I received an e-mail asking what a good handout might be when you are only giving a short presentation. What I have seen a lot of speakers do is hand out a list of tips, a checklist or a glossary of terms relevant to their area of expertise.
Give the audience a list of ideas that will position you as an expert and stimulate their interest in learning more about what you have to offer. For example, a financial planner might have a tip sheet with the headline, “5 Questions You Must Ask Your Financial Advisor”. A CPA might have a handout, “The 7 Biggest Mistakes People Make When Filing Taxes. . . and How to Avoid Them”.
Create a checklist for people to use to help them get organized in your area of expertise. For instance - tax preparation checklist, emergency preparedness checklist, checklist of things to do to prepare your home for sale, a party planning checklist, etc.
A list of terms, and their definitions, that are commonly used in your area of expertise. Someone speaking about using the Internet in business might have a glossary of terms that include, ‘”social networking”, “blog,” “social bookmarking” and “wiki.” I’ve seen some speakers laminate their glossaries, this gives them a much higher perceived value.
Remember to put your name, address, phone number, e-mail address, website, logo and company information on everything you handout so people can contact you in the future.
