Doing a presentation is often just part and parcel of our responsibilities when we work for a company, but although it’s a common thing, this doesn’t mean that everyone is comfortable with it. Far from it. Doing an effective presentation takes a bit of skill and knowledge, but it also requires confidence and the ability to relate to a particular audience. If part of your tasks as a business owner or an employee involves making presentations, you need all the help you can get. Here’s how you can become more skilled at presentations: your top questions answered.
Make a genuine connection
This may be easier said than done, but it’s possible nevertheless. It’s important for you to make a genuine connection with your audience, and you can do this by being honest and enthusiastic and showing them how passionate you are about your topic. If you are presenting your company’s latest product or service, for example, you should let your audience know how excited you are about this product or service. Of course, it pays if you really are eager to talk about that particular product or service and you really believe in it as well.
Concentrate on what your audience needs
It’s also important to remember what your audience actually needs. In essence, you should build your presentation on what you think your audience will likely get out of it. What do you think your audience would want to know? What do you think your audience will appreciate? It’s not about all the information you can tell them – at the end of the day, it’s about what you think they would like to find out. It also makes a difference if you pay attention to how your audience responds and go on from there.
Make it simple
When you are creating your presentation, it’s also essential to make it simple. Concentrate on what your main message really is rather than trying to load as much information in your presentation as possible. Determine what your three main points are and build on them. Some presentation experts actually recommend having a brief summary, say, for 30 seconds – enough to write on the back of an index card or enumerate in about 15 words or so. You can always give your audience more information about your subject or topic by providing them with a presentation folder or brochure, as the printing professionals from Better Printing, who are experts at printing A4 presentation folders and other kinds of printed material, will confirm.
Smile
Smiling may be somewhat of a put-off if you do it too much, but smile whenever appropriate. Smiling helps you create a better bond with your audience and it enhances your interaction with them. Learn to build rapport by smiling, and don’t forget to make eye contact too. Also, when you smile and look at your audience individually, you will not feel so nervous simply because you end up looking at and talking to individual persons rather than a collective crowd or mass of people.