How To Deliver Effective Presentations 15 Steps With Pictures

Deliver your summary to them in friendly, direct language, as if you were telling the story to a friend in a bar. In fact, you can tell the story to a friend in a bar. However, telling a colleague over coffee can work just as well. Get them to tell you what their takeaway was. If they can summarize your message accurately, that’s a good sign.

Ask them to be your coach. Give them your presentation once or twice and let them ask you questions and give feedback. Ask them to point out moments that are dull or confusing.

Write down what you’re afraid of. What exactly worries you when you give a speech? Looking foolish? Being asked a hard question? Write down your exact fears, and then consider them each individually. Think about what you will do in each situation. For instance, if your fear is, “I’ll forget what I’m saying,” you can prepare a plan like, “If I forget what I’m saying, I’ll pause, scan my notes, and find the next important point I need to make. " Catch your negative thoughts, and calm them. If you think, “I’m going to get nervous and sweaty,” replace it with, “I have important information to deliver and everyone is going to pay attention to that. "

Give yourself extra time if you plan to take questions, or if you anticipate lots of digressions.

This doesn’t mean sticking to a strict script every time. Instead, when you rehearse, improvise freely. Deliver your main points, but include quips and anecdotes that occur to you as you go. You’ll remember the best ones when you actually deliver the presentation.

Remind yourself that your audience likely can’t see your nerves. Take a deep breath and exhale before you go on stage.

If there are too many people to really see faces, just look boldly into the crowd.

Move your hands as you speak. Don’t wave them, as this will make you look nervous. Instead, try calmly gesturing with your palm out when you make a point. If you describe a shape, draw it in the air with your hands.

Have a clear through line that runs through all parts of your presentation, leading to your main point. Include stories that put your listeners into a situation. Get their energy with tactile details (sound, sight, smell, taste, touch) and descriptions of an emotional state. Include moments of reflection in which you share how you felt or feel.

As always with humor in a work setting, remember that humor varies widely between cultures. Avoid making any jokes that make fun of anybody’s sex, gender, race, class, or ability. Remember to “punch up”—if your jokes take someone on, take on someone with more power than you, rather than less. If you get nervous, try starting your presentation with a simple joke or a funny story. It will put you and your audience at ease.

Ask the crowd to consider something or imagine something, and hold a moment of quiet while they do. Interactive moments make great pivots from one section of your talk to another.

Will these be experts, or newcomers to your ideas? If they’re experts, you’ll need to present them with specific, technical, and new ideas. If they’re newcomers, plan to introduce them more generally to your topic, and avoid technical terms. Will audience members be on your side from the start, or will they need persuading? Will you have a large, faceless crowd, or a small group? If you’re working with a small group, you can include them in parts of your presentation through questions, personal digressions, and conversations.