7 Tips For A More Engaging Presentation
No matter
what your profession is, when you make a presentation it needs to be dynamic,
engaging and interesting. If its not, you will never capture and maintain
your audience's attention, and without their attention, your presentation will
fizzle and fall flat. The best way to ensure that you make a powerful and
effective presentation is by taking the time to properly prepare.
Preparation is Paramount.
One of the biggest misconceptions people have is that the final
product (an article, a book, a presentation) arrived that way on the first try.
This, of course, is never the case. There are undoubtedly several,
if not many, previous drafts that have been rewritten over and over again.
The same is true for presenting. Even a fantastic speaker needs to
take the time to properly prepare. Below you will find a number of great
tips to help you prepare for your next presentation and make it more memorable.
7 Tips For A More
Engaging Presentation:
1. Watch Your Body Language - Your
body language says a lot. Fidgeting, nervously crossing your arms,
hunching over, staring at your notes and avoiding eye contact are all bad
habits that you should avoid. Your presentation will undoubtedly benefit
if you simply stand up straight, act confident, stay positive and smile.
2. Make A Plan - The most important aspect
of a presentation is, without a doubt, focus. You need to make sure that
you have a cohesive speech that has a purpose. Come up with a game plan,
make sure that you stay on topic and have good transitions between the points
you want to cover.
3. Tell A Story - Telling a personal story is a
great way to help your audience relate to the subject of your presentation.
This will draw them into the experience. For presentations, a story
allows you to paint a picture as to how a business principle or idea would
operate in a real situation and help the audience connect with your
presentation on a more personal level.
4. Engage Your Audience's Senses - While
what you say is extremely important, it is a great idea to engage your
audience's other senses; as well by including visual aids. Presentation
software like Microsoft PowerPoint or Apple's Keynote can be a great way of
both grabbing and keeping your audience's attention. Without some sort of
visual element to your presentation, you risk sounding like a boring lecturer.
The trick is to design a visual aid that works for you, not against you.
In other words, avoid bogging down your presentation with too much
information; too many images, sounds or videos, or even text since it can be
distracting to the audience.
5. Know Your Audience - Before
you can pick a style and the type of language that you will use for a
presentation, you need to make sure that you understand your audience.
If, for example, you are presenting to an audience that is unfamiliar
with your topic, you may want to include a list of definitions before your
presentation begins.
6. Mentally Prepare - Right before presenting,
take the time to calm yourself down and mentally prepare for what lies ahead.
Public speaking coaches talk about this constantly -- rituals and
techniques that get presenters in the right frame of mind. This, of
course, is intensely personal and varies by your personality. For some,
blasting loud music and singing along pumps them up. Others need to
attain a Zen-like peace before stepping out in front of a group. Find
what works for you and stick with it.
7. Practice, Practice, Practice - The
biggest obstacles of a good presentation are how well you know the material and
how comfortable you are speaking in front of others. Both can be
addressed through practice. By practicing the actual delivery of your
presentation, you continue to brush up on the material and strengthen your
memory's hold on it. Once you start to feel confident, try practicing in
front of friends or colleagues; this will not only help you get used to how it
feels to present to an actual audience, but also allow them to provide
feedback.
Courtesy: Dale Carnegie® Training Newsletter