HBA Leadership Conference: Day 2

Beth Rogers, CEO of communications training firm Point Taken Consulting, led HBA workshop attendants through PowerPoint Karaoke. The random display of information on slides, like lyrics that roll on a screen, is behind this training tool that allows participants to think on their feet and clearly present information.

Rogers founded the company in 2002 after experiencing stage anxiety due to a lack of technical support. As a product manager of RPR Pharmaceuticals at the time, she found herself in front of thousands of people without any slides and only knowledge of techniques on how to look confidant.

“I realized the better you can deliver, the better you can overcome any challenge,” said Rogers. “At that moment I thought, I want to do this for a living. There is great relief knowing you can handle the pressure.”

Aside from technical difficulties, there are always complicated slides, data, and even some types of audiences that can negatively accentuate the situation, especially when trying to sell a product or prove a marketing plan. Before the next time your palms feel moist or your mouth becomes dry, remember these three tactics to peak your presentation performance:

1. There’s no way getting around complicated, heavily-data driven content in pharma. Rogers advises the implementation of storytelling to help guide audience members through a presentation’s elements. “We are story based as humans and that is how we remember things.”
2. Looking confidant is different than feeling confidant. According to Rogers, everyone sees how you look but nobody knows what you feel. Use a strong, animated voice and have an opened balance stance.
3. Personal credibility. “In this industry, trust is everything. It’s a very ethical industry with high level expectations,” says Rogers. “In order to believe you are credible, from a delivery prospective, you need to be authentic and use presentation materials as support.”

Karaoke anyone?