This is a presentation I did for the guys and girls at Mazarin (Pvt) Ltd, on how to do an effective presentation. You can see some of the points mentioned in the presentation being used by checking out this video. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bk8xNZQ3ZwE
2. IMPORTANT - Attention Spans
• Research indicates that most people‟s attention spans
start to decline after about 17 minutes of non-stop
listening.
• Research also shows that attention is higher at the start
and end of a talk than in the middle.
• This means that you should time a once-off presentation
to last no more than about 20 minutes.
• If your subject requires you to speak longer, think of
using suitable breaks, intervals or a change of pace and
style.
3. #01 - Opening Techniques
• Impact techniques can be used to grab an audience‟s
attention :
▫ news – “I‟d like to give you some news that‟s just come in…”
▫ a quote – “It was Richard Branson who said that there‟s
only one way to make money…”
▫ a question – “Let me ask you a simple question: What
would you all rather be doing now?”
▫ a story – “When I was in Cambodia during the reign of Pol
Pot…”
▫ a fact – “Research shows that 7 out of 10 people will suffer
some form of mental illness one day…”
▫ drama – “The next 10 minutes could change your life…”
4. #02 - Be Entertaining
• Speeches should be entertaining and
informative.
• Simply reciting dry facts without any passion or
humor will make people less likely to pay
attention.
5. #03 - Make them laugh
• Although you want to educate your audience,
you need to make them laugh as well.
• In essence, it keeps the audience alert and they‟ll
learn more from you than someone who just
educates.
6. #04 - Slow Down
• Consciously slow your speech down and add
pauses for emphasis.
7. #05 - Eye Contact
• Match eye contact with everyone in the room.
• You shouldn‟t focus all your attention on the
decision maker since secretaries and assistants
in the room may hold persuasive sway over their
boss
8. #06 - Talk to your audience, not at
them
• People hate it when they get talked at, so don‟t
do it.
• You need to interact with your audience and
create a conversation.
• An easy way to do this is to ask them questions
as well as letting them ask you questions.
9. #07 - Show some movement
• Make sure you show some gestures or pace
around a bit (not too much) on the stage when
speaking.
• Remember, no one likes watching a stiff.
• People are more engaged with an animated
speaker.
10. #08 - Don’t Read
• If you don‟t know your speech without cues, it
shows you don‟t really understand your
message, a huge blow to any confidence the
audience has in you.
11. #09 - Speeches are About Stories
• If your presentation is going to be a longer one,
explain your points through short stories, quips
and anecdotes.
• Great speakers know how to use a story to create
an emotional connection between ideas for the
audience.
12. #10 - Don’t Plan Gestures
• Any gestures you use need to be an extension of
your message and any emotions that message
conveys.
• Planned gestures look false because they don‟t
match your other involuntary body cues
13. #11 - Project Your Voice
• Nothing is worse than a speaker you can‟t hear.
• Projecting your voice doesn‟t mean yelling,
rather standing up straight and letting your
voice resonate on the air in your lungs rather
than in the throat to produce a clearer sound.
14. #12 - “That’s a Good Question”
• You can use statements like,
▫ “that‟s a really good question,” or
▫ “I‟m glad you asked me that,”
to buy yourself a few moments to organize your
response.
15. #13 - 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.
16. #14 - Come Early, Really Early
• 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.
17. #15 - 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.
18. #16 - Don’t Apologize
• Apologies are only useful if you‟ve done
something wrong.
• Don‟t use them to excuse incompetence or
humble yourself in front of an audience.
• Don‟t apologize for your nervousness or a lack of
preparation time.
• Most audience members can‟t detect your
anxiety, so don‟t draw attention to it.
19. #17 - Do Apologize if You’re Wrong
• One exception 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.
20. #18 - 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.
21. #19 - Show your personality
• It doesn‟t matter if you are presenting to a
corporate crowd or to senior citizens, you need
to show some character when presenting.
• If you don‟t do this you‟ll probably
sound like Agent Smith from the
Matrix.
22. #20 - Don’t abuse your visuals
• Usually your visuals are posters, charts, or even
a PowerPoint presentation.
• Whatever your visuals may be, keep them simple
and don‟t put too many words on them.
• The audience isn‟t there to read your slides, they
are there to listen to you present.
23. #21 - Have Fun
• With a little practice you can inject your passion
for a subject into your presentations.
• Enthusiasm is contagious
