The 5 Pillars of Presentations to Attorneys

Giving presentations to attorneys is an excellent way to showcase your expertise. Give your presentation the best chance of being successful by following these 5 pillars of presentations, also known as the five P’s of Presentations.

Planning

When you find out you’ll be giving a presentation to attorneys, it’s time to start planning. Research your audience. What type of attorneys will be in the audience? What practice areas do they represent? What type of medical records do they handle? Don’t make assumptions about the audience, such as they all handle medical malpractice cases.

What does the planning committee, if there is one, want you to cover? How much in-depth can you go? What amount of time is available for your talk?

Where will you be presenting? What type of visual aids can you use? What technology will be available to you? Knowing this information will help you make your presentation the right one at the right time for the right audience.

Preparing

Write out the main points you want to cover. But do not write your talk out completely. This will tempt you to read it to your audience. Instead, outline the main points, and note what stories you’ll tell where. If you discuss cases, be sure they are resolved and not still active. I once discussed a case that I thought was resolved, but was still active. My client was cringing in the audience.

Be sure to create an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

It’s important to also understand your message, and who you’re delivering it to. It’s imperative that you conduct thorough research of your topic and use stories that will resonate with the audience. That is why the planning stage is so important. Create visuals, charts, diagrams, find the right photography or stock images, and put your speech in a logical order and format.

Practicing

It’s always important to practice, the main tool you have to prevent problems during your presentation. The more you practice your presentation to attorneys, the more comfortable you’ll be.

Don’t forget to practice how you’ll use your voice, how you’ll look at the audience and how you’ll use the technology available to you. In addition, don’t forget the physical aspects of the speech, such as your clothing as well as how you’ll use your hands and body.

Previewing

When possible, always go to the venue in advance so you can see how the room feels. What is the air like? Is it cold? Do you need to add a jacket? What type of microphone will be available? What is the podium like if there is one? Do you have a slide advancer device? (Always bring your own and a spare set of batteries. I had an uncomfortable few minutes once when my advancer died and I had to improvise while someone changed the batteries for me.)

Is there a way to hold your notes comfortably? Right before your event, recheck your slides to be sure that nothing is missing or spelled wrong.

Presenting

When it’s time to present remember that you’re ready, you’ve prepared, and you can do this. Remember to talk to the audience, establish eye contact with the audience, wait for and watch for audience reactions. Remember to breathe and allow for silence and keep your sense of humor. Speak deliberately and keep your body posture relaxed and watch your breathing.

With the right preparation your presentation will be amazing, super professional, and engaging. The attorneys in the audience will say, “I need to hire that LNC for my cases.”

I devoted 4 chapters in this book to the art of making presentations to attorneys. This is one of the surest ways to grow your business if you handle it right. Order this book at the link for How to Grow Your LNC Business: Secrets of Success.