10 Tips for Giving A Killer Presentation

Becoming a competent, rather than just confident, speaker requires a lot of practice. But here are a few things you can consider to start sharpening your presentation skills:

1. Come Early, Really Early

Don’t fumble with powerpoint or hooking up a projector when people are waiting for you to speak. Come early, scope out the room, run through your slideshow and make sure there won’t be any glitches. Preparation can do a lot to remove your speaking anxiety.

2. Get Practice

Join Toastmasters and practice your speaking skills regularly in front of an audience. Not only is it a fun time, but it will make you more competent and confident when you need to approach the podium.

3. Time your talk

It’s easy to run out of time before you finish saying all that you had intended. As insurance, put stuff toward the end that is okay to chop out if time does run out.

4. Breathe In Not Out

Feeling the urge to use presentation killers like ‘um,’ ‘ah,’ or ‘you know’? Replace those with a pause taking a short breath in. The pause may seem a bit awkward, but the audience will barely notice it.

5. Do Apologize if You’re Wrong

One caveat to the above rule is that you should apologize if you are late or shown to be incorrect. You want to seem confident, but don’t be a jerk about it.

6. Tell great stories to make points

People love stories. Work the audience like an actor (they’ll love it, even if you’re horrible!). Commit to being a storyteller and throw yourself into the role. Keep your stories short, and make sure they’re colorful, descriptive and relevant.

7. Have your talk unfold logically

Plan your talk as though it were a story in itself, with a beginning, middle and an end. More specifically, the basic building blocks of a story are: introduction, rising action, climax and resolution.

8. Put Yourself in the Audience

When writing a speech, see it from the audiences perspective. What might they not understand? What might seem boring? Use WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) to guide you.

9. Have Fun 

Sounds impossible? With a little practice you can inject your passion for a subject into your presentations. Enthusiasm is contagious.

10. Give it Focus

No one is impressed by a presentation that rambles. Rambling happens when the speaker is both self-indulgent and unorganized. Your purpose and prose must be specifically directed to interests of your listeners or they will mentally shut you down.