In my role at Solstice Consulting, I do a lot of presenting on topics that interest me, case studies on project successes, and Solstice's domains of expertise. While my audience has ranged in size and background and the content is different each time, I have found a few prensentation techniques that seem to apply to all situations.
- Be confident no matter how unprepared you feel. Projecting confidence is a sure fire way to build credibility with your audience and help ease your nerves.
- Dress smart and confident. What you wear impacts how you feel about yourself. Splurge on that smart suit or stylish shirt.
- Be interesting and engaging. Pull people into your world with stories, anecdotes, and humor. The more they laugh, the more they'll like you, and the more they will remember you.
- Read the room and get a pulse on the audience. When you feel things are going south and people loosing interest, start asking them questions to keep them engaged. Get them talking and learning from each other. Your audience will appreciate your facilitating knowledge sharing. And they might have the content or answers that you don't.
- Keep the slides light on text. The more text the more tempted you are to read directly from the slide. Use key phrases and words. This helps keep the presentation conversational when you use your own words and stories to deliver the content.
As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. What are some techniques that work for you?
