When giving Technology Talks, I realize that even though the basics of powerful presentation skills should be used, this type of presentation offers many different challenges to the speaker. In this article, I examine the various Ts — some helpful and necessary; some to be overcome and/or avoided.

Topic(s) — As with planning any type of presentation, we must remember that it is important to choose a topic that will interest the largest number of people who will attend. The majority of those in our audiences are interested in topics that provide solutions to their problems and affect them directly.

Trends — These help determine the topics that are hot. Every program I have attended where Microsoft products are being presented and explained is filled to capacity. Not only is Microsoft a hot trend topic, it is also performed by Microsoft employees with the best equipment, beautifully designed visuals and well rehearsed programs.

Techniques — Whether or not your topic is technical, you must have a passion for it, be enthusiastic, be prepared, have control, keep it lively and interesting, and speak to the level of the audience.

Trust — Make sure that your audience members know who you are, where you are coming from and why you are there. Once we have their trust and they know we are real people experiencing the same problems they face, the participants will listen and take note of what we are saying.

Triads — I feel that one of the biggest challenges faced by presenting a technology talk is the huge scope to cover. I suggest planning your presentation using three major points. Triads work because they narrow the topic; they are more readily remembered and will easily keep you on Track.

Time and Timing — Many of the technology talks I have attended have either gone over the time allotted and/or have not covered what was expected by attendees. Below are some Tips for ways to avoid this Trap:

• Tactics — These refer to the way you set up the structure of your presentation. When we are giving a technology talk, listeners often interrupt to ask a burning question. The primary tactic I use to reduce this diversion is to show that I have saved a slot for Questions and Answers.
• Takeover — Especially in the field of technology, there are those listeners who are even more knowledgeable than you, the speaker. They will jump in and try to takeover. Thank them for their interesting and helpful comments, however, point out that in the interest of time, you must move on.
• Tangents — Even with proper planning and preparation, it is the nature of the beast that when we are presenting a technology talk it is easy to go off on a tangent. Remind yourself to keep on topic. It might even be a good idea to ask a friend to sit up front and signal you if you start to wander.

Teacherly, Tedious and Tiresome — three descriptions that we don’t want to encounter as presenters. Our goal is to make our presentation lively and interesting enough that no one is bored. I find that during the Q & A session, there may be others in the audience who can answer a question better than I can and I welcome their feedback at that time in the talk.

As long as your audience members leave Thirsting for more, you have succeeded!

Chris King is a professional speaker, storyteller, writer, website creator / designer, free agent, and fitness instructor. Sign up for her eclectic E-newsletter, Portfolio Potpourri, at http://www.PowerfulPresentations.net You will find her information-packed E-book How to Leave Your Audiences Begging for MORE! at http://www.OutrageouslyPowerfulPresenter.com and her business website at http://www.CreativeKeys.biz

Have you spent hours on end trying your best to make money
on the internet and ended up empty handed? Trust me you’re
not alone.

I’ve been there myself.

After running into a brick wall for years, I’ve finally
found what works for me.

If I were starting today and could choose one method to
promote my business and to brand myself, it would be writing
and submitting articles.

Why?

** It’s Free promotion

** It’s extremely viral

** It brands you fast

** Most marketers won’t do it

Your articles are actually more than just free promotion,
they’re free promotion on steroids.

Think about it?

What’s the main feature of the average ezine? The featured
article. Get featured in an ezine and you’re the spotlight
of that issue.

Get featured in multiple ezines every week and readers will
be saying, I see this name everywhere.

You’re branding yourself fast and it hasn’t cost you a dime.

Once you start getting your name recognized, the articles
will start taking on a life of their own. Have a few
webmasters pick them up and you’re name recognition (brand)
keeps spreading.

It’s truly amazing what article writing can do. After you’ve
been doing it long enough, readers will get the feeling they
know you.

There’s not much chance of that happening from running an
ad. An ad is just one of many and gives no clue as to who
you are.

The fourth reason I gave for writing articles was, “Most
marketers won’t do it.”

If you’re serious about your business and branding yourself,
there is one thing you should realize. You have to start
thinking out of the box.

Become a contrarian. Learn what everybody is doing, and then
start doing what they are not.

You’re a unique individual and you don’t have to follow the
herd. Birds of a feather may flock together, but the brave
eagle flies alone.

Get in the habit of writing and submitting articles and
hopefully, the next article I read will be yours.

About the Author

John Colanzi.
John publishes the “Street Smart Marketing” newsletter.
To subscribe visit: http://johncolanzi.com/freeware.html
and take advantage of our free marketing library.
If you want to cash in on the the information gold mine
and make 100% profits visit: http://johncolanzi.com

While taking a creative writing course in college, my instructor
introduced me to an invaluable tool–a Writer’s Treasure Chest.
This tool is easy and fun to make and will come in handy time
and again throughout your writing life.

First, you’ll need something to house your treasure. It could be
a plastic tub or a cardboard box. Decorate it, if you wish. It
can be as simple or elaborate as you like.

Now for the adventure! To fill this chest, your imagination is
your only limit. Mine contains newspaper clippings that I feel
will make for good stories, pictures clipped from magazines,
travel brochures, tourist information guides and advertisements.

Let’s look at each of these:

Newspapers often run stories of a bizarre nature. These can be
wonderful seeds for creative ideas! If you write crime stories,
there is a wealth of information for that as well. And don’t
forget slice of life stories, there are invaluable resources for
this genre, too.

Pictures make up the bulk of my Treasure Chest. I’m a very
visual person and these help me to “see” the things I am writing
about much better. I have pictures of people of all types, sizes
and in different sorts of dress. I may just clip out the eyes,
arms or hair because it caught my creative eye. Some photos may
have an “attitude” that I want to capture in my writing. Don’t
forget places! Fields, a mountain stream, diner or small town
street will often lead you in the right direction. Pictures of
home exteriors and interiors are invaluable, also.

Travel brochures are priceless for information on different
parts of the world as well as additional photos. These can be
had for no cost at a travel agency or trade shows.

When traveling, stop at the tourist centers. They have numerous
brochures covering shopping, sites of interest, museums and city
attractions. These are also free and you may choose as many as
you like.

Advertisements are wonderful for ideas on décor, furniture and
clothing styles. You can decorate an entire house and cloth your
characters just by looking at advertisements!

These ideas are a good base for any Writer’s Treasure Chest.
Depending on the genre you work in, you may expand accordingly.
Half the fun is in the hunt and the ideas you glean will be
priceless.

Attention spans are short. Here is the ‘Wake em Up’ way to keep the audience with you. After you have created your talk, go through it and make sure that every 2-4 minutes you use some kind of attention gaining device.

You could increase your voice inflection, show a visual, hold up a prop, move around the room, tell a story, throw out a one liner, write on a flip chart, show a picture of your kids if you want to.

Just make sure that no more than a few minutes goes by between attention gaining devices. The audience won’t know you are using a technique on them, but at the end they will say…

Wow! That time sure went by fast!

Copyright © 1998 - 2005 Advanced Public Speaking Institute

Tom Antion provides entertaining speeches and educational seminars. He is the ultimate entrepreneur, having owned many businesses BEFORE graduating college. Tom is the author of the best selling presentation skills book “Wake ‘em Up Business Presentations” and “Click: The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Marketing.” It is important to Tom that his knowledge be not only absorbed, but enjoyed. This is why he delivers his speeches laced with great humor and hysterical jokes. Tom has addressed more than 87 different industries and is thoroughly committed to his clients’ needs. http://www.antion.com

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