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How to Raise Your Organization’s Profile – and Your Own – Through Effective Presentations

PR-presentationsBy Brian Muys
Online Career Tips Contributor

Being a media spokesperson or effective public speaker isn’t rocket science, but each requires some finely-honed basic skills. In each case, your primary goal is to reinforce and promote your organizational reputation, brand awareness and/or subject matter expertise.

When doing an interview, be it with a newspaper or TV station, live or recorded, the typical pattern is reactive, i.e. question-and-answer, question-and-answer, etc. What many of us typically overlook is the opportunity to more proactively engage the interviewer, i.e. question/ message, question/message, etc. That is, every question equals the opportunity to proactively communicate and reinforce your organization’s key messages.

Those key messages, or talking points, are a limited number of proactive, factual statements that succinctly and effectively summarize and support the essential elements of an organization, program or position. As such, these can include such elements as mission or vision statements, core values, goals or beliefs, or competitive differentiators.

The most effective way to convey such talking points is firstly, to generally limit them to no more than the three most important messages you would like your audience(s) to remember and, ideally, to act upon in some fashion. With those points established, you want to develop a secondary message for each, ideally supported by facts, figures, personal examples or anecdotes and “quotable quotes.”

The other key element in ensuring a successful interview or presentation is preparation. Simply memorizing your remarks is not enough. Above all, you must know your audience, how to keep them engaged and how to get them to report or otherwise act upon your key messages in the desired fashion.

In some cases, a determined reporter, co-panelist or audience member with a contrary viewpoint will try to divert you from your intended position or conclusion. The so-called “bridging” technique is one particularly effective way to keep the conversation focused on the desired outcome by bridging back to your key messages. Some good examples include, “It’s most important to remember that;” “One of the key things to keep in mind is that;” or “I don’t know the answer to that question, but what I can tell you is…”

Once you’ve made your desired point, or bridged to it, be sure to reinforce the positive, and then do it again. For example, “The bottom line is;” “If you remember one thing, it should be;”

Or “For us, the biggest issue is…”

Beyond these all-important messaging considerations, your public image is instrumental in helping ensure an effective interview or presentation. Dress tastefully. In the powerful visual medium of TV, you will be judged by your appearance. Clothing patterns and colors will contribute to the impact of your on-camera interview. Avoid clothes with lots of designs or patterns. A dark jacket with a white shirt or blouse generally looks best on camera.

Your vocal delivery is also an essential component of how your remarks are received. Be sure to speak with increased energy, and at a higher volume, range, tone and pitch than you would normally. Imagine having a conversation with someone and speaking at a slightly more animated level.

In terms of body language, a well-timed gesture can be particularly effective, but make a point to anchor your feet and hands. The more you move around, the more your body language will distract from your message. Having conversations while standing, even if over the phone, will help your delivery and give you more energy and authority. Stand with your feet about shoulder-width apart and firmly anchored to the ground. After all, it’s hard to sound credible standing on one foot.

Here’s a few more tips that may come in handy.

  • Watch your presentations with the sound off to get a better idea of your body language.
  • Keep calm. Don’t let your nerves get the best of you. Take frequent slow breaths for pacing and to collect your thoughts.
  • Memorize your key points. Write them down to help visualize and set them in your mind. Then, compose a visual picture of the actual words.
  • Warm up your voice. To avoid the dreaded, “frog in the throat,” keep hydrated and avoid caffeine.
  • Review, evaluate and improve. Ask yourself: What worked well? What could be improved?

About the Author

Brian Muys is associate vice president of public relations for American Public University System. He has nearly 30 years of experience in developing and implementing earned/social media relations, corporate and internal communications programs for public and private organizations. He received an English degree from Dickinson College and an M.S. in Communications from the American University Kogod School of Business.

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