A Quick Quiz
Tell me the things we normally include in our Weekly Presentations:
1. Your Name
2. Your Business Name
3. What You Do
4. Why you are Good at It
5. A Story/Example
6. A specific referral request
7. Optionally a memory hook This is the usual structure and the order we normally keep to. Some honourable mentions are: Location (less important these days), classification (bonus point), keep to time, be prepared, use a prop, use humour, and ask questions of the audience.
Repetitive Repetition
Using the same basic structure for our Weekly Presentation every week serves two purposes:
1. It gives us a structure that works. Even the most unprepared of us can quickly stitch a weekly presentation together using the usual structure.
2. Repeat after me 7 times: The magic number is seven. Studies have shown that people need to hear a message at least seven times before it sinks in. The core of your Weekly Presentation, by sheer repetition, means members know who you are and what you do. But is this structure also restrictive?
Shaking up the Formula
Generally, we only change our story or example each week. The rest our Weekly Presentation stays the same and in the same order. Even our specific referral request is often similar.
If you have ever fed a baby Infant Formula, you’ll know you must shake it up to make it palatable.
In BNI, we can also shake up the formula to make our Weekly Presentation work even better.
Once we understand the recipe and ingredients of our Weekly Presentation and we’ve been doing it for a while, it’s time to have some fun.
How can we shake it up?
1. Change the order. It doesn’t have in the same order each week. Start by asking who you’d like to meet, explain why, and finish with who you are. Or start with your example and work from there.
2. Ask questions of the members, get them to interact, or use another member as part of your presentation (prep them first).
3. Props are always great. Almost always a winner.
4. Add an element of performance. Stand on your chair (safely!), sing, dance, dress up, speak quietly, speak loudly, and wave your arms. Mix it up at least occasionally.
When we start trying new things with our Weekly Presentations, it also improves confidence with clients and in sales presentations as learn new skills and what works.
If you are scared it might go wrong, you are probably trying to do the right thing!
Things to consider when shaking it up:
1. Whatever you do, be sure to always include a specific referral request.
2. Keep to time.
3. It will take preparation and practice – which does prevent poor performance.
4. Go back to basic structure every so often. The repetition you used to have will eventually wear off.
Summary
Have fun with your weekly presentations. Within sensible limits, change it up, down, and around. When we take our Weekly Presentations to another level it raises the level of the chapter, both in energy and quality.
