Throughout your professional and educational career, you may be asked to give presentations. Communicating your ideas to others and creating clear, engaging presentations is a skill you must continually develop.
Although there are various philosophies on how to execute a presentation, there are a few easy skills you can learn to give an excellent presentation despite your preferred style. Here are a few ideas to help you give a great presentation.
Keep It Simple
When creating your presentation, remember that simpler is better. Most presenters use the “10-20-30” principle, which means, use up to 10 slides, don’t exceed 20 minutes, and use a font size that is at least 30-point. This principle ensures that your presentation is crisp, clear, and to the point. The effectiveness of your presentation mostly depends on your explanations, body language, and voice, and not on the presentation materials themselves.
Also, try to keep a maximum of three main ideas or key points, and mention them at the beginning and end of the presentation so that your audience remembers the most vital information.
Remember to use a top-notch sound system to ensure your audience can hear you clearly. For this, a Logitech headset will give you excellent sound quality.
Use an Easy-To-Follow Structure
Break down what you have to say into three simple sections. An excellent presentation needs an introduction, body, and conclusion.
You need a fascinating introduction that briefly sums up what you are going to talk about and its relevance or usefulness to your listeners. You should pack the body of your presentation with facts, quotes, and evidence to support your main points. In your conclusion, loop back to your original statement then give your audience some key takeaways on how they can practice what they have learned.
Maintain Eye Contact and Smile During the Presentation
To give each of your listeners the feeling of being important and to make them feel you are addressing them personally, it is vital to maintain eye contact with your audience during the presentation. Doing this exudes confidence and helps your audience to connect with you and your message. It also helps you get rid of nervousness.
So, get someone in the audience who is listening attentively and seems genuinely interested in the topic and make eye contact with them at the beginning of the presentation. When you start feeling more confident and calm, allow your gaze to drift over to the audience and address the other listeners as well. Return your gaze to the first person to remain calm throughout the entire presentation.
Practice and Prepare
Once you’ve put together your presentation, take the time to prepare your talking points. To achieve this, you need to ask a few colleagues or trusted friends to listen to a test run. Ask for their honest opinion about your speaking voice, body language, visuals, and other aspects of your presentation.
Ensure you practice the presentation thoroughly; however, don’t memorize the speech. If you memorize every line of the presentation, you can easily get off track when you get nervous or forget a few words. Instead, formulate simple talking points that can guide your presentation. Be confident in your knowledge about the subject and speak openly.
Remember to time the presentation, and if you are using cue cards or notes, practice your delivery. The more familiar you get with them, the less you will need to look at them repeatedly.
Anticipate questions that could come up and prepare possible answers. Also, prepare for questions that you may be unable to answer and know how you will respond to them.
Concentrate on Your Audience’s Needs
You need to build your presentation around what your audience will get from the presentation. When preparing the presentation, always consider what your audience wants and needs to know and not what you can tell them.
While giving the presentation, remain focused on your audience’s responses and react to them.
Use Gestures and Facial Expressions
To emphasize your presentation’s content, use appropriate body language and gestures to pass your message. Avoid putting your hands in your pockets or behind your back and avoid crossed arms during the presentation.
Always stand up erect and try not to seem tense or stressed. You can achieve this by using your arms and hands to emphasize what you are saying and pass your message across to your audience.
Always let your facial expression be friendly and open. Smile and show that you appreciate the topic and are confident in the information you are giving.
You’ve learned from the pros, and now you are ready to nail your next presentation. After your presentation, reward yourself appropriately. Be proud of your accomplishments and ask for honest feedback and opinions to make your next presentation even better.
