Are you smart in appearance, having great background and experience, polite, knowledgeable about most things you have been planning, and been always as the strongest candidate on paper when it comes to a job application? More, you can pass all the first and second round test. But at the end, you were always forgettable, didn’t stand out from the crowd, from other applicants. No further call nor email confirming your acceptance. Heart breaking.
What went wrong?
Those awesome achievements have never been enough. They take away less than 20 percent of the criteria. Just as starters. The rest are your attitude and what you can offer.
One single step can show it all, your presentation. It may wrap up all the phases you’ve been through.
So, what’s the reason of your failure then?
Found out that your last phase, your business presentation was boring, was not challenging the panel’s initial impression. They lost their interest right after your first 60 seconds.
You failed to connect with them. You overly depended on your slides that you read for them more than they expected. Well, they have seen dozens of people who were like that, and you made no difference. Bye-bye you.
The question is: how can you be uniquely loveable when it comes to a business presentation?
First is you need to show that you are passionate to what and who you are. Walk those achievements and the cover letter you wrote. Reflect them all. Show your positive and powerful side. Keep that smile on your face, yet stay sharp. Be respectful. Engage even before you say your hello, keep your eye contact, with a spark.
Second is you need to know how to communicate your message in a compelling way, bold, that move them to take notice and listen. In many cases, to make them look at you instead of their mobile phones or paper. They may also rearrange the way they sit, straight up but relax, just because you sound uniquely interesting.
Third is you need to get control on your voice. Have your voice projection; do know when and how to make a rhythm. When you need to sound strong and high, and when you need to sound normal and humble. Be more expressive. Measure how far your voice will travel and go back at you. Say 3, 4, 5, or 10 meters away? Make your effort to work with it. Live the important words or sentences as what they are meant to be.
You cannot just sound flat. It’s boring. It’s killing.
Fourth is to stay persuasive. Make yourself worth remembering. Be a communicator not just messenger. Increase your influence and impact.
Paul McGee wrote ‘Good people with a great message are not guaranteed a captive audience’.
So, don’t be this kind. Be the contrary. Let then yourself be assured you’ll win the opportunity.
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These are your first four steps out of a hundred. Telling you that there are more to do before that, lots of practice, lots of learning. Get yourself started, now.
— In the cloud, behind a glass window, Deedee —