4 Tips For Knocking Your Next Presentation Out Of The Park

For most of us, just the word “presentation” is enough to send shivers down our spines. Standing in front of a group of people, whether you know them or not, can be a stressful situation, but presentations are a necessary part of many office settings and business proposals. A successful presentation can be the difference in getting a promotion or securing a prosperous partnership and missing out completely.

We’ve compiled four tips to keep in mind during your next presentation, check them out below!

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  1. Involve the audience: Yes, it is your presentation, you should be doing the work, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get others involved. Small activities that include the group can help engage the audience, making them more focused during the rest of your presentation.
  2. Tell a story: People are drawn to stories. While it shouldn’t be the main focus of your presentation, leading with a personal experience can help connect you with the other people in the room. The story should be relevant to your presentation, but there must be a reason you’re making the presentation, use that passion. Whether you’re asking for funding or it’s a simple call to action, make your presentation personal will connect you to the audience.
  3. Entertain the audience: Now, this doesn’t mean should practice your stand-up routine or juggle for them, but a stale presentation is the quickest way to lose the attention of your audience. Refrain from using a monotone voice and instead focus on inflection to engage the group. If you feel confident in throwing a little humor, that can be a huge positive, as well.
  4. Be concise: While engaging your audience should be a priority, when it comes time to present your actual proposal or idea, don’t beat around the bush, give the listeners hard numbers and facts. Let those things speak for themselves. Don’t linger on a single point, present it, let the audience digest the information, and continue forth.

These are but four tips to equip yourself with before your next presentation. Other things to keep in mind are to not overuse slides or graphs. In moderation, these can be great, but having too many can be overwhelming, or in some cases boring. The audience is there for you, sell yourself and your idea and use other materials to bolster that. Good luck out there!