How to Do Interesting Demonstrations
Demonstrations allow people to physically see or hear a presentation that illustrates a product or idea. Therefore, demonstrations can prove to be an effective tool in growing your business. For example, if you have a new product you wish to sell, demonstrating how it works to a prospective buyer might ensure a sales order. However, to really impress your audience, the demonstration should capture and hold their attention.
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Instructions
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Know the product or idea inside and out. For example, if you're selling kitchen ware at the county fair, know facts such as what the kitchen ware is made of, warranty information and types of dishes a buyer can prepare using the product. Having a in-depth knowledge of your product not only allows you to easily speak about it, but also allows you to answer audience questions after the demonstration.
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Plan your demonstration. One way to quickly lose audience member interest is by performing a demonstration that is not properly planned. For example, if you're giving a cooking demonstration, pre-measure and pre-set as many ingredients as possible so you can quickly assemble the dish during the demonstration. Make a proper plan by writing down each item you need in the order you need it.
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Include a "wow factor" in your demonstration. While crafting the demonstration, have something that really impresses people. For example, if you're demonstrating a vacuum, show all of the things this model of vacuum can pick up that others cannot. You might vacuum up a marshmallow, small balloon or loose change. In the same vein, if demonstrating a product, show why a rival product is inferior at performing the same task.
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Practice the demonstration. The more you practice the demonstration, the more comfortable you'll become actually exhibiting it to an audience. Once comfortable, you have a much easier time explaining it to the audience and interacting with them over the course of the demonstration.
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Add flair to the start of the demonstration. To keep people's attention, you must attain it first. Use things such as music and lighting, and effects such as wafting smoke, to add a bit of drama to the start of the demonstration. Ideas such as these pique the interest of your audience.
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Ask people to participate in a demonstration. This keeps the audience engaged because they never know when they might be asked to participate. For example, if demonstrating magic tricks, invite a member of the audience up and perform the magic trick with him as your helper.
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Use visual and audio aids. The audio and visual aids should underscore the steps of the demonstration. This allows members of the audience to keep pace with you if they happen to miss something you said during the presentation. For example, if demonstrating a new set of knives, place the number and type of knives in the set on a screen alongside the demonstration.
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Offer your audience something for their time. For example, if you're presenting a new product to a potential buyer, you might leave behind a small token such as pens, key chains, or mugs with the product name on it. Mention that the audience gets something near the start of the presentation, so they stick around.
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References
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