Getting up and speaking in front of a group of people can be terrifying. With some simple tips and self-confidence you can do it with style and leave people remembering who you are.
Try these 8 easy ways to better your presentation:
Plan
Seasoned veteran or not, you need to plan. Planning helps gather thoughts and put them in a logical order. Whether it's a sales pitch or motivating a group of people, they are looking for an expert. Be careful though not to overload them with all your knowledge. Keep the presentation between 3-4 key points and let them ask questions for more.
Practice Makes Perfect
There is truth to ‘Practice makes perfect.’ Michael Jordan didn’t win six championships by just walking on to the court. The more practice, the more confident you will be when presenting. Record yourself and play it back. Look for the good, bad, and ugly and make changes where needed.
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Be Efficient
Remember that one teacher that seemed like they would never stop talking? Don’t be that teacher. When presenting make sure to be clear, concise, and efficient. A couple of rules that are worth following when putting together a presentation:
- Guy Kawasaki’s 10/20/30 Rule: ten slides, don’t talk for more than twenty minutes, and no font smaller than thirty points.
- 20/20 rule: 20 slides each lasting 20 seconds.
Either rule is a step in the right direction in being efficient and respectful of the audience's time.
15 Word Takeaway
Summarize the whole presentation in 15 words, if you can't then it’s time to go back and rework. Those 15 words are the key takeaway from the presentation. If you're unable to do it, how do you expect the audience?
Don’t Read, Present
Don’t walk onto the stage to just read slides. The slide deck is there to support the information you are presenting. Reading off the screen shows that you aren't prepared and will diminish any trust the audience has in your expertise.
No ‘um,’ ‘ah,’ or ‘you know?’s
Filler words can kill a presentation and distract from the message. Instead of saying them, take a deep breath and pause. It might seem awkward but the audience won't notice, and it gives time to gather your thoughts.
Eye Catching Presentation
Using images helps give life to a presentation. Using visuals is one of the best ways to engage and gain the attention of the audience. At
PresenterMedia our goal is to help with just that, we offer a wide variety of ready to go
templates along with customizable
images and
videos. Mix in different mediums to make your presentation diverse and eye catching.
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Have Fun
The most important step of all is to have fun. Have fun and your audience will follow.
What other tips do you have? Let us know in the comments.
