If you’ve been following Michael Masterson’s tips on marketing/copywriting, you know this "law": To boost sales, you should make specific claims for your product. Specificity always sells better. It’s more truthful and more interesting. And you can use the same strategy when giving a speech/presentation to your colleagues, board of directors, or employer… and especially when trying to impress a new client.
Instead of making broad, sweeping statements, spice up your presentations with lots of details.
- Use concrete examples.
Let’s say you’re giving a sexual harassment seminar for your employees. Come up with real-life or hypothetical examples of what constitutes harassment – and what doesn’t.
- Use facts and figures.
Telling a prospective client that you’ll make her company "more money in the long run" will make her eyes glaze over. Instead, explain exactly how you can increase her bottom line by 62 percent over the next three years.
- Use visual aids.
Visual aids can get your audience’s attention and stick your message in their minds – especially if you’re talking about something abstract or complex. Trying to explain to your employer how much better you could do your job if you worked from home? Show him graphs illustrating the rise in productivity of other telecommuters. Throw in a chart showing how his expenses will drop, and your words will have a much stronger impact.
Making any speech or presentation more specific will make it really hit home with your audience. They’ll remember you and what you talked about. And isn’t that the point?
[Ed. Note: Peter Fogel is a copywriter, speaker, author, and creator of Peter "The Humorator" Fogel's Guide to Effective Public Speaking. For more information on it or his free 7 Days to Effective Public Speaking e-course, click here.]
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