Making Presentations look easy (Even when we know they’re not!)
If you want to ‘sell’ your ideas to your own or another company, there are a few ways to conduct a professional and productive presentation without all the stress and mess. Planning is very important, if you arrive unprepared and try to wing it, you won’t impress anybody. You need to have all the facts and figures written down, be ready for questions and try to keep within your time limit.
Once you have your plan ready, you will feel confident and this will come across in your presentation. If you want to use slides, or other visual aids, have them set up beforehand. Decide if it needs to be formal or informal, dress appropriately and try to check the mirror beforehand. Spaghetti sauce on the chin will distract your audience.
Introduce yourself and smile where appropriate, maintaining eye contact as much as possible. Keep things interesting, ask your audience questions and listen to their answers. Come back to your main points a few times so that they are remembered. If action is needed, ask for opinions or decisions to be made.
Remember we are all human, if you do make the odd mistake or forget your place get back on track as soon as possible. Being friendly and welcoming will go a long way.
Stick to your time limit rigidly, everyone appreciates a concise presentation. And don’t forget to come back once again to your main points at the end to ensure that your audience remembers them.
