Yesterday, several people told me that I had succeeded with my presentation about social media to the National Capital Heavy Construction Association. Measures of success: ?Audience and fellow panelests’ post-presentation comments, and the nine social media comments/observations recorded by nimble.com. ?Looks like the initiative will result in a couple of further gigs, as well. (See this relevant posting describing GOMACO’s informal Facebook group.)
Now, I didn’t do this for a speaker’s fee — and only time will tell if any direct business will result. ?However, presentation skills are undoubtedly valuable for anyone marketing architectural, engineering and construction services. Your skills here could well be the tipping point when you get to the short-list stage and have the final chance to win or lose the job (allowing that anyone meeting the final selection cut will technically be able to do the work to the highest standard). There is plenty of evidence that speaking and presenting opportunities can provide the highest net return on investment because, of course, you achieve the combination of one-on-one closeness with one-on-many communication if you handle things correctly.
(These qualities, of course, are inverted if you show up at an event and decide you would like to consume the free booze in excess. Then you can achieve one-on-many embarrassment within a few minutes.)
Accordingly, if you are serious about marketing and business development, you should make presentation skills development one of your highest priorities.
You might enjoy this article from consultant Steve Knight, which provides some clues about effective presentation skills. “Take control; switch off your autopilot and find your true Self.” ?He used an Australian government state anti-speeding video to outline his point. (The video is a truly fascinating government initiative, as well.)
Also, several people observed and said they enjoyed the prezi.com presentation framework, compared to the usual PowerPoint messaging. I’ve found Prezi to be incredibly easy to use once I captured the basic concepts.
Here is a link to my presentation –– the only audio you’ll be able to hear is from my video conversations (via Skype and loaded onto YouTube for editing) and one video I picked up from the relevant site. ?If you wish, I can co-ordinate a Google Plus hangout to do it again — with audio. Just add a comment or email me at buckshon@constructionmarketingideas.com if you would like me to schedule one.
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