Often when told one must give a presentation, they are immediately engulfed in a feeling of fear. They might feel that they will get through the presentation, but could be fumbling and stumbling the whole way; they just want it to be over. Wondering whether or not presentations are engaging and enjoyable for the audience can be intimidating and time consuming. Some secrets on how to give a great presentation will help with all of these concerns and really make a presentation less stressful and leave a lasting impression on the audience.
1. Take a Few Deep Breaths
Before presenting, take a few deep breaths. This sounds cliché but can really be a way to relax. Stress and anxiety will cause breathing to speed up, so focus on slowing down breaths. If anxiety has built up before presenting you may present at the same speed that you are breathing: fast! This can take away from a presentation because the audience may not even understand what is being said because of the pace that words are being thrown at them.
2. Engage the Audience
Right at the beginning of the presentation the audience must be engaged, whether it is through laughter, curiosity, or any other emotion that can be evoked. Using quotes, jokes, or funny stories can be effective. Either way, you simply need to get the audience paying attention. If a presentation starts out boring an audience may feel that they do not have much to look forward to and tune out.
3. Get Comfy
Be comfortable with your speech and practice it many times before the actual speech date. Practice it in front of others and make sure that the people you practice with will be honest with feedback. The feedback you can gain from straightforward peers can be invaluable. The confidence you can gain from the feedback comes across when presenting. You should also want to be comfortable with your speech because in the passion of the moment you may drift off in a tangent you were not expecting. That is the beauty of presenting—things happen, you just have to roll with the punches.
4. Bring Materials
Pamphlets and information to give your audience will help them follow along with your presentation. Making everything visually appealing is a huge key as well as keeping things short and sweet. Pamphlets and handouts should be to the point and in big font, bright colors and easy to read. Other things to give out that can be enjoyable are little gifts such as reusable water bottles, stickers, bags, lip balm and things of the like. Taking a token away that is useful can leave the audience members in a good state of mind after the presentation.
5. Be Passionate
Speak with passion in your voice. Keep the audience excited and never speak in a monotone voice. Even if you think you sound ridiculous, you probably do not, and the more excitement you can portray, the better it is. Move about and do not just stick in one place. You may get more comfortable with the presentation as it goes along if you are moving and not being stagnant.
6. Stand Out
Make something unique. Your presentation should not be typical and mundane. Do a demonstration; play a game with the audience; sing a song; whatever it may be, do something that will set you apart. Make the audience walk away thinking that the presentation was different in a good way.
7. Make Your Purpose Known
Make your presentation important. The message should shine through and should not be lost in translation with a lot of words. The audience needs to have learned something or gained some sort of information from the presentation.
Fear no more! Presentations can be approached handedly with a few simple secrets. Slow down, stand out and get your audience excited. All of these things are easy enough and can make a huge impact on the quality of presentation. Get out there and make a mark on an audience!
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This article was written by Taylor Thomas. Taylor is currently a student at Rollins College of Business in Orlando, FL. She has taken an interest into technology and personal development. Due to this, she has become a freelance writer for Find A Fax – which provides small businesses with solutions that fit their needs for certain technology. You can connect with Taylor on Google+
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