Leadership and Strategy: Making Memorable Presentations

More than the right words

Vladimir Gendelman, CEO of Company Folders, a provider of print marketing materials, says presentations that stand out are ones that ensure every detail, from the environment to the physical materials, are memorable. 

"The best business presentations come from more than just using the right words," he says. 

He offers four steps to giving a presentation that will linger in the minds of the audience. 

1. Distribute custom-printed handouts.
2. Use (but don't overuse) PowerPoint.
3. Incorporate video. 
4. Bring product samples. 

Here's a personal example to illustrate that last point. I started my career as a business reporter for a daily newspaper in rural Ohio. At a routine luncheon for small manufacturers roughly five years ago, Robert Schoonover, founder of Schoonover Industries Inc., a small precision metal fabricator, distributed round-to-its during his presentation on the company. The coin was cut out of 20-gage brushed stainless steel and read "Ohio." 

"It was intended to be both a novelty and a demonstration of our laser capabilities," says Schoonover, who designed the piece in AutoCad. 

Now, three jobs and hundreds of meetings and interviews later, I still carry that coin in my wallet. 

Schoonover was impressed I still had the coin. But maybe he was on to something?