InnoTech Portland 2007

Filed Under Internet, Marketing, Personal, Raves |

InnoTech Portland is a yearly event that caters to the GEEK and almost GEEK world. This years 2 day event was fantastic. The only complaint I have is that there are too many sessions to attend them all requires you to be in more than one place at a time.

This year they had 13 tracks and each track had it’s own set of presentations:

CIO Summit
eMarketing
IT Leadership
Open Source
Professional Development
Security Mobility Communications
Software
Developers
Disaster Recovery Storage
Innovation
Open to all Attendees
Non Profit Technology Summit
Microsoft hosted Sessions

This was a great event and I plan on attending next year.

I will give you a report on just 2 of the sessions I attended.

What Every Company Needs to Know About “Selling Your Story” - The Art of High Stakes Presentation

Jim Endicott
President, Distinction Communication, Inc.

Jim Endicott is a nationally-recognized consultant, speaker and author specializing in professional presentation messaging, design and delivery. Jim was an award-winning columnist for PRESENTATIONS magazine and has contributed presentation-related content in magazines like Business Week, Consulting and Selling Power.

Jim’s company, Distinction Communication, provides presentation message consulting, advanced design services and professional delivery skills coaching for clients ranging from Fortune 500 executive teams to small business start-ups. Client companies include Tektronix, Honeywell, Intel, Unicru-Kronos, Corillian , Flir Systems, WebTrends, AIG, Glaxo, BOSE, Avery as well as many smaller organizations.

Jim gave us a great presentation on how to develop and use a compelling presentation to tell your story.

Here are my notes on Jim’s presentation:

3 real life lessons in presentations

The presentation medium is a unique venue…
storyline, illustrated story,
The best ideas or biggest companies don’t always win
Creating and audience-engaging presentation is never just a technological thing

“Giving” presentations
How can I give it so the audience gets it

Storyline good story to tell
Illustrated Story Keynote PowerPoint
Business Storyteller being a good presenter is not a technical art but a relational one

Storyline

#1 Challenge for business communicators
We choose presenter self-interest over audiences desire to know.

It is an issue of relevance.
They are not about you!

Factual prove/inform
Emotional move/restrain
Symbolic Props-objects-images

PowerPoint or Keynote Presentations

7 second rule - If they can’t get it in 7 seconds there is too much information.

Master the art of digital storytelling

Think long and hard about using bullets

Storyteller

Business Storyteller Self -awareness of business leaders/communicators

Check your self presenting on camera
Style Continuity - Personal Authenticity
Posture Movement Vocal Perceived confidence
Eye Communication Eye Contact

How to Attract Significantly More Customers!

Mark Paul
Managing Partner, Synergy Consulting Group, LLC
Mark Paul has more than twenty-five years of executive level leadership-from bootstrapping start-ups as an entrepreneur, to building a $50 million business unit in two years at a Global 500 company as an “intrapreneur.” He has 18 years of interim executive and business leadership consulting experience as the president at Phoenix Management, Inc., and Managing Partner at Synergy Consulting Group, LLC.

Mark has helped hundreds of companies attract more customers: increase their revenue, profitability and company value. Mark has built and served on boards of directors and advisors for various companies, and recently published the 2nd edition to The Entrepreneur’s Survival Guide.

Mark gave us a great presentation on how to attract more customers.

Here are my notes on Mark’s presentation:

Strategic ways to attract more customers