TIPS FOR GIVING A GOOD PRESENTATION

13 Oct 2022

It’s likely that you may be required to give presentations at some point during your academic and professional careers. You will consistently improve your ability to create interesting presentations and communicate your ideas to others. While there are many different approaches to making a presentation, regardless of your preferred style, there are a few basic skills you can acquire to make good presentations. Setting concrete objectives for yourself can help you get better over time. Be patient and give yourself permission to make mistakes because many individuals spend their entire life trying to become excellent speakers. We’ll go through five tips to getting better for your upcoming presentation:

  • Keep your presentation simple 

Keep in mind that less is better when assembling your presentation. Many presenters follow the “10-20-30” rule, which states to utilize 10 slides or less, keep the presentation under 20 minutes, and use a font size of at least 30 points. This format guarantees that your presentation will be concise, precise, and to the point. You should also try and keep your main ideas to three or fewer key points. To ensure that the audience recalls the most crucial content, mention them at the start and end of your presentation.

  • Use visual aids

Use visual aids in your presentation if they can help to support or clarify a subject. While you’ll probably have slides to complement your presentation visually, infographics, charts, pictures, films, sketches, or renderings might also be useful. If it makes things difficult or more complex in any way, don’t use the visual aids and keep your presentation simple and accessible.

  • Tell stories

It can be beneficial to create a powerful, captivating opening if you want to hold your audience’s interest throughout the entire presentation. Whatever approach you choose, make sure it is pertinent to your presentation and reinforces the key idea you want your audience to take away from it. You can try to share a story that leads to the main topic of your presentation. Humans have a built-in tendency to react to stories. We learn to pay attention and remember information by using stories. So, your audience is more likely to pay attention and remember your points if you can incorporate stories into your presentation. 

  • Work on your stage presence 

Although the written and spoken portions of your presentation are undoubtedly crucial, your stage presence should also support the information you are presenting. Instead of remaining in one spot when presenting, slowly move around the floor or stage. Make sure that your actions enhance the presentation rather than detract from it. If at all possible, avoid standing behind a podium or table. Make eye contact with the audience to personalize and conversationalize your presentation. When demonstrating an idea or expressing enthusiasm for a subject, reinforce your points with movements and facial expressions. To project confidence and welcome the audience into your presentation, stand up straight with your shoulders back and your arms outstretched.

  • Practice

After you’ve put together your presentation, you should dedicate time to preparing your talking points. To do this, it may be helpful to ask some of your reliable friends or coworkers for a practice run. Request people frank criticism on your images, speaking style, body language, and other presentation-related elements. Take care to practice your speech, but avoid memorizing it. If you have every line of your presentation memorized, it may be simple to veer off course if you feel tense or miss a few words. Prepare short talking points instead that will guide your presentation. Be honest and assured of your expertise when you speak.

Those are a few tips from us to help you improve your presentation. Don’t forget to try it and hope it helps!

References:

Keiling, H. (2019, March 8). 10 Tips for Giving a Great Presentation. Indeed Career Guide. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/tips-for-giving-a-great-presentation

Skillsyouneed. (n.d.). Top Tips for Effective Presentations | SkillsYouNeed. https://www.skillsyouneed.com/present/presentation-tips.html

Waters, S. (2022, January 8). How to Give a Good Presentation: 8 Tips to Succeed. Better Up. https://www.betterup.com/blog/how-to-give-a-good-presentation

Nathania Desnauli T