes you uncomfortable when you speak.

And there’s usually a range of responses.

Sometimes it’s when I speak to large audiences.

If that’s it then I have a whole series of anecdotes and I can talk about specific clients and how they have exactly the same problem and how I solved it.

Sometimes people say well I I’m completely relaxed that a large group.

I just I feel like that’s a piece of cake.

I get nervous when I’m speaking to five colleagues on the Monday morning staff meetings.

Well that’s something effort thousands of times too.

So I’ll pull out very specific examples and stories of clients I’ve helped what their concerns were how I videotape them rehearse them coach them and got them to the point where they were equally as comfortable speaking to large audiences and small audiences.

So that’s what’s critical for you.

You’ve got to have real life stories case studies successful examples of what it is you do because that’s what sticks in people’s memories.

Otherwise it’s just abstract and they may be meeting with five other people who do what you do.

And let’s face it some fields are harder to differentiate than others if you’re selling insurance services the financial management services a lot of those things blur together after a while and are seen rightfully or wrongly as commodities by certain customers so you’ve got to flesh it out in a meaningful way that can be remembered so any important point that you want people to remember it is important to really flesh that out in a way that they can’t forget.

I know that firsthand because you know there are a lot of people who are presentation coaches and sometimes people just assume well it’s because you’re naturally gifted at it and you’re always articulate and at some level it’s hard to learn.

And I only stress that no that’s not it at all.

I was not born a good speaker but I was pretty shy and I had to learn lessons the hard way.

I remember once I was going on a talk radio show more than 20 years ago and the host asked me my opinion on a particular presidential candidate running.

I gave the opinion and he said Mr. Walker I have more respect for a Klansman than I do for you.

He pulled the microphone right out of my hand.

That’s a bit shocking.

Now down in south Florida it’s a talk radio show.

Nobody can see me but I’m pulling the microphone back.

Yeah you have it Mr. stick.

What I really think if I could say anything else this host Mr. Stick reaches under the table pulls out a gun and pointed at me.

Now do you see my point.

Mr. Walker you know what I said.

Nothing not much of anything came out.

Finally I gurgled so see your was not my finest moment was not my best one on one presentation but you know what I did get through the interview.

He didn’t shoot me.

The good news is every interview I’ve ever done since has been a piece of cake.

I even went back to that radio station two weeks later and guest hosted other talk radio shows.

Now I stayed away from that host but I did go back because I like speaking.

I like helping other people speak and I don’t let one bad situation or experience ruin it for me.

And I’ve been speaking and helping people speak ever since.

So what did I just do there.

I just told a little story it took less than two minutes but I was trying to flesh out my point that hey your presentation coach wasn’t born perfect knowing how to speak it’s a learned skill and that I happened to have a real commitment to it and that’s how I’ve learned a lot and how it can possibly help you.

That’s the message I was trying to convey.

But if I just said it in a straightforward way in 10 seconds it wouldn’t be remembered.

Whereas I have clients who I haven’t seen in 15 years I’d bump into them and I’ll say a deejay having more guns pulled on you it sticks in their memory by the way it’s a true story to your stories don’t have to be as dramatic as someone pulling a gun on you.

They do need to be true and they need to have a few basic elements of introduce a character.

What’s the setting.

What’s the problem.

How did you feel.

What did that client or customer or colleague say to you.

What did you say back.

That’s it.

All of us tell stories all the time all day long.

We do it with friends family colleagues were comfortable with.

We do it over the phone one on one in the hallways but there’s something about us when we get into something that feels formal.

We often stop telling the stories we’ll don’t do that.

You want to tell that story.

Now if this is a meeting with a really important customer who is well-known in the industry and you’ve never met before and they’re wildly successful and they’re a billionaire I understand the temptation is to think of this is really formal.

We stiffen up well it’s not formal to them.

They just want to hear something interesting.

So you don’t want to be formal in a way that seems stuffy or flat or stodgy or boring.

Now if you normally wear flip flops every day and cut off shorts because you work at home and now you’re meeting with this person in a big fancy office and this person is going to be an expensive suit.

Well I’m not suggesting you just show up in your flip flops and cut off shorts.

Certainly you may dress in a formal way but how you speak should be conversational and interesting.

I’ve never once heard anyone whether they’re an audience of a thousand people listening to someone speak or talking to one person.

I’ve never heard anyone say wow I really am glad this person was formal with me today.

I’ve heard people say I’m glad this person was interesting.

I’ve heard them say I can’t stand the fact that this person bored then you know what out of me but I’ve never heard anyone specifically request that someone be formal.

So let’s come up with our stories for each one of our message points.

That’s your homework.

Now look at your outline that you have and write down a couple of words to remind you of the relevant story for each one of your message points.