When it comes to presentations, one of the biggest myths is that the very best presenters – the ones who leave you on the edge of your seat begging for more – are just more gifted and talented than the rest of us. Nothing could be farther than the truth. However, all the highly effective presenters do have one thing in common: they are constantly working to improve their skills, especially in ten key areas. Do you want to become a Big League presenter? Start paying attention to the following important principles.
1. Do your homework. A great presentation starts days, or even weeks in advance. Be sure you allow adequate time to think through what needs to be said, how you want to say it, and then practice and refine your delivery strategy. Jotting a few notes on the back of napkin, or downloading an article off the Internet, is the kiss of death if you are hoping to give an effective presentation.
2. Follow some kind of relaxation routine right before your speech. No matter how it looks to you, ALL presenters have butterflies before going on stage. It is just a normal part of human nature. The best way to counter that is to practice some very easy relaxation techniques like slow, deep breathing, or stretching and relaxing key muscle groups. Visualizing your presentation and seeing yourself smiling and hitting a home run also works very well. Then take the stage, take a deep breath, and go get ‘em.
3. Develop a strong opening that will instantly get your audience’s attention. It could be anything – a bold, outrageous statement; an amazing statistic or a challenging quote; perhaps even a quick, tasteful joke or funny story. You must draw the audience in so they will be anxious to hear what you have to say next.
4. Use note cards with bullet points, rather than a speech printed out– and then read – word after boring word. One of your greatest tools as a presenter is to maintain eye contact with your audience, so they can read your face and judge your sincerity. Don’t blow that by reading your speech into a podium.
5. Care about your topic, and act like it. Your audience can tell if you are “mailing it in.” In order to be effective, you have to care about the message you are trying to deliver. You also have to care about your audience and whether or not they really get it. Your tone of voice, facial expressions, body language and choice of words should all say, “Please pay attention. This is really important to each of our lives.”
6. Be sure you arrive early enough to meet and greet. This is one of the best ways to pave the way to a convincing presentation. The more people you meet before you begin speaking, the more meaningful your eye contact will be during your presentation. You will know them and they will know you – at least to a certain degree. This only enhances the credibility of your message.
7. Be yourself. Even if your material comes from well-researched secondary sources, make it your own by giving examples of how it applies to your own life, or to the lives of those close to you. It doesn’t hurt to use quotes from other famous people, but don’t be a quote machine. Tell your stories and share your conclusions. If they wanted to hear what that other guy had to say, they could have invited him.
8. Be sure your body language lines up with your message. In the normal conversations we have with others, there is usually an unconscious dance going on between the feelings we have about the points we want to make, and our bodies – especially our hands, arms and facial expressions. While it is true that you need to avoid unnecessary, distracting gestures and mannerisms, it is still important to let your body resonate with your message. If your body is stiff, your message will be, too.
9. Save your big finish until after the Q and A. Giving your audience a chance to interact with you by asking questions is important; it is a great way to continue to sell your message while the clock is stopped. But try setting up the Q and A by saying something like, “Before I close, I would like to take a moment now for your questions. Who has the first one?” Then, when the questions are done, pull out one more great story or summary statement, and send them off with a bang.
10. Most important of all, keep practicing and never stop learning. You can bet the team that wins the Super Bowl this year kept right on practicing, and practicing hard, even after training camp was over. Every day, they refined an old technique or threw in something new. They never quit getting better, and neither should you. That is how champions are made, no matter what field they are playing on.
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