Standing up in front of a group of prospective clients and/or potential collaborators is such a useful thing to do, and yet so many business owners shy away from it or worse still, do it badly. 

Having a well-constructed 15-minute presentation up your sleeve allows you to say ‘yes’ at the drop of a hat when an opportunity to present your business comes up, perhaps at a networking meeting or at a professional seminar.  

Speaking about your business gives you an opportunity to present yourself as an expert in your field and will ultimately help you get more clients – when you do it well. 

I’ve heard a lot of business owners give lots of valuable information, and often do so with confidence and clarity, and yet the audience remembers little of what was said. 

Putting your content into a simple structure that can be easily followed, understood and remembered will make you more memorable than the next speaker...

Do you have a pre-presentation routine? Most of the best speakers do – so why not you? 

When you prepare yourself both physically and mentally you are so much more likely to deliver your best stuff – and who wouldn’t want to do that? 

Here are a few tips to help you. You might want to use all or some of them, depending on the presentation itself, the situation and who is in the audience. 

1. Arrive with enough time to check out exactly where you will be presenting before your audience arrives. Where possible, stand where you will be standing to get a feel of what it will be like when your audience is in front of you.

You may even want to go through parts of your presentation in your mind, to consider what movement you need to make in order to reach the room, i.e., will you need to walk from one side of the stage or floor so that everyone can see you, or will it be better to stay central. 

For a virtual...