Hot tips to “jump start” your presentation

Meet the people

Make your audience feel welcome as they arrive. Smile, make introductions, say a few words about yourself and ask some questions. Offer some refreshments. This technique helps break ice, calm your nerves, build a relationship, initiate dialogue and create interaction. It is good for presentations to small groups.

What’s in it for me? (WIIFM)

Address the audience’s needs and concerns by telling them what benefits they will gain from listening to your presentation and use the word “you” when you do this. This technique helps you focus on the needs of your audience, focus on benefits and not features, create desire and anticipation, raise expectations and build rapport. It is good for sales pitches or presentations where you need to persuade or convince.

Enrolment questions

Question the audience directly and get them to respond to you by answering “yes” or “no” or by raising hands. This technique helps you focus the audience on the subject, generate an interactive relationship, create dialogue and build interest. It is good for small to medium-sized audience.

Quotations

Find something original or exciting in newspapers, magazines, books, in-house literature, press releases or on the Internet. Make it clear that you are using somebody else’s words. This technique helps you give another voice, build credibility and create interest. It is good for all types of presentation shocking statement or starting statistic.

Say something which is short and simple but unusual, surprising and / or provocative. Clarify your source. This technique helps you get a high level of attention with a shock effect and give another voice. It is good for most presentations but take care the shock effect does not alienate the audience.

Expert testimony or historical evidence

Give objective evidence or facts from an authoritative source. This technique helps you give another voice, be convincing and build credibility.

Question and answer

Ask something and then go on to answer it yourself. This technique helps you raise expectations, engage the audience in problem-solving thinking and make the audience want to see “what’s on the next page”. It is good for presenting recommendations or solutions.

Summarized all that has just been said the introduction can be divided in 7 points:

Checklist for introductions Welcome the audience. Introduce yourself (name, position, functions). State your topic. Explain why your topic is important for the audience. Outline the structure of your talk. “What comes when” say when you’ll be dealing with each point. Let the audience know how you’re organizing the presentation (handouts, questions, etc.).

Dealing with nervousness

The American author Mark Twain once put it like this: “There are two types of people: those that are nervous and those that are liars”. So, once you accept that almost everybody who gives a presentation – whether formal or informal, long or short, to strangers or colleagues – is nervous, then, you just need to find ways to deal with nervousness and even learn how to use it to your advantage. Let’s first look at the ways to deal with and reduce nervousness.

Prepare well

“Failing to prepare is preparing to fail”. Preparation is the key to a successful presentation. Nothing will relax you more than knowing exactly what you want to say and having practiced saying it. Make sure you practise your talk until you feel at home with it – then you can concentrate on other things.

Learn to relax

Doing stretching or breathing exercises before your talk can help you to reduce nervousness. One example: before your presentation, sit comfortably with your back straight. Breathe in slowly, hold your breath for about five seconds, then slowly exhale. You can relax your facial muscles by opening your eyes and mouth wide, then closing tightly.

Check out the room

Make yourself familiar with the place where you will be speaking. Arrive early, walk about the room, and make sure everything you need for your talk is there. Practise using only equipment (e.g. microphone, video projector) you plan to work with.

Know your audience. If possible greet your audience as they arrive and chat with them. It will be easier to speak to people who are not complete strangers.

Concentrate on the message

Try to focus on the message and you audience – not on your own fears.