So, you have been asked to deliver a presentation?
Presentation skills are an important part of your job skills, they are often the ones, that make you or break you, so let’s delve into how to make a success of it.
First and foremost, instead of jumping straight into designing slides, start by considering these questions:
- Who will be in the audience? Are they executives, engineers, investors, or peers? If you’re unsure, find out, as it’s crucial for tailoring your content.
- Why are you presenting? Understand the event’s purpose and who else will be speaking.
- Why should the audience care about your presentation? How can your insights benefit them?
- What are the top three to five points you want your audience to remember? Avoid trying to cover more than five.
- What actions do you want your audience to take afterward? For example, visit a website or attend a seminar?
- How much time do you have? Reduce that by half to account for potential overruns and questions.
After answering the initial questions, follow these steps to prepare your presentation:
- Create an Outline for Your Presentation: Write down three to five key points that you want to make.
- Create a Slide for Each of the Key Points: Make one slide for each of the three to five main points you want to convey, using bullet points for clarity. You may also want to incorporate the following kinds of slides:
Agenda Slide: The agenda slide should have bullet points where you tell your audience what you will tell them during your presentation.
Impact Slide: Optionally, make a slide explaining how your information will benefit the audience.
Action Items Slide: A slide that lists any actions you want your audience to take after your presentation.
Summary Slide: the slide summarizes your main points. In it you tell your audience what you told them.
Title and Thank You Slides: Prepare a title slide and a final “thank you” slide.
- Manage (Plan) Your Time: Aim for 2-3 minutes per slide. Plan to use 20-30% of your time for questions. For example, if you have 30 minutes, use no more than 8-10 slides, including the title and thank-you slides.
- Review Existing Slides: review any existing slides to ensure they fit your framework. Simple slides are often better than overly complex ones. Make sure the information is relevant, well-researched, the language is understandable, and the format of the slides is clear and appealing.
- Seek Feedback: Show your slides to trusted colleagues and incorporate useful feedback.
- Practice: Rehearse your entire presentation standing up. Practice your introduction frequently, as it’s crucial for setting the tone. The more you practice, the more confident you will feel during your presentation.
- Pre-Presentation Stress Management Routine: If you haven’t already done so, develop a stress-management routine that you follow before delivering presentations. It may look something like that:
First, tense and release major muscle groups (e.g., shoulders and quads),
then practice breathing,
and finally, stand for two minutes in a superman position.
GOOD LUCK!
