Tips for Giving an Great Presentation

Public Speaking... Those very words send chills up the spine and beads of perspiration down the forehead. It's not a very well kept secret that most people dislike public speaking. Communication anxiety is a very commons problem that even the most seasoned speakers still deal with. In a world that is rapidly changing, your skills as an effective public communicator are vitally important. In the world of higher education, most degree programs require a public speaking course. This is because the business, marketing, sales, and leadership careers of today and tomorrow are going to require excellent presentation and public speaking skills. In this short guide, I'm going to lay out a few tips and considerations to have to help you become a more effective public speaker. While following these tips won't turn you into Barack Obama overnight, (whether you love or hate his politics, the man is a brilliant orator), they will give you those first steps to put you on the road to becoming a lights out presenter.

Tip #1: Know Your Audience

Audience analysis is the first vital step to giving a knock out presentation. Before you can sell a product, an idea, a grade, a job, or anything, you must sell yourself to your audience. The only way you can sell yourself to your audience is if you are able to relate to them. The only way you can relate to them is if you know a little about them. Don't change who you are or be deceptive, but tailoring your language, dress, style and content of your presentation will help your audience relate to you. This will also put you more at ease as you speak, because it establishes a connection with your audience.

Tip #2: Consider Available Technology

As a presenter, nothing can throw you off your game more than an unexpected technical difficultly. You first need to know what technology you can use. Is there a projector available for PowerPoint? Will you use a lapel microphone or a handheld? What is the lighting like? Can you use audio/video? Knowing this will help shape your presentation.

Secondly, you need to know how to use this technology. If you need any training, 2 hours before you go on is not enough. Scheduling sound checks and rehearsals will help familiarize you with the available technology. You have enough on your plate as it is, the technology should be second nature to you to avoid over-complicating the matter. As we all know, technology does fail, so have a solid back up plan prepared ahead of time.

Tip #3: Make Your Outline Efficient

A common mistake people make is inefficient use of the outline of their speech. They use font or handwriting that is too small and hard to read. They might type out their entire speech verbatim, causing them to lose their place or worse, read straight from the manuscript. Your outline should focus on ideas not specific words (unless of course you are quoting).

Make mental triggers for yourself. Use familiar words or short phrases as mental cues for yourself to a section of your presentation that you can elaborate on. For example, you are given the honor of delivering the graduation speech. You want to talk about a funny story about the graduating class to build that connection with your audience. Rather than write out the story, put "FUNNY STORY" or another memorable word or phrase on your outline and elaborate from there.

Make your outline easy for you to read. Use large font, bold font, even colors if you need to. Use anything to help the contents stand out in your mind. Use pictures, if that helps. No one will see this but you! Following this will help you keep eye contact with your audience and give you more confidence.

Tip #4: Acknowledge and Address Your Space Fillers

The "ums", "uhs", and "likes" haunt us all. These verbal space fillers are such an ingrained part of our everyday speech that most of us don't' even realize we use them. Do me a favor though, get a tape recorder and record your speech. Count the space fillers. I promise that if you didn't realize you used them before, you do now.

Because we're so accustomed to using space fillers, breaking this habit is very hard. We do it to avoid "long pauses", or because we've opened our mouths without the thoughts fully developed so we use the space fillers to stall. To help fix this, first realize that pauses aren't bad. They are never as long as they feel to you. If you need to pause to find your place or gather your thoughts, take a second to do so rather than spouting "ummmmm". This is a hard issue to address because it involves breaking habits that we have been using since we learned to talk. However, addressing this issue will turn you into a much more eloquent, intelligent, and confident speaker.

Tip #5: Be Aware of Your Nonverbal Behavior

Eye contact, slouching, flicking your hair, and drumming your fingers all say different things. In fact, how your nonverbal behavior can say more than the content of your speech. Research has shown that as much as 93% of our communication is done by nonverbal behavior. Like space fillers, a lot of people have a nonverbal behavior they may not even realize they use. Give your speech in front of a mirror and observed your nonverbals, this can help you identify and address changes you might need to make.

Tip #6: Practice (you knew I'd get here eventually)

Without practice, your efficient outlines mean nothing, your knowledge of technology doesn't matter, and you will resort back to space fillers. I recommend tape recording yourself and practicing in front of family or friends that you trust to give you honest feedback. Be open to their constructive criticism.

Summary
Presentation skills can be the difference between jobs, sales, grades, income, failure, and success. There will always be a need for you to develop your presentation and public speaking skills. I hope these tips have provided you with some useful information.