It is claimed that some people fear giving a presentation more than death.
Now in many respects this is crazy. A presentation really isn’t life or death. More of a slightly more presssurised communication.
So what are my top tips for delivering a great presentation?
- Be clear about what you want to achieve as a result of your presentation – start with the end in mind. Know what you want to happen as a result of your presentation.
- Know your audience, their level of knowledge and level of interest and any preferences that they have. Also remember what I refer to as the “Golden Rule”. What’s the Golden Rule? The more senior people are the shorter your presentation needs to be.
- Brainstorm a long list of potential content. All of the things that you could potentially cover in your presentation. Do this on paper and don’t hold back.
- Shorten your list of content to focus on those areas that are going to help you achieve the result you want. Remember you will always have more content than you have time.
- Focus on your opening and your first few lines. Most presenters will tell you to avoid learning your presentation word for word. Many will suggest you memorise your opening line.
- Have the meat of the presentation in the middle. This is where you have the detail.
- Have a short closing and clear call to action on what you want people to do next. Remember to thank your audience for their attention too.
If you are looking for more, check out my free course on Being an Effective Presenter on Udemy