BASIC TIPS TO DO A PROFESSIONAL PRESENTATION FOR BEGINNER

In career life, expressing your ideas to other coworkers is a big deal, as a research done by Forbes said that 70% of employees think that presentation skills are critical for career success. In order to express your idea to a wider group of coworkers, presentation is better than passing your idea person by person. Presentation, as the name itself is a method to deliver something (idea, thought, etc.) to a wider audience. Presentation can be done by everyone from all career levels, to deliver your idea or point in an effective and efficient way, there are some tips that can be applied to do so. Therefore, in this article we are going to discuss some tips to do a professional presentation, so let’s get started!

1. Grasp the concept, don’t memorize it

One of the most common practices that almost every presenter does is memorizing their presentation instead of understanding the concept. Some of them even memorize their presentation material word by word. This practice is not recommended as it often complicates the presenter with their own material because they have to memorize what they have to say in detail. In career life, it is better to understand what you are going to talk or present because it is easier to deliver and it is better for audience understanding.

2. Focus on audience’s needs

The purpose of a presentation is to deliver your idea to other people, but don’t forget about what your audience needs. It means that your presentation should be built around your audience, remember that your audience needs to understand the point in your presentation. Don’t forget to pay attention to the audience’s response or question for a better audience-centric presentation. There are many types of audiences, such as youth, professional or expert, and many more. Therefore you should understand what type of audience you’re dealing before presenting your topic in order to deliver an informative yet engaging presentation. For example, for the youth audience, use a more fun yet professional approach and also you can try different approaches for different types of audience as long as the approach is suitable and professional.

3. Use necessary tool

To help you present your material better to the audience, you can use other media or tools as an assistance. There are many media or tools available to use as an assistance, such as chart/ diagram, slide (powerpoint), or other properties that support your material. One  of the common media used is slide (powerpoint). In terms of using powerpoint, try to make it simple by giving the main point in the slide and don’t write too many words in your powerpoint, this is done to make sure your audience understands the key point of your presentation. This method is also applied in career life. The reason is many of your coworkers are busy, so make sure your presentation can save their time yet be effective and efficient. Other than that, it can also improve your audience’s understanding towards your idea or material.

4. Pay attention to body language

Stage fright often happens when someone is talking in front of a big audience, in this case, it is a presentation. You have to stay calm and believe in yourself that you are ready to tell your idea to the audience, otherwise it can affect your body language. When presenting, pay attention to your body language carefully because your audience can tell if there is anything not normal when you are presenting with bad body language. Try not to move too much, pay attention to your posture, maintain your eye contact towards your audience, and don’t stutter too much.

Giving or conducting a great presentation is difficult but not impossible. You can practice your presentation skills as early as possible, so that you are used to it when you are entering your career life. Remember to prepare and practice your material before you present it to the audience, as a saying goes “practice makes perfect”.

Reference:

• Top Tips for Effective Presentations. (n.d.). Retrieved from SKILLSYOUNEED: https://www.skillsyouneed.com/present/presentation-tips.html
• Gallo, C. (2014, September 25). New Survey: 70% Say Presentation Skills Are Critical For Career Success. Retrieved from Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/carminegallo/2014/09/25/new-survey-70-percent-say-presentation-skills-critical-for-career-success/?sh=27ba21368890