A successful presentation requires good presentation skills and effective presentation techniques. Whether you are an experienced presenter, or just starting out, these are some tips worth taking note of:
1. Practice with dedication
Naturally, you’ll want to rehearse your presentation multiple times. If you do not practice, you will not be able to recognize your flaws. To understand where you lack, it is important that you rehearse your presentation. When practicing you need to focus on the pauses and speed of your speech. Moreover, it also helps you to set coordination with the slides.
2. Add stories
Human beings are programmed to respond to stories. Stories help us to pay attention, and to remember things. If you can use stories in your presentation, your audience is more likely to engage and to remember your points afterwards. It is a good idea to start with a story, but there is a wider point too: you need your presentation to act like a story. Think about what story you are trying to tell your audience and create your presentation to tell it.
3. Speak the language of your audience.
When creating your presentation, you should already think about your target audience. Most presenters are more concerned about displaying their knowledge, than focusing on the fact that if your listeners are not able to make head or tail of your words, then all the hard work you put in goes to waste. Hence, you need to make certain that you get a second opinion while practicing, especially when you go overboard in your speech.
4. Engage with the audience
People love to talk and make their opinions heard, but the nature of presentations can often seem like a one-sided proposition. It doesn’t have to be, though. Asking the audience what they think, inviting questions, and other means of welcoming audience participation can boost engagement and make attendees feel like a part of a conversation. It also makes you, the presenter, seem much more relatable. Consider starting with a poll or survey. Another way to involve the audience in your presentation is by interacting with them. To make a point clearer, you can use an example to explain it in more detail, using a person or a couple of people to make a point or form an illustration.
5. Relax, smile and be confident
By appearing self-confident, you convey to the listener that you are confident in your topic and have prepared yourself sufficiently. Try to relax and not appear too stressed or nervous. You can walk around the room or get closer to the audience. This exudes self confidence and helps to keep your audience attention.
6. Conclusion should be as impressive as introduction
Most people end the presentation with a big ‘thank you’ but this is where you can create an impression to make them come to your next presentation. You can leave a question about a different topic and tell them that it will be answered when they meet you again. When ending the presentation, you have all the freedom to portray your intelligence and creativity.
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