It’s an honour to receive an invitation to discuss how you made your business successful. Unfortunately, not everyone gets the same opportunity. People are willing to listen to you since they want to follow your path. They won’t necessarily replicate what you did, but they can learn a thing or two. Of course, you can’t come to the venue unprepared. Here’s what you must do before the event.
Outline your presentation
It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and get lost when given a chance to speak. You don’t know where to start or how to organise the details. You might even get sidetracked by anecdotes. Therefore, it pays to outline everything first. Consider how much time you have to present your ideas. You don’t want to go beyond the limits and waste people’s time.
Don’t hesitate to share your secrets
You received an invitation because people want to learn from you. Of course, you don’t want to divulge everything, but you can share something they can benefit from. Besides, having more successful entrepreneurs won’t threaten your position in the industry. You’ve already managed to make a name for yourself. It’s time that others have the same chance.
Use visual aids
You can’t express everything in words alone. You might also need pictures and videos to reiterate critical ideas. Hence, it pays to have visual aids. Ensure the venue has a projector ceiling bracket holding the projector securely in place, making your presentation smoother. When you use visual aids, people will listen to you and also get entertained. They won’t feel bored since you can’t stop talking for hours. Others might miss your thoughts but can always refer to the slides.
Try to be funny
It might be a serious topic, but it doesn’t mean you can’t inject humour. Again, people attend the event to feel inspired. They won’t take notes of all the details, but they can remember your personality. They can also emulate how you deal with people or your leadership style. If you’re too serious, you will bore everyone in the room. Of course, you must filter the jokes and determine which are appropriate. You don’t want people to think you’re bad because of the insensitive remarks.
Motivate everyone
You can’t tell everyone to follow your strategies, but you can always be a good motivator. Tell people that you started from scratch and worked your way up. If you can do it, they can also reach the same level of success. It might take time, but they will get there.
You’re lucky to be where you are now, but you also worked hard for it. Hence, telling people that it’s luck alone won’t suffice. Be explicit in saying there are no terrible business ideas at first. They deserve to get polished until things become more viable.
Be open to answering questions after your presentation. Prepare for the possible questions and give an impressive response. Prove that you got to where you are because you know what you’re doing.