Three Easy Ways to Reinforce Your Message Before and After Your Custom PowerPoint Presentation

When it comes to delivering your business pitch, a custom PowerPoint presentation is only one piece of the puzzle. Undoubtedly, your presentation is key, but it’s what you do before and after your presentation to reinforce your message that can really set you apart from your competitors.

Give yourself the edge when pitching by expanding your opportunities to get your message across — starting the moment you’ve been asked to pitch and only ending when you’ve been awarded the contract.

1. Before Your Custom PowerPoint Presentation

According to a Harvard Business Review Management Tip, “If you take advantage of opportunities to reinforce your message before you take the stage, you’re much more likely to change people’s thinking and behavior.”

Explain to your audience ahead of time how they will benefit from your presentation. You can do this by e-mailing a summary and rough list of points beforehand. You don’t want to give the game away here, just entice them enough to get them excited to hear more. This may even prompt them to ask a question which could help you to zero in on their big concerns.

“Sending a pre-read to your client before a big pitch is a great way to get them thinking about their specific needs,” says Alan Goeman, Creative Director and Managing Partner at eSlide. “A well-designed PowerPoint doc that can get your message across – without the need for a presenter explaining the information – will prompt your client to do some important thinking ahead of time. Just be sure not to spoil your live presentation by putting too much in the pre-read.”

In your email, you can also include links to ancillary materials like presenter bios, company info or key pre-reads, giving you more opportunities to impress.

2. Start a Conversation Online

Audiences today have the ability to comment on your custom PowerPoint presentation in real time. This is why it’s important that you are part of that conversation, influencing and steering it when possible, rather than standing on the periphery watching it happen.

Start a Twitter conversation with your audience before your presentation by creating a hashtag for your product or idea. To start, focus on one single hashtag and tweet to your audience — hashtag in tow — at every opportunity. Attach pre-read materials, slides and digital handouts in your tweets, and give your hashtag plenty of visibility and the opportunity to become a trending topic.

“Encourage your audience to join the conversation by posing provocative questions that will get them thinking about their specific needs and how you and your company might fulfil those needs for them,” says Jerry Allocca, award-winning digital marketer and author of Connected Culture, The Ultimate Digital Marketing Resource Book. “Hashtags are valuable vehicles for organizing conversations, and are now being used as calls to action — driving people right to the heart of your online buzz.”

You can also write a blog post for your company website about your particular idea or product and offer a taste of the potential solutions you are offering to fill client needs. This is another opportunity for you to grow enthusiasm for your presentation and make them want to hear the rest of what you have to say. Encourage your readers to join the conversation by posting responses — this not only allows them to contribute to your presentation, but also gives them a way to reveal a problem or concern they have, giving you another opportunity to hone your pitch.

“Engaging them in this way focuses their activity on contributing to your presentation, not criticizing it,” says the Harvard Business Review.

3. After Your Custom PowerPoint Presentation

Printed hand-outs are a bit dated nowadays, but the idea still works; providing digital hand-outs on an inexpensive memory stick is a great way to give your audience a take-away from the day, reminding them why your solution is best. Handouts should include key points from the presentation as well as all of your social media details so that they can once again continue the conversation online. The great part about digital hand-outs is that you can include clickable links to make continuing the conversation easy.

Finally, don’t lose steam after you’ve delivered your custom PowerPoint presentation. This is the time to restate your enthusiasm by following up with an email inviting them to ask questions and reminding them about your social media platforms where they can also get in touch.

Coming soon…

Now that you know what to do before and after your presentation, next month we’ll look at the best way for you to make sure your presentation skills are up to scratch.

Lights, camera, action!