business networking presentation

The Complete Guide To Giving A Networking Presentation

Ah yes. The classic business networking presentation.  If you are in the business sphere at all, at some time or another you will have the floor to give a presentation. If you incorporate business networking in your marketing, then, you’ll likely have an opportunity to do a business networking presentation.

But what exactly IS that?

A networking presentation isn’t a sale pitch, or a TEDtalk (although those rock). It is a special blend of who you are, why you do what you do, and what people need to know in order to send you quality business.

While it’s pretty standard to have this kind of opportunity if you are part of a networking group, it can be a challenge to make the most of this time. Even if you are veteran networking beast and have done these types of presentations before – you will find that the networking game have changed immensely in the last few years. So how to do give a networking presentation that benefits both you and your fellow networkers?

After years of networking, building my own businesses , and leading  networking groups  I have seen it all – the good, the bad, the ugly.

I’ve laughed, I’ve cried, I’ve cringed.

I’ve been bored, felt insulted, been inspired. I’ve done presentations and witnessed countless more. 5 minutes long, 10 minutes, 15, 20… big business, small businesses, it doesn’t really matter – there are some ket things that set about a decent networking presentation from one that smashes it out of the park. And that’s really what we are all going for – to take our businesses to the next level. We’re all on the same team, we all have the same goals.

So are you ready to dive in? Grab a cup of coffee and a notepad (or tablet, or voice memo, or however you record your muse) and let’s unpack how to give the ultimate networking presentation!

First things first, we have to lay some ground rules when it comes to networking presentations. The most important thing you need to get straight is your perspective- where you are coming from, how you are approaching your presentation.

Traditionally, a business prevention is coming from a sales perspective  – selling an item, service, or even an idea.

A networking presentation, however, breaks out of that  mold and focuses on the opposite. The goal is not to sell a service or product or even an idea.

Your goal is to sell YOU.

If you go in with a traditional sales mindset, then you are already setting yourself up for failure. Why?

The people listening to your networking presentation are not your customers!

In a business networking group, your goal is to build trusting relationships that lead to referrals  and strategic partnerships. It’s not about selling… at least, not directly. Sales are the fruit  of time spent sowing and cultivating relationships . That perspective is what lead to productive networking , a solid 30/60/90 second  marketing message , and is the key to a successful networking presentation as well.

Now that we have our focus right, we can get into the nitty gritty of planning out a presentation!

Step 1: Determine your goals.

Your networking presentation should have two goals:

• to tell who you are
• to tell how we (the people in the room) can send you business.

Sound simple, right? Don’t scroll to the end of this blog so fast, because it’s actually harder than it seems to share these two things well.

If you only share who you are, then all you succeeded in doing was talking about yourself for ten minutes straight. If you only talk about how we can help you, then we don’t have anything to base our trust on.

Why should we trust you? Why should we go out of our way to do the things you are asking us to do? Why should we refer someone to you instead of someone else in the same industry?

People have to know who you are.

To get started with your planning, ask yourself:

Who am I? How can the people in this room best send me business?

Then actually answer those questions.

Got it written down? For real? Ok, fine, it can be digitally recored, if you are anti-paper. But are you clear on those two things? Now we are ready for the next step!

Step 2: The Beginning (of your presentation)

People remember the beginning and the end of your presentation, and that’s about it.

It’s not that they weren’t listening, didn’t find it interesting, or just don’t care… it’s just how people are. So don’t take it personally. What you should do is give some TLC to the beginning of your presentation.  Don’t discredit the first few minutes of your presentation. You only have a few minutes to make an impact, so plan it out!

Plan to start with a bang. Tell a story, ask a proactive question, share a compelling quote.

Pay close attention to how you phrase questions, too. Think “trivia question” format. Instead of “how many of you are ready to retirement?” or “how many of you know someone who is near retirement age?” ask “who do you think the average retirement age is?”

Another key component of a great opening is to tell us what you are going to tell us about.

Get us ready. Get our brains focused. “Think about a time…” We live in an age of pings and tweets and stories to do lists… assume that your audience is distracted, and act accordingly to bring their attention back to you.

Step 3: The Middle (of your presentation)

Now is the time to dive in and start sharing the important information that helps us trust you and want to refer you business. Don’t waste time sharing things that don’t contribute to that goal. Good questions to ask are:

How long have you been in business? What is your experience? How long have you been in your city? Why do you do what you do, what is your passion?

While it’s ok to share person info – like pets, favorite sports teams, hobbies – but be careful not to take up too much time with those things. Pick one unique thing about you and stick to that.

Now for this next one, I need you to hang with me. Put down the coffee for just a sec, because I am about to tell you to

Ditch the slides.

I know I am getting crazy, but hear me out:

If your goal is not to sell a product, service, or idea, but to instead to sell yourself… what better way to do that than to just share you? The real, live, in the flesh, talking and breathing you?

Slides may be pretty, but that is the danger. People end up focusing on what is on the screen and not on YOU.

So what’s a person to do? Slides ARE professional, no doubt about that, and it’s great to have supporting information for what you are verbally speaking.

Instead of a full set of slides, I recommend opting for one or two slides, a simple handout, or other physical object.

Canva is the end all, be all to creating your own visual content, slides included. If you haven’t check out this free tool, you totally should… just be prepared to just sucked in to creating content for social media, your website, and more. They even have tutorials to help you get started.

But I digress. Canva rocks, and slides rock, but don’t let them take over you… because YOU are your own best salesperson.

Step 4: The Ending – what it all comes down to

Cue dramatic cinematic music. The crowd is hushed. You have commanded their attention for 80% of your presentation. The world is yours.

No pressure. Don’t blow it!

But really. Remember when said that people only really remember the beginning and the end of your presentation?  If you give an engaging presentation, but fail to end with a bang, all of your time and planning was in vain. And no one want’s that.  Pay special attention to the last 1-2 minutes of your presentation in a way that leads to cheers and applause.

Here are 2 things that I think are invaluable to ending your presentation strong:

Leave time for questions.

For most presentations you will have a set amount of time. Out of respect for the group and your fellow networkers, make sure you stick to your allotted time. Part of that means building in time for questions. If you have the floor for ten minutes, then you need to present for 8 and then have 2 minutes of questions.  Interactive back and forth conversations is more impactful than one way conversations, so leaving time for questions is worth it!

Remember that questions don’t have to be saved to the end; you can give time throughout your presentation for people to ask, if you would like. Just set the expectations clearly at the beginning. Either say “there will be time for questions at the end,” or “please feel free to ask questions as we go.” The more clarity you give us (the listeners!) the more impactful your presentation will be.

REALLY know what you need! Have a call to action.

And don’t say “I need referrals!” We ALL need more referrals.

Instead, tell people how they can help you specifically:

• TODAY. Immediately.

This goes back to the beginning, when we really had to get clear on who you are and how other business owners can help you.

If you want to use a flier or handout, make one specifically for your business networking connections, not one that you already have pre-made for your customers. Canva is another great place to make a tool like this, or, just have a simple word document with your logo on it.

Some great things to include would be who you are, your business, your contact information, where they can find you online in social media, what you ideal client is, and who your strategic partnerships are.

Things that do NOT count as a productive call to action: passing around a pile of your business cards, collecting everyone else business cards, having an email sign up sheet. 

To wrap things up, networking presentations can have a huge impact on your business – it just takes some planning and practice. Invest the time to laying a solid foundation, then work through planning out each section of your presentation.

The result will be an impactful, engaging presentation that benefits not only your business, but your networking group as well.

Networking is meant to be awkward, confusing, and so much fun. What I have found is that by working together we can all ultimately grow; so give us a share if you liked this blog (and we sure hope you did) give it a share! Facebook , Twitter, Instagram, good old fashioned email… however you want to spread the love. Snooze-free presentations for everyone!

Download your Complete Guide – including a worksheet – HERE!

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Top 10 Business Network PowerPoint Presentation Templates in 2024

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This template is skillfully designed and is completely editable to suit all the needs and requirements of the user. The color of the font, its size, style, and all other elements can be customized according to the user's desire The text in the PPT placeholder can be replaced with the desired information making this template highly flexible and adaptable as well. This template is also compatible with various Microsoft versions and formats like Google Slides, JPG, PDF, etc so the user will face no issue in saving it in the format of his choice.

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Networking with PowerPoint: Use Your Presentation to Build Your Network

LinkedIn, Xing, your personal blog – all are great tools for increasing your visibility in the business community. But what about networking with PowerPoint presentations? A presentation doesn’t have to end with the last slide. Engaging with your audience is the key to creating networking opportunities once your PowerPoint presentation is finished.

 Networking: What is it and how do you make new business contacts?

Networking is the process of building and maintaining a system of contacts. Each member of the network brings their own contacts, leading the network to continue growing.

A network brings a lot of advantages. Professional support and shared knowledge are not the only benefits; a network also brings career-building advantages. Network contacts often make a job search a much simpler process and can even help kick-start a career.

We’ve put together four effective networking tips to help you start networking with PowerPoint:

1. Set goals

Decide what you hope to gain from your contacts and what you hope to achieve through networking.

2. Quality over quantity

A good network is only as valuable as its members. Don’t keep adding new members for the sake of statistics – only add new members that are pursuing similar goals.

3. Give and take

The best way to get a network started is to find contacts with the same goals and professional interests. Exchange ideas with other members without expecting anything in return. Sooner or later, you too will gain valuable tips and information.

4. Keep at it

Cultivate your contacts and strengthen the connections you make. You can do this both online and in person. To learn how to become an ace at networking, take a look at this article .

Networking with PowerPoint: How to use presentations to make business contacts

No matter what the topic, presentations are all about sharing information with your audience in the most descriptive and interesting way possible. Successful PowerPoint presentations exude competence and inspire confidence. These same qualities are the backbone of effective networking, which is why building contacts after a presentation is a natural next step.

PowerPoint presentations: Connect with genuine prospects

Presentations are an ideal platform to share your information and messages with others.

We’re all inundated with information, 24/7. And that can be overwhelming, to say the least. While email newsletters or Instagram posts are often deleted or ignored completely, an audience makes a conscious decision to listen to a presentation.   Those who attend your presentation are genuinely interested in learning more about your topic. What’s more, your audience trusts that you’re competent in your field. Take advantage of this opportunity and win over new business contacts, customers and followers.

6 tips for effective networking and building business contacts with presentations

1. Be yourself

Even though you may think you’re playing your role perfectly, most people know if someone is pretending to be someone they aren’t. Stay true to yourself during your presentation. This is a surefire way of gaining your audience’s confidence and at the same time, laying the foundation for new business contacts.

2. Your presentation should be interesting and relevant to your audience Think about what information you want to share with your audience and how you want to deliver it. It’s important to provide them with facts and information that they’ll find interesting.

Read this article  to learn how to use rhetoric and public speaking techniques to deliver an inspiring presentation. Sharing pertinent information with your audience creates confidence and provides a solid basis for networking.

3. Use the right body language

Even the most interesting information will be less than convincing if it’s not presented in the right way. Your body language not only communicates confidence and poise, but also supports your content. Needless to say, body language plays a decisive role in successful networking too. In this article , you’ll learn what body language is all about and how you can use it to sell yourself to your audience.

4. Stir your audience’s emotions

Meaningful facts and figures are the core of any presentation. But you need to engage your audience on an emotional level, too. Rouse your audience, inspire confidence and motivate them to improve their professional and/or personal lives. When it comes to networking, you need to connect with potential business partners and customers on a more emotional level. A great way to do this is through storytelling. You’ll find some great tips on storytelling in our blog .

5. Prepare for your presentation  

Being nervous is normal. While some people seem to be made for the stage, others find it utterly nerve-wracking to speak in front of an audience. But with the right preparation, you can control your nerves and present confidently.

It’s always a good idea to rehearse your PowerPoint presentation and prepare a mental checklist. Go over your core messages, make sure your slides and equipment are in order and that you’re ready for any questions from your audience.

6. Engage your audience

Networking is all about building rapport and trust with others and a presentation is a great way to lay that foundation. Actively involving your audience in your presentation creates a connection and builds excitement. Interacting with your audience will not only increase their interest, but also creates a personal connection between you and them. Ask your audience for personal stories or give them the chance to answer technical questions.

Networking doesn’t stop – not even after your presentation!

Most presenters are happy when the presentation is over, and the stress of presenting behind them. Nevertheless, it’s still important to continue networking and exchanging ideas with the audience. We’ve put together 10 tips on how to network after your presentation.

1. Be accessible

Don’t rush out after your presentation. Instead, plan some time to talk to your audience. This gives you the opportunity to receive feedback and discuss your topic with them.

2. Set a goal  

You may have a goal for your presentation, but you need a goal for networking afterwards. For example, aim to collect at least 10 business cards or speaking to 7 people.

Being a good listener is key to establishing contacts. Your presentation was the time to put your ideas in the spotlight. Once it’s over, let your audience ask questions and listen attentively.

4. Avoid sales pitches

Making contacts is not about selling yourself. It’s more important to exchange ideas and have conversations that can be followed up on later. You’ve already presented your facts and figures; follow-up conversations shouldn’t signal a second round of your presentation.

5. Revisit comments and concerns

If anyone has asked questions or made comments during your presentation, make sure to follow up with those people. Address any concerns and try to come to an understanding before the rest of the audience has left the room.

6. Get feedback…

Seek feedback from your audience and be open to it. Getting face-to-face feedback is a great networking opportunity.

7. … with a questionnaire

If you don’t have time to talk to your audience personally, there are other ways to get their reaction to your presentation. Hand out a questionnaire or send a call-to-action email to get feedback.

8. Set a time limit

Networking can be pretty exhausting. You have to be patient; you may have to put up with criticism or uncomfortable questions. If this seems a bit daunting, it may help to set a time limit.

Allow at least 15 minutes for questions and comments. Providing your audience with additional information in a handout will allow you to moderate and steer the discussion at any time.

9. Keep in touch

If you get someone’s contact information, reach out to them. This is how you continue to share ideas and open up potential business opportunities.

10. Learn from mistakes Maybe your presentation didn’t go perfectly. Take a look at your presentation the day after and make a list of things that did and didn’t go well. Review this list before your next presentation and learn from any mistakes you may have made.

Use your presentation for effective networking!

A presentation gives you the chance to convince an interested audience of your expertise. This lays the foundation to steadily expand your network and build your professional reputation.

If you have any questions about networking or PowerPoint in general, please feel free to contact us at [email protected] . We’d be happy to help you! Looking to build your network at your next presentation? Take a look at our shop . You’ll find everything you need to make your next PowerPoint presentation a success.

Check out our blog for more helpful articles on how to master your presentation and build a strong foundation for networking. here are a few that might interest you:

• Humor in presentations
• PowerPoint Presenter View
• Body language in presentations
• Public speaking skills
• How to end a presentati

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