Five Credibility Boosters For Your Next Presentation

As a major presentation to a private group of investors started up, I could tell the speaker had spent endless hours preparing. Her non-verbals were welcoming and confident despite the?challenge of communicating in a virtual setting. The opening message was strong until she shared her screen and a small detail that I’m sure others also noticed undermined her credibility.?

The top of her screen showed an open link entitled, “Tips on how to calm your nerves.” Oops.

The credibility of our personal brand is a characteristic often defined before our first word is spoken.?Even before we enter the room, whether physically or virtually. When it comes to presentations, building a rock solid presentation will provide a boost to your brand. Here are five tips to raise your credibility and effectively make your message heard.

1. Study Your Audience? Social cognition theory tells us that when it comes to building connections, both likability and competence are important. There’s no better place to apply this, than in a presentation. Your message needs to catch the attention of your audience for the right reasons, and you can’t do that without doing your homework and studying the group. Take the time to know their interests, their challenges, and the needs of their clients.

By signaling early and often that you understand where your audience stands, you’ll gain their trust. Here are several simple methods:

? Signal that you have been listening: “In our interviews, you shared that...” “In my research, I learned that you…”

? Use terminology and insider language that is familiar to your audience

? Customize your visuals to match the corporate colors, logo and brand template of your client

? Reference current news and articles involving the audience or their industry

? Show urgency and genuine interest for your audience’s current situation

2. Have Solid Reasoning? Whether informing or persuading, your message needs to be followed by solid evidence and logical reasoning. How do we know what we know? Why should we?follow this path? Why does this approach make the most sense? Has another company tried this approach? What is the competition doing? What are the current trends in the market? How do we measure success? All of these questions should be answered with credible information and logic. Next time you prepare a presentation, rely on the credibility of your sources and, when?possible, reference sources that your audience is familiar with. For example: a research study published in a highly regarded journal; a quote from a famous authority in the industry; or a story from an award-winning industry book. All can boost your credibility and support your ‘why.’

3. Brag Strategically?Nobody likes a speaker who starts a presentation by listing their years of experience, certifications, and degrees. Your credibility will show by the amount you invest in your preparation and your audience-specific research. However, instead of leading with your accomplishments, you might find places in your presentation to mention relevant experience.?

If you don’t promote yourself and your work, nobody will do it for you. My inaugural Stronger?newsletter back in March of 2021 focused on just that. Here are a few ways to brag strategically:

? Mention a company you’ve worked with that the client may know of, and holds in high regard

? Tell a memorable story from your experience relating to the current topic that shows the quality?of your work or your tenure in the industry

? Quantify work you’ve done such as number of hours, people, years (or any other?specifics) and drop them into your presentation.?

For example, I could say, “I publish a monthly newsletter on LinkedIn.” But it would be better if?I said, “I publish a monthly newsletter on LinkedIn with over 38,000 subscribers” which adds a measure of credibility to what you are reading. Remember, you are your brand's best ambassador!

4. Be Prepared to Pivot? I’ll never forget an on-site corporate training that was derailed by a bomb threat on the company’s campus. I was mid-sentence when security came into our training room and told us to immediately take cover. Several hours later, we were still in the room. Through the window we could see someone in a bomb suit entering the building to defuse the threat, which thankfully ended up being just an ill-marked package. Even if there had been time to resume, the group was not in the mindset for learning. Within a week, I designed a virtual training program which in the mid-2000s was considered highly innovative. The client was impressed and my?company was hired as a preferred training vendor for years to come.

Have you ever been faced with unpredictable or unfortunate circumstances during presentations? Have people derailed a conversation in the Q&A or thrown you a curveball question? How you?handle a challenging situation with positivity and swift reactions can only boost your credibility.

5. Focus on the Optics? Your credibility can be influenced by everything from the organization of a pre-shared agenda, the tone of your initial email, the aesthetic of your visuals, the comfort of your non-verbals, your virtual background or to even how you dress. Don’t neglect to give attention to every detail as even the small stuff matters.

When I was a student at Indiana University, I took the course called “Coaching of Basketball.” I was less interested in the sport but very intrigued by the teacher — the legendary Bobby Knight — who was almost as controversial as he was successful. I’ll never forget the story about his method of?hiring team managers. At the end of interviews, he’d offer to walk the students to their cars. Many would hide their keys, say they’d walked, or that the car was parked far away. But Coach Knight?insisted and later recalled, “I walked every one of them to their cars because I wanted to see how well the cars were maintained. I couldn’t care less about the year or the brand. But if these managers were going to take care of my athletes, I wanted to be sure they were just as meticulous and detailed at taking care of their own vehicles.”

The unfortunate open link revealed on the nervous speaker’s screen was a small slip that distracted from her message that day. An effective business presentation builds your brand and carries your credibility. Devote the necessary time for preparation, research, audience analysis and messaging. Practice and use tools that will make you shine. And be prepared to pivot when the unexpected happens, because it eventually will!

I invite you to a very relevant LinkedIn Live! Join me on Thursday, March 30 at 1:00PM (EST) as my colleague Dave Yewman and I will co-host a session full of tips and tools to help you manage your next speaking event like a rock star. Don’t miss it — sign up here . Also, if you feel you could benefit from some ideas and direction on designing and delivering presentations, check out two of my Linkedin Learning courses: Creating and Giving Business Presentations and Presenting to Senior Executives.

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