Public Speaking Seminars

The Art of Public Speaking
Our Public Speaking training seminars are designed for both the inexperienced presenter or as a refresher for more experienced members of your company or organization. Our training seminars are offered in most major cities across the United States and Canada. All public speaking skills training classes are small which will give you all the face to face time you need with our training team.

Our public speaking training seminars (presentation training) will eliminate your fear or inexperience in public speaking and dramatically improve your speaking skills whether you are persuading, educating, or informing. Our highly interactive seminars focus on professional business communication including preparation, structure, delivery, and strategy, use of visual aids, and handling questions & answers. Contact us today by phone at 713-627-7700 or via email: service@publicspeakingtraining.net

Public Speaking Skills Training: Presentation Training - How to Multiply Your Effectiveness

Sales Presentation Seminar

The chances are pretty good that you already know the value of the product or service you are providing. Our job is to help develop a sales presentation that is smooth, confident and effective. We begin by briefly evaluating your current presentation skills quotient. This is just to give you an idea of where you are starting. Then, over the course of a few hours we are going to provide you with information, insights and practice – lots and lots of practice – so mold and polish your sales presentation into a work of art. We make extensive use of video and personal coaching so you can actually see yourself grow into a skilled presenter.

Learn how to vary your presentations to get the most from your sales efforts.

Think for a moment of your last sales presentation. What was your mood? How did you deliver the information? Did you have fun with it? Were you matter-of-fact? Or did you do it by reflex such that you can't recall?

Many of us have just one sales message. Because it works successfully with some of our prospects, we overlook the fact that our single message falls flat with the rest of them.

One of the most dangerous things that can happen to anyone selling a product or service is to become bored with the presentation of it. If you're bored—and you'll probably sound that way if you feel that way—why would anyone else want to hear it? You must always remember that even if you've given the same presentation 10, 100 or 100,000 times, it's very likely the first time your potential client is hearing it. So you have to make it a memorable one.

Let's suppose your basic presentation takes about five minutes. Of course, you vary it slightly to fit each prospect's situation but basically, you give the same presentation in the same way to everyone you're talking to. The style you always use might be described as brisk, businesslike and pleasant.

That's good. You've chosen a style that's effective between 30 and 60 percent of the time (effective in the sense that it will allow you to make the sale, if everything else is right). Now let's go after the other 40 to 70 percent who are turned off by brisk, businesslike and pleasant types with their cheerful smiles.

"Wait a minute," you might be thinking at this point. "Wild-eyed funny folks don't buy my product."

Maybe so, but some of your prospects have been talking to brisk, businesslike and pleasant types for so many years, they've got combat fatigue. They feel like shooting themselves in the foot every time they meet another salesperson exuding the standard sales manner. They send signals, hoping you'll recognize them and change your tune, but very few salespeople pick up on them.

While it's true that the average salesperson has his signal-receiving antenna raised every time he goes in for any kind of a sales interview, he doesn't hear much besides static because he's usually thinking too intently about himself and what he's going to say next. So he misses the message, plods doggedly ahead with his standard presentation and soon is saying his farewells without landing the order.

Champion salespeople also have their antenna up. But messages come through loud and clear because they're giving all their attention to the prospect. They know what they're there to say much too well to give any thought to it when face-to-face with opportunity. In fact, champions have three versions of what they're there to say ready for their prospects. Having their minds clear, these salespeople can easily read each potential client's message, go with the version of the presentation that best fits this prospect's attitude, and will soon have the order.

Be a champion! Design and practice three variations of every aspect of your presentation. You may be varying your approach to some degree now, but you'll enormously increase your ability to fit your words and actions to each prospect if you'll consciously work at creating triple-headed responses.

One phrasing might be slangy or homespun, another might be lofty or long-worded, and one should be clearly stated in standard English. Each phrasing can be said fast, at medium speed or slowly. You can speak softly, in normal tones or loudly. Your attitude can be subdued, friendly or direct. That's 81 variations on a single answer to an objection (3 x 3 x 3 x 3 = 81).

How you say what you have to say provides another great opportunity to gain sales power by allowing you to instantly adapt to any situation. To accomplish this, develop these three moods of delivery:

1. Light. You can be easy without being careless, and you can be funny without getting hooked on it. I've known salespeople who'd rather get a laugh than make a sale. Do some of your laughing on the way to the bank by using humor in sales situations to further sales, not to amuse yourself. Cultivate a relaxed approach that'll ease you into a closing position with your more informal prospects who can't stand the all-business attitude.

2. Medium. A cordial, alert, matter-of-fact stance gives you the safest start with old customers who have fickle temperaments and with new prospects you don't know well yet.

3. Heavy. Be prepared to talk fast and concisely in high-pressure situations. Nothing works well here except the facts delivered in short, crisp sentences. No jokes, no flowery phrases, no confusing technicalities. Practice this one hard, and you'll be surprised how often you'll use it—and delighted how often you'll win with it.

Train yourself to think in terms of three: three routes to every treasure, three solutions for every problem, three chances at every opportunity. Do this and you can't fail to multiply your effectiveness, reduce your frustrations and expand your income.

Tom Hopkins

Subject: Public Speaking Skills Training