 |
|
| Presentation Tips You Can't Afford to Miss |
|
| By Wilson Jones |
|
If you make new business pitches, present ideas to clients, or even
run your own internal staff meetings, then you already recognize
the importance of superior presentation skills.
Anyone, even the most seasoned veteran, can benefit from reviewing
the basics. So we've outlined some of the most critical elements
to giving an effective presentation. If you're new to presenting,
we encourage you to internalize the advice below. It can really
propel your career. |
|
Tip #1 - Start with the End in Mind
In his best-selling book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,
author Stephen Covey explains that one of the traits of successful
people is that they approach their life with their own eulogies
in mind. In other words, Covey says to imagine your own funeral.
If the eulogy delivered about your life could read the way you'd
want it to, what would you have to do right now with your life to
ensure that it in fact turns out that way? Covey's suggestion undoubtedly
provokes thought, but how does it relate to presentations?
Well, it's a commonly held belief that an audience will retain at
most five things presented to them. Assuming that to be true, it
brings up two points. First, make sure you don't overload your audience
with content. But more important than that, make sure that the five
most important points you want your audience to remember will in
fact be the actual five points they remember. And what complicates
this further is the fact that people are different, and they experience
the same event differently based on their own perceptive filters
- so how can you ensure they're on the same page as you?
Two ways. One, organize your presentation into three parts: telling
the audience what you're going to present, actually presenting it,
and then going back to recap what you presented. Second, present
your summary, or your conclusions, FIRST. Make it the first point
you address, or present it as your first visual, etc. It's not that
people are so clueless, it's just that they can't instantly appreciate
the importance of what you have to say the same way you do. You
need to clearly point out what they need to know, then use your
presentation to fill in the details and support your arguments.
Here's a neat idea. If you practice your presentation in front of
a friend or peer, try omitting this first point/page/frame/slide
that gives the main points and then omit the summary close as well.
Present only the body of your talk and then ask that person what
he or she thinks your five main points are. It's great way to measure
how well you're delivering the guts of your presentation. |
|
Tip #2 - Pace yourself - don't go too fast, or too slow.
One school of thought says that a page, slide or Power Point screen
needs a minimum of ten seconds, and generally not more than 100.
If you're spending minutes on the same page in your report, or the
same Power Point frame, you might try spreading your information
over a few more steps to keep your audience's attention and curiosity
level high. Granted, this is mostly suggestion - you need to use
your best judgment. Your specific content may work better as one
image and it may in fact require a good amount of time. |
|
Tip #3 - Defer Questions But Make Sure You Follow Up
Certain presentations by nature allow for interruptions in your
talk so that someone can ask a question. Other times, it works better
when you can hold questions until the end, or even handle them outside
of the meeting. The main idea you want to understand here is do
whatever will keep you in control of the flow of your presentation.
The job of keeping the audience interested rests on you. If questions
will distract your group from your content, lay down the rule that
you'll address questions later.
Also, if someone asks you a question for which you don't have an
answer, always let him or her know as such, and then make a promise
to find out and follow up. Here's the critical part - make absolutely
sure you follow up. Your credibility's on the line if you say you'll
do something and then don't. Your word is everything. Do not ignore
this tip. |
|
Tip #4 - To Read the Room, Focus on a Few
If you're presenting to a large crowd, pay attention to the body
language and interest levels of a few people throughout your talk.
Use their facial expressions and posture to gauge the rest of the
room. If you're presenting to only a handful of people, or even
one, still be cognizant of body language. It gives pretty honest
feedback as to how you're doing. |
|
Tip #5 - Personalize Your Talk
It's always better to speak to an audience using the word "you"
rather than "he", "she", or "audience members",
etc.. Speak to your group as if you had your attention focused on
only one person in the room. Everyone there will feel like they're
that person. |
|
Tip #6 - Provide a "Leave-Behind"
If you gave your talk to a client, a large group, or someone outside
of your department, chances are they won't have the same access
to information you do. That's where the leave - behind becomes important.
The audience member may leave your talk remembering your key points.
That's good. But they may not remember many of the details for long.
And if they now need to resell your arguments to someone else, you
want to give them the tools to do so. |
|
|
|
|
|
![](../../images/wsSpacer.gif"){kind=spacer}