10 Tips to Help You Give a Great Presentation

Whether it is for a large corporate gathering or even a small group, giving a presentation can be nerve-wracking to say the least! A couple of years ago I paid my dues as a corporate trainer. Let my experiences save you some headaches. Here are 10 tips you can use to ensure your next presentation is a success.

1. Manage your time well. Give yourself plenty of time to write the meat of the content. Then add at least an extra day or two (depending on the length of your presentation) for proofreading and editing. You might be surprised when that perfect new phrase or explanation pops into your mind after you thought you were "done" preparing your material.

2. Dress the part. You want to fit in to the audience so they will feel comfortable with you as you present your information. The best advice is to find out what type of attire is customary, and then dress one level "above" the expected audience. If your audience will be comprised of blue-collar machinists, they probably won't relate as well to you if you show up in a three-piece suit. Is it a business-casual environment? Then business-professional would be appropriate for you to wear.

3. Know your equipment and prepare your presentation accordingly. Will Microsoft Power Point ® be your only option on the company computer? Can you bring your own laptop to connect it to a digital projection system? Be early to test the equipment, the connections, the logistics of the room, etc. Technology is your friend, but sometimes it takes a little tinkering to get everything going correctly. Don't let a last-minute IT Help Desk call rattle your calm and disrupt that well-prepared attitude!

4. Have a backup (or two) of your presentation if you are using presentation software. Make sure you have it on CD but I also recommend emailing it to yourself as another way to save your behind. Make sure ahead of time if you will have internet access to check your web-based email to retrieve that spare copy if necessary. Or perhaps there is a contact person at the presentation site to whom you can email a copy just in case your hard media fails you or is damaged in some way.

5. Practice, practice, practice! Physically say the words aloud just as you will on the big day. How does it sound? Remember to speak more slowly than you normally would. Your audience will appreciate that they can follow along. And try not to put them to sleep. Bueller... Bueller...

6. Provide handouts. If you are using slide-show style presentation software, only list the main highlights on the screen. Too much data up there is hard to read and is just plain boring! Put the details in your personal notes and the handouts. Use the slides as an outline to keep you on track. Slides are also not the place to put extremely detailed charts. It doesn't matter how much work went into them, your audience will not be able to read them. Put detailed charts and graphs in the handouts and have a slide that refers to "2008 Projected Marketing Budget - Handout No 5" for example. Also, make sure you have extra copies of your handouts for unexpected attendees and duplicate requests.

7. Use humor where appropriate and make your audience comfortable. A funny little tie-in story is a great way to start a presentation and to engage your audience. Don't overdo this, however. Too much humor, when not called for, may be seen as unprofessional and can be an unpleasant distraction from an otherwise serious topic.

8. Be knowledgeable Know your subject matter inside and out. Think of any possible questions that may arise and be prepared to answer them. Let your audience know ahead of time if you will be taking questions along the way, or if they should hold them until the end. Either method can be successful depending on the subject matter and the environment.

9. Include additional resources for your audience. Anything above your level of expertise should not be off-limits, just redirect those inquiries as necessary. A great way to offer these resources is in the handouts you prepared. You don't want to be repeating yourself several times while attendees scramble to write down that 33-character website address. And most people are not going to know what a "tilde" is, until you tell them it is that little squiggly line to the left of the number "1" on the keyboard. Now you're wasting time and you sound stupid.

10. Don't forget to smile! Let your audience know you are interested in them and the subject matter. There is no better way to do this than to smile! Greet and welcome your attendees whenever possible and you will have an instant rapport that will last the duration of your presentation. Providing, of course, you have followed the advice in Steps 1-9 above.

Remember the old saying, "There are always three speeches. The one you prepared to give, the one you gave, and the one you should have given." With a little effort ahead of time, you can minimize the differences between these three. Good luck and have fun!