I first joined BNI in 2005… and since then, I have seen over 500 10 minute presentations… some were amazing, while some could have used a little help. I am going to talk about 5 ways to derail your 10 Minute Presentation, but our focus is more on things not to do, instead of your content.

Instead of on the content (There are a few amazing trainings you can attend that’ll help in those areas)
Below are 5 things you can do so that you do not Derail your 10 Minute!

1) Utilize your intromercial (instead of skipping or deferring to your presentation)
You have an additional 30-60 seconds that you can use to:
a) lead into your presentation
b) speak on a topic not mentioned in your presentation
Use all the time you get in the meeting powerfully; this can result in additional referrals.

2) Be introduced with Passion (instead of skipping your introduction or doing it yourself)
Your introduction is a chance for you, as the speaker, to gain some credibility with the group… so you want to be sure that when you are introduced,
a) The person is speaking passionately about you
b) Touch on the information you feel is best leading into your presentation.

3) Practice your presentation ahead of time (instead of getting up and readying straight from your worksheet or power point presentation)
Power point presentations and worksheets are great tools to utilize during your presentation, but the audience prefers to use those tools as complimentary, instead of just listening to the presenter read off them. (and if you use power point, and the projector breaks at the last minute, you still need to be ready to present!)
DO practice ahead of time so you can deliver an amazing presentation that will inspire your chapter to pass you referrals.

4) Ask for the referrals (instead of spending 10 minutes educating your sales team and then forgetting to ask for the referral)
The more specific you can be when you are asking for referrals and contact sphere relationships, the more likely you are to get them!

5) End your presentation with power (instead of ending your presentation with an opportunity for questions)
This is probably one of the areas I find people the most resistant to when it comes to their 10 minute presentation; questions are a great thing, when done in a one to one setting. When asked questions in front of a group, usually the first thing asked is “How much?” and if you wanted to let us know the cost, you would have told us up front! Also, I have seen questions get very specific to one industry, and the only person listening to the answer is the one who asked it!
I recommend that you finish up your presentation, “If you have any questions, please see me after the meeting so we can schedule a One to One.”

If you do these 5 easy things, your next presentation will be a success (and maybe you will want to read below for the blog on how to get 10 visitors to your 10 minute presentation).