Presentations are an important form of business communications. However, many presentations fail to achieve their desired results as it tends to get boring in spite of being much informative and audience tends to lose focus and concentration. In fact delivering presentations is quite tricky in an everyday art form. However, with little patience and tips anyone can master in delivering effective presentations. Given below are some tips which will help you to deliver effective presentation.
1. PLAN AHEAD
You may well be the master of delivering effective presentation but a discerning audience is always there to tell if a speaker is unprepared. You may be the subject matter expert on the topic but it is always a wise decision for you to invest some extra time in researching new trends, studying notes or psyching one's self up. You must keep in mind that every audience is different and so you must be approached differently. The more comprehensive your planning process is, the better would be for you to talk.
2. PRACTICE
You must always remember that practice is the greatest of all effective presentation tips. No matter how simple the presentation is, it is important that the speaker stays confident by troubleshooting problem areas as early as rehearsal. You must always keep in mind that your visual aids are simply accompaniments. However, at the end of the day it is still all about how and what is your delivering speech is.
3. PREPARE BACK-UP
Now a day’s technology is a blessing or a bane. In order to be safe, you always have back-up soft copies of your talk on a separate flash drive or CD, just in case the one you have doesn't work. It would be much better if you prepare printed copies of your visual presentation so that you would still be able to go on in spite of technical problems. However, the best thing really is to test every equipment as early as the night before the presentation.
4. IMAGE IS IMPORTANT
While delivering an effective presentation tips must always include a section on image and branding. You must dress properly and appropriately for your presentation. It is okay if you are slightly overdressed compared to your listeners. As a presenter, you are expected to be the more credible person, so the more polished and professional you look, it would be the better one.
5. MIND YOUR BODY LANGUAGE
Body language should be in the effective presentation tips you should keep in mind. You must maintain eye contact, as people will trust you more if you look at them straight in the eye. You must be aware of gestures and facial expressions that contradict the message you are delivering. You should not slouch and always stand and sit upright.
6. MODULATE YOUR VOICE AND PACING
In order delivering effective presentation voice is as important as your appearance. You must speak clearly. It should not be too fast or not too slow, not too loud, not too gentle. Your voice should not be monotonous. You must go for a conversational rhythm with enough pauses for your audience to ask questions and clarify their doubts properly.
7. DON'T MEMORIZE YOUR SPEECH
You must make a list of effective presentation tips which are unanimous. You should never present as if you are reciting a piece memorized word for word. You must bring notes instead and let keywords serve as your recall aids. While there are parts that are advisable to be memorized, like your introduction and closing, it is simply ridiculous to memorize the entire thing. If you get lost in a purely memorized speech then it would be quite difficult for you to get back on track.
8. USE QUOTABLE QUOTES
You must use quotes. Using quotes from famous people adds credibility to your presentation. It would be nice to include at least one quote per chapter of the presentation. While delivering an effective speech, the quotes can also be an ice breaker. You can even pause your speech and ask the audience if they agree with the quoted words or not.
9. INSERT STORIES
People prefer anecdotes, jokes or trivias in the good presentation. In order to better illustrate your point, you can even tell a real life example or a human interest. Stories may or may not be personal, but they should always be related to the subject on which you are delivering your presentation.
10. SPEAK MORE OFTEN
You can even talk to strangers and start small talks. They may not be as formal as a presentation, but they will definitely help you gain the confidence and practice necessary to becoming a better public speaker.
Lastly, you must always keep in mind that in order to capture your audience's attention, you must present your information with ease and confidence. You should act as if you are in a conversation with your audience and they will pay attention to you. If you are able to acquire to get this level of fluency, write an engaging narrative, and use more visuals than text in your slides then you are on the urge of becoming an expert in delivering an effective presentation.