Presenting ideas, products and information is an integral part of being in business. Whether you are trying to convince the boss to give you a raise; nudge your customer into buying the latest shiny product the company makes; or pry venture capital lose from an angel investor – you need presentation skills.
If you are like most people, you hate speaking in public – avoid it like a plague and feel you aren’t good at it. Some people actually throw up when preparing to speak in public. A little stress is good – it keeps us on our toes and makes us sharp, but too much will prevent us from functioning.
While I was working, I was called upon to do a lot of presentations – to bosses, clients, staff members as employees. The below worked for me. I hope it will for you as well.
Here are some thoughts on how to prepare to deliver your presentation. See How to Design an Effective Presentation for suggestions on writing your material.
Add visual and other elements to your presentation.
Don’t just use slides. Use what fits your purpose. Maybe you write on flip chart paper and hang it around the room as you get suggestions from your audience. Maybe you project an interactive internet web page as you talk through one of your points. Maybe you have a life sized cut out of the product you are selling. Use what makes sense for your purpose and for the circumstances of your presentation.
Practice with your elements. Talk to your audience as you present them, not to the visual element or object.
Know what helps you deliver your presentation.
No one enjoys sitting through a dry presentation with no interaction, color, movement or expression. No one enjoys listening to a monotone voice droning on and on in a voice that can barely be heard. Here are things that will help liven up your presentation.
Make eye contact – but don’t drill Sargent anyone in your audience. About 3 – 5 seconds is long enough for the person you are contacting to see you and short enough so they don’t feel picked on.
Look around the room at individual people to see if they are understanding, hearing, agreeing with or have questions (and to find anyone sleeping!!). Vary your delivery based on what you are seeing using some of the other methods below.
Expressions – let your humanity shine through. Smile at your audience, relax your face, reflect what you are saying, show your enthusiasm for your subject.
Movement – make gestures and move.
Practice useful hand and arm gestures so they feel natural to you when you deliver. Don’t use the same gesture over and over, use them to punctuate your points. Keep elbows away from the body and use expansive above the waist movements.
Stride into and out of the area with confidence, show you are in control of your presentation. When you have an important point, move around the room. Stop and pause after very important points. If you think folks will have trouble hearing you, walk around the audience, but watch distance so you don’t invade personal space. Don’t pace or jerk around. Be cool. If you see someone who appears to be sleeping, move towards them and speak a bit louder or vary your speech tone – but don’t point out that they are asleep or try to poke them to wake them up – unless that fits your audience and circumstance.
Appearance – dress appropriately and neatly for the occasion – be a tiny bit better dressed than your audience might be. This will give you more confidence than if you feel under dressed. Stand tall and don’t hide behind the podium.
Voice – create variety by altering the rate, pitch, diction, projection and tempo of your voice. Make sure everyone can hear you but don’t shout through the entire presentation. Lowering or softening your voice can create emphasis and make the audience listen harder. Vary the rate at which you speak, slowing down for your important points. Speak clearly – pronounce words distinctly so that the audience understands each word.
Pauses and silence – pause once in awhile. Wait for questions, understanding or emphasize a point with your silence. Make eye contact during the silence!
Prepare presentation notes.
Know your material, but do prepare numbered, large print, cheat sheet notes to use if needed. Practice with them. But also practice without them. Sometimes an audience will be so interactive that you get off topic and lose track of where you are or what you wanted to say next, so having notes with you is a form of insurance that you will meet your purpose.
Practice and receive coaching on your presentation delivery.
You can practice under your breath, in your car, in front of your mirror, out loud, in front of a coach, in front of your spouse, into a recorder, in the room where you will deliver. Practice many times. Know your material. Let your body learn the moves it needs to make (voice, walking, gestures, expressions) with each point. Don’t just practice the words, practice the whole deal.
If you have enlisted a coach, ask them specific questions about your design as well as your delivery – to make it easy for them to give you the feedback you need. Ask them “Do you know what my purpose is?” “ Should I walk around the room at this point?” “Was that particular pause effective?” Do something different if you agree on their feedback. Don’t get defensive or dejected.
Learn how to deal with presentation anxiety before you present.
A bit of stress is good for you – it gets you moving, causes you to practice and try your best. Too much can ruin your presentation. Practice controlling your stress by thinking of it as an aid to success; by remembering the audience is on your side; by visualizing a successful speech. Practice relaxation techniques such as physically stretching, moving the muscles of your face and jaw around, and breathing deeply.
Summary
An effective delivery of a presentation doesn’t just magically happen, you need to prepare for it and practice prior to delivery.
Preparing the appropriate props and practicing with them; knowing the elements – such as eye contact, movement, gestures, voice, expression, appearance and use of silence will allow you to practice and use them when you do deliver your presentation.
Having notes, receiving and using coaching and learning how to deal with stress before you deliver will help you achieve success.
How do you prepare for a speech or presentation? Do you use any of the tips above? What other suggestions do you have?
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That’s a good point about not drill sergeant-ing anyone. I was at a presentation once where the speaker did exactly that, and it clearly made a few people uncomfortable.
Jackie – thanks for the concurrence. I’ve had people do this to me in one on one converstaions as well. I guess they think it gives them an edge but it just makes me stop listening.
These are good tips. My wife and I can use them in our business when calling on clients.
Andy,
Thanks. Always tailor to your particular situation!
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