These 7 tricks will help you read your clients and become more likeable, giving you the winning edge in your presentations.
You work hard to prepare a solid presentation. You chose the best information, language, and visuals to keep your clients’ attention. Yet the best-prepared presentation still doesn’t account for what humans are known for: unpredictability.
Wouldn’t it be great to have a secret weapon that makes you more likeable? Wouldn’t you like to know when you’ve lost your audience so you can compensate immediately? Here are 7 secret weapons to use in your next presentation.
Open hands and palms = trust. There are many opportunities to point during a presentation, from the power point slides to the facility tour. Rather than point, use an open-palmed gesture. It makes people more agreeable and more prone to finding you likeable.
Ask for a favor. This can get tricky during a presentation because your opportunities for favors are limited. You also don’t want 12 different people jumping up to help you. When someone does you a favor, however, it makes him or her like you more. Why? Because on some level of consciousness, a person has to justify doing the favor. Strategically plan out small favors – hitting the lights, fetching equipment, picking up dropped items – for the most influential members of your audience.
Nod your head. When you nod your head “yes” during conversation or questions, it subconsciously tells the audience to agree with you.
Show excitement. This is especially useful in first impressions. We tend to mirror behaviors and emotions in others. If you’re excited, it will make other people excited, too.
Note eye contact during laughter. If you happen to be an entertaining presenter, you can use humor to an even greater advantage. When a group of people laughs, individuals make eye contact with the person he or she feels closest with. This can help you pinpoint the people you want to persuade the most.
Silence = interaction. You of course don’t want too much dead air during a presentation – you’ll look unprepared and boring. However, we naturally want to fill silence. If you want to engage your audience to interact with you, pause long enough after questions to force people to speak up.
Look at people’s feet. This is far more powerful when your audience is standing, but you can read body language of seated people as well. If a person points his feet towards you, he is interested in what you’re saying. If her feet are pointed away from you, she has mentally checked out. In that case, it’s time to change up your strategy.
Of course, using these tools is not a substitute for a sharp presentation. Your materials say a lot about you and your company. What you leave behind will also help make you memorable. For quality presentation materials, contact Vinyl Art. We have the capabilities to deliver polished and custom pockets and pouches to fit your brand. Call 800-569-1304 or email sales@vinylart.com.