Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Perfect present-ing! (Times Education Series)

A presentation is a 'present' you give your audience, consisting of your ideas and thoughts. Put conviction and passion into a presentation to connect with people and make your 'present' truly memorable.

Here are five ways to ensure a presentation becomes a real gift:

* Converse, don't lecture: Don't get caught in complicated content and talk at your audience. Instead, think you're having a conversation with many individuals, rather than delivering a lecture to a crowd.

* 'Tell and show' — don't 'show and tell': When you first show a slide and then talk about it, the slide takes the lead. Rather, follow an earlier slide by raising a logical question related to the next one. Then, show this. That way, you lead - the slide follows.

* Express over impress: Don't stress about pitch, body language, etc. These are important details — but only details. Immerse yourself in the message, visualize what you're saying and express yourself with conviction. That will impress an audience more than your tenor of voice!

* Create a story — not a slide deck: Don't start making a presentation, staring at a blank laptop screen. Rather, start with a blank sheet of paper, asking yourself: Why are you presenting this? What do you want the audience to think or feel? What problems do you want to solve? Then, build your slides to create a compelling story around answers to these questions.

* Use the best 'bait': Apply the word 'You' three times in the first five sentences of a presentation, such as: 'Your situation', 'What you need' and 'How this presentation will help you'. This bait will ensure you 'hook' your listeners.

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