How To Make Presentations Enjoyable and Most Importantly, Engaging!

We will all have to make a presentation at some point in our lives. It might be presenting at an interview or at a conference in front of hundreds of people.

Presenting yourself well creates a great impression that will help you be more successful and also makes you feel confident and positive in any situation. At the beginning, I felt most nervous when speaking to a group of people. With time, I found that starting early to put my presentation together and preparing well to deliver it, made it quite enjoyable and satisfying!

Here are some of my tips on presenting successfully:

1. Find out as much as possible about the occasion, the audience, the time, the venue.
2. Decide on your objectives - What outcome would you like from your presentation? Think "How do I want my audience to feel?"
3. Facts are not persuasive.....it's how you make people feel about the facts, that matters. Bring in some real life examples.
4. Brainstorm!! Let the mind run free...write down every idea....however unlikely!!
5. Select and priorities  into.....MUST TELL THEM.....COULD TELL THEM.....SHOULD TELL THEM
6. Structure - all presentations have a

        Beginning            15% ...............sets the scene

        Middle                 75%................expands main points

        Conclusion          10%................repeats points briefly

         Tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you have          told them!

   7.  Capture the audience interest:

        Give stories or examples, your personal experiences would be even better.             Refer to their interest in the subject, be enthusiastic and where ever possible         try and interact with the audience by involving them and valuing and                     acknowledging their contributions however small it may be.

  8.   Your INTRODUCTION is possibly the most important part of your                          presentation.

         Greet the audience, give them your name, tell them your relevant                            background/experience, say how they will benefit from listening to you,                give the title and timing and give a brief outline of the main points you will            cover.

  9.   Decide on your memory aid...full script, cards, bullet points, mind map.

 10.   Most importantly believe in what you are talking about and immerse                       yourself in it, so if there are any distractions from the audience, it will not             allow you to loose focus!