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It’s hard to believe that speaking before an audience is more frightful than dying, but reports indicate people consistently rank public speaking as their #1 fear.

One reason presenting in public is frightening is that we feel exposed on a platform in front of a crowd. We worry that we’ll do something stupid to embarrass ourselves or to sabotage our careers. After all, we’ve seen other people stand before a crowd and do stupid things.

Fortunately, we can learn from the mistakes of others, and we can avoid them. This article describes mistakes I’ve seen people make to sabotage their own success. I share these examples with you so you don’t make the same mistakes. You can set your fear aside today!

Make Negative Jokes about Your Competence

A consultant was asked to address a group for a potential client. The consultant had 30 minutes to say something useful and make an impression in order to be asked back for a fee. Following the introduction, audience members clapped.

The speaker responded to the applause with this statement, “It’s nice to receive applause before you start a presentation-because you never know what will happen afterwards.” Good grief, what was he thinking?!

Audience members form an opinion of a speaker in the first seconds of a presentation. This speaker used those precious first seconds to say he might lose control of the speech. Who would want to listen to him, let alone hire him?!

Self-deprecating humor is fine, and sometimes it’s desirable-but NOT as you introduce your speech and NOT about your competence. As you begin a speech, strive to grab the audience’s attention, establish a connection with them, and show you are qualified to address the topic.

Tell the Entire Story-Except How It Applies to the Audience

An accomplished physician and medical researcher told me about a presentation she had recently made. “I gave too much background and had to rush when explaining the clinical implications.” “Who was the audience?” I asked. The answer: “It was a conference for clinicians.”

It’s natural for a researcher, sales person or executive to structure a presentation chronologically. It’s natural to expect the background information to lend weight to the finale-the conclusion or recommendation. It’s natural, that is, if you’re thinking from a speaker’s perspective.

From an audience member’s perspective, this “natural” approach can be a boring put-off. Chances are you’ve had the experience-as an audience member-of feeling your eyes glaze over when a presenter droned on about background or technical details that were entirely irrelevant to you.

Audience members come for the finale. They are interested in background details only to the point that the details clarify or support the recommendation or results. Limit background to information audience members must know to understand how the material applies to them.

Start with the finale-even give the punch line-and you’ll grab the audience’s attention and provide a framework to put the details that follow into perspective. Provide a web link for those interested in more detail.

Try to Cram Two Pounds of Material into a One-Pound Time Slot

When you try to cram 60 minutes of material in a 20 minute time slot, you’ve made a stupid mistake. In presentations, a simple equation applies: less content equals more power.
This is not to say that the quality of your content doesn’t count or that superficial equals successful. It does mean the following:

*Audience members are more likely to retain one well-developed point than five points that you rush through.

*Rush speed is exhausting for the speaker and overwhelming for the audience. When you deliver an appropriate amount of material for your time slot, you’ll have time for dramatic pauses and other delivery techniques that increase audience interest and retention.

*When you try to cram 60 minutes into a 20 minute time slot, it often means you haven’t done your homework. You haven’t thought about what your audience needs to hear as opposed to what you’d like to say. Cramming is a mistake of the lazy speaker-don’t do it!

Everything about how your business looks reflects on how your business works. From resumes and daily information management to proposals and presentations, your business needs to look its best in today’s marketplace. In this short guide, we’ll explain the products we offer and the applications for these products.

Bond paper is a high quality durable writing paper similar to old style bank paper. It gets its name from having originally been made for documents such as government bonds. In the modern business place, it is most often used for letterheads and other stationery as well as paper for electronic printers. For day to day operations, building presentation guides on a budget, and hard copies of large data, bond paper is the paper of choice. Because bond paper is in high demand, the selection comes in many sizes, colors and textures.

Paper made of linen can be very strong and crisp, which is why the United States and many other countries print their currency on paper that is made from 25% linen and 75% cotton. Most wedding invitations and commencement announcements are printed on linen paper. For an executive and exquisite look and feel, linen paper is a time-tested favorite. Irish linen paper is a pH Neutral, recycled content, chlorine free paper made from wood certified and audited to ensure it complies with environmentally sustainable practice and principles known as “Well Managed Forest Standards.” It is manufactured to resemble and mimic traditional linen paper while being environmentally conscious.

Offset printing is most often used for large quantity, single run documents such as tests and newspapers. In this process, an inked image is transferred from a plate to a blank cylinder, which in turn transfers the image to the printing material as it passes between the blanket and the impression cylinder and pressure is applied. This is also called “offset lithography.” Offset paper is paper that has been manufactured with properties that make the paper suitable for this process. Some of the properties include dimensional stability, resistance to curling, high surface strength, a surface free from and/or resistant to foreign particles and a high level of resistance to moisture penetration.

Finished paper is most commonly used in magazines and other publications as well as in the office as specialty printer paper for sleek, stunning presentations. Gloss Finish is a coating on paper that provides a higher reflection of light which results in a shiny appearance. Gloss coatings reduce ink absorption, which allows excellent contrast and color definition. Matte finish is a coated paper finish that is flat, not shiny like a gloss, but still keeps much of the ink from being absorbed by the paper and produces an excellent image. Dull finish is a flat finish that has been supercalendered when manufactured. Supercalendering is an additional papermaking process where the paper runs through a set of alternating steel and fiber covered rollers. Supercalendering produces a very smooth thin sheet. It is slightly smoother that a matte finish. Kromekote is a premium glossy coating. It provides an extremely flat, ultra-rich high gloss and a highly absorbent surface. Kromekote coating is most often used on digital photo paper of all densities from light bond paper to heavy, rigid cardstock.

Of course, as in other areas of business, there are some brand names that stand head and shoulders above the rest. Some of the best include Springhill offset, Kromekote coated paper, and Valley Forge paper. Presentation is a delicate time, and it’s best to go with the tried and true producers. By paying attention to all details, even such as these, your business will grow to unprecedented heights.

Presentation folders – a must in today’s marketing:

The business world has become very competitive, and to stay in the run you need to market yourself with more effort and competence. Presentation folders can do incredible things for you if you take care to present your information clearly and purposefully for the interest of your prospects. Marketing your products or services would need you to put things in an organized way by putting things together with professionalism which reflects the credibility of your company. The information contained in your presentation folder needs to convey facts regarding your organization and what you offer. It should be in the interest of your customers, and the facts that you relate should point out how your products or services are beneficial to your prospective customers. Not only that, the presentation folder itself should be impressive enough for your customers to open it and find out more about your company.

What should presentation folders carry?

Your presentation folder should be able to tell your customers everything they want to know. They should be able to understand your business success, along with the products and services you offer. The information provided by you should be easily grasped by your prospects, and it should easily be translated into the benefits that they can get. The initial impression of your presentation is very important in order to get your prospective clients interested in what you do. Your presentation folder will have all the necessary information that your customers need and learn about you without having to flip through the review notes or hand-outs.

You can have your presentation folders customized to your requirement if you are purchasing in large quantities. This reduces cost drastically and you can have your company name and logo printed on these. Folders with your logo gets immediately recognized, and your customers know you by the logo on the presentation folders. Customization of presentation folders can also be done by adding a label or any other information, and even you could have the binding modified to your liking.

Presentation folder – an asset in your marketing campaign:

For any business, presentation folder is no doubt a requisite in any marketing campaign. You need to create an everlasting impression on your customers’ mind, and presentation folders are one of the best marketing tools available to put forward your credibility to your target customers. It is the best way to have your documents collated, and presented in an organized way for your prospects to take interest in what you are offering

No matter how you have your presentation folders designed, what is crucial is the information contained inside the folder. It is crucial since the key to your success is how you have put the information together, and how well it has been presented to your prospects. They are one of the key marketing tools that are used today in business representations. A presentation folder differs from a brochure in which you have a limitation of space. Presentation folders allow you to present your company and what you offer in greater detail, keeping in mind that whatever you convey must be in the interest of your customers.