Business Culture

How to Make an Effective Presentation

Here are some tips that may help make your audience listen to you and remember the information you give.

Analyze your audience

Anticipate what your audience wants to know. Once you know their needs, you can figure out how to "sell" the benefits of your topic to them.

Keep confident

Confidence is the main secret of being a good presenter: you have to be confident to show confidence. You must be inspired by the deep belief that you can succeed. To have faith in yourself and your message, explore all phases of your subject and ask yourself how your talk will help the audience to get what they want. Tell yourself you can do it and that you are more qualified than any member of the audience to give this presentation. Remember careful preparation provides the solid ground you need to support your self-confidence.

Make a good first impression

The audience sometimes makes decisions from your first appearance and first words. Carefully plan your opening sentences and practice them repeatedly. The advice is: use short sentences and keep technical information at a minimum. You can grab attention with a joke, an interesting fact, a short anecdote, a quotation ... something designed to arouse curiosity and get the audience looking at and listening to you.

Speak with passion

Selling is a transfer of emotions. When you speak, make the audience sense how strongly you believe in what you are saying. If you want people to give you their undivided attention, they must hear and see in you an unwavering commitment to your message.

Use videos

Videos can be effective aids if you use them at the appropriate times. Videos can illustrate an idea and put it into action. The theme of the video must correspond with the main points you are discussing. A Q&A period, discussion or handouts should accompany the video.