Public Speaking Training: 5 Top Tips to Successful Demonstrations

Whenever you do public speaking to promote your product or service, one of the most powerful techniques you can use to persuade and influence people to want to do business with you is to simply do a successful demonstration.

There's nothing more convincing than proof right in front of people's eyes that your product or service can produce the results you say it can.

WARNING: a failed demonstration can turn your public speaking gig into a total disaster and completely ruin your results!

That's why I'm going to show you 5 top tips to successful demonstrations so you can turn any public speaking engagement into an avalanche of new business and customers.

Top Tip #1:

Start measuring the audience early: by measuring, I mean that you give them "safe" ways to begin to participate with you well before you need a volunteer.

For example, ask questions where they have to raise their hand to answer - "how many people here wish they could XYZ?"

Another example is saying "…and you should write this down…" and tell them to write something down.

Do at least 5 audience measures before your demonstration.

Top Tip #2:

Look for the most responsive 3 to 5 people: by responsive people, I don't mean those who make the most eye contact or nod a lot in agreement.

I'm talking about the people who follow along with your directions when you do your audience measures - as you do your measures, keep a keen eye out for the 3 to 5 most responsive people, the ones that follow all of your directions.

Top Tip #3:

Screen your volunteers: having identified the top responders, you're ready to do your demo.

Consider not taking the very first to volunteer because they sometimes are overeager and don't make the best volunteer.

If you have identified a "perfect" candidate look them in the eye when you ask for a volunteer. If none of your top responders volunteer, consider asking one of them to help you instead of selecting any of the folks that did volunteer.

Top Tip #4:

Do it until you succeed: some demonstrations work practically every time, and some require a bit more from your volunteer.

In any event, continue with the demonstration until it does succeed, even if you have to select a new volunteer or complete it yourself.

The demonstration must succeed, period.

Top Tip #5:

Design your demo to create desire: your demonstration must make the every person in the group say to themselves "I want that!" or "I can do that!" or "Wow, that's something I need!"

Properly done, a simple and successful demonstration can be very convincing and persuade people to want to do business with you.

Add a demo to your public speaking starting right away.