7 Tips for giving Effective Presentations
- Have a strong opening
You only get one chance to make a first impression. The audience will be paying most attention to you at the beginning of your talk, so it makes sense that you make your opening strong. Some ways to do this include – asking your audience a question, telling a story or give an interesting fact. Whatever you do, make it memorable, don’t just go through what your talk will be about, like everyone else does. If people’s attentions aren’t grabbed at the start, they never will be.
- You are the most important visual aid
We have all been to presentations where the speaker just reads of each of their presentation slides in turn. This often leads to unengaging, average presentations. Instead of relying on your PowerPoint and notes, make use of yourself – find ways to make sure that people’s eyes are on you.
- Know when to stop talking
Many presenters speak very quickly when presenting – a fact made worse because they are nervous. The faster you speak, the less people will take on board. So slow down. The larger the audience, the slower you should speak. The easiest way to do this is by taking control of when you don’t talk. A well-timed pause can add impact to what you say when you are talking.
- Ask questions
People are unable to pay attention all the time for very long. Unless you are a really inspirational speaker, people’s minds will go on to other things if you are not careful. One way to avoid this is to ask the audience direct questions from time to time during your talk. If someone asks you a question, your mind automatically starts to think of an answer (even if they don’t know the answer), thereby engaging your mind with speaker automatically.
- Be aware of what your body is doing
If most people’s eyes are on you, it’s important that you are aware of what your body is doing. For example if your eyes and head are looking down then you are not engaging with your audience. If you are constantly moving around, arms waving in the air, it can be distracting. However if you look straight at your audience, with open body language, you are more likely to get your message across. People also listen with their eyes.
- Back up what you say with facts and figures
Nothing gives your arguments more strength than providing data to support them. Back up your arguments with some key facts (but not too many) and you are more likely to have your ideas accepted. Just make sure that the facts are true.
- Have a strong closing
Your closing remarks are your last chance to give your audience something to take home that will stay in their minds, so you’d better work on making it memorable. You can do this by appealing to the audience’s heart (a moving message); their minds (a wise end) or give a call to action.