Your appearance
Dress appropriately, look smart and feel confident. You know what they say, “look good, feel goodâ€. Get your beauty sleep the night before, it will put you in the right frame of mind and give you the energy you need to keep your audience engaged.
Visual aids
Keep your audience interested with some visual aids during the presentation. A presentation that simply lists what you are talking about without any imagery is far from stimulating. Research has proven that people respond best to visual cues, so you’d be mad not to use them! Not only can they support your presentation, but they help to break it up and take the pressure off you as the presenter.
Like with anything else, you’ll make a far greater impact by differentiating yourself. Consider different applications to use for your presentation; instead of using the trusty PowerPoint, try a more visual tool like Prezi. Prezi can be tricky at first, but mastering it definitely pays off with a more interactive and visually appealing approach.
Eye contact
Making eye contact is one of the most critical yet challenging elements of presenting. Maintaining eye contact with your audience through your presentation allows you to you connect with them more effectively and helps carry your voice throughout the room.
You know those cringe-worth presentations? We’ve all seen one before, where the presenter reads off their notes with their head down the entire time. Their voice doesn’t travel; this separates them from their audience and certainly does not engage them in anyway.
Interact with the audience
Factor in time to interact with the audience, encourage them to ask questions throughout the presentation. This will aid in keeping your audiences attention and allow their questions to be answered on the spot so they don’t forget them by the end.
Live workshops are an excellent way to increase participation amongst your audience. Allow your audience to bring their laptops or tablets so they can get involved and complete tasks during the presentation.
Preparation and practice
Last but not least, preparation is key. Ensure you are familiar with your notes and practice your presentation until you feel confident with both the content and your delivery. Practice in front of your employees, family or friends and ask them for feedback, so you can perfect your presentation.
By covering these 5 elements, you’ll be able to deliver a winning presentation.
With an interest in Marketing Communications from an early stage, I pursued my passion by completing a Bachelor of Business (majoring in Marketing). My position is Communications Coordinator for Belgrin- a creative communications agency in Sydney specialising in Design (digital & print), Web Development, PR & Social Media Management. My view is that, in this modern world of technology you need to be able to adapt to change. I embrace the challenge and it fuels me to thrive within the industry.
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Wendy Huang, Full Time Blogger and YouTuber at A Custom Blog in 4 Minutes
Thanks for these tips. They will sure come in handy. I particular love the point about visual cues! Can't get enough about them!
Maria Bellissimo-Magrin at Belgrin
Thanks for your comment Wendy, visual cues really are the underdog of presentations!