You have five minutes to make an impact. The slides are controlled by a timer. You are terrified and nervous and you have way too much to say for five minutes. What do you do?
Take a page from Mary Longacre's playbook and face your fears head on. Bring those debilitating fears, the ones we all have, into the light and thereby remove their power. Share photos from your past, memories of being the shyest kid in the room, and add heart and humor to your delivery. The result? A memorable, heartwarming, rockstar presentation at Doug Sleeter's Accounting Solutions Conference in Las Vegas. Mary's presentation was just one in an amazing line up of 13 presenters in the Sage Ignite session but in my view, it was the best.
Here's what makes a presentation like Mary's , delivered in 5 minutes, memorable:
1. Images. Mary shared pictures of her own life that supported her message. She didn't use a bunch of bullet points to tell the story.
2. Heart. She spoke from the heart, she was real and vulnerable. We all wanted Mary, at one time the "second shyest person in her class", to succeed as a presenter. We were with her every step of the way.
3. Structure. Mary's story had a beginning a middle and an end just like every good story. And it included a happy ending - Mary being on that stage.
In addition to being a fabulous presenter, Mary happens to be one of the smartest people on the planet and an expert in QuickBooks and Method. She shares her insights in a quietly understated but powerful way.
We could all learn a lot from Mary.
Take a page from Mary Longacre's playbook and face your fears head on. Bring those debilitating fears, the ones we all have, into the light and thereby remove their power. Share photos from your past, memories of being the shyest kid in the room, and add heart and humor to your delivery. The result? A memorable, heartwarming, rockstar presentation at Doug Sleeter's Accounting Solutions Conference in Las Vegas. Mary's presentation was just one in an amazing line up of 13 presenters in the Sage Ignite session but in my view, it was the best.
Here's what makes a presentation like Mary's , delivered in 5 minutes, memorable:
1. Images. Mary shared pictures of her own life that supported her message. She didn't use a bunch of bullet points to tell the story.
2. Heart. She spoke from the heart, she was real and vulnerable. We all wanted Mary, at one time the "second shyest person in her class", to succeed as a presenter. We were with her every step of the way.
3. Structure. Mary's story had a beginning a middle and an end just like every good story. And it included a happy ending - Mary being on that stage.
In addition to being a fabulous presenter, Mary happens to be one of the smartest people on the planet and an expert in QuickBooks and Method. She shares her insights in a quietly understated but powerful way.
We could all learn a lot from Mary.
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