PRESENTATION SKILLS

I reminisce of having a presentation on the topic "Leadership skills" during my college. And I prepared well before and guess what, on the day of presentation, I was the star. My presentation went on well and my Professor was very happy with me. And a friend of mine asked how the presentation went on so well. And ofcourse my answer was Practice! But it is not just about practice but there is something more to it. And the 'something more' are few simple yet very important things you need to master which are explained below. 

Presentation is a medium of communication for various situations, such as discussion with a group/team, for an executive meeting or even as a tool for explaining to colleagues or as a teaching aid. Presentation is basically needed to acquaint someone with your message or opinion. Getting your message across clearly and effectively is a skill. And this decade demands presentation skills. Whether you are an executive, director or student, if you want to be an entrepreneur or contest a college or political elections, you may be asked to make a presentation. Presentation skills are inter-related to public speaking. Ironically, public speaking is a skill needed to excel in any field. And the funny fact is, Public speaking is ranked among the top five phobias. Yes! Among the TOP FIVE!!

You may need to give a presentation for an interview or may be for a conference, or for a seminar or speech. The situation can arrive at any moment. And it can be a disconcerting task…

And the question is- Why to give a presentation that is anything less than magnetic?? No point, right?

There are few points you need to keep in mind when giving a presentation {only keep this in mind if you are looking forward to give a zestful presentation :p  }

     CONTENT

• You are not required to include every detail. Identify few key points and include them.
• Gather 100% content. Add 10% to your slides and use the remaining 90% for explanation and questionnaire session.
• Capture your audience attention as soon as you begin. And also end strongly. Assure yourself that your message has been delivered abruptly.
• Use examples wherever possible. People understand better when you relate your content to examples.
• Try and add a bit humour to engage your audience. The more you entertain them, the more attentive they are. You can add humour by adding abrupt funny slides. But try not to divert much from your original topic.

DELIVERY

• The attention span of an average adult is four-eight seconds and so don’t dwell on a specific subject for too long.
• Ask questions to keep your audience engaged. It can be as simple as asking if your audience have understood everything you have presented so far.
• Avoid speaking softly or in a very high tone. If your tone makes you look unconfident, try to work on it. It takes practice to change your voice modulation.
• Avoid usage, Umm, of fillers, Uh. Yes! Avoid it and again this can be done only through practice.
• Avoid using negative words like don’t. Do not tell your audience don’t worry, instead tell them why they need not worry. Try to be positive enough so that your vibes make you feel confident.
• Practice being confident.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

AUDIENCE   

• Keep your audience in mind and you will notice a drastic change. Determine their expectations from the presentation. 
• You cannot bombard 4 grade students with a heavy presentation.
• You need to bow down to the audience level and bring them above with you through the presentation.  

   

     BODY LANGUAGE 

• Stand at a comfortable distance and position. And that does not mean yyou can lean on the table. NO! You want to be perceived as a confident person and not  someone with a casual approach.
• Maintain eye contact with your audience. Rather than surfing through them, maintain eye contact with one person at a time.
•  Keep your shoulders back and smile genuinely. You can walk around the audience when needed and make use of gestures. Make your movement purposeful.

Presenting doesn’t have to be terrible or something you avoid. To present your ideas clearly, confidently, engagingly and purposefully, you need to practice. Practice well and be confident about your ability to present your ideas/opinions.

You need to go through your presentations well before hand. You might be the most confident speaker, yet you need to go through it 2-3 times.

P.S. – The above tips have been given, keeping in mind, that you already know to make a good presentation.

Remember: - "All the great speakers were bad speakers at first"                                                                                                                             - Ralph Waldo Emerson