Memorable Presentations - Part 1

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Presentation Helper

Start with a quotation.
You can find lots of quotations on the Internet. One is bound to fit.

Produce an unusual statistic.
This could help build a connection with your audience. How about: 93.7% of statistics are made up on the spot. The web is filled with "strange but almost true" quotations.

Live with the fear.
All presenters are nervous before a presentation and if the fear goes away your performance will be flat. It is a combination of adrenaline and testosterone (which affects both men and women). Learn how to harness it like an athlete. Call it "anticipation" or "excitement".

Realize that you will come down.
If you have done well you will have been on a high - sometimes known as that Presentation Sensation. Realize that when this goes, often in the evening - you will feel low or even depressed. This is only temporary.

Clean your shoes.
You will be on display. Your audience will be looking at how well you are turned out, and they will look at your shoes.

The eyes have it.
Maintain good eye contact with the audience. Don't keep contact with only one group of the audience. Spread your attention around the room. No one ever complained of a presentation being too short. Long presentations can turn off the audience. Say what you have to say. Stop, ask for questions, and listen.

A picture is worth ten thousand words.
Use pictures instead of bullet points and your message retention should increase. Research suggests that this could be by a factor of five. Avoid jargon. People really do play buzzword bingo. Whether it the "TLA" - Three Letter Abbreviation or the "Paradigm Shift" you don't want the audience to be scoring points at your expense Involve the audience.

Make the presentation interactive.
If you can.