Three Tips to Guarantee You Rock Your Next Presentation

Presentations are often lackluster. The usual reason is lack of creativity in content and visuals.

For example, workplace presentations tend to make employees yawn after the first five minutes. This is due to lack of control over the power of the content and the presenter talking “at,” rather than “to” employees. It’s also possible that presentation content may be repetitive and offer ideas employees already know. There are three tips to rock your next presentation.

These include:
. Know your audience
. Do your homework
. Listen and interact with your audience

Know Your Audience
Whether your presentation is for fellow employees, the Board of Directors, a local school board, town council or a major corporate business event, if you don’t know your audience, your presentation will fall apart. In addition to assessing the listening and viewing audience, it’s important to evaluate the group’s particular needs with regard to the content of the presentation.

What is the point in presenting an HRD film on new hires to a group or executives or experienced employees? This presentation should address techniques for new hires not previously known.

Do Your Homework
It’s easy to role play how successful a presentation will be. Simply have a fellow employee rehearse it for you. If you are bored by it, your work has not been done. What makes a spectacular presentation has more to do with the overall method used to present information.

One tip for this is to mix video with audio, add oral comments and a question and answer period. These can also be reversed. For instance, start the presentation with the question and answer period. This may help determine the direction the presentation should take. To really rock your next presentation, make certain that your content is top notch. Spike it with a few ideas from highly recognized industry members or associates that have had a proven track record of success or have a surprise guest speaker.

Listen and Interact with Your Audience
The most inspiring presentations are those that attract and hold attention. This will work only if there is balanced interaction between presenter and audience. Listening is as important as speaking and presenting.

Presenters make the mistake of using time like a predictable script without listening to the nuances of the group. Take note of the group’s facial expressions for guidance on how well the presentation is doing. Drama is an important part of every presentation. Without drama, presentation appeal is lost.