Having prepared your presentation, how can you deliver in a way that will make the maximum impact?

No doubt you can recall presentations from others that had you constantly checking your watch, wondering when this was all going to end, and concentrating more on what you had to do afterwards than in listening to what was being said.

And no doubt you can recall presentations from others that had you riveted to every word, enthused and inspired by the message and determined to take action as a result of what was being said.

What were the main differences?

Naturally, you needed to have an interest in the subject. Also, you needed to see the value in what was being presented. But the main difference, I’ll bet, was the quality of delivery, the passion that the speaker used in delivering the message and the way they kept your interest all the way through.

And that’s what you need to do to make a massive impact, to create an impression and blow them away with your presentation!

So what can you do? Firstly, plan an impactful opening! Make it visual, interesting, attracting attention and building desire to hear more. Use metaphors when you can to make the information come alive. Don’t just reel off a list of statistics or facts…you’ll lose them before you start.

Remember how impactful your body language is when you present. Your audience will notice your nerves if they are showing and this will detract from the message. Think about your posture and style of delivery, so they are listening to your words rather than worrying about your shaking!

Be passionate about the subject. This means creating meaning in everything you say, creating an interest with attention-grabbing stories, influential ideas and absorbing information. Make the subject really come alive in the listeners’ minds by painting pictures with words. That way, you are developing reasons why this message is important.

By all means use humour, but ensure it is appropriate. Jokes can easily fall flat or be badly timed, and people will remember a poor delivery more than they remember the attempted humour. Try to find everyday situations that are funny, rather than attempting to be a comedian when it doesn’t suit you.

Understand that you always will speak differently during a presentation than when you have a conversation. This is natural, but make it as free-flowing as possible, without rushing, mumbling or missing off the ends of words.

Eye contact is a must when presenting. If you are constantly looking down at your notes, you lose the contact and rapport with your audience that will convince them this is really worth listening to. Use cue-cards if possible and keep the eye contact as open as you can with everyone there.

Above all, make your presentation end on a high. There are two laws to remember here…the recency effect and the closing effect. Of the two effects, the closing effect carries more weight for your message because the last thing the audience hears and experiences, is the first thing they’ll remember! It should be… Outstanding!

What should your closing include? A quick resume of what you’ve covered, and the actions that need to be taken as a result of what you’ve presented. Make it memorable and outstanding, and your audience will remember it for the right reasons.

All this won’t guarantee your presentation will be the best ever…but it will give you the best chance to be your best ever! And that will surely blow them away!

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”

Seldom will you go a long time as a manager without having to present some kind of message, Whether it’s to gain more funding, to convince a customer to use your services or simply to address your team members, you will need to present a message where decisions have to be made and your credibility will be on the line.

How can you make sure you blow them away with your words? How can you prepare effectively to give yourself the best chance of success?

Here are some ideas:

Ask yourself: What objectives do I have? This will drive your whole presentation. Your goals have to be clear, so you can prepare according to exactly what you want to achieve.

Then, what do you need to know about the audience? If it’s your team members, you hopefully will know their characteristics, and will be able to plan accordingly for the responses you most likely will get. But what about if you’re presenting to someone you have never spoken to before? You can still do some research on them or their company to ascertain what kind of person they might be. This will give you confidence in preparing the message specifically for them.

Decide how long the presentation will be. If it’s, say, 15 minutes, divide it up into manageable chunks or units. Write down all the points you want to make, and put them in order. This will create the framework for what you want to say. Prepare the material at the level of the audience; you don’t want to go too deep, but you don’t want to bore them with simplicities.

Don’t use too many facts and figures that will cause confusion and boredom. Prepare any visuals you might be using in a way that complements what you are saying. If your presentation is simply the reading of slides or papers that the audience could have read themselves, you will soon bore them.

Prepare something that will grab their attention. Make the opening come alive with a hard-hitting question, or a statement that makes them think. Then give them a hook, something that will tease them into wondering what the next piece of information is. Create interest by observations or interesting stories rather than a list of facts or figures.

When you’ve prepared the material, read it through and act as if you are the audience. Would this information keep me interested? Does it answer all my questions in my mind? Has it impressed me so that I want to know more?

When you’ve prepared effectively, you might want to bounce the ideas off a colleague so you can get their feedback. Ask for constructive ways you can make the material come alive, and how it would affect them if they were listening to it. That way, you have rehearsed it and got to know how you sound when you deliver it. Remember…keep to the objectives and goals, and you’ll have prepared a presentation that blows them away!

Our next message will be about how you can make a presentation that blows them away!

Thanks again

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Management Course

Click below for a:
FREE email course “Improve Your Management Skills”