Ten Tips for a good presentation

Struggling to prepare for an upcoming presentation? Use these ten top tips to wow your audience and make yours a pitch that they’ll never forget…

1. Open Effectively

Never underestimate the importance of a flying start. Your introduction will be your best opportunity to convince the audience that this will be a presentation they’ll not want to miss. So, ask yourself what kind of introduction would capture your attention if you were in the audience’s shoes.

A rhetorical question? A personal or company anecdote?  A brief and humorous outline of the show to come?

Whatever you choose, make sure it’s not an apology – this will serve only to weaken your influence as a host and lead speaker.

2. Counter the Fear

Some of the greatest speakers in history have suffered from stage fright at one point or another; presentation anxiety really is just an unfortunate fact of life. But while you’re not likely to be chastised for your nerves, the calmer you appear throughout your presentation, the more lucid and convincing you’ll be.

So breathe deep, think positive and remember: your audience wants you to succeed. If at all possible, you’ll also want to rehearse your presentation in real-time just before your audience arrives. This will help you to iron out any last-minute niggles, and bolt those mischievous nerve critters back in their closet.

3. Come Prepared

You never know when your computer, projector or microphone will decide to seize up, so it’s best to have a back-up plan. Since it isn’t exactly practical to haul a second set of apparatus to every presentation you give, bring along a batch of clear, concise notes and a series of handouts so that the show can go on if the techno-gremlins resolve to ruin your day.

Or, if you really want to play Bond, copy your presentation to your Smartphone and use a compatible mini-projector to show your audience that you’re determined your presentation be seen as you intended- come hell or high water.

4. Master Your Environment

Make sure you’re familiar with the projection room – its size, shape and illumination. Few things are more infuriating than being forced to crook one’s neck throughout a presentation because of poor positioning or lighting, so place your audience in such a way that they’re able to easily see you and the projection screen beside you.

Depending on the time of day, you should also prevent any unwanted sunshine from weakening your projection by completely sealing off the windows; curtains will serve better than blinds for this purpose.

And unless you’ll be wearing a microphone on the big day, you’d do well to ensure that you’ll be audible to every member of the audience before you start. Place a radio in the general area you’ll be standing, and set it to the approximate volume at which you expect to speak.

Then spend some time roving the floorspace to gauge the quality of sound in every nook and cranny. Some spaces carry sound better than others, so if you find that there’s an uncomfortable echo in certain sections of the room, you’ll want to adjust the seating arrangements accordingly.