A successful presentation requires not only good presentation skills but also effective presentation techniques. In today’s professional landscape, one should keep enhancing one's ability to communicate in an effective and persuasive way. For sure, the content is important, but how one presents it plays a key role as well. So, whether you are an experienced presenter or just a beginner, below are some of the ideas to stand out in your presentation.
There is a recipe for making a good presentation from expert presenters around the globe, which will help you to take your presentation from good to great. Here, we have bought advice from a wide range of people from many fields, the aim is to cover a whole range of areas. Refer to the tips that are mentioned and discussed likely:-
Focus on Your Audience
While creating your presentation, make sure that you are aware of what the audience needs, is eager about, and what you want to tell them about. While presenting your topic, make sure that you are focused on your audience's response and react accordingly.
Reflect Your Passion
Do not bore the audience by telling them about the topic like a teacher, but as a presenter, tell them what made you choose such a topic. And the best way to do that is by letting your passion shine through. Be enthusiastic and welcome the audience's honest opinions.
Core Message Must Be Clear
While working on your presentation, make sure you ask questions like
What is the core message that you want to deliver? And which should be understood by the audience in 30 30-second elevator summary,or one can write 15 words on the back of the business card, and it should be precise enough. Whichever rule you opt for, your message should be short and brief.
Make Eye Contact and Smile
It is super easy, but not all the presenters do it. So, if you smile and make eye contact with your subject (audience), then you are building a rapport. It helps to connect with you and your topic as well. Because you are speaking to specific people rather than a large group of strangers, it also makes you feel less anxious. To assist you in this, be careful not to dim all of the lights until only the slide screen is visible. Both you and your slides must be visible to your audience.
If You Have Forgotten
When one is giving a presentation, it becomes obvious that one can forget their lines or the example. In that situation, do not be blank but fill in with something else. Or one can simply joke about it by saying, “too many beautiful audience give me obvious reasons to forget my lines”.
Start Strong
It's one of the most important things for making an effective presentation techniques. Know that the beginning of your PPT should be strong and crucial. You must draw in and sustain the curiosity of your audience. They will allow you to amuse them for a few minutes before they begin to turn off if you are uninteresting. Therefore, don't waste that time introducing yourself. First, amuse them.
1. Have No Distractions
Like some people have this habit of using aids in their presentation, for instance, one may need to use laser pointers to point on the screen, or you might use a pen to take notes on a flipchart. And then to avoid distractions, get into the habit of putting down the tools that you don’t need. In this way, you will not be tempted to deal with them in the very first place. Also, with this habit, your hands will be free for gestures.
2. Use Facial Expressions and Gestures
Using appropriate gestures is really important to get your message across. Like there are certain things to do, like avoid crossed arms, put hands behind yor back, or in your pocket while giving a presentation. Stand straight and do not show that you are nervous or tense. Presentation body language is really important to know about. One can even smartly use their hands and arms to emphasize what they are saying to get their message across to their audience.
Do not forget to smile, but not too much, just to show that you like the topic and are confident in the information that you are sharing.
3. Effective Beginning and End
You should get your presentation off to a great start in order to accomplish that. According to numerous studies, there's a significant likelihood that someone will pay attention to the remainder of the presentation if you can grab their attention right away. Use a quote, a video, a personal tale, a joke, or shock the audience by asking them to visualize something or consider a hypothetical scenario. A summary of the presentation's duration and format should also be included. In order to consistently allocate the various elements to an outline point, this outline should be used throughout your presentation. Having a condensed version of the outline visible during the presentation is also beneficial to your audience.
Also, the ending is as important as the beginning of the presentation. Keep in mind that a weak ending will leave the audience unmotivated to listen to you again. Like, in Business presentation skills one needs to add a call to action, end of the presentation with a memorable quote or a personal story, and do not forget to thank and acknowledge the audience.
4. Speech and presentation delivery
Speak freely, that is the headline should be able to speak for itself. And if you are not sure of what you are presenting, then the audience will not find the dotted connections. Speech and presentation delivery need to be fine and well sequenced within the whole topic of the presentation. Be mindful that there should not be long text but only short and bullet points.
However, if you want to use note cards during the presentation, then it suggests that the presenter memorize the introduction and end of the presentation. Most importantly, eye contact is crucial during the whole presentation.
5 .Use types of Media
A presentation can easily become tedious and dull. It is advised to employ a variety of media to prevent this. For instance, use the whiteboard, present something useful on a model, or mix flipcharts and videos. Your audience will pay much more attention as a result, and it will help you keep them interested to the finish.
6. Take Deep breaths
Stage fright is one of the many fears that might demotivate you. Take deep breaths, do not fight it —take it easy. In other words, do not let your stage fright get you all worked up, and you end up being nervous. Deep breaths will help you let oxygen to your brain and relax your body.
7. Right angle during a Presentation
There are many doubts that come into the mind of the presenter about where he/she has to stand for addressing the audience. Let’s discuss certain situations like:
8. When you have a free stage without any podium
Here, you will be facing your audience in a large free space with no podium to stand on. However, this enables one to have a lot of space to move around, but at the same time, it creates uncertainty as the presenter does not know where to stand. And do not stand in front of the audience as this is considered a negative gesture by the audience. Frontal attack is what the audience generally perceives it to be, and can also cause stress in the audience.
Solution
Stand slightly to the side of the audience, and if by chance you have moved in front of the audience, then move 20 cm forward.
The tips discussed can help you deliver a healthy and good presentation to your audience. However, the right combination of the tips will lead you to have a successful presentation. But also remember that too many tips can lead the presentation to appear like a rehearsed one. For this reason, consider carefully what you want to focus on in advance.
Key takeaway
“When you can do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will commend the attention of the world”.
-George Washington
A good presentation needs the ingredients rightfully placed and cooked properly. In simple words, make sure that you know the right methodology and apply the needful tips, as it depends on the topic of the presentation as well. Just be confident with your presentation, and the rest you have already won by being confident.