This article reflects information as of 2020. For the latest details, please contact us.
Written by: Tomohiro Koizumi, Representative Director, tentus inc.
What Makes a Presentation That Draws People In?
Since Steve Jobs's presentations, companies' new-product launch events have changed dramatically.
The number of companies imitating his presentations to make their product launches even a little sexier surged.
I won't describe here what his presentations were like, so if you're interested, reading this book will show you just how meticulously calculated those presentations were.
The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs
That said, honestly, there were many degraded versions that copied only the format, resulting in a flood of eye-covering product launches where company bigwigs just mumbled on stage.
The One Thing a Product Launch Needs to Succeed
When we were handling marketing for a certain manufacturer, we received a request to hold the largest launch event since the company's founding, so we consulted an agency to run the event.
At that time, the agency proposed a full set of typical launch elements — "venue selection," "talent booking," "a product experience session," "inviting bloggers," "notifying reporters," and so on — but made no particular proposal on the most important part: the presentation.
No matter how gorgeous the venue, no matter how famous the bloggers attending, if the crucial presentation lacks persuasive power, the product launch ends in failure.
In the old days, when general consumers could only see the launch through the media, that may have been fine — but now, when general consumers can see the launch directly through live video and the like, the speaker's ability becomes a very important point.
So we hastily proposed "thorough training for the presentation speakers."
To Lead a Presentation to Success
What's the secret to leading a presentation to success?
Some define it as the first impression of "ah, this seems like a ___ kind of person."
Kentaro Nakanishi, an instructor who trains "voice and posture."
https://profile.ameba.jp/ameba/kentaro-nakanishi
After graduating from the vocal music department of the Tokyo University of the Arts, he began his career as a voice trainer. Involved in developing many stars, the artists he handled repeatedly landed in the Oricon top 10. He teaches a "voice" that can instantly change the mood of a space, one that works even in live venues holding over 10,000 people, like the Nippon Budokan. He now also conducts announcer training and media training for key broadcast networks. His method of raising stars in a short period has earned the trust of many artists, talent agencies, labels, and TV stations, and he's been called "the charisma who creates charisma." Drawing on his entertainment experience, out of a wish to "improve the expressive skills that Japanese people decisively lack and contribute to Japan's future," from 2014 he began holding lessons and seminars for businesspeople. His students range widely — CEOs of listed companies, as well as lawyers, doctors, university professors, scientists, consultants, counselors, government officials, students, and more. His thinking, entirely different from the business world, quickly gained a reputation, and he became so popular that waiting lists formed across the country — Tokyo, Osaka, Miyagi, Yamaguchi, Fukuoka, and elsewhere.
We adopted the "Star CEO Presentation Method" program that Mr. Nakanishi provides and had him train the following three people:
① Representative Director ② Marketing Manager ③ Sales Manager
The actual content is a mass of know-how, so I'll omit it, but over several weeks of training, each speaker's way of speaking changed dramatically.
The president, who was already good at speaking, became able to convey greater reassurance and trust through his presentation.
The marketing manager, who tended to let a bit of shyness show in his delivery, produced a sense of excitement.
The sales manager, who'd given a somewhat reserved impression, transformed into an impression of solid, no-nonsense sincerity, making the most of his earnestness.
Of course, the product launch was a great success.
Our business is supporting companies.
That's not just the digital domain like site production — comprehensively judging each challenge and assigning the professionals needed accordingly is also very important work, I believe.
We actually support the running of various real events and in-store campaigns too, so if anything comes up, please do consult us.