Tips for improved presentations and public speaking
Top tips – Presentations
Published by Business Link on 27 July, 2011 in HR & People Development and Top Tips
Ten tips for more effective presentations and more confident public speaking.
Know your stuff
A confident speaker knows his content inside out. There’s no substitute for adequate preparation.
Know your audience
A HBR Blogs article offers its number one rule, “Know thy audience”, adding that “the really interesting things to know about audience members are, what do they fear? What are their dreams? Where do they want to be led? And what have they had recent cause to like or dislike? Only once you understand the emotional state of the audience are you ready to begin to design a presentation for them.”
Focus on one key message
“Many studies show that we only remember a small percentage of what we hear – somewhere between 10-30 percent”, says HBR Blogs; “Against this dismal human truth there is only one defense: focus your presentation on a single idea.” A commenter on HBR’s article adds: “On the one point: Repeat it three times. At the beginning ‘Tell em what you are going to tell em’. Then at the appropriate point in the presentation ‘Tell em!’. As you wrap up at the conclusion ‘Tell em what you have told em’.
Tell a story
Most presentations aim to ‘sell’ an idea, and key to marketing is telling a compelling story. So for example, a presentation may begin by outlining the problems or challenges at hand, the middle expresses your ideas for overcoming these challenges, and the end paints a triumphant vision of resulting success.
Keep slides simple and clear
Guy Kawasaki offers the ‘10-20-30 rule’ which states that a presentation “should have ten slides, last no more than twenty minutes, and contain no font smaller than thirty points”. Whether or not you adhere to a rigid formula, try to ensure slides clearly display only the most important or noteworthy points.
Rehearse
Rehearse once or twice, on your own or with an audience, to highlight points that need clarifying or shortening. But don’t overdo it – rehearsing too much could make your presentation sound unnatural.
Avoid reading
If possible, avoid reading from a script or regurgitating what’s on your slides. It’s useful to take cues from slides, but consider them the ‘headlines’, and make sure what you say ‘adds value’ or ‘colour’.
Be personal and engaging
Injecting your personality into presentations may help people to feel engaged. You may do this with an occasional joke or entertaining slide, or a relevant anecdote, analogy or story that supports or illustrates specific points. This also prompts you to smile, which in itself is important to engaging with people.
Interact with your audience
Make eye contact with people, and rather than singling out one or two individuals, engage with as many eyes as possible. Moving around may help to connect with more people. Another way to interact with your audience is to ask them questions at appropriate points in your presentation.
Stimulate your ‘go’ system
Some psychologists think that people have a ‘stop system’ which makes us avoid things we fear, and a ‘go system’ which encourages us to approach fears head on. Psychology Today advises: “The best way to over-ride your Stop System on speech-making day is to stimulate your Go System. To do this, do something – anything – that makes you feel “up” and excited.” Exercise, or listening to your favourite song, are just a couple of examples which could perk you up and increase your confidence.
