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Presentations - Getting and Giving Information
B. Presentations. This is a suggested outline of what a presentation could look like. Of course every presentation will be different, but these components are needed. One of the most common mistakes in doing a presentation is after the initial friendly conversation, a missionary will just dive right into their "canned" presentation - or in other words - give their "one size fits all" show. This is not only impolite, it is unwise. The first part of the presentation is the most important piece - 1. Getting Information: Try to keep your presentation to 30 - 40 minutes, with this part being 10 - 15. This is where you ask questions to discover what makes your potential supporter's heart respond. Their past history is a good indication. If you don't know about their family, work, hobby, or church life, you can start there. Then ask about their missions experience: *Have they supported missions work in the past? If so, who or what? *Have they taken a short term missions trip before? If so, when, where, with who? *Have they heard about you and/or your organization before? If so, what? This information will be key as you give your presentation and look for a commitment. For example: You may sit down with a potential supporter and find that they give to an orphanage. This indicates they probably have a heart for children and/or mercy ministries. When you give your information, if you have a children's and/or mercy ministry component to your work, be sure to emphasize that part and curtail another part. 2. Giving Information: With the information you get from asking questions, your goal is to give a "tailored" presentation to your potential supporter. Every presentation you give should be sculptured in your mind to fit the person you are in front of. Most missionaries (and sales people for that matter) give the same presentation to everyone, which is usually too long in its attempt to pack as much of your missionary work into the time frame allowed hoping their is something that will grab their attention. So . . . present your work highlighting the areas you think your future supporter will be most interested in, and cut back somewhere else to keep the entire presentation as close to 30 minutes of your hour as possible. Components to be sure to include in your presentation are: *Your biography - family, call to ministry, current and future work. *The organization you are a part of. *Your relationship with your supporters - how you communicate with your newsletter, etc.
Ex: If in your conversation your potential supporter has mentioned that they like to give one time gifts and not be tied down to a monthly obligation then adjust your commitment questions to that. If you don't have any information, go with your "default" commitment - attempt to get a partner that will give on a monthly basis to you. Many missionaries do not get a commitment, because they don't ask! You must ask. There are different ways to do this, and we will give a few examples, some of which are "softer" than others, but YOU HAVE TO ASK!: *"So Joe, do you have in mind an amount the Lord might be leading you to commit to monthly? *"So Joe, do you feel the Lord leading you to partner with us?" *"So Joe, would you like to let me know now, or do you need time to pray about what you have heard today?" You need to come up with a question or two that you feel comfortable asking. Practice it with a friend. If you are nervous, it will show - and can curtail your potential supporters enthusiasm to support you. Often time, right after your commitment question, that is when you will find out where the person's heart is. Pay close attention to how they respond. Most often it will not be a decisive "Yes" or "No." Listen carefully to their answer and then respond by repeating back to them what you understood them to say. By doing this you are "isolating" their reasons for not giving you a definitive answer right now. By isolating their thought, you will be able to determine more readily if it is just them being "nice" or they sincerely have to process something to make a decision. Some examples will here will help: Joe Supporter: "I really need to talk to my wife first." You: "That is totally understandable Joe, I just want to make sure I understand, You would like to discuss this with your wife as you seek God together. Is that right? Joe: Yes. You: "Joe - Is there anything else that I can help you with, or any questions you need answering before you would feel good about joining us in this work?" Joe: No - that is it, just need to talk with her. You: No problem. Is a week enough time? Can I call you next week to see what you decide?" Joe: Sure. This example may seem simplistic, but if you have done the presentation well, it really can be this simple. When you "isolate" the reason - in a sense you are already bringing closure to their decision. You have got a commitment and a pre-commitment from them.
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