We owe a lot to the web and the social media outlets that put our names and faces on it. But the deluge of information and uber-accessibility have also created a climate of guardedness. Typical audiences are more likely to be critical and skeptical of sources because, as we’ve all found out, even Google and Wikipedia are sometimes wrong. If these modern giants can’t always deliver truth, how can your audience be sure that you will?
When delivering a presentation, whether to a small group in a conference room or a large audience at a conference or seminar, it’s essential that you address credibility and rapport issues right up front. If you wait till the end to shake a person’s hand and erode their distrust, it’s too late: they’ve already listened to every word determined not to believe you. You have to earn their trust right away; it’s not good enough to just send them to a Facebook page with pictures of you hugging a child or kitten. They need to know right then and there that you’re for real.
How do you make a personal introduction and tie it in to your presentation topic? For starters, focus on the basics: people want to know where you’re from, what you like, and what your motives are. The latter is of particular importance. Everyone wants to know why a speaker is saying what he or she is saying. We all need permission to relax and accept the information in a presentation, and the quickest way to put an audience at ease is to come right out with it. What’s in it for them? What’s in it for you? How did you come to your particular place and perspective? We’re all OK with you making money doing what you do, but we still need to know why you chose to make it in the particular way you do.
Tying it in with your topic is simple: you’ve lived a long and colorful life, I’m sure. Just find the commonality between your life and the problems that face your audience. End the personal introduction with a brief story from your own experience that sums up the business climate you speak to and voila! You’ve segued into a dynamic presentation. More importantly, you’ve segued into a presentation they’ll listen to without questioning the source.
