What makes a good presentation

What makes a good presentation?

Without exception, all good presenters have one thing in common, enthusiasm, both for their subject and for the business of presenting it. Enthusiasm is infectious. Audiences can’t help but be affected by it. And the best public speakers always make what they say sound as if it really matters. They know that if it matters to them, it will matter to their audience.

The basics of introducing your topic, structuring your talk and referring to visual aids make a presentation sound dynamic and enthusiastic. They reflect the main key skills employed by all effective presenters.

Pay attention tovoice and delivery.As a presenter, the ability to pace your speech and use your voice to create impact is the single most important skill you need. You will be more effective if you are in control of your voice by your use of stress, pausing, intonation, volume, and silence.

Content Languageis of great importance.You can’t give a good presentation unless you have something to say. Being confident about your content is crucial.

Rhetorical Techniqueis one of the ways to success.Once you are in charge of both your voice and your content you can start to think about how best to present your subject. Choose the techniques that suit you best and work on perfecting them.

Perhaps the most unpredictable part of a presentation is the question session. This may be after your talk or you may invite questions during it. But successful Question Handlingneeds thorough preparation, thinking over the possible questions and even training.

If you give presentations in English regularly and want to improve your style, go through the contents list with your teacher first and decide which areas to concentrate on.

When you give short presentations in class, take the time to prepare your notes thoroughly with any visuals you might need. Don’t be afraid to read out some of the most important or complicated parts of your talk. As long as you read them well and keep good eye contact with your audience, this can be very effective.

If you can, get a friend or colleague to listen to you giving short presentations yourself. Try recording some of your talks and compare yourself with the experienced speakers.

To become a good presenter:

· LEAVE NOTHING TO CHANCE

· KNOW EXACTLY HOW TO START

Plan the first minute of your presentation down to the last detail. Try to memorize your opening words. This will help you to sound confident and in control.

· GET STRAIGHT TO THE POINT

Don’t waste time on long boring introductions. Try to make at least one powerful statement in the first two minutes.

· TALK TO YOUR AUDIENCE

Many of the best presentations sound more like conversations. So, keep referring back to your audience, ask them questions, respond to their reactions.

· KNOW WHAT WORKS

Certain things are always popular with an audience: personal experiences, stories with a message, dramatic comparisons, amazing facts they didn’t know. Use them to the full.

Keep your sentences short and simple. Use deliberate pauses to punctuate your speech.

Don’t be afraid to hesitate when you speak, but make sure you pause in the right places. Remember, you are not an actor trying to remember lines. A certain amount of hesitation is actually quite natural.

· KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE

Speak for your audience, not yourself. Take every opportunity to show how much common ground you share with them. Address their goals, their needs, their concerns.

· TREAT YOUR AUDIENCE AS EQUALS

Never talk down (or up) to your audience. Treat them as equals, no matter who they are.

As far as possible, speak to five hundred people in much the same way you would speak to five. You will obviously need to project yourself more, but your personality shouldn’t change.

· DON’T MAKE A SPECIAL EFFORT TO BE FUNNY

If you make a joke, don’t stop and wait for laughs. Keep going and let the laughter (if it comes) interrupt you.

· LET YOUR VISUALS SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES

· NEVER COMPETE WITH YOUR VISUALS

When showing a visual, keep quiet and give people time to take it in. Then make brief comments only. Point to the relevant parts of the visual as you speak. If you want to say more, switch off your projector to do so.

· DEVELOP YOUR OWN STYLE

Learn from other public speakers, but don’t try to copy them. Be comfortable with your own abilities. Don’t do anything that feels unnatural for you, just because it works for someone else.

· ENJOY THE EXPERIENCE

· WELCOME QUESTIONS FROM YOUR AUDIENCE

When members of your audience ask you a question, it is usually because they have a genuine interest in what you are saying and want to know more. Treat questions as an opportunity to get your message across better.

When you are ready to finish your presentation, slow down, and lower your voice. Look at the audience and deliver your final words slowly and clearly. Pause, let your words hang in the air a moment longer, smile, say Thank you and then sit down.

Exercise 2.Fill in the gaps with necessary words from the text.

1. The most … part of a presentation is the question session.

2. Prepare your notes thoroughly with any … you might need.

3. Treat your audience as …, no matter who they are.

4. When members of your audience ask you a question, it is usually because they have a … interest in what you are saying.

5. You will … need to project yourself more.

6. They will make a presentation sound …

7. Choose the … that suit you best and work on perfecting them.

Exercise 3. This is what the American writer Steven Silbiger writes about presentations (or public speaking) in his book, The Ten Day MBA, The Mini-Course On Public Speaking. 1. Know your audience. Their interests, attention span 2. Know your own capabilities. Can you deliver a joke? 3. Keep it simple. 4. Detailed information is best delivered in print. 5. Speeches should be delivered concept and motivate. According to Steven Silbiger, are the following true or false?

1. You shouldn’t allow the audience to influence what you say.

2. You should always use humour in your presentation.

3. Presentations should be about ideas.

4. There should always be lots of facts and figures.

5. Presentations should inspire people.

Exercise 4.Below you will find a number of ways of stating the purpose of your presentation. Complete them using the words given. Combining the sentences with the number 1 will give you a complete introduction. Then do the same with those numbered 2 etc.

OK, let’s get started. Good morning, everyone. Thanks for coming. I’m (your name).

3 Ways to Make a Good Presentation Great

What makes a presentation good isn’t the same as what makes a presentation great.

Good presentations are uncommon, but great presentations are rare as basilisk teeth. That’s because, when it comes to presentations, the jump from good to great is larger than the jump from bad to good. Here’s why:

1. Emotional impact

Good presentations are memorable. They contain graphics, images, and facts in such a way that they’re easy to remember. A week later, your audience can remember much of what you said.

Great presentations are motivating. They bring the audience members to the point where they make a buying decision: either a final decision («We want this product now!») or an interim one («Let’s bring this idea to the CEO»).

2. Information

Good presentations contain valid information. Each piece of data is thoroughly fact-checked, accurate, and never misleading. Good presentations provide honest data in an honest way.

Great presentations contain minimal information. Any information that’s not 100 percent relevant is stripped away, including information noise such as fancy slide work. What’s left is only that information that drives toward a decision.

3. Storytelling

Good presentations include stories. Unlike facts, stories speak to the heart, and every good presentation uses stories to illustrate points and to help people make an emotional connection to the message.

Great presentations are stories. Rather than containing stories, great presentations take the audience through an emotional journey that creates a reason to decide right here, right now.

Top Tips for Effective Presentations

How can you make a good presentation even more effective?

This page draws on published advice from expert presenters around the world, which will help to take your presentations from merely ‘good’ to ‘great’.

By bringing together advice from a wide range of people, the aim is to cover a whole range of areas.

Whether you are an experienced presenter, or just starting out, there should be ideas here to help you to improve.

1. Show your Passion and Connect with your Audience

It’s hard to be relaxed and be yourself when you’re nervous.

But time and again, the great presenters say that the most important thing is to connect with your audience, and the best way to do that is to let your passion for the subject shine through.

Be honest with the audience about what is important to you and why it matters.

Be enthusiastic and honest, and the audience will respond.

2. Focus on your Audience’s Needs

Your presentation needs to be built around what your audience is going to get out of the presentation.

As you prepare the presentation, you always need to bear in mind what the audience needs and wants to know, not what you can tell them.

While you’re giving the presentation, you also need to remain focused on your audience’s response, and react to that.

You need to make it easy for your audience to understand and respond.

3. Keep it Simple: Concentrate on your Core Message

When planning your presentation, you should always keep in mind the question:

What is the key message (or three key points) for my audience to take away?

You should be able to communicate that key message very briefly.

Some experts recommend a 30-second ‘elevator summary’, others that you can write it on the back of a business card, or say it in no more than 15 words.

Whichever rule you choose, the important thing is to keep your core message focused and brief.

And if what you are planning to say doesn’t contribute to that core message, don’t say it.

4. Smile and Make Eye Contact with your Audience

This sounds very easy, but a surprisingly large number of presenters fail to do it.

If you smile and make eye contact, you are building rapport, which helps the audience to connect with you and your subject. It also helps you to feel less nervous, because you are talking to individuals, not to a great mass of unknown people.

To help you with this, make sure that you don’t turn down all the lights so that only the slide screen is visible. Your audience needs to see you as well as your slides.

5. Start Strongly

The beginning of your presentation is crucial. You need to grab your audience’s attention and hold it.

They will give you a few minutes’ grace in which to entertain them, before they start to switch off if you’re dull. So don’t waste that on explaining who you are. Start by entertaining them.

Try a story (see tip 7 below), or an attention-grabbing (but useful) image on a slide.

6. Remember the 10-20-30 Rule for Slideshows

This is a tip from Guy Kawasaki of Apple. He suggests that slideshows should:

This last is particularly important as it stops you trying to put too much information on any one slide. This whole approach avoids the dreaded ‘Death by PowerPoint’.

As a general rule, slides should be the sideshow to you, the presenter. A good set of slides should be no use without the presenter, and they should definitely contain less, rather than more, information, expressed simply.

If you need to provide more information, create a bespoke handout and give it out after your presentation.

7. Tell Stories

Human beings are programmed to respond to stories.

Stories help us to pay attention, and also to remember things. If you can use stories in your presentation, your audience is more likely to engage and to remember your points afterwards. It is a good idea to start with a story, but there is a wider point too: you need your presentation to act like a story.

Think about what story you are trying to tell your audience, and create your presentation to tell it.

Finding The Story Behind Your Presentation

To effectively tell a story, focus on using at least one of the two most basic storytelling mechanics in your presentation:

Focusing On Characters – People have stories; things, data, and objects do not. So ask yourself “who” is directly involved in your topic that you can use as the focal point of your story.

For example, instead of talking about cars (your company’s products), you could focus on specific characters like:

A Changing Dynamic – A story needs something to change along the way. So ask yourself “What is not as it should be?” and answer with what you are going to do about it (or what you did about it).

To see 15 more actionable storytelling tips, see Nuts & Bolts Speed Training’s post on Storytelling Tips.

8. Use your Voice Effectively

The spoken word is actually a pretty inefficient means of communication, because it uses only one of your audience’s five senses. That’s why presenters tend to use visual aids, too. But you can help to make the spoken word better by using your voice effectively.

Varying the speed at which you talk, and emphasising changes in pitch and tone all help to make your voice more interesting and hold your audience’s attention.

9. Use your Body Too

It has been estimated that more than three quarters of communication is non-verbal.

That means that as well as your tone of voice, your body language is crucial to getting your message across. Make sure that you are giving the right messages: body language to avoid includes crossed arms, hands held behind your back or in your pockets, and pacing the stage.

Make your gestures open and confident, and move naturally around the stage, and among the audience too, if possible.

10. Relax, Breathe and Enjoy

If you find presenting difficult, it can be hard to be calm and relaxed about doing it.

One option is to start by concentrating on your breathing. Slow it down, and make sure that you’re breathing fully. Make sure that you continue to pause for breath occasionally during your presentation too.

If you can bring yourself to relax, you will almost certainly present better. If you can actually start to enjoy yourself, your audience will respond to that, and engage better. Your presentations will improve exponentially, and so will your confidence. It’s well worth a try.

Improve your Presentation Skills

Follow our guide to boost your presentation skills learning about preparation, delivery, questions and all other aspects of giving effective presentations.

9 Tips for Making Beautiful PowerPoint Presentations

You don’t have to be a professional designer to make a beautiful PowerPoint presentation. These eight tips will help anyone create effective, compelling slides.

How many times have you sat through poorly designed PowerPoint presentations that were boring, cluttered, and distracting? Probably way too many. Even though we all loathe a boring presentation, when it comes time to make our own, do we really do any better? The good news is you don’t have to be a professional designer to know how to make an awesome and attractive presentation.

There are a few simple rules and tips you can follow for creating a professional, beautifully designed deck. Since PowerPoint remains one of the most popular presentation design programs out there, we’re also going to walk you through some design tips and tricks to maximize your PowerPoint skills and make you look really good next time you’re up in front of the crowd.

1. Use Layout to Your Advantage

Most Western languages read left to right, top to bottom. Knowing this natural reading order, you can direct people’s eyes in a deliberate way to certain key parts of a slide that you want to emphasize. Using layout is a simple but effective way to control the flow and the visual hierarchy of information.

You can guide your audience with simple tweaks to the layout. Use text size and alternating fonts or colors to distinguish headlines from body text. Placement matters, too. There are many unorthodox ways to structure a slide, but most audience members will have to take a few beats to organize the information in their head – that’s precious time better spent listening to your delivery and retaining information.

Try to structure your slides more like this:

And not like this:

Layout is one of the trickier PowerPoint design concepts to master, which is why we have these free PowerPoint templates already laid out for you — use them as a jumping off point for your own presentation, or use them wholesale!

2. No Sentences

Slides are simplified, visual notecards that capture and reinforce main ideas, not complete thoughts. As the speaker, you should be delivering most of the content and information, not putting it all on the slides for everyone to read (and probably ignore). If your audience is reading your presentation instead of listening to you deliver it, your message has lost its effectiveness.

Pare down your core message and use keywords to convey it — you should try to avoid complete sentences unless you’re quoting someone or something.

Stick with this:

3. Follow the 6×6 Rule

One of the cardinal sins of bad PowerPoints is cramming too many details and ideas on one slide, which makes it difficult for people to retain information. Leaving lots of “white space” on a slide helps people focus on your key points.

Try using the 6×6 rule to keep your content concise and clean looking. The 6×6 rule means a maximum of six bullet points per slide and six words per bullet. In fact, some people even say you should never have more than six words per slide! Just watch out for “orphans” (when the last word of a sentence/phrase spills over to the next line). This looks cluttered, so either fit it onto one line, or add another word to the second line.

Slides should never have this much information:

4. Keep the Colors Simple

Stick to simple light and dark colors. Exceptionally bright text can cause eye fatigue, so use those colors sparingly. Dark text on a light background or light text on a dark background will work well. Also avoid intense gradients, which can make text hard to read.

If you are presenting on behalf of your brand, check what your company’s brand guidelines are. Companies often have a primary brand color and a secondary brand color, and it’s a good idea to use them in your presentation to align with your company’s brand identity and style.

If you’re looking for color inspiration on your next presentation, you might want to check out our 101 Color Combinations, where you can browse tons of eye-catching color palettes curated by a pro. When you find the one you like, just type out the corresponding color code into your presentation formatting tools.

Stay away from color combinations like this:

5. Use Sans-Serif Fonts

Traditionally, serif fonts (Times New Roman, Garamond, Bookman) are best for printed pages, and sans-serif fonts (Helvetica, Tahoma, Verdana) are easier to read on screens. These are always safe choices, but if you’d like to add some more typographic personality, try exploring our roundup of the internet’s best free fonts. You’ll find everything from classic serifs and sans serifs to sophisticated modern fonts and splashy display fonts. Just keep legibility at the forefront of your mind when you’re making your pick.

Try to stick with one font, or choose two at the most. Fonts have very different personalities and emotional impacts, so make sure your font matches the tone, purpose, and content of your presentation.

6. Stick to 30pt Font or Larger

Many experts agree that your font size should be at least 30pt. Not only does it ensure that your text is readable, but it also forces you to include only the most important points of your message and explain it efficiently, since space is limited.

7. Avoid Overstyling the Text

Three of the easiest and most effective ways to draw attention to text are:

Our eyes are naturally drawn to things that stand out, but use these changes sparingly. Overstyling can make the slide look busy and distracting.

8. Choose the Right Images

The images you choose for your presentation are perhaps as important as the message. You want images that not only support the message, but also elevate it — a rare accomplishment in the often dry world of PowerPoint. But what is the right image? We’ll be honest. There’s no direct answer to this conceptual, almost mystical subject, but we can break down some strategies for approaching image selection that will help you curate your next presentation.

The ideal presentation images are:

These may seem like vague qualities, but the general idea is to go beyond the literal. Think about the symbols in an image and the story they tell. Think about the colors and composition in an image, and the distinct mood it sets for your presentation. With this approach, you can get creative in your hunt for relatable, authentic, and inspirational images.

Here are some more guidelines for choosing great images.

Illustrative, but not generic

So the slide in question is about collaborating as a team. Naturally, you look for images of people meeting in a boardroom, right? While it’s perfectly fine to go super literal, sometimes these images fall flat; what’s literal doesn’t necessarily connect to your audience emotionally. Will they really respond to generic images of people who aren’t them meeting in boardroom?

In the absence of a photo of your actual team, or any other image that directly illustrates the subject at hand, look for images of convincing realism and humanity that capture the idea of your message. Doing so connects with viewers, allowing them to connect with your message.

The image above can be interpreted in many ways. But, when we apply it to a slide about collaboration, the meaning is clear. It doesn’t hurt that there’s a nice setting and good photography, to boot.

Supportive, but not distracting

Now that we’ve told you to get creative with your image selection, the next lesson is to rein that in. While there are infinite choices of imagery out there, there’s a limit to what makes sense in your presentation. Let’s say you’re giving an IT presentation to new employees. You might think that image of two dogs snuggling by a fire is relatable, authentic, and inspirational, but does it really say “data management” to your audience?

To find the best supporting images, try searching terms on the periphery of your actual message. You’ll find images that complement your message rather than distract from it. In the IT presentation example, instead of “data connections” or another literal term, try the closely related “traffic” or “connectivity.” This will bring up images outside of tech, but relative to the idea of how things move.

Inspiring and engaging

There’s a widespread misconception that presentations are just about delivering information. This in part contributes to the dirge of lackluster PowerPoints that we’ve all sat through. In fact, a great presentation is inspirational. We don’t mean that your audience should be itching to paint a masterpiece when they’re done. In this case, inspiration is about engagement — is your audience asking themselves questions? Are they coming up with new ideas? Are they remembering key information to tap into later? You’ll drive a lot of this engagement with your actual delivery, but unexpected images can play a role, as well.

When you use more abstract or aspirational images, your audience will have room to make their own connections. This not only means they’re paying attention, but they’re also engaging with and retaining your message. To find the right abstract or unconventional imagery, search terms related to the tone of the presentation. This may include images with different perspectives like overhead shots and aerials, long exposures taken over a period of time, nature photos, colorful markets, and so on.

The big idea here is akin to including an image of your adorable dog making a goofy face at the end of an earnings meeting. It leaves an audience with a good, human feeling after you just packed their brains with data. Use that concept of pleasant surprise when you’re selecting images for your presentation.

9. Editing PowerPoint Images

Setting Appropriate Image Resolution in PowerPoint

Though you can drag and drop images into PowerPoint, you can control the resolution they are displayed within the file. To control file size and fine-tune your presentations you may want to reduce or increase the resolution. Simply click File > Compress Pictures in the main application menu.

Image via Dikky Oesin

If your presentation file is big and will only be viewed online, you can take it down to On-screen, then check the Apply to: All pictures in this file box, and rest assured the quality will be uniform.

For higher res in printed form, try the Print setting, which at 220 PPI is very good quality.

For large-screens such as projection, use the HD setting, since enlarging to that scale will show any deficiencies in resolution. Low resolution can not only distract from the message, but it looks low quality and that reflects on the presenter. If size is no issue for you, use High Fidelity (maximum PPI), and only reduce if the file size gives your computer problems.

The image quality really begins when you add the images to the presentation file. Use the highest-quality images you can, then let PowerPoint scale the resolution down for you, reducing the excess when set to HD or lower.

Resizing, Editing, and Adding Effects to Images in PowerPoint

Powerpoint comes with an arsenal of tools to work with your images. When a picture is selected, the confusingly named Picture Format menu is activated in both the top menu bar, and Format Picture is opened on the right side of the app window.

Image via Dragon Images

In the Format Picture menu, on the right, are four sections, and each of these sections expand to show their options by clicking the arrows by the name:

The menu at the top is more expansive, containing menu presets for Corrections, Color, Effects, Animation, and a lot more. In this section is where you can crop more precisely than just choosing the dimensions from the Picture pane on the right.

Cropping Images in PowerPoint

The simple way to crop an image is to use the Picture pane under the Format Picture menu on the right side of the window. Use the Picture Position controls to move the picture inside its box, or use the Crop position controls to manipulate the box’s dimensions.

To exert more advanced control, or use special shapes, select the picture you want to crop, then click the Picture Format in the top menu to activate it.

Hit the Crop button, then use the controls on the picture’s box to size by eye. Or, click the arrow to show more options, including changing the shape of the box (for more creative looks) and using preset aspect ratios, for a more uniform presentation of images.

Image via Zamurovic Photography

The next time you design a PowerPoint presentation, remember that simplicity is key and less is more. By adopting these simple design tips, you’ll deliver a clear, powerful visual message to your audience.

Want some more PowerPoint tips? Check out these articles:

Nothing makes a presentation more engaging than a well-placed image. You can actually search, preview, and insert captivating images from the Shutterstock collection directly into your slides with our add-in for PowerPoint. Download the add-in and simplify your presentation process.

Tips to Make a Good Presentation

Why do I need to know how to make a good presentation? When preparing to make a speech or presentation you may ask yourself “What factors make up effective public speaking?” or “How do I make a great presentation?” Now more than ever, students are asked to give presentations in addition to or in lieu of traditional writing assignments. It is because of those questions that we have these 10 tips for great presentations.

Why Use a Presentation

Isn’t an essay enough to prove that you understand the topic? Not always. An essay is a bit of a snapshot in time. It doesn’t even prove you truly have mastered the material. It just shows that you wrote stuff down. There’s something different about an oral presentation. With a presentation, you have to take questions and have your ideas tested by a real live audience.

This is also your opportunity to learn some valuable skills. The truth is that even if you don’t love the idea of public speaking, you’re going to have to do it sometimes. That may not mean you’ll be standing in front of hundreds of people giving a speech, but this is great practice for presenting in meetings.

This is also a good time to take a deep dive into presentation software. You can learn about the different features of the software, how to pick the best font for a given situation, what it takes to embed video, or how to play background music.

One last thing to consider. Not all students are naturally talented at writing, but they are very comfortable speaking in front of a crowd to share their knowledge. Many engineering and science students may find that they are better able to engage with an audience, and show examples than they would be at composing an essay.

What Makes a Good Presentation

Have you ever watched a Ted talk? If so, you’ve probably sat through many a speech on topics that you had no idea were interesting to you at all. That’s the beauty of a great presentation. They draw you in and get your attention regardless of the subject.

If you’ve never watched one of these famous presentations before, make sure you put that on your to-do list. This is a great way to pick up on some elements that truly make a presentation special.

Is PowerPoint The Only Tool For a Presentation?

There are some good reasons to use PowerPoint to give your talk. It’s probably the standard format at your school. You will likely use that in the business world as well. Also, your professor may ask you to send a copy of the PPT file for evaluation. You may also find it easier to use one of the templates that the software offers instead of creating your own from scratch. That said, giving a slide show is only one way to do a presentation.

You could also opt to make and showcase a professional looking video in the background. Look into using tools like Canva or Powtoon for sharing pictures and animations as well. There are plenty of apps that allow you to present, share screens in real-time, and even pass the mike (so to speak) to members of your audience.

1. Don’t Crowd Your Slides or Cover Too Many Topics

Each of your presentation slides should be easily digested. Your audience should be able to glance at your slide and absorb all the information from it in just a few seconds. Crowded slides are also difficult to read. Remember to use plenty of white space. If necessary, take several slides to explain a point.

What if I have to print the slides to pass out to my audience? That’s a lot of paper!

Yes, that is a lot of paper. Rather than printing everything, consider making and presenting a summary slide to be shown at the end of each point you make. It will bring things together for those watching your presentation, and you can simply print out the summaries rather than every individual slide.

2. Don’t Read The Info From Your PowerPoint

Nobody wants to listen as you read the information word for word from the presentation slides. Instead, take a moment to look at the slides and take out small bits of the most interesting information. Then with that information add onto it from what you know, you’ll create a much more interesting presentation this way.

You can also use the information on the slide as a jumping-off point. Remember the audience can read what’s on the screen. It’s up to you to contextualize it with something meaningful.

3. Use Hand Gestures

Point out facts, wave your arms around, using your hands adds more dimension to the presentation. If you stand with your arms flat against your sides, that’s the dimension you will give to your presentation: Flat. Keep your body language engaged and interested.

If possible, try to move around a bit. This will help you make eye contact with different parts of the room. Carry a remote to transition slides, and you will get rid of that awkward ‘I don’t know what to do with my hands’ feeling.

4. Get Excited!

In order to give a good presentation, you have to sound excited. You have to fluctuate during points of interest, you have to engage with the audience. Pump yourself up, and in doing so you will excite your audience as well.

Of course, this can be difficult to do if you yourself find the topic to be dreadfully boring. If that is the case, work hard to find one or two things about it that are meaningful to you. Then, arrange your presentation so that you can address those points as well. Talking about something that interests you will help you stay engaged and enthusiastic.

5. Look at Your Audience

Don’t stare at your shoes, or the PowerPoint. You need to focus your attention on your audience. If you tend to look away from others try focusing on one person, on perhaps an object in the room.

6. Interact With Your Audience

Ask them questions, let them ask questions. Engage in conversations with them, very good presentations tend to get the audience involved in some way or another. It helps them to connect with the information even more.

7. Tell Jokes

Sometimes even the most serious topics require a joke, it makes the presentation more interesting and can be a great way to break up an awkward moment of silence without using “Ummmm” or “Ahhhh””

8. Connect With The Info By Telling a Story: Share Examples

If you have a personal experience that has anything to do with what you are presenting, use that in your presentation. A short story can draw interest towards the topic, as well as engage the audience.

9. Make Sure You Are Fully Prepared For The Presentation

Practice, make sure you have your notes prepared, make sure you have studied properly. All of these things are vital to your success during your presentation. Remember that those who present good presentations spent lots of time practicing for the part.

10. Use Visual Aids

Pictures help the audience make better connections, rather than have a slideshow with just notes try putting a few slides with just a picture on them. The visual will pop out much more vividly and will allow the audience to make a connection.

When making your speech always remember to keep it interesting, make sure it interests you, and engage with the audience. By doing those things you can ensure that your presentation stands high above the rest. Remember there is a great difference between a good presentation and a great presentation. And if you need some help don’t be afraid to ask for it from one of the top essay writing services. If they are helping you with tasks such as writing and visual design, you can focus on making your presentation entertaining and engaging.

Parting Thoughts: A Checklist of Good Presentation Skills

As you learn how to give a good presentation, get some feedback! Rehearse for a friend, and ask them to evaluate your performance based on the following factors:

Speak in a clear voice with an animated tone.

Face your audience, and use inviting body language.

Capture attention with engaging storytelling.