These presentations may be infrequent for you but nevertheless they'll be important. Important because you will want to make a good impression, you will want to convey your message as effectively as possible, to make an impact on your audience, to convince them, to influence them.
You will want to do it well because speaking and presenting in business today will affect your career success.
So how can you improve your business presentations ? What can you do to stand out from the others ? And how can you have more confidence in all that you present ?
Here's 5 simple tips to improve your presentations.
? Prepare. Sounds obvious, doesn't it, but the more you prepare your presentation the better it will be for those you are presenting to. And the more confident you will be. When we prepare, we can organise the structure of the presentation, include key information in the right order, ensure we are clear in what we are saying and the way we are saying it. In doing this, you will be more concise and focussed on achieving the outcome you desire. Always, when preparing start with the question: ?What do I want to achieve ?? By asking yourself this you will keep the presentation you prepare on course to the successfully achieve the objective.
? Understand your audience and their needs. Only when you understand who you are presenting to and what their needs are, can you deliver the message effectively to your audience. Many people, when presenting to others, even important business presentations, fail to understand the audience, their level of understanding of the material being presented (whatever that material is), what their needs are and as a result they fail to engage the audience.
? Tell stories. We all love stories. Stories have been told to every child from a very early age and we still, as adults, engage in the power of storytelling. Rather than dull facts and figures, strategy and actions points incorporate stories, even simple, short but relevant stories will change the impact of your message. ?Before I begin outlining the five year strategy plan, I want to share with you what my five your old son thought that starting school meant to him.? (There's a link there to strategy, of course.)
? Use humor. We all love to laugh, we all appreciate a sense of humor and whilst your audience doesn't want you to tell jokes (No, they don't!), they will enjoy humor in your presentations. One way which will always work with your audiences is to relay something humorous about what has happened to you. Self-deprecating humor, in my experience, is always enjoyed by the audience they'd much rather laugh at something that happened to you ? which they can relate to ? than something which has happened to someone else. Those I coach often say ?But I'm not funny.? And yet we can usually, very easily, identify an incident or event which has happened to them which is humorous ? and relevant to the audience and the subject matter.
? Use PowerPoint sparingly. I love PowerPoint (or if you're using Mac, Keynote !) but in so many presentations it's used by the presenter to present all they are saying and to present complicated graphics and charts. When you're using PowerPoint, include the subject matter as bullet points and when you are presenting, you then expand on these points. And restrict the content to about 6 to 8 lines per page. This can be increased, of course, if the size of the screen were it will be shown will be larger. But for most presentations ? meeting rooms, boardrooms training rooms ? less is more.
Is not hard to improve your presentations and I encourage you to make deliver them in the best way you can. And ,of course, the more you make, the more confident and the more effective you will be.
Graham Moore
Some people feel that giving a presentation is a daunting experience, regardless of the setting. The thought of standing up in front of a large group of people and getting the words out in the right way is the most nerve-racking experience they could imagine. At work, staff may be asked to deliver a presentation at a meeting; this requires plenty of preparation and rehearsal to achieve success.
However, even after taking the time to work on perfecting your presentation, it may not be enough. You need help with your presentation skills on the actual day. Giving presentations involves interacting with and engaging your audience in a way that reflects your personality. This means communicating with people and delivering your key messages without losing their attention.
There are few basic principles to improving your preparation and presentation skills. Each of which needs plenty of consideration and time spent on preparation. Before any presentation, you must be clear about the purpose of your presentation, research and understand your audience, sort your material into a logical structure, add 'flavour' to the facts and prepare visual aids.
The first step to improving your presentation skills is preparation. Imagine you have just been given the task to prepare a presentation based on your work, studies, research etc. However, you have been a set time limit to prepare and speak. The moment you are given the task is when you should start planning. Ask yourself what is the main objective of the presentation and what are the main points you would like to make?
Jot down key points in bullet format. Never use a script in a presentation, because you are likely to appear unnatural or even uncertain when delivering. Use cue cards or postcards instead, making sure to number each card. Some people do not use notes at all and rely on their slides as a prompt. Be careful with this, as there is a great temptation to fill your slides with facts.
It is actually counterproductive. Your audience cannot listen to you and read at the same time and you may find you struggle to sift the key points from packed slides as you speak. Once you have gathered the points you want to make organise them into a logical flow. Add examples and anecdotes to make each key point memorable. Prepare for the question and answer session too.
The second step is to practise - this may come under preparation but often people forget that when preparing their speech and organising visual aids they leave very little room to practise with other people around. Ask your friends, colleagues and family to listen to your presentation and encourage them to give you feedback. Choose your rehearsal audience carefully - they need to be honest without knocking your confidence.
Consider the way you speak, how you pronounce your words and how clearly you can be heard. Projecting your voice is not about shouting - it is about good breathing, clarity of pronunciation and eye contact. If you speak quietly, you may come across as timid or uncertain of your facts. If you speak too quickly, they will find it hard to take everything in. Remember that you communicate through body language, therefore stand up straight and use a few gestures to emphasise key points.
Finally, the delivery of your presentation, in theory if you have put effort into good preparation and have rehearsed you should be fine on the day. One thing you should be aware of is that many people feel nervous because they care about getting it right. If you have prepared well it will reduce your nerves considerably. If you think about all the things that can go wrong, you create a negative picture in your mind. Imagine a positive outcome and visualise success - top sports personalities do not use this technique for nothing!
On the day, make sure you arrive early. The only part of your speech you need to memorise is your opening line - this will help you get off to a good start. Make sure you make eye contact with everyone in the room, take your time - own the space - then proceed with the presentation.
Both Graham Moore & Anna Stenning are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Graham Moore has sinced written about articles on various topics from Leadership, Web Development. Graham Moore is a professional speaker and trainer who presents to audiences internationally. With over 15 years experience, he also conducts presentation skills training and coaches professional speakers , managers and executives to improve their speakin. Graham Moore's top article generates over 1300 views. to your Favourites.
Anna Stenning has sinced written about articles on various topics from computers and the internet, Management and Wedding Gifts. Anna Stenning has developed on her having provided many presentations in her previous employment. For more on personal development training visit. Anna Stenning's top article generates over 4090000 views. to your Favourites.