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When it comes to the day to present, don’t forget about the practicalities. There’s nothing worse than preparing a brilliant presentation, only to have it ruined by simple problems you could have forseen.
For instance, consider:
- Where exactly is the training taking place?
- Where is the nearest parking or train station?
- Where will you stand?
- Do they have the correct equipment or will you have to bring your own?
- What length of presentation is the audience expecting?
- Will you be able to have access to the room before people arrive?
- Will my laptop be compatible with the projector?
- Could I still give the presentation if the projector failed?
It’s best to assume that if it can go wrong it will go wrong, and to prepare accordingly!
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Presentation Skills Resources on March 5th, 2009 | No Comments »
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 Resources on March 5th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Practice, Practice, Practice!
We can’t emphasise this enough: To help your presentation run smoothly and to avoid any mishaps or freezing up on stage it is important to practice your speech beforehand as many times as possible. You may find it helpful to do this in front of a mirror or to film yourself so as to get a better idea of what the audience sees. Better still – find a willing audience – your wife, husband, kids, colleagues – anyone who’ll lend a critical ear. It’s easy to get so caught up in a presentation that you can’t see the wood for the trees.
As a guide to how much is enough – you should have practiced your speech enough times that you know it completely. If you find that you have to be constantly buried in your notes and have to read straight off of them then you’re not ready. Not only will being prepared help you keep track and get through your presentation more easily it will help you engage with the audience and help them to follow what you are saying in your presentation.
This is especially important if, at the end of your presentation, you want to ask the audience for any questions as there is nothing worse than being stumped by a question that, if you had practiced your presentation, you would have been able to answer.
In short – to give a presentation you need confidence in your knowledge and abilities on the subject at hand, and this will only come from practice.
Address the Audience
Don’t just dive straight in! When first addressing the audience introduce yourself, give them your name and any relevant information about yourself that could reflect well on your presentation and help you to establish your authority on the matter. Although also bear in mind not to make this too long and make sure that it is only relevant information about yourself you are giving, one sentence should be enough.
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Presentation Skills Resources on March 5th, 2009 | No Comments »
A great presentation will grasp your audience’s attention within the first 30 seconds. If you don’t you could lose them. There does need to be a balance though, over dramatic starts to presentations and speeches can backfire. Your audience may remember the sudden drama, but often cannot recall what the speaker actually said. You need openings that will make the audience want to listen to the rest of what you have to say. In other words, the stunning start to the speech or presentation has to be something you say, rather than a dramatic device.
Research shows that the most effective attention grabbing start is an anecdote; a personal story, you could make them laugh, but be careful not to bee too cheesy or make a joke, try it out on your colleagues first. Trying to be too serious, or setting the agenda right at the start is a sure way to lose attention. Personal anecdotes are a great way to start a business presentation – even serious ones.
If an anecdote isn’t appropriate try starting with a question or a quotation, a surprising statistic or controversial statement about the the subject.
Things to avoid to open your presentation or speech include, role plays or anything where you are trying to be ‘clever’.
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Presentation Skills Resources on May 11th, 2009 | No Comments »
Body Language
Statistics have shown that people will be more predisposed to an idea if it is accompanied by positive body language. Negative body language will often mean that you get negative results. Being too aggressive can also work against you, too much energetic movement will become baffling and irritating to an audience. However a little positive body language in your presentation will go a long way, generally it is best to abide by the rule that if it feels unnatural don’t do it.
Tone
Tone plays a huge role in how we communicate to others. Tone is as, or even more important, than your word choice when it comes to how an audience will interpret your presentation. An inappropriate tone can lead to confusion and can undermine an audience’s understanding . You must differentiate from how you would speak casually and how you speak in your presentation. Choose your words carefully but choose how you say them even more so.
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Presentation Skills Resources on March 5th, 2009 | No Comments »
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 Resources on March 5th, 2009 | 1 Comment »
Any number of things can go wrong during a presentation, and often do.
If something should go wrong then it is important not to panic. Apologise to the audience and try and make the best of it, you could even joke with them about it if you feel that it would be well received.
If you understand your presentation well enough then your message still should come across and you will be able to recover. Part of giving a presentation is the ability to think on your feet and adapt, this is not just when something goes wrong but this is also in how you answer any questions put to you by your audience.
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Presentation Skills Resources on March 5th, 2009 | No Comments »
No matter what the style or method you use when designing your presentation whether it fails or not will always be decided by how much you have practiced and how much self confidence and belief you have within yourself, as well as the quality of information you have been able to find.
It is important when preparing your presentation not to get too wrapped up in the style and aesthetics. Remember that what you have to say should always more impressive to an audience than how you say it. With this in mind it is still important to present yourself respectfully and appropriately, which does take consideration, however this should not overshadow the content of your presentation.
Organisation is also very important, for instance it would be wise to check that your equipment works and is properly set up a few times before you start. What you need is a solid base to work from and to yourself feel more at ease, which will no doubt be harder if you are worrying the whole time about the equipment not working.
No matter what your presentation, whether it be a business, sales or internal presentation, the basics remain the same, namely: practice makes perfect. I you don’t practice hard enough you are almost destined to fail. Through practice comes the rest of the attributes necessary to give a good presentation, like self confidence and being able to engage further with the audience. The skills to producing a good presentation are not a secret and anyone can do it. What are needed though are practice, self-confidence and dedication. It may take a while to learn but with the right training and proper guidance you’ll soon be wowing audiences.
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Posted by Faye Binfield in Presentation Skills Resources on March 5th, 2009 | No Comments »
