Giving presentations can be nerve-wracking.
Perhaps you suffer from social anxiety and have a fear of public speaking. Or maybe you need to demonstrate value with your presentation or impress someone in the room. Other times, it could be that there is a lot riding on the presentation you’re scheduled to make, which can add a lot of unnecessary pressure.
Regardless, in most cases you have no option but to go through it. Knowing that, it only makes sense to work on your presentation skills so that your presentations are good value for the attendees.
Effective presentation skills training can help you achieve that.
What else perfecting your presentation skills can do is help you eliminate public speaking jitters so that you don’t end up undoing all the good work or make embarrassing gaffes.
Why effective presentation skills training is worth it
The ability to make good presentations is a skill that can serve many in the professional world well. You don’t need to be a salesperson, keynote speaker or university professor to polish up your presentation skills.
Whether you work at a small company or in a large organisation, many roles in the modern business world – physical or virtual – require employees to know how to articulate themselves effectively. The same applies for independent consultants, entrepreneurs, business owners and even freelancers.
Presentation skills and public speaking go hand-in-hand, and while not often stated enough, they have a huge bearing on your professional success.
It is your speaking skills that will get you noticed in the right places (and rooms). It is your speaking skills that will be used to evaluate your leadership skills when opportunities to move higher up come. And it is your speaking abilities that will help you stand out, whether in a team setting and inside and outside the organisation or area of work.
And that can only work in your favour.
Speaking of leadership, for managers and business leaders, perfecting business presentation skills takes even more significance.
That’s because as a leader, your success will largely be pegged on your ability to motivate others and drive impactful decisions. If you cannot put your thoughts or vision across persuasively, even the most strategic ideas and decisions will be dead in the water.
As well, rallying the troops is part and parcel of leadership, and a lot of that hinges on your ability to inspire and motivate teams through speaking.
In the professional world, mastering presentation skills (which is an extension of public speaking) is one of the best things you can do. For the purposes of brevity, however, we will narrow this post down to how to make effective presentations in a bid to communicate your ideas better.
Common presentation challenges to be aware of
If you’ve been there before, you know prepping for a presentation comes with its worries.
Whether it’s concerns about whether you will make a good impression, how to get through to the audience effectively or how your message will be interpreted, one little tip I found works well is to identify the source of your worries or fears and address it the day of the presentation.
Remember, when it comes to presentations and public speaking in general, one of the best things you can do is to control what you can. That begins with addressing your fears or reservations.
Some of the common worries people have when it comes to giving presentations include:
Fear of public speaking
Speaking in front of people is a common fear many struggle with. You are not alone. That’s because you are putting yourself in a position of being judged by others, and that can make you feel vulnerable.
For individuals with social anxiety issues, the fear of public speaking can be debilitating. The good thing is that it is possible to work on controlling this fear, and a communication coach can be helpful in that regard.
This fear can rear its head when you have a presentation due. You probably have the best points or slides prepared, but the thought of having the spotlight cast on you makes your brain freeze and stomach uncomfortable.
The important thing at this point is to acknowledge this fear and try to centre yourself before the presentation. You can for example, try taking deep breaths, practise positive visualisation and rehearsing before the presentation to control nerves.
Related: How Fear Holds Us Back
Losing the audience attention
When making a presentation, you don’t want to rumble on and on without clear points. Or to see the audience absent-minded and wondering when you’re going to wrap it up.
Delivering effective presentations is about aiming to provide valuable information that makes everyone’s time worth it; sharing insights that improve the experience.
There is a reason PPT is called “powerpoint”. The idea is to share the best pieces of information and to ensure you emphasise those points in your slides. That’s how you get the audience to invest in what you’re going to share.
Distracting slides
One of the common mistakes many people make when preparing presentations is to stack slides with unnecessary content. This accentuates the point we made about having “power points”. You don’t want to lose your audience's attention or leave the attendees confused. Or yawning.
I know, there is plenty you want to throw in. However, slides should not only contain the key talking points, but also carry limited text. Providing highlights supported by solid points is a sure way to have everyone’s attention without overwhelming them with TMI or distracting them with the content you’re sharing.
Poor body language
Delivering effective presentations is not just about your slides and what you say. Non-verbal communication matters too. When we’re nervous, our body language shows.
This is something that affects many people, but with proper presentation skills coaching, it is possible to fix. You want to be able to send the right signals, but at the same time, you also don’t want to overdo it as this can make things worse; and leave everybody feeling awkward!
A body language trainer or communication coach can help you to get this balance right.
5 effective presentation tips to make you a better presenter
A good presenter is not hard to tell. They are confident and they keep their audience engaged without rumbling, veering off the topic or unnecessary distractions. Good presenters also know how to retain control of both their presentation and attention of the audience.
They might seem like naturals, but what they’ve done in essence is mastered effective presentation techniques.
If you want to be a great presenter, there are a few effective presentation skills tips you might want to pick up. These include how to:
Create compelling structures
Speak with impact
Manage stage presence
Use visual aids
Storytelling
These are all important aspects of presentation that a presentation skills coach can teach you, and skills that will prove useful regardless of the nature of your work or role.
1. Creating compelling structures
The success of any presentation depends a lot on how it’s structured.
A good structure includes all your key points structured in a logical and cohesive fashion. it should speak for itself in a way that your audience can be able to decipher what you’re going to say without you even saying it.
However, the caveat here is that you also don’t want to give away your points too quickly. Because what this does is make your audience lose interest, and that’s not what we want.
Interweaving a compelling story in your presentation can keep everyone hooked while at the same time walking them through your thought process without having to say it loud, per se.
The best thing about perfecting this aspect of presentation is that it does half the work for you. Even when you’re nervous or poor on your delivery, the audience can see the effort that went into it and they also have an easy time digesting your message. And they appreciate that.
2. Speaking with impact
Delivery matters a ton in public speaking. It determines how effectively you are able to get your points across. It’s no different when it comes to presentations.
One of the key things I help people master as a communication coach is voice control. This involves aspects like breath control, finding your optimal pitch (considering we all have different voice types), tone, speaking pace etc.
But voice control is not all there is to it. You don’t want to come across as robotic and rehearsed. Injecting emotion into your delivery can lead to more effective presentations.
3. Stage presence
The contents of your presentation, tone and voice may be the most impactful part of your presentation, but your stage presence is something else to think about.
This may not matter much if you’re doing an online presentation. But it counts when it comes to physical presentations. Stage presence doesn’t necessarily mean standing on stage or a podium in front of a packed room (although it very well might, depending on the nature of your presentation).
Stage presence is more about mastering your body language when speaking in front of people. It’s one of those extras that add to your effectiveness as a speaker. Some things you can learn with effective presentation skills training include:
Maintaining eye contact
Proper use of hand gestures
Open arms over crossed arms
Pacing
It is important to maintain an open body language when presenting to avoid coming across as defensive, nervous, detached, haughty or other potential mistakes you’re prone to make as a speaker.
4. Use of visual aids
Visual aids complement your structure and when used well, are a great way to keep everyone engaged and soaking in your take-aways.
Presentation training can teach you effective use of visual aids and how to use images, videos and props to tell your story.
Visual aids are not a must and their use will often be dictated by the subject matter and audience. But when incorporated, their impact can be the difference between a good presentation and a memorable one.
Still, using plain text throughout your slideshow is one way to lose your audience fast. You want them to walk the journey with you, not fall off midway or have them reading through slides as opposed to listening.
Presentation skills training can teach you how to design compelling presentation decks even if you’re not the most creative person.
5. Storytelling
Storytelling is an art, but it can be learned. We all love talks infused with a story for good measure. They not only keep the audience hooked, but the message that’s packed inside tends to be more memorable.
If you can weave a story into your presentations, the audience will be more receptive to the message. Think of it as a persuasion technique. Stories don’t have to be personal. They can be tied to real-world experiences, lessons or events. Or if you’re a creative type, concoct one off of fictional accounts to demonstrate your ideas.
Not every presentation will require a story or be enriched by one. But in instances where it might be a good idea, this strategy can be a great way to sell your ideas.
Related: How to Tell Your Business Story
Conclusion
Every time you are called upon to present, you have the opportunity to make it worthwhile and a memorable experience for your listeners – whether it’s your peers, leadership group, a large audience or small gathering huddled around a table.
As a professional communication coach, I offer a tailored approach to presentation skills training which can help you become a more confident speaker and an engaging and convincing presenter. It’s an approach that aims to leverage individual strengths so that you always put up a good showing, no matter the setting or audience.
I offer one-on-one coaching sessions as well as group coaching sessions.
コメント