Presentation Skills

Making a presentation is often a fearful task. Even experienced actors get "butterflies" in their stomach before they go on stage. It's no wonder that those of us who are less experienced get "state fright" before a presentation.

There are some tips about making a presentation that can help you over the initial hurdle of fear. These tips have helped countless people make better, more interesting and informative presentations. Consider these tips for your next presentation.

• Start with a Story There are many books that have stories about real people in just about every situation you can imagine. You'll probably be able to find a story that relates to the subject you are going to discuss. The opening story is sometimes called the "hook" that gets your audience's attention and draws them into your presentation. A story that has a beginning, a point, and an ending will help make your audience eager to hear the rest of your presentation. Just be sure that your story's point relates to the subject you are discussing.
• Know your Audience This simply means that you should prepare your presentation for your audience. Your audience came to hear a particular topic. Present your information at a technical or educational level that is appropriate for the people you are speaking to.
• Relate the Information to the Action Steps Most presentations call upon the audience to take some action after the presentation. Make sure the information you present helps motivate the audience to action. Also, include information that makes the action steps seem like a logical response to the information you present. In other words, include information that supports your recommended actions. And, remove topics or ideas from your presentation that "ramble" or do not support your action steps.
• Focus on Benefits If you are selling a product, you'll need to focus on how that product can benefit your audience. Your audience wants to know what the product will do for them. This is why the will buy your product. You can mention features of your product, but for each feature tell your audience the benefits that result from that feature. After members of the audience become emotionally committed to the benefits of your product, they can justify their purchase decision with the features.
• You are the Expert Above all, remember that you have taken the time to research all the points of your presentation. You have put each point together and prepared a logical order for presenting the information. In other words, you are the expert. Your audience really wants to learn what you have to say.

You really can have a good time making presentations if you are prepared. And with these tips you will be prepared and will have an easy time with an audience eager to hear what you have to say.

We hope the following presentation skills resources will be valuable in your future presentations.

Public Speaking and Presentation Tips

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