How can you use presentations to establish yourself as a trusted advisor?

Understanding your audience is crucial for establishing trust through presentations. You can create a presentation directly addressing their situation by comprehending their needs, objectives, and challenges. To gather insights, engage in active research, like surveys or feedback analysis. Tailor your content to meet their expectations and needs, demonstrating your commitment to providing value and solutions. This approach makes your presentation more relevant and impactful and builds trust. When you invest time and effort to understand their challenges and offer tailored advice, they view you as a reliable advisor they can turn to for guidance and solutions.

in my view, three things 1) Provide Emotional safety 2) Transparency 3) Create an environment of executionable actions In my experience, advisor is a person whom people can approach easily, who ensures no leakage and who is flexible.

Start knowing your audience by not taking gigs that are outside your expertise or sphere of knowledge and influence. Some of our biggest wins in professional speaking come from avoiding losses.

Even before presenting to a large group or sharing expertise; it’s important to connect with the small group of leaders that have selected you to consult, and discuss with them their team/division readiness for change. Then, when working with the larger group, highlight this pre-meeting conversation, and discuss the readiness work you will do with the larger team. That means this initial presentation is a “Get to know you” not a “Get these things done”… it provides a level of buy-in and creates space for the real conversation you’ll need when presenting expertise. It will also help showcase your commitment to meeting their particular needs and reaching specific objectives that you will find from assessing their starting point.

Understand the cultural dynamic of the audience you are connecting with is really important. For example, an opening joke might go over well as an ice breaker in some countries, but not in others.

In preparing your presentation, consider what you want your audience to know, what you want them to do and how you want them to feel. "My intention is for you to know X, as a result I'm hoping that you can do X, and that you will feel X, Y, Z". And then after the presentation - check in with those three points. How far do the audience feel that they understand what you intended them to? How do they feel? Have they done or will they do what you are hoping they can? This framework is great for planning, for structuring a presentation and for engagement. Let me know if you try it!

Capture your audience's attention by providing practical solutions to common challenges. Rather than just addressing problems, I recognized the need to offer solutions after the 5th season of my podcast. By presenting both the problem and potential solutions, audiences are engaged and develop trust as they see valuable information being provided.

Always appreciate that people took time to attend and be part of your presentation by providing value and giving key takeaways. I use 3 point system. 3 problems and 3 key take aways. This make the presentation more simpler and easy to remember. Use practical examples, use cases, your own experiences, global references. You can always back up with stats and other insights. Learn the art of story telling and use it to drive the message across.

Being a trusted advisor in presentations means delivering undeniable value. It goes beyond presenting information; it involves offering insights and solutions that directly tackle your audience's challenges. Tailor your content to provide practical advice and share anecdotes that underline your expertise. Connect with their needs to demonstrate that you're a reliable resource. When your presentation becomes a conduit for solving problems and enhancing understanding, you elevate your status to that of a trusted advisor.

Value is the currency of trust, isn't it? Sharing tangible solutions and actionable insights demonstrates that you're not just presenting; you're contributing to their success.

Engaging with your audience involves active listening, responding to questions, and seeking feedback. By demonstrating expertise and addressing their concerns thoughtfully, you establish credibility and trust, positioning yourself as a trusted advisor. This interaction builds rapport and fosters long-term relationships based on mutual respect and understanding.

Engagement is incredibly important to focus on when delivering presentations virtually. Even if it feels funny, make eye contact with each person's video and address the audience by name whenever you can. One of the benefits of virtual workshops is that you can often see each attendee's name so you can be quick to engage them personally. Using humor is also very important. Not only does it keep the presentation engaging but it helps the listener remember your points better and, even when the topic is heavy, helps them leave the presentation feeling lighter and relaxed.

In my experience, truly engaging and interacting with your audience can significantly bolster your status as a trusted advisor. It's not just about disseminating information; it's about creating a two-way dialogue. This can be achieved by incorporating interactive elements like polls or Q&A sessions, encouraging active participation. Moreover, weaving in humor, emotion, and captivating visuals can make your presentation more relatable and memorable. This approach not only makes your content more appealing but also demonstrates your genuine interest in the audience's perspectives. The more effectively you engage with them, the stronger the rapport and trust you build, which is crucial for establishing yourself as a trusted advisor.

Interaction transforms a monologue into a dialogue. Using polls and activities, it's not just a presentation; it's a shared experience that builds connection.

I identified a weak spot in my approach – I was not following through with my audience. Providing valuable information wasn't enough; I needed to build lasting relationships. Without follow-through, I risked repeating myself and impeding progress. Just as crucial as the first impression, consistent follow-through is essential for growth and credibility.

The key to building trust in any area is to follow through on what's promised. I have encountered many who would share contacts after presentations and encourage their audience to send follow-up questions but never respond. That's an easy way to lose credibility and trust. So before promising anything in a presentation,  ensure there's a process in place to follow up and follow through. If possible, communicate this process with your audience. For example, share the preferred channel for follow-up and your turnaround time for an email response and callback. This ensures that your audience's expectations will align with your process.

The post-presentation phase is often overlooked. A thoughtful follow-up shows commitment, turning a one-time presentation into an ongoing partnership.

The act of following up and following through is a critical step in establishing yourself as a trusted advisor through your presentations. This involves going beyond the immediate scope of your presentation. Sending a summary or a thank-you note, as well as requesting feedback, demonstrates attentiveness and commitment to your audience's ongoing needs. Offering additional resources or guidance post-presentation reinforces this commitment. It's about nurturing a relationship that extends past the event, solidifying trust and fostering loyalty. Consistent follow-up shows that you value their engagement and cements your reputation as a reliable and dedicated advisor.

It's a well-worn saying, but actions indeed speak louder than words. An authentic, powerful presentation sets expectations. If these are not met with corresponding actions, your audience will perceive you as inauthentic. To build trust, your presentations should focus on action. • Be clear about your objectives or what you want your audience to do. • Set realistic goals and commit to making them happen. This demonstration of commitment and reliability is how you cultivate trust and position yourself as a trusted advisor.

To establish yourself as a trusted advisor through presentations, continuous improvement is key. Show your commitment to evolving by seeking feedback, analyzing results, and staying updated on best practices. Experiment with innovative techniques, tools, and formats to adapt and grow. This ongoing effort not only improves your presentations but also reinforces trust from your audience.

Initially it's crucial yo be up to date with information of the specific topic. In addition to having reliable resource, this being a person, a book, and organization, keeping an eye on what is the best and most efficient practices for groups or people will keep you in an always learning always continues improvement path.

You don’t have to be perfect. You have to be REAL. The fact that you are speaking in front of a group gives you instant credibility. Showing your faults makes you likable and relatable. That is what an audience remembers more than your technical data.

In my experience connecting with your audience by being authentic is the difference between a boring lecture and a great speaker. Someone who inspires the audience through honesty and real life is how people connect and listen. Understanding and long term relationships come from being authentic when speaking to your audience.

Telling a story about a mistake that happened and what you learned from it makes you instantly relatable with your audience. After that, you could also choose a volunteer from the audience to work through your presentation's key concept. Either bring them on stage with you or, if you can, go stand beside them. It literally brings them to their level. If that person turns out to be someone negative, say "I'll definitely consider that - thank you," and move on to someone else. If you make a mistake in the middle of your talk, acknowledge it with a bit of humor, and just move on. Chances are your audience will now their heads knowingly because surely that's happened to them as well.

Often the easiest way to become authentic in the eyes of your audience is to admit to a fault, limitation, or shortcoming. Humanize yourself, empathize with audience - if you're comfortable with it, and its appropriate for the situation or audience, speaking about something deeply personal or that affected you (especially in a negative way) can go a long way to appearing more genuine and relatable.

As Siobhan mentions, understanding the culture is vital. This understanding will manifest itself in the way you talk. Consultants are you using jargon, or the vernacular used by the client? When you begin to speak their language, you may begin to understand the culture. More importantly, you can educate the constituent in the new ways and associated language for the change in a relatable way. Without providing a true Rosetta Stone, you will never freeze the desired norm and the environment will regress to the old ways or original norm. Siobhan, nice thought on culture! I think it the most overlooked aspect of change and engagement by consultants.

Authentic and practical stories are significant to prove to be a trusted advisor. - Consistent manner in these stories to be shared - Stick to what the audience expects as an outcomes - Do not have our agenda to achieve - Build a proper storyline with the right context and conclusion with limited words and visual aids - Attract the audience for conversation/collaboration, which can be achieved the authentic presentation These things will take us to be a trusted advisior

Visual aids play a pivotal role in presentations by enhancing comprehension, engagement, and retention of information. They provide a visual anchor to verbal content, catering to diverse learning styles and reinforcing key messages. The use of visual aids, such as slides, charts, and graphs, not only makes complex information more accessible but also adds a layer of professionalism to the presentation. Visual aids signal to the audience that the information is well-researched and supported. Additionally they serve as evidence- illustrating data adds a level of authenticity. The strategic integration of visual aids elevates the quality of the presentation and bolsters credibility by providing a visual framework that enhances understanding.