You will likely be giving presentations on occasion no matter what school you go to or what field of work you’re in. Although presentations may seem intimidating, they don’t have to be. There are a ton of ways to ensure you give stand out presentations. To ensure you do the best you can when presenting, be sure to use our top 6 tips for creating and giving the best presentations!
Provide an outline in your presentation
SlideModel.comOne of the best ways to introduce your presentation is to provide a clear outline at the beginning. This gives the audience an idea of how the presentation will proceed, as well as foreshadows the content itself. Your outline should be structured to include the main themes of your presentation as well as some additional points for each theme. This outline structure ensures the audience has a good idea of what’s to come but doesn’t feel bombarded by too much info. When presenting this info, be sure to follow the structure exactly so as not to create confusion.
Create a clear overall structure
A clear and easy to follow structure is crucial to a good presentation. Without an easy structure, your audience will become confused and won’t retain any of what you’ve said. A structure could be as follows: introduction, theme 1, supplemental material to support theme 1, theme 2, supplemental material to support theme 2… etc. After all your themes or topics have been covered, move into a conclusion and a chance for audience questions. When you are presenting supplemental material, be sure to use visuals but not altogether. That will confuse people. One idea could be to present one visual at a time with information beside it in words.
Limit the number of words
Too many words on a presentation will bore people and ensure they don’t stay focused. Instead of filling your slides with words, stick instead to visuals. These are much more appealing to the eye and sometimes can better get the point you’re trying to make across. When creating slides, try to include some that have no words at all, and otherwise limit the number of words to one or two sentences.
Focus on the design details
Free PowerPoint Templates DesignInstead of focusing attentively on the words on your presentation, really focus on the visual details. Visuals are striking and if done right can have a lot of impacts. So, if you’re someone with design experience, especially graphic design, be sure to really use those skills in your presentation. However, if digital design isn’t necessarily your specialty, another option is to use websites that are more user-friendly for design, such as Free PowerPoint Templates Design or Canva. Design is probably one of the most important of our top 6 tips for creating and giving the best presentations.
Have a strong introduction
When it comes to the actual presentation itself, the first impression is everything. If you are beginning with introducing yourself, be sure to appear confident, but not overly arrogant. Arrogance will immediately make audience members spend the presentation judging you as opposed to your presentation.
Also, when introducing yourself, add details that are relevant to the presentation. This could include information about your education, such as the name of your degree, or workplace information including your job title. Another addition you could make here is something more personal, adding a personal detail will likely make you more relatable to your audience. For example, if you’re presenting on Translink upgrades that could be made in the City of Vancouver, you could end with “And yes, I am also another frustrated transit user.” This could not only serve as humor, but proves to your audience that you are representing their concerns as well, and working towards solutions.
Pause occasionally
During your presentation, it may seem tempting to fill empty silences with “ummms,” but instead fill these spaces with silences. Pausing sometimes during your presentation can benefit your presentation. First of all, it can ensure your visuals have a stronger impact. It does this by allowing the audience to look at the visuals for longer, without having to also focus on your voice. Additionally, pauses indicate you are taking a second to breathe or survey the audience. But, filling those spaces with “ummms” makes it seem like you’ve forgotten your script. And of course, you don’t want to seem like you’ve forgotten your script and didn’t prepare well.
For more information on the oral part of presentations be sure to check out 5 Effective Habits that will Improve your English Speaking Skills.
Presentations shouldn’t be something you have to dread or fear. There are easy ways to improve your presentations, and eventually, it’ll feel like second nature. Just follow our top 6 tips for creating and giving the best presentations, and watch your presentations get better and better as you go!
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