Whether you have recently completed a presentation training course or are preparing for your next big public speaking engagement, we all look for ideas and suggestions for delivering enthusiastic, engaging and entertaining presentations.
But this search can be harder than it sounds.
Fortunately, one of our expert tutors Tasneem Siddiqi, who has delivered presentation courses for more than a third of the top FTSE 100 companies, has some handy tips.
Prepare your presentation
Presentations aren’t easy to do. Public speaking ranks among the top five fears in the world and number 2 is death! American comedian, Jerry Seinfeld memorably said: “This means to the average person, if you go to a funeral, you're better off in the casket than doing the eulogy.”
I have seen this time and again in training – whether it is young graduates, starting at the bottom of a global multi-national company, or the CEO at the top, many fear having to give presentations - some just hide it better than others.
The only way to ensure success in a presentation is careful planning and preparation. Bullet points, mind maps and message preparation sheets will all help you to structure and plan your presentations effectively. Knowing that you have spent time thinking about what it is you went to say will help to build your confidence.
Always think carefully about your audience and your message. How can you make what you say relevant and interesting to them? What is the main point you want them to take away and how can you ensure you make it memorable? It is essential to think of ways to engage your audience and illustrate all your points with examples – a good anecdote, fact, or analogy, will help bring any message to life.
Finally, always try and second guess your audience and think about what might be going through their minds when they listen to you. Take time to consider what tricky questions they might ask and more importantly how will you answer them?
Pitch and Present
The key to any good presentation is not just what you say – though obviously that is important - but it is how you say it. Powerful body language and varying the pitch and tone of your voice will make all the difference to the way you deliver your presentation.
Panic attacks, nerves and trying to appear confident while looking white as a sheet, with clammy hands, and shaky voice – these are the sorts of anxiety issues that I regularly try to help people overcome. It is wonderful to see everyone grow in confidence and begin to deliver polished performances during a session but it is easy to lose that momentum once you leave the training environment. Your detailed preparation will help you to become familiar with your material and help to overcome any anxiety.
Always have a go at delivering your lines in front of a mirror – preferably a tall one – so you can see whether you are standing confidently and using your arms and hands to emphasize particular points. It does feel odd talking to yourself at first but it will get easier.
The more you become accustomed to speaking out loud and hearing yourselves back the easier it will be. Ask someone to video you on your mobile or tablet and play it back. Be constructive, not self conscious and critical. Do you think you are looking and sounding both professional and personable? Do you appear energetic and engaging and enthusiastic about your subject? Have you varied the pitch and tone of your voice? If you were the audience would you be interested and keep listening?
Practice, Practice, Practice
It is so important for you to keep practicing your presentation skills and don’t leave all that new-found knowledge on a shelf in your brain to dust down only when you need it. So remember to Practice, Practice, Practice, with colleagues, friends and family, even your dog – if it will listen.
Keep fine-tuning what it is you want to say until you have become really familiar with your material. The more you practice, the more confident you will become and the better you will therefore come across. People always think that they will start sounding over rehearsed if they practice too much. You won’t, if you present naturally, with energy and enthusiasm and actually sound interested in what you are talking about.
Practice really does make perfect – this motivating mantra is equally true for presentations and public speaking. Like any good athlete we need to keep our brain and muscle memory fine-tuned and always strive to make each performance better and better.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with over 30 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.
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