Isabelle Ugochukwu

Appointed to speak

Having been raised in a very academic home filled with generations of brilliant and articulate orators, I always enjoy being asked to speak at events. Nothing fills me with more joy than to present an idea to an audience, especially when the topic is something about which I am so impassioned.

So naturally when the Ying De group asked me if I would like to speak at their annual investment event, I was honoured and jumped at the opportunity.

I then spent nearly twice as long picking out an outfit, as I did preparing what was possibly the most important presentation of my entire year. This dress conundrum taught me a few things.

You are what you wear

1. When you are a woman in fashion or business (and twice over when you are in both), people judge your personal style
2. Your publicly projected style needs to work with your brand identity
3. How you dress yourself speaks not only to your creativity, but also to your ability to run a business
4. What you wear makes a huge difference to how you present so you need to be comfortable in it (feels like common sense to say this but it’s worth saying)

As I am not a suit kind of woman, and power dressing isn’t really my thing, I opted for a very feminine cherry blossom pink lace midi dress with sweetheart neckline and three-quarter sleeves, accessorised with nude courts, gold and pearls, wearing my hair down loosely waved. I love pink, I love nude, I love gold, I love pearls and I love my hair down in waves. It was the perfect outfit and I felt great!

Time then came to deliver the presentation.

Stand and deliver

I very much appreciated the opportunity to speak at the yearly investment event which held this year at Manchester Town Hall and as the only business covering fashion accessories, I absolutely loved meeting and networking with so many interesting parties. Knowing that potential investors were keen to hear my business proposition, funding needs and potential positions for employment gave me quite the boost and watching the video back I was very happy with my presentation.

I have been on a few presentation skills courses which I would highly recommend, as I would having your presentations recorded. It is a great way to improve your presentation skills and on this occasion as a result of the video, I plan to improve my delivery in several very specific ways because after all, you are never too experienced to learn.

The gifts that keep on giving

Halfway through my preparation, I was asked by an industry acquaintance, to whom I mentioned that I was writing this blog piece, if I could include presentation tips for fresh leaders and entrepreneurs. There are so many presentation advice blogs out there, but since you are already here reading this – here are my top ten list of five things to do and five things not to do when preparing for, and presenting your business, or any content to an audience.

Do…….

1. Research. Research other presentations (YouTube, Google etc). Read them, watch them, make sure yours has all the same and more relevant content – and then make yours better. Research your audience and make sure your presentation or how you deliver it is academically, culturally and corporately appropriate for them at the level they are at and with consideration of their background, interests and motivations.
2. Tell them a story. No one wants to be bored during a presentation so be dynamic, MOVE around (because a standing person reading slides in a dull voice or at the speed of light is not a good look), speak eloquently, avoiding colloquialism. Adapt your voice as you go through your presentation to place emphasis, strengthen and soften appropriate parts of the presentation. Make eye contact, engage the audience, involve them by asking questions or raising polls where they have to indicate their choice of one over a few options offered etc. Above all – use fresh, content relevant anecdotes to breathe life into your presentation and make the connection in their minds between the facts and the business.
3. Give them something they can touch. If your product is physical, bring a range and put them on display so people can touch, see, smell and hear them. If your product is an experience, give them a series of videos excellently put together, containing testimonials that will blow their mind. If your product is software, bring a demo and let them put figures in and navigate their way through it to see how user friendly it is. If you have promotional giveaways, bring them too so they can take them away and be an active part of your marketing strategy.
4. Create the leanest plan possible to get your mindset into a cost effective permanence. Showing the use of carefully negotiated contractors, freelancers and interns as much as possible before the taking on of new staff as late as possible without jeopardising plans for business expansion will cement your place as a shrewd business person who will handle all funds acquired with integrity.
5. Put your business acumen on subtle display by confidently discussing and concluding the presentation segment covering the business financials in a way that tells them that you can be trusted to continue to drive the company and that all the intended business activities are geared towards profitability.

Don’t…….

1. EVER exaggerate ANY facts or figures because once it’s out – it’s out and discredit has a long legacy.
2. Turn up without being immaculately dressed according for the dress code appropriate to the audience and event. Children at a primary school will spot shabby casual clothes just as quickly as professionals will spot an un-ironed item of clothing or trousers that are too short with non-matching bobbled socks underneath. Detail matters and if you’ll wear jewellery of any kind (including cuff links) then keep them minimal (unless your product is loud jewellery in which case dress it elegantly) and keep them well cleaned with no fingerprints on their surfaces. A firm handshake with everyone you meet is key!
3. Fill your slides with wording, over-the-top animations, audio or video and don’t have too many graphics because whilst content relevant images and graphics and subtle animations and transitions are great as visual stimulation, overkill does exactly that – over kills. Remember to use a consistent look and feel that resonates with your branding and brand identity, throughout the presentation (using no more than two fonts larger than size 14 pt so people can read the slides easily, and no more than two neutral colours). Less is more and the rule of thumb will always be to keep the presentation well structured, the slides relevantly titled, with salient bullet points (no more than six per slide), clear and concise, keeping away from jargon and acronyms, presented in an engaging way on the slides, and then to deliver using those points as prompts with anecdotes superimposed over them giving approximately two minutes for each slide. And whilst we’re discussing visual faux-pas, a visual must is to not forget to add the penultimate slide showing both your desired hashtag and all the links so people can keep up with you and or your brand on social media.
4. EVER present unrehearsed. Practice at home in front of your computer, in front of other people, in front of the mirror – anywhere. But practice beforehand to make sure you feel comfortable leading people through the content and to make sure you stay within the given time allotted. Make sure your practice the Q&A session that comes after the presentation by either researching FAQs on your given subject or if it is new business specific information, do the presentation in front of business minded/ content knowledgeable people you trust and then ask them for all the questions they can think of. Also try putting yourself in your audience’s mind and thinking of what information you would ask after that presentation, that was not already available online.
5. Forget to follow up. Network, give your business cards out, collect theirs and when you get home, connect/ like/ follow them on social media, tag them in social media posts with a “great to meet you at *event*” message so they can follow you back, email them and phone them.

The End

Presentation skills and brand representation do not come easy to all, but no one ever made it without a little help along the way. A good outfit, a well put together presentation and great delivery will set you in good stead.

I always like making sure I give the how as well as the what. So if the what was this blog piece, the how is what comes next. I have adapted my presentation and attached a PDF of it in addition to a link to the video which can also be found on the company YouTube channel for those that are interested in viewing it. It is by no means perfect, but it is a good example that you can learn from as you prepare for your next presentation.

Isabella Queen Presentation

I would love to hear your feedback and would love to help you any way I can so please do not hesitate to get in touch.

In the meantime, all the best for your next presentation.

My best to you,

Bella

Becoming Apparent

Growing a global brand and label is definitely the most challenging thing I have ever done. On this journey in which I continue to learn so much, my love for learning has increased greatly, especially as there is so much to learn from the experience of those that went before me, and of other people in the industry.

My love of quotes coupled with my quest to learn led me recently to come across these, which I feel are very fitting for my opening blog piece.

“I was never the new hot thing which is great. Booming too quickly is dangerous, because it can only last for too long” – Felipe Oliveira Baptista

“This is my thing. I make business plans and I forecast losses. You have to face the fact that it’s going to cost you some money for a few years” – Jean Touitou

Becoming Prominent

So here I am, emerging as the person behind the brand – the founder, the owner, the designer. The more apparent I and the brand are becoming, the more the world wants to know……

What led me to Isabella Queen? What are we up to now? Where are we going?

These are all the questions I am often asked, as people are getting to know me and getting to know the brand. So with the help of my amazing friend Waïki Harnais at Lusterworks media, we made a video for you.

In this video, over a cup of tea and cake, I answered the ten questions I am most frequently asked, revealing a glimpse into my busy life and schedule to show you more about my journey, the journey of the brand so far, what’s in store and much more!