What you wear is also important; make sure that you know your audience and know what is expected.

Studies have shown that over 90% of a first impression comes from non verbal communication. Appearing either too casual and too formal can be off-putting to your presentation’s audience.

To get a better idea of how what you should wear you should list five adjectives that describe how you want your presentation to be perceived and then try to dress accordingly.

Here are some examples:

• Creative: means being more original and imaginative
• Efficient: means paying attention to grooming
• Innovative: means modern and with the times
• Friendly or approachable: means avoid looking too severe

It is important that before you give your presentation that you pay close attention to every aspect of your appearance.

When choosing what to wear take into consideration how comfortable you will feel in it, a tight and unflattering outfit will only serve to distract an audience and make giving your presentation harder. Something you will also want to take into account is the colour of the stage and whether or not this will complement what you are wearing, if possible try and make sure that this is the case.

Before you give your presentation take everything out of your pockets so as to remove any awkward angles that may emerge (and to stop you from fiddling with things in your pockets). If you’re wearing smart shoes make sure they’re polished – tattered and dirty shoes can often be very visible to an audience. One important thing to remember is to never travel long distances in the outfit that you will give your presentation in as you’ll turn up looking disheveled.

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Posted by Faye Binfield in Presentation Skills Training on March 5th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

Help the audience to understand what you mean by relating any of the more difficult topics in your presentation to something that is easily understandable to them. For instance make sure to rephrase and give examples whenever you feel necessary. To add gravitas to your presentation it can help to quote better known people who the audience will have heard of before and can more easily relate to.

Also try and summarise wherever possible as this will help the audience keep track. However don’t patronise or belittle your audience, it is up to you to decide where the balance lies depending on your audience. Also try and be confident  and articulate, depending on the type and size of your audience some may find it difficult to hear, remember to address the whole of the audience not just the front row or a few select people.

Dealing with Anxiety

One of the most common mistakes when it comes to giving a presentation is to be too focused on what you see and not what the audience sees. Do not be afraid to be assertive, it is important to remember that the audience is not there to judge you, no more than you would a T.V personality; it is what you are saying that is what interests an audience – not your personality.

It is all too easy to get let your own paranoia and fear ruin what would otherwise have been a perfectly acceptable presentation. What you need to understand is that these feelings are natural and even the most experienced are affected too, where the skill lies though is in the mastery and utilisation of these fears – not pretending that they don’t exist. Take your time, a slow but well thought out and to-the-point presentation will come across far better than that of a hurried and rushed one. Don’t be afraid to take a short pause and a deep breath if it helps.

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Posted by Faye Binfield in Presentation Skills Training on March 5th, 2009 | 1 Comment »

A presentation, if used correctly, can be a great way to communicate. However if a presentation is boring or badly done then it can be nothing short of a nightmare for both the audience and the speaker. Here are some of the more major crimes that you will want to steer well clear off:

1. Don’t bluff. The chances are that in your average audience there will beat least one or two audience members who will not only notice that you don’t know what you are talking about, but take it upon themselves to call you up on it. This is embarrassing and completely uninspiring, and besides your presentation will be a lot smoother, easier and not to mention better, if you have adequately prepared yourself and are fully aware of the facts.
2. Do not hide behind your notes. To grab and maintain an audiences attention throughout your presentation is difficult enough on its own, however, if you happen to have you nose buried in your notes at the same time then it will immediately become a lot harder..
3. Don’t attack the audience. This point perhaps seems a little obvious however attack in this case does not mean physical assault, although this wouldn’t be a good idea either. One of the most common forms in which speaker’s attack their audience is by making the audience members the butt of thei joke or making fun of them. Even if it is unintentional or “just a bit of fun” the audience will immediately have lost trust in you.
4. Don’t not make your examples too exclusive. This, whilst a few audience members might get it, will only serve to alienate large sections of your audience.
5. Do not outstay your welcome. Make sure that you do not become part of  “one of those presentations”, the one which will go on far beyond the allotted time frame and doubtless bore the pants of any multi-celled organism within a ten mile radius. Instead make your presentation precise, clear and to the point, and, most importantly, know when your time is up.

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Posted by Faye Binfield in Presentation Skills Training on April 1st, 2009 | 1 Comment »