Are your Presentations Presentable?

Did you know surveys have shown that people fear delivering a presentation more than death or divorce?  The good news for those of you who are not seasoned presenters however is that good preparation and confidence in your materials can go a long way to reducing potential presentation anxiety.

Follow these simple tips and ensure that not only are your presentations of value to your audience but that you also enjoy delivering them:

•    When preparing your presentation try to use a variety of different media; come equipped for example with a tangible product if possible to pass around, maybe incorporate a short media clip, or use a prop to demonstrate a point. Variety helps to retain participant interest.

•    Ensure that your presentation is short and snappy.  Each page should be to the point and not text-heavy. The purpose of a presentation is for you as the presenter to deliver the content, not your slides. The slides are there merely to add emphasis and clarification to what you are saying. They are not there as a crib sheet and you should avoid reading from any length off them.

•    Use slide animation tools to enable each segment of information to appear separately upon individual clicks.  This will help you structure your presentation more effectively whilst also preventing participants from reading ahead and losing sight of what you are saying.

•    Use graphics to break up the text and to lighten if the mood if the topic is very dry.

•    Use a distinct font and not one that is artistic and hence possibly distracting. You should aim for your headers to be size 20-26 and for your main text to be 16-18.

•    Use the ‘bold’ font rather than underlining or capitals as the latter can be distracting.

• Proofread your presentation thoroughly before delivery and ask a colleague to do a double check as there’s nothing worse than being mid-presentation and finding errors.

•    When introducing yourself, keep calm and don’t rush.  If you gain participant confidence within the first 30 seconds of your speech and manage to keep good control, then you should find that the rest comes naturally as your audience will give off visible signs that they are confident in you.  Rehearse your introduction repeatedly to ensure that you have it under your belt.  Inject a little humour if you feel it’s appropriate but avoid telling jokes. Incorporate for example a humorous quote that is relevant to your topic.

•    If you feel nervous at first, then do not relay this to your audience by apologising as they will start observing you for nerves and feel on edge themselves.  Take a deep breath, smile and carry on.
 
•    You may want to incorporate an activity at the very beginning and get people on their feet doing something; using, for example, a two-minute icebreaker relevant to your theme.  This takes the attention off you for a short while and puts it back on the participants – a great tactic if you are feeling a little anxious at the very start.

•    Be aware of the speed at which you are speaking.  It’s not uncommon for people to unwittingly leave their audience behind as they race through their presentation.  Be aware therefore of how long you want to spend on each slide and ensure that you give each slide its fair due.  

If you come to your presentation equipped with a well-structured presentation, remember to smile and make good eye contact then you should find the rest comes naturally. Reinforce business skills such as delivering presentations with plenty of practice, as we all know, practice makes perfect!

For further guidance, why not read this more detailed blog on tips to become an excellent presenter.

Training South West delivers business training courses and presentation skills training courses to companies across the South West, including Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire.