By James A. Baker · Founder, Baker Communications
Start with an eye-popping statistic, a challenging statement, or a quick, funny story, any of which is directly related to the subject of your presentation. Briefly introduce yourself and quickly explain why you have the authority to speak on this topic. Tell them what you are about to tell them and why it is important; i.e., give them the bullet points for your presentation using a rapid fire, energetic tone. Tell them what you expect them to be able to do ?#147; or what you are going to ask them to do ?#147; when the presentation is concluded. You must move through these four steps in less than two minutes. Now, you are ready to transition into the body of your presentation, connecting each point back to the opening statement you have made.
Remember, during your opening you told them that you were going to ask them to take a specific action when the presentation was done. Now is the time to return to that promise and flesh it out just a little bit. If the subject is appropriate, try to match this call to action with a humorous story. If you leave them laughing and applauding, they will not only remember what you said, but they will remember that they enjoyed it.
