It’s simple: Present it better
City analysts indicate that they attribute up to 10-15% on the value of a company following analyst presentations by the CEO. With this in mind is it time to really think about how you present your company?
Many oil companies have seen their earnings and share price dramatically reduced this year with the drop in oil price from 100$/bbl in 2014 to something closer to 40$/bbl. Market consensus is that oil is staying where it is in the short term, therefore increasing your presentation skills isn’t something you can afford to ignore.
So how can you present your business better?
STOP thinking it’s all about the PowerPoint deck
STOP thinking about the presentation; START thinking about your audience
START creating messages that make a real impact and an emotional connection
START thinking simple and minimal to be clear and concise
STOP Trying to be a “presenter” and START being authentic – the best YOU
Intrigued? Read more…..
STOP thinking it’s all about the PowerPoint deck
When you are presenting, how many times do you jump straight to PowerPoint? A lot of presenters in the energy sector have technical backgrounds and love showing lots of data on slides, which is great, but while they can enthuse about the seismic, the overall objective can be lost. The audience end up focusing on the detail on the slide and miss the point the presenter is trying to make
Great presenters always start by thinking though what they are going achieve in three simple steps:
Plan the presentation: what are the objectives? Who are you presenting to?
Create the content: script what you want to stay, be clear on the key points – keep it simple
Rehearse: you don’t need to know your script word for word – but you do need to know what you want to say and how you want to say it so it sounds natural
This all takes time so MAKE SURE you allow sufficient time.
STOP thinking about the presentation; START thinking about your audience
Do your research. Who are you presenting to, what is their background, their interests and likely concerns? Do they have a technical background, are they likely to want a lot of technical information or should you just present the concepts? If it’s a conference or an event talk to the organisers and previous attendees and learn. All this information will allow you to make your messages really specific to the audience so that they really value what you are saying.
Engage with your audience before you start. Ask people, “so what’s important to you about today?” show you are interested in them. Tell your story; humour will let the audience engage with you as a person.
START creating messages that make a real impact and an emotional connection
Steve Jobs was a master at this; consider how he presented the iPod, not:
“Today we’re introducing a new, portable music player that weighs a mere 6.5 ounces, is about the size of a sardine can, and boasts voluminous capacity, long battery life, and lightning-fast transfer speeds”
But “the iPod. Your entire music library in your pocket”
This might seem a challenge when you are talking about oil production or a new technique, which will give you better recovery. However consider the following:
- Personal stories of success within the company, how the company has grown?
- New technology can be explained using every day analogue
- What challenges are you overcoming
Overall remember why the company is important to you and how the results you are presenting or the decision you want made really matters. Remember investors invest in people and that means you as a presenter.
START thinking simple and minimal to be clear and concise
An audience only takes away 7% of the words you say so what do you really want them to remember? This is a challenge where the majority of presenters are very comfortable with data and details. The secret here is to know the details and be completely comfortable with them whilst communicating the key essentials. To do this just write, edit, write and edit until only what is truly important to your message is left. This takes time and effort as Mark Twain said: “I wrote you a long letter as I didn’t have time to write you a short one”
Remember the power of silence. Pause when you make a point and let your audience absorb what you are saying. In PowerPoint, white space on a slide is essential to make a key point memorable.
STOP Trying to be a “presenter” and START being authentic the best YOU
Ever seen the presenter that look like they are trying too hard to “Present” rather than being human- do you really trust them? Or are they just too slick for their own good? Often we don’t really know what we look like when we present and how we come across normally. Try recording yourself presenting and then leave the camera running to see how you come across normally, you may well be surprised at the difference.
Mistakes are ok, let your energy and passion come out, and can help people connect with you the person. If you feel nervous use that adrenaline, it takes courage to step up and speak, take the opportunity to let people connect with you by being you.
So remember to increase the value of your company – present it better and try to:
STOP thinking it’s all about the PowerPoint deck
STOP thinking about the presentation; START thinking about your audience
START creating messages that make a real impact and an emotional connection
START thinking simple and minimal to be Clear and Concise
STOP Trying to be a “presenter” and START Being authentic – the best YOU
