Gary Genard’s

7 Key Components of Successful

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Presentations
Want to increase your visibility? Become a recognized leader in your industry?
Sell your product or service? Motivate or inspire your audience? Deliver a toast or
introduce a speaker at an important event?

To succeed in any of these situations, you need to know how to deliver a powerful
presentation. You’ll find plenty of advice, including among my articles, on developing
dynamic presentation skills. And those skills are important. But if you want your
message to resonate and move audiences to action, you need to understand what
goes into crafting a successful talk.

Here are what I consider the 7 key components of effective presentations. Follow this
road map, and you’ll be well on your way to speaking effectively when it’s your turn to
take center stage.

#1: Greeting. Speakers often pay scant attention to their greeting. But that’s a mistake.
Your greeting is an essential element of your presentation, for all of these reasons: (1)
It’s your first and best opportunity to establish rapport with listeners; (2) Your audience
is paying maximum attention at this point; (3) Your credibility and the audience’s trust
in you start here; (4) Your tone and “flavor” as a speaker are established now; and (5)
You either demonstrate you’re going to be interesting ... or not.

Establish solid eye contact (don’t keep glancing down at your notes as nervous
speakers do). Know exactly what you’re going to say so you get off to a strong start.

#2: Grabber! You need to compel your audience’s attention as you begin your

speech. That means avoiding what I call the “Today, I’m Going to Talk About DOT DOT
DOT Syndrome.” What could be more boring? Instead, launch your presentation with
something original, intriguing, and slightly creative. Here are 12 foolproof ways to
open a speech by using an effective grabber.
1. Question 7. Personal anecdote or experience
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Speak For Success! 2. Story 8. Humor
3. Quotation 9. Expert opinion
SUBSCRIBE 4. Visual 10. Sound effect
5. Statistic 11. Physical object
6. Startling statement 12. Testimony or success story

Use one of these or come up with another way to begin that you think will
GenardMethod.com hook this audience. Do this well and your audience will be rapt at your every word.
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 #3: Preview of Your Speech. Let the audience know what you’re going to talk about
and where you’re going with this topic. Ever listen to a talk that has you wondering
5 minutes into the presentation what in the world the topic is? Audiences are much
more receptive if they think they’re in good hands with a speaker who knows where
he or she is going. As the old advice reminds us: Tell ‘em what you’re going to
say, say it, then tell ‘em what you said. Listeners need to know the direction you’re
going in so they can follow you there. Here’s an acronym that might help: B-L-U-F,
or Bottom Line Up Front.

#4: Main Points, with Evidence. Make sure you clearly lay out the main points you’re
going to talk about. Big topics need a place for you and your audience to “land.” And
when you deliver those points, back up each one with evidence. Otherwise, it’s just
your opinion, and why should your listeners believe you over the person who tells
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them something different? Evidence can take many forms: expert opinion, personal
anecdote, statistic, story, client testimonial, report, experimental data, photographic
evidence—the list is as long as what is credible and supportive for your talk and your
area of expertise.

#5: Vivid and Visual Language. If there’s a forgotten child in the family of effective
speaking skills, it’s this one. Words can either denote (refer to explicitly) or connote
(suggest an association). Of the two, connotations are much more evocative and,
usually, powerful. For instance, my New World Dictionary tells me that “female
parent” is explicit and serviceable enough; but the word mother connotes love, care,
tenderness, etc.

Added to this is the fact that some aspects of language work best in writing; and
others are better for speaking. Generally, short impactful sentences employing Anglo-
Saxon (not Latin) words, and that include images and metaphors, will bring your
presentation to life. And don’t forget emotional words!

#6: Transitions. It’s surprising how many speakers neglect transitions, and so harm
their presentations. How many times have you heard these phrases: “The next slide...”;
“My next point is...”; “Okay, now...”; and the infamous, “Moving right along...” The
translation of each of these desperate pronouncements is: “I don’t know how to get
from what I was just talking about to the next main point, so I’ll just baldly announce
what’s coming next.” For your presentation to be a logical and organic whole, you
must create effective transitions.

One good way to do this is by using an internal summary [“We’ve just taken a look at
the most outdated practices in supply chain management”], followed by an internal
preview [“Now I’d like to show you our approach, which we think eliminates the worst
of these problems”]. Transitions can and should contribute to your talk’s logical shape.

#7: Clincher. Just as your opening needs a Grabber, your closing will benefit from
a Clincher. You must do more, in other words, than simply recap your main points,
which is all that many speakers do. You must ensure that your conclusion is strong
by making it “sticky.” Whatever you say at this critical time must continue to resonate
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with your listeners long after you’ve finished speaking.
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SUBSCRIBE How can you accomplish this? Ask yourself—keeping in mind your audience and the
speaking situation—what you could say that will help keep your message in the minds
of audience members.

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 Every speaking engagement is situational, depending upon the audience, the event,
and other possible factors. There are few “rules” which can always be applied.
But if you keep in mind the 7 components above, you’ll create well-constructed
presentations that engage, influence, and perhaps entertain audiences.

KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• It’s important to put together a well-constructed talk to influence

listeners.
• Greet your audience warmly then grab their attention right away.
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• Preview your speech so your listeners know where you and they
are going.
• Use vivid language and pay attention to your transitions.
• End vividly and memorably so your talk “sticks” in people’s
minds.

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