When Zuckerberg presents the whole world listens
From new product launches, raising seed capital, first round funding, growth capital, reporting to stakeholders or simply keeping your employees up to date on what is happening within the company, here are some learning’s from Zuckerbergs presentation techniques that you need to consider.
So what are the lessons that we can apply to our own presentation techniques?
1: Don’t DIY your presentation.
Industry leaders know full well the value their time. Engaging the services of professionals to not only design your presentation but also the visual story telling, is a must. A presentation designed to complement your technique is invaluable. This will help ensures your message is received as intended and brings results.
2: Put the Focus on the People, Not the Product
Rarely do you hear Zuckerberg talking about the various features of Facebook. When he is standing on stage addressing key stakeholders, he isn’t pushing the key features of Facebook’s new advances.
He knows most people don’t care, and the ones who do can easily find that information.
Instead, he goes out of his way to emphasize the growth plans for the future using easy to understand, uncluttered slides. They prompt the discussion and engage the audience. He leaves the audience with no doubt what the current discussion is about.
Your presentation needs to be about simplicity, and that takes years of experience and discipline to achieve. Learning what to leave out and what to put in can be difficult. When your brand needs to launch a product, everyone in the company is usually excited by the technical specs, and the countless ways your product can satisfy the needs of your customers. Trying to jam it all onto a few PowerPoint slides, will never be an effective way to communicate.
The stakeholder doesn’t care. They care about their problems and how your product is going to fix that. Do your audience a favour and don’t slowly kill them through death by PowerPoint.
Your presentation needs to see a compelling picture of how you will make their life better. That’s what gets people excited.
3: Get Stakeholders attention and their support early
Investors want to know about how it will help the company’s bottom line, create revenue streams and ROI. Employees want comfort in the knowledge that their jobs are secure and that they are part of an innovative business. This in turn reflects on the brands ability to attract quality employees who want to work for the business.
4: Be Revolutionary
When Zuckerberg takes the stage, the whole world watches. It’s not just because Facebook’s is a huge company, it’s not just because there are billions of dollars on the line and its definitely not because Zuckerberg is a especially great speaker.
It’s because they know Facebook isn’t afraid to change the world. Facebook’s team is not making incremental advances; they are massive inroads in the way we communicate.
Maybe your company doesn’t have the same global awareness as Facebook, but every company, no matter how small, has the opportunity to revolutionize their sector. When you achieve this, how will you announce it to your employees and stakeholders?
At your next shareholder meeting how will you get your message across and how do you want it to be remembered?
5: Turn Your Product Launch into an Event
When major brands launch a new product, you don’t see home made PowerPoint up on the screen and someone reading from cue cards or reading verbatim from a press release.
They command the stage with confidence, the same confidence they are trying to generate from the audience.
When Facebook wants to make an announcement, Zuckerberg isn’t so much a speaker as a showman. He spends time with his team to fully prepare and design his presentation, making sure to plan every word, slide and even personal mannerisms. This level of preparation ensures the experience is remarkable.
If you take the time to prepare your presentation professionally and make a big deal about your product launch, both your potential customers and stakeholders are more than likely to take you seriously.
No matter how tempting it is, creating your own PowerPoint and relaying on your natural ability to present is not a smart investment and it in no way does justice to your business or product.
Imagine a beautiful present ruined by poor gift wrapping.
First impressions matter, a poorly created presentation can undo years of research, design and development. This can easily lead to a poor product launch costing millions of dollars in lost sales and loss of faith.
It’s your opportunity
Decision makers, influencers, and CEO’s of today and tomorrow have taken the time to attend your presentation, the people you want to target, are now all in one place.
Your role is to engage with purpose. They’re coming specifically to listen to what you have to say. It’s your opportunity to engage effectively.
You’re reaching a quality audience and it must be delivered with a professional context. Understanding the cost of getting a presentation professionally prepared is minuscule compared to what’s at stake.
It’s your responsibility to engage them in a meaningful way, sharing valuable content about your products, services or results, tailored to your audience. By doing so, you become part of your audience’s conversation.
Seize the opportunity to engage your audience
Achieve your presentation goals;
- Target – The group by creating meaningful awareness of your brand
- Engage – Your audience with quality content as they are forming perceptions and making decisions
- Optimize – The opportunity placed before you to generate quality leads and build your relationship
Specifically prepare your message for the right audience
With your specific goal in mind, PowerfulPoints can innovatively help you create multiple touch points and help influence your specific decision makers.
Learn more about how to become an influential presenter https://powerfulpoints.com.au/become-influential-presenter/
Lee Featherby (@mrpresentations)
