Ten Strategies for Effective Presentations
The beauty about giving presentations is that the presenter is afforded a set of tools that will help to enhance the presentation in distinct ways. Most presenters choose to use some presentation tools like PowerPoint, Google Slides, or Prezi. While PowerPoint is software based, the other two are web-based and so will provide access to editing from the web and various devices. Microsoft has recently caught up by allowing users to access and edit their files from the web as well. Presenters then choose to add their main points and images illustrating the data that they would like to present in their presentation tool. All three tools will also provide the means of including animation to the slides (pages) and to the content to entertain the audience. Your title can fly on to the screen for example or appear as you begin to speak about a topic. Even the slides can include some type of animation as you “transition” between them. Regardless of the tool you use, they are instrumental in captivating the audience and allowing you to present with back-stage notes for you to follow that the audience won’t see. Because these tools provide fancy ways of presenting content, sometimes presenters go overboard which can detract from the presentation. Below are ten good tips when giving presentations.
1. Prepare
So important is this point that if it is done beforehand, many of the other points in this article becomes moot. Too often I have seen presenters get caught off guard when the slide doesn’t advance in time, shows some content not expected, or someone has a question. The presenter then doesn’t know what to say or what to do. If you prepare beforehand, regardless of what happens in your presentation, you will be ready. It is also a turn off for an audience who senses that a presenter didn’t even take the time to prepare. Why should they then be interested in the information if the owner of the content wasn’t interested enough to know it?
2. Do not rely on your presentation tool
This also goes hand in hand with preparation. Presenters often have their backs to the audience because they need to rely on their slides to guide what they have to say. Without the slides, they are lost. You should know your content so well that the slides are guides for the audience as you discuss each topic. Presenters lead the slides-not the other way around.
3. Be professional
Be honest. How interested would you be in someone presenting information while they are leaning against the wall, chewing gum, or using slang etc.? You want to show the audience that you are serious about what you do and the information being presented. It can be a blessing and a curse to really know your content and have several presentations under your belt. While having the experience helps to sell your presentation well, sometimes individuals become over confident or too comfortable and they forget professionalism as their speech and mannerisms change to match those in personal situations. Of course, every case is different. Maybe you are presenting information on how to be unprofessional, I don’t know. But in all seriousness, I have seen presentations on specific topics where professionalism wasn’t warranted or presenters needed to display specific behaviors to match the presentation. Remember that your goal is to convince your audience and as such, it is important that you display attitudes that do not turn off prospective interested parties.
4. Prepare the presentation tool
Often, we simply put main points in a PowerPoint, throw in some pictures, and then get ready to present. It is important to remember that this may be the only opportunity to convince your audience of the importance of your presentation. Take the time to choose the right words carefully, the correct images to represent the data, and the right ways to present them to your audience.
5. Do not go overboard
Related to our last point, it is easy to get lost in the options provided by these tools. I have seen presentations with words and images flying around the screen on every slide for no apparent reason. I have seen slides change and animate with each slide and often with sounds that drowns out the presenter’s voice. The goal of using these tools is to enhance the presentation-not to detract from it. Sometimes less is more. If it doesn’t make sense to have a slide flying off the screen-then its best to simply have it change to the next slide without any effect. It sometimes isn’t even necessary to have pictures on every slide. Picture and videos are only useful to represent unknown data or to spark interest. Also, your slides should include just your main points-not paragraphs of information. Remember that they are not intended to provide information-they are used as a guide to present the most important points.
6. Do not read from your slides
Another point that goes hand in hand with preparation. How offended would you be if someone simply reads from a screen to you instead of explaining his or her topic? This is a turn off. Be sure to prepare and know your content so that the main points on each slide can be explained fully and with confidence without relying on words on a screen to communicate to an audience. Your audience will not find enlightenment or take you seriously if you were not serious enough in the first place to do your own research and know your content.
7. Practice and anticipate unforeseen issues
Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. I would add that it will go wrong at the most inappropriate time. The slide wont show, the proctor will not turn on, your content will disappear, there will be no power, and the list goes on and on. If you practice, any bugs in your tool and presentation will reveal themselves and allow you to fix prior to the actual presentation. You also want to envisage other issues that may arise with the specific venue or location that you will give the presentation. That way you can have solutions ready. This will also sit well with your audience ads they see that you are an expert at what you do.
8. Engage the audience
Human beings are social creatures. We learn by doing. Most presentations where someone just talks at a group of people for some time do not normally have lasting impressions. You want to include your audience in your presentation. Walk around the room, comment on facial expression of particular individuals-like surprise at what you just said or presented, and maintain eye contact throughout. Comment on what they already know and include that in the presentation. Ask them what they think a particular topic or concept is about, what they would do in particular situations, what they think solutions would be before you give it to them. If your presentation is one where you could actually give them things to manipulate while you present-even better. If they have some segment where they create something that is showcased in the end-that works. The goal is to include the audience as active participants rather than passive recipients of information. They won’t retain your content that way. Welcome their questions as well.
9. Be sure to include wrap up
Remember that your conclusion is just a summary of what you have already said. It summarizes your main points. As such, you should not have any new information in your conclusion. That will confuse your audience. Let them know that you’re wrapping up and that your summarizing what you want them to know. Be sure to take any questions that they have at the end.
10. Use each presentation as a learning tool
If you want to get better at presenting, you have to learn from each presentation. It is often the case where a presenter feels relieved at the end and walks away from the presentation thinking its all over. Good presenters, however, know that this is a lead to the next presentation. They will make notes afterwards about what went well and what could be improved. They will include these notes in their toolkit and use them to improve on future presentations.