Giving Presentations That Get Results
Posted: Thursday, July 10, 2008
by Sylvia Modu
Inspirational Seminars
Top10 tips for giving a Presentation
1 Why am I giving this presentation?
This might sound simple but is not as simple as it seems. Many people, when faced with having to give a presentation, grab their laptop and march off to ‘do' their presentation. It's one that they have done many times before and they plan to ‘do' it in the same way they have always done it. You wouldn't do this, would you?
2 Get Ready
Try to write your presentation yourself. Do your slides later not now. Imagine you are standing in front of your audience, what do you want to say and how will you say it? Think it through and write it down as you would like to say it. This will show you the complete picture and help you bridge any gaps in the logic of your argument. Plus it begins the process of helping you to remember. From this you can create your ‘speaker notes' as well as relevant slides.
Get to know as much as you can about your audience: who's going to be there, what they want to know, how much do they know already and so on. Then try to get to the venue before your audience (even if it's your client's premises) so you can set up and be happy that all equipment is working ok. This also gives you much more control as you will be the one welcoming everyone as they enter the room!
3 Talk To People
Remember you have people in front of you and their circumstances concern them. So talk about their circumstances or problems and show them how your solutions will help them. Always use ‘You' and ‘Your'. So instead of saying "our customers will benefit, say "you will benefit".
4 Believe What You Say
If you first buy your idea, plan or service, others will buy it from you. This means that you need to believe in your subject enough to be able to deliver your presentation with some enthusiasm. Most people do believe in their subjects or they probably wouldn't be working for their company.
But when they stand to give a presentation they lack passion and might as well be talking about the weather. Speak from your heart. You do not have to be emotional to do this. Simply say what you mean and mean what you say. In Tip 8, I mention standing well and not distracting your audience with too much unnecessary movement. But really and truly, if you are speaking from the heart; if you believe what you are saying, people will not leave your presence muttering ‘did you see how he moved around?' Trust me – they won't!
5 Like Your Audience
We all like people to like us don't we? Have you found that all business transactions run much more smoothly if the people concerned ‘get on well' with each other? It's that old rapport thing again. Some people will say that building rapport is not about liking people. I say the opposite. It is about liking people! So you say ‘I can't like people en mass', or ‘well, what if I just don't like them/him/her anyway?'
Here's a simple trick you can use. As people are entering the room or as you look around at members of your audience, try to imagine that each person represents a member of your family – one that you love, of course! According to looks and age, give them a family title like aunt, uncle, cousin, mother, brother, grumpy granddad and so on. You will be surprised how much warmer you will feel towards individuals; how easily you can build rapport and by the way, it is the very best trick in the book on how to overcome nervous tension. Remember you heard it here first folks!
6 Speak Up, please
This might seem really obvious but it must be said. One of the most irritating aspects of my job as a presentation skills coach is sitting at the back of the room listening to and taping a presentation, and missing quite a lot of the speakers' words because they seem to slur from one word to the next. And they are not always drunk either.
When in front of an audience, after how you look, people start to listen to how you sound. If you speak too slowly or too fast or if you are unclear either in what you say or how you are saying it, you will be judged! Or they will switch off. Either way you are doomed don't you think? So clean consonants and clear vowels…please.
7 Look ‘em in the eye
And you can't do that if you are looking at the screen the whole time! In Western culture we like eye contact. We think people are a bit shifty if they can't ‘look us in the eye'. You want people to believe you don't you? Well they won't if you are not making meaningful eye contact for at least two thirds of the time you are in front of them. And eye contact helps you to build rapport, by the way. And it says you are comfortable with the job in hand.
Make sure you look at everyone – including grumpy granddad! And don't stare at one individual just because the person is your ‘mum' character ok? Yes, I know she's smiling at you and nodding her head in agreement with you; but the truth is that others will feel left out. So I say again, look at everyone.
8 Control Yourself
Earlier I mentioned that when your audience first sees you, they look at how you look. This is well documented so you need to pay some attention to what they see. What would you like them to see? Someone who looks professional? Someone who looks confident? Someone in control? Yes.
Your mannerisms will speak books about you so here's what you must do. Stand well. This means no slouching. Stand firmly in your place only moving when you want to as unnecessary movement will distract your audience. Take a look at the professionals on your television screen like the weather people and newscasters (who must stand to read the news these days!) and you will see that never shuffle around. And while we are on the subject, appropriate dress is the order of the day. Sorry? What is appropriate dress? Well if members of your audience are wearing jeans, don't wear your best designer suit ok? And smile, by the way.
9 Open and Shut
Properly please. ‘Today I want to talk to you about…' is not a good opening so please don't use it. Think of something like ‘when we met last month, you were kind enough to tell us of your requirements…' See how much better that is?
And when you close, avoid finishing with ‘any questions?' And it's really not on for you to put that question on a slide – I beg you not to do this. Please. Even worse that putting that question up in lights, is just the question mark – Yuk! Listen to what this type of Closing says to your audience: ‘I have been derelict in my duty to prepare a really memorable close so I shall resort to a bad one instead with this real wimp of a question. I hope (kind audience) that you didn't notice'. So don't use it. Instead look for something like: ‘let's remind ourselves of the benefits to you…' Or, ‘so what have we said, so far?' And then itemise the benefits, or what you've' said so far.
10 Wag your own tail
Tails do not wag dogs, dogs wag tails. If you let PowerPoint take over from you to such an extent that you couldn't do your presentation without it, I am afraid it is a case of the tail wagging the dog. In Tip 2, I suggested you should write your presentation as you would like to say it. If you do this you will find it much easier to create slides.
Here are the rules: If you can show the real thing – do. If you can't but can show a model – do – especially if you need to show people how something works. If you can't, then show a picture and if it is not possible, then by all means use word but make them few and interesting. Remember, when it comes to slides, what your audience wants is instant understanding.
Good luck!
Sylvia Modu is a professional presentation skills, assertiveness and confidence trainer with more than 20 years of globe trotting to train executives and employees from the likes of Microsoft, Shell, Barclays, Dow Corning, Philip Morris, RBS, HBOS and many many others.
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Well written and well thought out advice. Presentations are an everyday occurance in the business world and having true knowledge about your subject is only the beginning--knowing your audience and getting your point across is just as important. Thanks for the great suggestions and advice. Sandra.Thank you Sandra,
I like to feel I know a little about my area as I started professionally in 1986 for Tack International as a course writer and presenter quite late in my career.
You sound as if you have some experience in presentation work with your book writing and promotion. So, its not just the business world that needs good speakers. In Church, at a Club, a PTA Meeting, in fact anywhere that speaking to a group is needed. To shine here is seen as success, authority and maybe a little "power".
So important in our society today. And thank you again for being my "first fan", I hope you can let a few others know about my 10 tips. I will be writing some more articles soon.
S
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