Presentations. They are a terrifying and important part of adult life. How else to emphatically get information across to a large group of people at the same time. And no, the Internet doesn’t count. Still, it takes a certain kind of person to really knock presentations out of the ballpark. Or does it? Read along and practice these tips and you are sure to have them rolling in the aisles. Don’t worry, you won’t have to imagine anyone in the audience naked.

Plan. Plan. Plan.

This might seem obvious but a presentation is really only as good as the amount of practice that went into it. Write it out. Tinker with the words until they are perfect.  Then, practice. Practice for your loved ones. Practice for your hated ones. Practice for anyone that will listen. While you are planning it all out, always consider the audience. What are you trying to convey to them? What is your main point? Never lose site of that.

Metaphors are your friend

Often you will find yourself giving a presentation on a complicated subject to a group of people who are not in the know. How do you make sure they get your main point? Well one good way is by use of metaphors, comparisons and analogies. Re-brand the idea to a simpler set of terms that the audience is sure to follow. For example, “PPC is like your direct marketing, but with the advantage of instant feedback”

Demonstrate

If at all possible, show your idea in action. This could be via Powerpoint, a short film, or even via a chalkboard. Take the famous adage “A picture is worth 1,000 words” to heart. Many people simply can’t process information by the spoken word alone. If all else fails, go for a case study. A minor caveat: Do not rely solely on Powerpoint, however. This is a common mistake made by presentation newbies.

Get the audience involved

This may seem like a no-brainer but it’s amazing how many presentations I’ve seen where the emcee doesn’t use their most valuable asset: us. Do whatever it takes to get the audience actively engaged and involved. Ask for questions and comments. Conduct a Q&A session. Hand out relavent paraphernalia.  Remember, there are those that learn via the spoken or written word and there are also those who learn via visual cues. Finally, there is a third set of people who learn via active engagement. Be sure to target all three groups.

The big question

The big question your audience members are running through their heads is “Why should I care?” This must be answered almost immediately upon beginning your presentation. Put yourself in your audience’s shoes and try to figure out what problem is solved via whatever idea you are discussing. Tackle that quickly and succinctly and you’ll have their attention and, hopefully, their admiration.

Short sentences rule

There is a reason the 140-character Twitter has taken over the web. People love to have ideas delivered to them clearly and concisely. The more you can reduce your idea, the easier it will be to impart to the audience. Edit. Edit. Edit. This isn’t to say you should speak like a caveman. Just go at your notes with Occam’s Razor. Anything that isn’t absolutely vital can go. Which leads us to.

The rule of three

The rule of three can be used to maximize your audience’s understanding. Keep your presentation, and your idea, distilled to three main points? Why just three? Think about how effective this rule has been in drama(Plays have three acts) and humor(Most jokes follow this rule to a tee.) There is something about the human brain and groups of three that just seem to gel. Besides, you want your audience to remember just about everything you said. Why makes things more complicated than they have to be? You aren’t reading from a textbook. You are giving a presentation.

Heroes and villains

Throughout the “narrative” of your presentation, you should develop some clear-cut heroes and villains. The villain should be whatever is the problem you are looking to solve, or some kind of representation thereof. The hero, then, should be the idea you are proposing to solve said problem. If dirty floors are the villain then the wonder-mop you are discussing is the hero. Get it? More PPC-speak, the villain could be antiquated media channels. Both hero and villain will become obvious once you’ve worked out your idea well enough. Also, begin this narrative early on. The villain should be pronounced as soon as you can. You want to get people thinking about it.

Talk about what you love

Now this isn’t always possible in the real world, but love is infectious. You are going to have a certain amount of trouble faking excitement. You are in the business, and not acting, world after all. Try to stick to presentations on subject matters you are actually interested in. Trust me. The audience will pick up on this and your excitement will soon become their excitement.

That is about it. Remember, don’t stress out about it. At the end of the day it’s just a presentation.  Follow these simple steps and you’ll do fine.

Mozilla’s new iteration of it’s popular Firefox browser runs up to fifteen percent faster than it’s predecessor, various reports indicate. This, however, still puts the browser behind the speedier Google Chrome and Apple Safari browsers. JavaScript three times faster than Opera 10 and more than four times faster than that paragon of pokeyness,  Internet Explorer.

Mozilla Firefox accounts for 25 percent of all browser use, worldwide. Internet Explorer boasts 63 percent of the market share and feisty upstart Google Chrome  captures just 5 percent.

Oh trolls… what ever happened to the saying “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”  Here are some tips on how to cope with these disruptive folks.

DFTT:

Don’t Feed the Trolls!  Try not to acknoledge the disruptive behavior.  Encourge other users to do the same.  With out fuel, there is no fire.  This unfortunately will not work 100% of the time.  Some are stubborn, but this is a great way to start.

Study them:

Find out about your troll.  You can access their account information.  You can do a visual check and see if it all seems like a legitimate person.  Maybe even drop their info into Google and seeing what comes up.  Also don’t act on impulse, it may be a compromised account of valuable member or a contributor having and off day.  Understanding your troll can help in the diffusing of them.

Reverse Psychology:

Kill them with kindness.  Try to hear them out and get them to participate in a more constructive manner.  This might make them stop, change, or become even more of a nuisance.   It is worth a try.  Take the high road.

Buffer:

You can enable comment moderation.  This will require approval for each comment posted.  This will allow you to ignore the trolls attempts to upset your blog.  But, this can also harm the normal flow of your active visitors.  Waiting for moderation can be time consuming and kills the constant discussion aspect.  Maybe a temporary use of this will cure your troll infestation.  Feel it out.

Observe and report:

If things get out of control, cover your bases.  In extreme cases, threats and excessive harassment can lead to legal action.  If you feel that your troll might go down this path, document it.  You never know what may happen.

What is the key to successful managed, digital marketing solutions?

Digital Marketing, the term itself can easily be misconstrued. Let’s start with a definition.

Digital marketing refers to the practice and approach of promoting products and services using digital distribution channels to reach prospects and consumers in a timely, relevant, personal and cost-effective manner. What are the key components of a digital marketing solution?

1. Website development and Search Engine Optimization and Marketing (SEO, SEM)

2. Lead Generation with Pay-Per-Click

3. Social Media implementation (setting up twitter, blogs, listings on social networks)

4. Traditional print design

5. Cross-Channel or Cross-Media Marketing with Personalized URLs

6. Implementation and review of traffic analytics

The key. Like many things the preparation and key to implementing successful digital marketing solutions, is the ability to plan and execute the individual steps that align with your business objectives. Self-examination of your particular niche and reaching that niche is the main objective of any organization, but also knowing your audience will go a long way in your preparation for your effective digital marketing endeavors.