5 Ways to Develop Presentation Skills

Here are 5 Ways that will help you develop your skills of presentation.

-Confidence is the Key 

Before anything, develop a certain degree of confidence about your own abilities. Don’t go out there with the feeling that everyone is your enemy and is just waiting to rip you apart. 

You can also build a certain degree of confidence by being well prepared for the presentation. Don’t leave any facet out, and make it a point to have a script that is tightly edited. Even if you don’t make all the information at your disposal, a part of the presentation, make sure that you have an in-depth understanding of the topic.

-Be Engaging and Do Not Lecture 

Develop an interesting presentation. This is a significant aspect of developing presentation skills. Learn to interact with your audience while giving a presentation. Don’t just stand and dump your data on them. 

Be compelling enough, so that the people hear your presentation, without giving you a bored look or without showing disinterest in the presentation. It’s important to understand that, you don’t know more than the audience, and even if you think you do, you are giving the presentation for their benefit and not yours.

-Knowing Your Audience 

Make it a point to know your audience. Meaning, you must know the basic characteristics of the audience. You must also know the number of senior people that would be a part of the audience, or what would be the initial attitude of the people vis-à-vis the topic. 

If the people in front of you are intelligent and well-informed, you must be prepared accordingly and try to mold your presentation skills accordingly. Each presentation is different, and needs a few common skill sets in conjunction with skill sets that have been developed for a particular audience.

-Keep it Short and Simple 

Don’t go in for a lengthy presentation. A simple and short presentation does not mean a presentation that falls short of expectations or does not provide important information. 

If you try and integrate simplicity, you will develop an orderliness, and will also know what to select and in what amount. You will also become better organized, and not meander away from the topic.

-Anticipation 

You can develop presentation skills by learning to anticipate any eventuality, especially with respect to the questions asked. If you do not learn to expect the unexpected, you might just lose your credibility in the process.

Always identify the questions or problems that your might face, and form an adequate response for the same.

The Time and Patience Factor

Developing presentation skills takes time and no one is born with such skills. You need to practice, and hone your skills, by not shying away from the thought of giving presentations. After a period of time and due diligence you will develop presentation skills that will give you unmitigated success.

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How Do You Reach Everyone in the Room?

Presentations or speeches can be a wonderful experience for the person talking at the front of the audience and for the audience as wee. This is a technique usually used to get information to people and also to entertain people in some circumstances. There are many ways to do this such as Powerpoint, hand outs, or using writing on boards which are the visual aspects of presentations. But let's face it, most of the time it is talking and the audience listening to many words.

Because any group is composed of different types of people with some who listen well, others that are visual learners, some that talking puts to sleep, and others that just want to talk, different ways may be used to attempt to reach everyone.

If at all possible to not get behind a podium. This separates the speaker from the audience and gives a feel that the speaker is unreachable. In this scenario it is unspoken that the audience role is to listen only. It may be untrue but it is an unconscious feeling and interpretation.

Walk around a little. This makes the audience follow you and keeps there attention. At the same time eye contact with different members of the audience shows that you are engaged with them. Don't linger too long on one person though but it is OK to see if you can get a nod or a smile.

Bodies make a lot of expression so to use your hands is great. A cordless, hands free mike would be best for this. There are many places using these now and is a good investment. A good one even picks up a whisper.

The voice when speaking should change in tone and emphasis at time but there is no need to shout. It is much like a conversation though one sided mostly but people listen to conversational tone better than feeling it is simply orders. It is also terrific to smile and tell some related stories. Stories people remember and this gives a reference for the information given.

Presentations are meant to help people so give it in a manner that says exactly that.

Liz Cosline- Life Ownership Coach - Speaker
Author of:
Transcendental Sojourn - Arrival to One Journal (xlibris.com)
One Voice (publishamerica.com)
Unexpected Knowing (publishamerica.com)
Notice for Arrival (publishamerica.com)

In business management for over 23 years.

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