40% of my current clients are working with me because they first met me when I was giving a talk, workshop or presentation. I love being on stage, sharing my marketing knowledge. I especially love it when it brings me new clients. There is still plenty for me to learn, which is why I really enjoyed reading Resonate by Nancy Duarte.

Earlier this year I joined an online Business Book Club and we’ve read and discussed some really interesting books so far. Resonate is one of them. It’s a long book with lots to take in, so in March I wrote a blog about what I learned about not trying to be a hero when giving a presentation. You can read that blog here.

In this post I will share more gems from the book, about how to fill your presentations with meaningful content and how to use structure to create presentations that win you new clients.

Make it Meaningful

To persuade an audience to take action – buy your service, donate to your charity, stop using plastic bags – you need to use three different types of argument. The different members of your audience will respond to your ideas differently, so you need to use a combination of the three.

• Ethos – ethical appeal allows you to connect with your audience through shared values and experience. “I understand that you find marketing difficult; I used to be shy about blowing my own trumpet too.”
• Logos – logical appeal gives structure and evidence. “Over 2 million working horses and donkeys are helped every year by The Brooke Hospital for Animals.”
• Pathos – emotional appeal will stir the imagination of your audience. “Imagine how clean and safe our oceans could be if we all used one less plastic bag.”

Think head, heart and gut when you develop the content for your presentation and your talk will resonate with more of your audience than if you appeal to just one.

Contrast Creates Colour

Your job as the presenter is to show your audience what is versus what could be. Your talk needs to take them from the present to the future (from no clients to a steady stream of new clients), from pain to pleasure (from a charity struggling to help people to one that has thousands of regular supporters) or from struggle to an easy life (from a campaign that no one acts on to one that goes viral.)

Contrasting the normal to the wonderful takes your audience towards what could be. One of the best ways of showing contrast and bringing facts and figures to life are stories. Stories turn information into meaning and help your audience to visualize what you’re talking about, what you believe in and what you want them to do. Make sure that any stories that you use keep bringing your audience back to your big idea – the key message you want to get across – to help your talk resonate.

Stick to Your Structure

Once you’ve found the stories that will help your presentation to resonate with your audience, you need to work on a structure for the presentation that bolsters your big idea with supporting topics. There are different ways in which you can structure your talk:

• Chronological – I started my business not really knowing how best to promote it. As time went on I discovered the best marketing tactics for small businesses …
• Sequential – follow this 9 stage process for marketing your business.
• Spatial – in India there are horses working in brick kilns; in Kenya donkeys are used to carry heavy loads.
• Climatic – first we need to start using fewer plastic bags when we go shopping; then we need to approach the manufacturers of the bags.

All of these approaches use the contrast that is so vital in a successful presentation. They allow you to take your audience from problem to solution, from cause to effect, or from disadvantage to advantage. When you can combine powerful contrast and clear structure, you will be able to deliver a presentation that really resonates with your audience and encourages them to take the action you want them to take.

Would you like to be able to bring new clients to your door through the talks and presentations that you give? If you would like to create more compelling, resonating presentations – especially ones that successfully promote your coaching, consulting or speaking business – call me on 07773 252 744 or click here to email me to see how I can help you.