Presentation Skills

For many people the mere thought of giving a presentation fills them with fear. This article sets out some hints and tips to make it a success.

Planning

It seems really obvious when someone says you need to plan your presentation. Often however this is an area that is skimmed over.
How long?
As a general rule, I suggest that you take the time allocated for the presentation time and multiply it by 3 to give you an indicative time for your planning.

Structure

If you are going to get your message across you need structure. One of the best tips I ever received was to think of the presentation like a newspaper article. You have:

• A headline

• Two or three messages

Slides

Many of us will have heard the term death by power point. Presenters can often:

• Have too many slides

• Have too much content on the slides

• Use too many graphics

Again, as rule of thumb, if you are doing a presentation lasting 10-15 minutes you are unlikely to need more than 6 slides.

Practice

No matter how many times you have delivered a presentation you need to practice you presentation in advance. Start with standing in front of a mirror. Then move on to practising in front of your family or partner. Then colleagues and friends. Try to do at least 3 practice runs.

Feedback

Ask and listen carefully to the feedback you are receiving about the structure, slides and delivery. See this as an opportunity to turn a good presentation into a great presentation.

Delivering Presentation

For many, this is the part they dread. Here are a few tips to ensure things go smoothly.

• Check the equipment in advance

• Make sure you know how to load the presentation

• Take a few minutes to relax yourself before you start

• Don't worry about memorising the words, just remember your headline and key messages

• Pace yourself

• Try not to be too serious

• Have fun