1. Know your top three key points.
Can you crystalise those points in 90 seconds? If you can’t condense and explain your ideas into bite-size chunks, you run the risk of waffling your way through the presentation. This is how many professionals lose firm control of the audience. It’s a useful technique if you’re forced to cut down your presentation at the last moment.
2. Make your presentation all about your audience.
Whether you’re delivering financial results or pitching for a promotion, you should regularly draw your information back to how it relates to or benefits your audience. Try something like:
“And the reason why these statistics are so important is because they will help you to…”
3. Stop dumping the data and start translating the information.
So you have a highly technical presentation to deliver? That doesn’t give you a licence to put your audience to sleep! Start replacing long, convoluted explanations with colourful, vivid phrases and examples to capture your audiences’ imagination. Use analogies so your audience can see (in their minds) what you’re saying.
4. Deliver it like you mean it.
Do you sound and look like you are sincerely interested in the topic, the statistics, the ideas and what they mean to you and your audience? Put some energy into your presentation, both visually and vocally. There’s nothing worse than subjecting an audience to 45 minutes of a dull, monotone voice. No matter how outstanding your content is, if you can’t engage your audience vocally and visually, you will never connect with them.