How to Make Better Presentations
Posted July 18th, 2016
Giving presentations is often a part of the job. Some people enjoy speaking to an audience, while others are not particularly thrilled at the idea. Either way, there are things you can do to be a more effective and engaging public speaker. Here are a few of them.
1. Deep breaths
This helps to calm you. When we are stressed and anxious, our breathing tends to be shallow. What you need to do is breathe in slowly, deeply and deliberately, focusing your mind on your breathing. Do this three or four times. This will help you to gather your thoughts and focus on what you are going to say.
2. Skip the slides
To make a really compelling presentation, you need to have good story to tell. If you don’t, all the slides in the world won’t help you. So, you need to focus on the story and how you are going to present it. Many of the finest speakers do not use slides.
3. Keep it simple.
Tell your story in clear, simple and direct language. Avoid jargon or any technical language. When Steve Jobs was rolling out the iPod, he could have talked about many of the technological aspects of the device, but what he said instead was, “iPod, One thousand songs in your pocket.”
4. Use strategic pauses.
Many speakers, when they are gathering their thoughts, will do something to fill the silence, an “um” or an “ahhh,” for example. But silence in a presentation can be a very powerful tool, especially if you are trying to build suspense or emphasize a particular point.
5. Be prepared for the unexpected.
When you are giving a presentation, the unexpected should be expected. Something might go wrong with the sound, for example, or with the visuals. You have to be prepared when something like this happens and go with the flow. Humor is effective in these situations.
6. Give the audience something to do.
If you can get the audience involved in some way, it will make your presentation even more effective. We tend to learn better by doing rather than by just listening.
If you want to make better presentations to employers, Bayside Solutions can help you. We focus on technology-related professions, so we know what those employers want and how to showcase our job candidates. Give Bayside a call today.
