5 Secrets To Delivering A Killer Business Presentation

For some people, presenting in front of a large audience is a piece of cake and for most, it isn’t easy to go in front of a crowd of people and give a stellar speech. One of the best ways to succeed at owning a business is to acquire top-notch presentation skills. Use these tips to get your next stellar presentation well underway.

1. Putting Your Presentation Together

Whatever tool you use, do not rely on it too heavily. What truly matters is the content and your delivery. Wion advises, “The best use of any presentation tool is to help organize your thoughts … but that should be the extent of the use of these tools. Successful speakers know the material well enough to work from scribbled notes as much as a glitzy presentation.”

2. Know Your Audience

Whether you’ve been asked to speak or you’re pitching a session, the first step is to research your potential audience. Knowing the audience provides speakers with information necessary to craft an on-point, well received presentation. You will want to know several things about the audience including, their level of sophistication in the area you’re presenting, learning objectives and topics of interest.

3. Use Impact Stories and Anecdotes

Of course, this doesn’t mean spewing lengthy historical run-downs or sharing company quips that really only make sense to employees and co-workers. What it does mean is submitting relevant background that makes powerful impact and succeeds at bringing presentation points home. These will serve to illustrate your position in a practical and down-to-earth way.

4. Creatively Transfer Enthusiasm

It goes without saying, the boring presentations are often the ones that convey the least enthusiasm. Presenting a monotone, or overly wordy Power Point can leave an audience feeling their valuable time has been wasted. If you’re thrilled about your business strategy or product, find creative ways to transfer that enthusiasm to your audience, so that they can be, too.

5. Seek to inspire

Even when your talk is internal and your content is mundane — a presentation before your team about a product roadmap, say — your message shouldn’t be humdrum. Your presentation should still focus on the topic or task at hand but by bringing in concepts like “meaning and purpose, you create a longing to get the job done” and do it well.