11 ways to be a better presenter

Clear Books Must reads | June 2015
11 ways to be a better presenter

While some people love to get up there to promote
their business and share their ideas with the world,
for others the thought of presenting can be about as
appealing as a case of food poisoning!
Feeling comfortable presenting in front of a crowd
is an essential business skill to develop, so we’ve put
together a few tips, based on our experiences, to get
you presenting like a pro!
An important part of most jobs, and particularly if you’re running your own
business, is standing up and presenting in front of large groups of people.
Whether it’s for a pitch, a conference, or even an internal meeting, it’s vital
that you can communicate in a clear and engaging way.

If you’ve been asked to present on a
certain subject, it probably means you’re
a bit of an expert in the field, so be
confident you have something to say that
people want to hear. It also helps if it’s
something you’re passionate about.
1. Be confident:

The best way to combat nerves? Know
your content and subject inside out.
It sounds simple but if you’re worried
about whether you’ll be ‘caught out’ by
audience questions, you need to invest
time in studying your subject. If you
know what you’re talking about, it shows,
and people will be more likely to trust
you and your business.
2. Know your content:

When nervous, people tend to reach
for notes or cue cards. But generally
this is distracting for both you and
the audience. If you do need a written
prompt, keep it for facts and figures only.
You won’t be able to make sense of long
sentences when you’re standing on stage
in front of an audience.
3. Ditch the cue cards:

Don’t forget that only you know how
your speech should go. If you mess up or
leave something out, the audience will be
none the wiser — so there’s no need to
get wound up about missing something.
4. Remember you’re in charge:

People tend to waffle when nervous and
that’s an easy way to lose the audience’s
attention. The average person can’t
concentrate for more than 20 minutes
at a time, so try to use that as your time
limit where possible. If not, try having
some sort of break at the 20 minute
mark— such as a poll — otherwise try to
make a clear shift in topic or theme.
5. Keep it succinct:

Pick out and emphasise the best bits.
People don’t need to know all of the details
or your life story — just focus on the key,
memorable points you want them to take
away.
6. Focus on your key messages:

Don’t have hundreds of words on a slide.
Instead, use words sparingly so they
don’t distract from what you’re saying.
Otherwise, the audience will be reading
the slide instead of listening to you:
slides should serve to complement your
words rather than overshadowing them.
7. Make use of images:

A bit of humour goes a long way
when you’re faced with the daunting
prospect of an audience. Try to drop in
a topical joke at the beginning of your
presentation to loosen everyone up.
Even getting a small chirp of laughter can
be a great motivation, especially if you
don’t know the group. You don’t need to
be a stand up comic to try this, so give it
a go.
8. Use humour:

Try your speech in front of a mirror, record
yourself, or ask a friend to give you feedback
on your presentation style — you might be
surprised how this improves your delivery.
Being aware that you fidget or say ‘um’ too
much, will improve your technique when it
comes to the real thing. Smiling is a great
way to appear relaxed, and it also improves
the quality of your voice (believe it or not).
9. Practise, practise, practise:
Um
Umm
Uhh

There’s no point talking to the wall where
your presentation is being projected!
You should also try to make brief eye
contact with individual members of the
audience during your talk to create a
bond and make people feel like you’re
communicating to them directly.
10. Face your audience

There’s nothing more distracting than
wonky formatting! Keep font size/
style/ colour and alignment consistent,
otherwise it looks like you couldn’t
be bothered, and ultimately this will
damage the credibility of your message.
This also goes for distracting spelling
mistakes; if that’s not your strong point,
ask someone else to look over it for you.
11. Check your formatting:
Aa

Above all, remember that you don’t
need to have all the answers
— if you don’t know the answer to a question, just say you’ll
follow up later.
This can be a great way to start a conversation about your
business with a potential customer as it shows you’re
thorough and respond efficiently — which are exactly the
sort of traits we all appreciate in business.
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11 ways to be a better presenter

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