DIAGNOSIS
You know your stuff, but your presentation skills seem to be lacking
PRESCRIPTION
Develop a central theme to help connect all of your ideas
Changing lanes
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As I am always thinking of ways to make things easier for my workshop participants and the reps I work with, I realized that
a central theme is a wonderful way to stand out from the growing competition as you make your daily presentations.
You're probably wondering what I mean by a "central theme." Well, read on! Reps and their managers tell me all the time that a tough part of a presentation in a doctor's office is getting from drug
to drug. But even tougher is getting smoothly and comfortably from the small talk at the beginning into the business at hand:
delivering a marketing message that sounds fresh (not canned), different and better than the competition. All of you who are
out there making two or three drug presentations to your doctors know what I'm talking about. But even if you are not discussing
two or three drugs, everything we cover here is applicable to any type of presentation.
The solution to these transitional difficulties is the establishment of a central theme.
What is a central theme, anyway?
A theme is a recurring and unifying subject, idea or concept – a motif. A theme makes it easier for both you and your doctor
to remember your most important points, especially if you can relate the theme to the doctor (e.g., a golf theme for a doctor
who enjoys time out on the links). It unites not only ideas, but the speaker and his audience (you and the doctor) as well.
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A central theme keeps your audience's attention throughout your presentation by linking your ideas together and making those
difficult transitions seem smooth and effortless. Many presentations start off with a reasonable attention level that drops
off sharply as the presentation continues. Usually, that's because presenters seem to be reading a list: "Good morning, everyone.
Here I am today to talk about the best ways to save on auto insurance. Here's suggestion number one. Now here's suggestion
number two. And now here's suggestion number three." The audience knows from the outset that there's nothing to look forward
to but a boring list.
Let's imagine you are going to give a lecture on transitions. The central theme could be based on traveling. There would be
several references to moving and driving, and to maps, signs, paths and especially bridges. Every time you use one of these
references to transition from one thought to another, you are helping the listener follow along. This is a left-brain–right-brain
trick you can use, too. The left side of the brain controls logic and reasoning. The right brain is more creative. Giving
your doctor a simple list of drugs is a left-brain activity. You can spice up that list, and make it easier to remember, by
adding in bits of right-brain imagery (e.g., maps, cars and bridges) to help the audience focus on and remember your points.
