Top sales performers embrace not only these sales skills but, most importantly, this fundamental of effective presenting: focus on the audience. They are clear that a sales presentation should be a dialogue between salesperson and audience. WHAT DOES FOCUS ON THE AUDIENCE MEAN? Volumes have been written about the skills needed for successful sales presentations. Advice abounds about how to present benefits, not features; how to conduct product demos; how to use influencing techniques; how to establish rapport; how to close; and more.

Gesture model Meg Lanzarone (Photo: Patrick Gannon) We talk a lot about gestures here—how you can use them to convey a powerful message , how some speakers use them to create a dynamic impression , how they can help you find the right words , and how they can help your audience understand your message . So it might be helpful for you to hear that scientists think at least some of those gestures head to the same place in your brain that processes spoken words . and to your audience's brains, it’s all same. You can pretend to juggle or say, “Look at me, I’m headed to the circus!”

If that sounds like a no-brainer to you, let me just say that I get this question all the time. It's tough to be dynamic from a chair, but when you are standing, you can move closer to or away from your slides, a questioner, or the group. Too few speakers think of this, but if some of your audience can't see you, they're more likely to tune out. "Should I stand when I speak?" And my answer is nearly always the same: An enthusiastic "yes!" Standing works in 6 positive ways for speakers, whether you're facing a large crowd, a small meeting, on a seated panel or alone but