In November, 1981, I gave a presentation to the Virginia Road Builders. I knew this presentation would shape the future of my career, and I prepared and prepared and prepared. I wrote every word I intended to say and then made the presentation with no notes. (We didn’t have PowerPoint presentations then and I didn’t
How to Begin a Presentation to a Skeptical Audience
When you are asked to speak to an industry group you have one of the greatest opportunities to market yourself and also one of the greatest challenges.
You have the opportunity to show your knowledge and to build rapport.
You have the challenge of speaking to a skeptical audience. No matter what the industry, your
Want to Give a Dynamite Presentation: Take a Lesson From Tina Turner
I was sitting in the barber chair and looked over and Tina Turner was on the cover of People Magazine. In the magazine was an excerpt from her autobiography that was recently published. Being a huge fan, I had to read the excerpt which was a bit challenging while my hair was being cut.
Reading
Presentation Tip: Work the Room Before the Room is Assembled
What are you doing to make a presentation that will give you the best chance to be hired? Here’s one key: Give the audience something you know they will find valuable.
As you might imagine, over the years I have given many presentations at ABA, State Bar, City and County Bar meetings. My presentations have
16 questions to help you make a presentation that will get you hired
When I practiced law I quickly learned that the opportunity to make a presentation to construction industry contractors was one of the best uses of my time. I always felt that if I could get in front of a group of contractors, I could convey to them that I understood their business and the legal
Presentations: How to Make Yours Stand Out
When you are making a presentation, the phrase “less is more” applies. What does it mean? Less rather than more slides. Less rather than more words on slides. Less rather than more bullet points (better yet, no bullet points).
A Montreal lawyer I coached shared this story with me.
I made a presentation at a
One Great Way to Open a Presentation
It was October 9, 2005. I gave a presentation to 225 Junior League of Dallas members. It was an awesome group of women. A Dallas lawyer had asked me to speak. There were many other lawyers in the audience, and many other young, and not so young, professionals.
I began like this:
Can any of
Can Cousin Vinny or Ally McBeal make your next presentation more interesting?
Most lawyer presentations are boring. The participants quickly forget them. In his book Linchpin, (A book I really like), Seth Godin may have the reason for boring lawyer presentations. He writes:
The resistance is the voice in your head telling you to use bullets in your PowerPoint slides…It’s the voice that tells you to
How PowerPoint has ruined your presentations
Some of my blog posts are more important than other blog posts. This is one of them. I really want you to come away with a new action plan to attract clients through your presentations.
If you want a two sentence answer to my point, here it is:
Before PowerPoint good lawyers gave presentations by
How to Start an Industry Presentation
For several years I spoke at the annual Associated General Contractors Highway and Utility Contractors Annual Issues Meeting. Several contractors told me the group liked having me as a speaker because my presentations were different than other lawyers. That was a compliment, but it also made me think about what contractors, and other businessmen