Did you know that around 70 percent of American people believe that knowing how to give a good presentation is critical to career success?
You need to be able to deliver a good presentation if you’re going to make it in your career.
Do you want to be able to perform public speaking like Barack Obama? Do you want to convey the passion of Steve Jobs? What about the energy of Martin Luther King?
Every great presenter has to start somewhere. By following our 8 things you need to know about how to perform a presentation, you’ll be following in the footsteps of the giants of presenting. Check out our tips below!
1. Don’t Rely on Your Visuals
Did you know that around 65 percent of people are visual learners?
That’s why if you want people to learn and remember something, you need to provide images and charts to drive home your message.
There is no doubt that Microsoft’s Powerpoint presentation tool is the most popular method of delivering a presentation. No doubt you’ve already seen your fair share of presentations that used this tool.
However, too many people rely on the visuals they’re using to convey a message. It’s important to always remind yourself that the audience wants to hear and see you speak. You are the presentation, not your visuals.
For a more comprehensive presentation software, check out this website for Slide Crew.
2. Make Eye Contact with the Audience
Making eye contact with your audience is really important if you want to establish a connection and improve engagement.
Don’t just stare at one face from the audience. You have to spread your gaze over the audience. If you don’t make eye contact with your audience, you only talking to yourself.
By talking to your audience, you also improve your credibility in the eyes of others. People tend not trust those who don’t look you in the eye.
This also allows you to adapt to your audience. You’ll notice when people are lacking concentration or require a break. If you’re staring at the floor, people will wonder why they should bother listening to you.
3. Display Your Personality in Your Presentation
Everyone has experienced the boring corporate Powerpoint presentation. You’re absolutely sick of hearing the same monotonous tone and watching the dull slides.
It doesn’t have to be this way. You can display your personality through your presentation.
Everyone is different. Some people have the ability to engage people by telling stories off the top of their head, while others need structure to carry out a compelling speech. Find your strong point and capitalize upon it.
4. Sprinkle Your Presentation with Jokes
You’re not a stand-up comedian. You’re probably making a presentation because you want to inform and educate, rather than entertain.
However, it doesn’t mean you can’t include a joke or two in your presentation. By making your audience laugh, you make your audience feel more comfortable.
You may find jokes difficult to create yourself. But it’s mostly about introducing a light-hearted angle to your talk.
5. Be Honest With Your Audience
You’re making a presentation because you have something to say. So, say it!
Although you want to deliver an effective talk, this doesn’t mean you have to be a crowd-pleaser. Don’t simply tell the audience what they want to hear.
Sometimes, presentations are the most effective way of revealing unfortunate truths and unpleasant facts. You may have the be the bearer of bad news.
6. Avoid Over-Preparation
How long should you spend preparing your presentation? There’s no right answer.
Sometimes, you may have to spend hours and hours researching your statements and perfecting your visuals. Other times, your entire presentation is completely prepared in under an hour.
But it’s important to make sure you avoid over-preparing your presentation. For instance, if you rehearse your presentation over and over, it may come across as over-done.
You want to demonstrate you can communicate on the spot with a conversational style to your presentation. If you sound like you’ve memorized the entire presentation by heart, this won’t always endear you to your audience.
7. Don’t Stay in One Place
Every presenter has heard the tip of showing some movement while you’re speaking. However, it’s easier said than done. Most people forget when they’re in the moment.
By moving around the stage or set, you show that you’re comfortable in the role. By being animated and gesturing you can engage your audience better.
8. Don’t Uhm and Ah too Much
Nobody is suggesting that you need to cut out “uhm” and “ah” altogether. It’s perfectly normal to use filler words when talking.
However, you need to keep them to a minimum. You may not notice if every other word you say is “er” or “uhm”, but the audience definitely will.
If you need to break up your speech, use pauses instead of filler words. You don’t want to bore your audience to death with “uhm”. You don’t want the crowd to spend your entire presentation counting the number of times you say filler words.
How to Give a Good Presentation
Now you know our top tips on how to give a good presentation. It’s time to wow your audience with the most effective presentation you’ve ever done.
You no longer have to fear about boring your audience or panicking on stage, you can confidently perform your presentation to an applauding audience.
If you want to find out more or ask any questions about how to improve your business communication skills, get in touch with us today! We’re here to help!