Nowadays, considering the
technological, educational and functional advances, each person will definitely
be asked to give a presentation, at least once during your time at school,
university or during your current job.
According to the circumstances
and the topic of your subject, you might be asked to deliver the result of your
works, of a scientific experiment or of an analysis, to sum up your reading in
a seminar or to provide feedback from a group task.
But presentation are not fun as
several things may go wrong; it's a good idea to perk up your skills and become
more and more comfortable with the format, as many schools, employers and
universities use presentations as part of their usual job.
Without further do, here are
seven effective tips to lead a successful presentation:
Preparation is key
As you know, every fruitful
presentation relies on successful preparation, give yourself all needed time to
prepare methodically, as a last hour rush will scare your presentation and leave
you anxious when it comes to delivering your work. Collect the information you
need and put it out in a suitable order, with a precise introduction and summarizing
conclusion.
Also you can have detailed notes
as part of your presentation, but be aware not to rely on these note on the d-day,
as reading from a prepared text sounds unnatural and unprofessional.
Give audience what they want:
visuals!
A presentation based essentially
on reading makes it a boring lecture, yet having too much images and repetitive
ideas forth and back within the text and the visuals worsens a lot the
situation, the ideal situation is a complementary one; visuals should
complement your oral presentation, not repeat it.
You are the main source of
information during the show, your slides must keep people focusing and offer a
brief summary of points, or an illustration explaining the concept that you are
talking about. Don't fall into the deadly trap of just reading aloud what is
written on the slides, it makes you look so miserable!
Images are the greatest way to
grab and keep the audience's attention, they are the initial point from which
you should expand and enlarge your narrative.
Connect with your audience
Well, if you get
easily nervous, it’s hard to be calm when you’re anxious, furthermore
connecting with people!
But the best way to surpass that and to show others that you are a
professional calm speaker is to connect with them, and the best method to accomplish
that is to let your passion for the subject shine through.
Be honest with the audience during the presentation about what is important
to you and why it matters to understand the subject, after all, you will find
that they enjoy it.
Don’t forget to be
enthusiastic and honest, and the audience will respond positively.
Focus on your Audience’s concerns
Your presentation must
be built around what your audience is going to get out of the presentation,
which must be an interesting topic for them.
During your preparation, you always must keep in your mind what the
audience needs the most and wants to know, not what you can talk about.
While you’re giving the presentation, you also need to stay focused on
your audience questions, and react to that properly.
Sometimes you need to
make it easy for your audience to assimilate the presentation and react with it.
Practice with a friend/family member if needed
You should run through your work before presenting it in full more than
once, ideally in front of a familiar audience. Visit the place of presentation
in advance if you can, and ask your friend to sit at the back, checking the
voice volume and clarity of your speech.
This will allow you
to work out whether your presentation is the right length when spoken aloud,
and give you a clear chance to get used to expressing yourself in front of
others.
Keep the presentation Simple: Concentrate on your core message
When planning your
presentation, you ought to remember always the following question:
What is the key message for my audience to take home?
Knowing the right
answer for that question, you should be able to communicate that key message
easily and go through the presentation explaining what must be.
Don't rely too much on technology
We have all witnessed the torture of a presenter stressed with a faulty
USB stick or failing to get a projector to work. Nevertheless, with a little
bit of planning, you can reduce the risk of technology failing you in the
waited day.
If you can, test your presentation earlier with the same equipment that
you will be using for the real show. Or else, try to appear early on the day
and have a run through.
Yet, you should not rely too deeply on the slides, always be prepared to
give your presentation without them if circumstances required that, the you can
use your notes as memory aids.
Unfortunately, if a piece of technology does fail, especially don not
panic. It happens and it will happen to everyone in the room at some point, get
through it smoothly without being disturbed, and it may even impress your tutor
and the audience more than if everything went perfectly, after all, it show
that you are a competent one!
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