A Great Presentation Can Make a Big Difference

Judit Price
MS, IJCTC, CCM, CPRW, CDFI
Berke & Price Associates
Skills for Career Success
www.careercampaign.com
MA , US
(978) 256-0482


Over the years I have learned the importance of presentation skills as an aid in establishing your brand. While we have seen this in politics, the fact is presenting skills are important in all sorts of professional venues. Whether a large group or small group, the ability to present ideas cogently, clearly and forcefully, can make an enormous impression. Presentation skills are also a confidence builder, extremely helpful in building interviewing skills, and essential in advancing a career.

I am from Europe and speak with an accent. When I began my practice a long, long time ago, presentations were an essential tool in reaching out to the community. In the beginning I was extremely nervous, unsure of my ability to communicate effectively and concerned about how my accent would be received. Over time, I came to understand that content, confidence and clarity are the principal attributes of any presentation. Often, with command of these simple ideas, weak presentations are much stronger, and the attention and respect to the presenter is enhanced.

However, every presenter should provide the best that they can and that requires preparation. I want to share a few ideas providing the best presentation possible to achieve the intended goals.

I believe the first rule is to be yourself. Speakers are not professional actors and audiences can often sense whether someone is genuine or posing. Use your normal vocabulary, your authentic voice and reflect your normal speaking style. If you are good at telling jokes, that is fine. However, if not, and I have no joke-telling skills, it is not difficult to sour the audience. Combining sincerity, honesty and professionalism captures the attention of the audience, providing the platform for your main ideas.

Know your audience. Since relevance is critical, acquaintance with the interest and knowledge level of the audience is necessary. The best advice is to acquire whatever information regarding the audience makeup is available. It is reasonable to expect the audience will do something with the information, or why bother with the presentation. The purpose of the presentation may be to seek approval, to take an action, to modify a previous position, or to buy something. Defining the "call to action" is essential if the presentation is to succeed.

I understand that occasionally it is important to simply share information. But even in this instance there is a reason that relates to some condition within the organization that requires attention. Perhaps it is a morale issue. Perhaps a major change is coming and it makes sense to inform the employees.

Recognize that any group can absorb only two or three main ideas within the confines of the typical presentation. Even with handouts, the risk of piling idea upon idea is highly risky and generally unproductive because of the need to both listen and process what they have heard. That is why experts recommend focusing on only a couple of main ideas, often referred to as "the take away", and suggest giving handouts after the presentation is completed.

Some people insist in writing their presentations out word for word. Generally, that is a very bad idea. Reading from a prepared script can be very boring. In addition, there is the strong tendency to disengage from the audience in an activity in which continual eye contact is crucial. Many professionals argue against cue cards as being almost as bad as a script. The best approach is to use visuals as cues to the key points you want to present. Look at the visual then look at the audience and deliver the main points. PowerPoint or slides are fine, but do not darken the room.

Stick to conclusions, not process. No matter what is being presented, audiences want to know what to do, not how to do it. Process presentations are very boring and will quickly lose the audience. If you focus on "how to" the reward will be inattention.

There are also some technical matters to consider. The introduction should be brief. Make sure you breathe through your diaphragm. Good breathing skills facilitates more powerful speaking and encourages modulation as you vary the voice to make different points. Keep your hands at your side until you are ready to emphasize points. Keep moving, walk around the room. Movement will give you energy.

Finally, the best presentations are rehearsed. Make the presentation to an empty hall, perhaps with someone as an advisor. Or, practice in front of a mirror. I strongly recommend rehearsal, because some of the potential pitfalls become obvious. Rehearsal also builds confidence.