[su_note note_color=”#5B414C” text_color=”#fff”]This article is the part of our series of articles on the topic of presentation skills. Read the first article: Presentation Skills: Planning and Understanding the Audience. Other articles can be found here: #Presentation Skills.[/su_note]
You may enjoy it or not, but presenting is an inevitable part of our life. From the very beginning in the elementary school, through our life we always have something to present. Do you even remember your first encounter with a projector or PowerPoint, do you remember your first presentation? Whether you present a high school project, your business idea, a political program that should change lives of millions, or you just want to entertain people with a few funny pictures, you will need some presentation skills. Effective presentations are a combination of many elements, but we can point out a few key skills that are required when you present in almost every field today.
Preparing and Organizing the Content
Select a few key points
Depending on the time and the content of your presentation you should choose 3 to 7 key points. This will help your audience to follow you through the presentation and it will be easier for you to organize your content.
[su_note note_color=”#FB5156″ text_color=”#fff”]Quick tip: Your presentation should be well-structured, it should have at least three main parts: introduction, main part and conclusion.[/su_note]
Organize it
The beginning of the presentation is very important, this is the part where you have to get the attention of your audience. You should introduce your audience with the content of your presentation, just keep it short. Strong message followed by effective visual content can be helpful, try to say something they will think about through the presentation, something they will not easy forget, maybe some question? Main part is the place where you will put 90% of the important information and content. You should organize your content by the key points you have already identified. You can organize it in the different sections that will follow your key points. Every section should be organized in a similar way and should contain similar or the same subtitles if it’s possible. Keep in mind that the only way to satisfy your audience, is to deliver them the content that they really want in the well-structured and logical order that is easy to follow. Don’t forget to prepare examples to support your key points, examples and stories are always a good way to get attention. You should also end the presentation with some strong message, this will help people to remember what you have talked about.
[su_note note_color=”#FB5156″ text_color=”#fff”]Quick tip: Avoid too much detail, details can be boring and hard to follow, so people will probably lose interest and stop listening you.[/su_note]
Practice the presentation
It’s not enough to go through presentation one time right before the event, it can be helpful but, it’s not enough. You have to carefully practice your presentation, try repeating important parts more times in front of the mirror or in front of your friends or family. Memorize important words, but not the all of them! Practice until you feel comfortable enough with the subject of your presentation.
[su_note note_color=”#FB5156″ text_color=”#fff”]Quick tip: Write down some notes while you practice, you can use them later during the presentation to remind yourself.[/su_note]
