Imagine if Robin Sharma started talking about the stock market or Elon Musk started sharing quotes on emotional intelligence. What kind of impression will that leave on the audience?
Surely, confuse them, right? As it’s a deviation from their well-defined personal brand of self-transformation and intelligence learning, respectively.
Personal branding is your unique USP and the projection of your personality, skills, values, behavior, and experience that you offer to the audience.
Read on if you need some tips on how to strengthen your personal brand through presentations.
Benefits of Personal Branding in Presentations
According to research, recognizable brands outperform less recognizable brands by around a whopping 73% (citing research by McKinsey). Personal branding has similar benefits as to company branding. You can build a quick and long-lasting connection with prospective clients by consistently working on your personal branding.
- You can distinguish yourself from competitors.
- It will help you look more authentic, credible, and trustworthy, which will help you sell better.
- It will help you build a solid and memorable impression on people.
- Personal branding will help you transition into a business owner, taking care of your entrepreneurial aspirations.
Personal Branding Tips during Presentations
Presentations are more than sharing information. You can use the platform to showcase everything that sets you apart. The following tips will help you take the help of presentations to reflect your personal brand, addressing all your purposes at once.
1. Back to Basics
Just the way companies and brands take the help of elements like logos, typography, color, etc., to make their brand easily recognizable, they can be used by individuals for personal branding, too. Take the help of high-definition and relevant PowerPoint or Google Slides templates to narrate your content and make your brand distinguishable.
You can also invest in quality stationary and other presentation material that features distinct monograms or logos or something of your creation. Use typography and background for your slides that resonate with you.
You can go for a signature style that’s easily identifiable using fashion elements like scarves, shoes, brooches, or specific colors for your outfits and accessories.
Over time, these elements will foster a strong association with you, becoming a part of your personal brand (whether in-person or online presentations).
Note – Your style (appearance, body language, voice, etc.) should resonate with your personality, message, and audience. Consider factors like the emotions you want to evoke and the impression you want to make before choosing your style.
2. Be a Presenter of Your Words
Be mindful of your words and commitments always to foster a positive self-image in the long term. Let’s say you are committed to supporting your arguments with valid examples in the next presentation, so be wise enough to meet the promise.
You might not have the same set of people as part of your audience, but you can always take the help of social media and other platforms to endorse your image. As part of personal branding, you will have a strong presence on multiple platforms that tell your story.
Take the help of presentations to add to that narrative by sharing highlights and relevant content.
3. A Strong Positioning Statement
Your value proposition is about you, but it’s not for you. A strong and succinct positioning statement will help you communicate yourself to your audience in the best way possible. Include a brief introduction about yourself (current information, portfolio) in your slides. You could also elaborate a little bit and tell about the projects you have handled (relevant to the presentation).
Doing this at the start will help you instill trust and understanding in people, and they will know you are the right person for this speech.
Also, create well-designed professional slides always as they are a reflection of your self-image too.
4. Learn About the People
Be it any branding, you need actual people who are a part of your journey – people who trust in you and are willing to invest in you or your product.
One of the quickest ways to forge a connection is by learning about the people you will be presenting to. Learn about their needs, pain points, expectations, preferences, etc., and tailor your presentation accordingly.
Be wise to use language and examples that resonate with them and avoid anything that might confuse or offend them. You would want people to know you respect their time and attention and have done your homework.
5. State Your Purpose and Passion
The goal of your presentation should align with your personal brand.
- What is the purpose of delivering this presentation?
- What will people learn and take away from it?
- How does it support your brand promise?
Know the purpose statement clearly and structure your presentation accordingly.
The content on your slides should support this purpose and help reinforce your brand message and public persona. You can use the slides to inspire people and share your passion (about the presentation topic).
Use your body gestures to convey your enthusiasm and knowledge about the topic. Share anecdotes and examples that will help forge a connection with people.
6. Interact with Your Audience
You can make people feel respected and valued by involving them in your presentation.
Use strategies like polls, interactive quizzes, fun games and activities, etc. Move around the space as much as possible and address people individually (if it’s a smaller crowd) by taking their names or making eye contact. You can still use eye contact to keep a larger crowd engaged.
Invite people to share their ideas, opinions, or feedback. Acknowledge the comments and feedback and use them to better your performance. Be open for a Q&A round and address everyone’s concerns.
Share handouts and give incentives (special discount on a future purchase, free eBook as a token of appreciation for their time, and something extra), encouraging them to take action. Show gratitude for their time and attention, and request and encourage them to follow up with you.
Presentations are not supposed to be a one-way communication but a dialogue with people. Making your audience feel important and heard will enable them to take you as a professional. Let people know you value their input and are ready to learn and grow.
To Sum It Up
Incorporating your personal brand and public persona in your presentations will set you apart from your competitors. Your audience will know the credibility of their speaker and be more attentive to the speech. It will also help you build trust and inspire action.
These tips will help you build presentations that convey your personal brand in the best way possible and help you showcase your unique identity.
