Getting the jitters because you have a presentation event coming up? The primal fear and challenge of any presentation is the ability of the presenter to grab and keep the attention of the audience. Having good content for your presentation is one thing but being a good presenter is another. It is actually not that difficult to do a good presentation. It is only natural when you step into a room, look at all those faces staring back at you that panic first starts to set in and eventually overwhelm you. Fear not, here are some quick remedies to put those butterflies in your stomach away and build a new confidence level. This is not meant to be a technical training blog on presentations but rather a lighter and practical side to giving a good presentation!
Using an event management application to help with organizing
First things first, when you are planning a presentation event make sure that if you can, to get a reputable event management solution to help you with the entire crucial event planning so that all your presentation setup is on time. Being organized is part of cutting down on the stress of a presentation. Use a checklist to make sure equipment is in good working order and all other natty stuff are attended too. This will give you time to polish up on your content and skills without having to worry about the event itself.
Polishing your presentation skills to captivate your audience
Here are some pointers on how you can polish up those presentation skills and give an impressive presentation. There is an old adage that is very popular among those who are about to give a presentation and is an old advice “think of your audience as being stark naked”, which off course if you do not have a very imaginative mind, it just might not work! So what do you do?
- A practical way to break the ice when you enter a room during the event (which you can actually practice in any situation) is to give a really broad smile. Everyone likes to see a happy presenter and it sets the right mood between you and your audience.
- You can take the stress out of a presentation by being interactive with your audience. This prevents them from getting bored with the usual droning and monotonous tones of any other usual presentation event where most presenters try to pound in slide after slide of information. Be interactive in a creative way rather than a school classroom environment.
- Sometimes quoting a funny incident can break the monotony of a presentation. Notice I did not include a joke suggestion here as sometimes jokes can fall flat with different audiences! Or if you feel more creative, do a short story-telling session. Have this worked into part of your script and it is always good to test it with a small audience before hand. The punch line to a good funny incident or story is using your voice to punctuate the sentences as well as your pronunciations. You can also work this out before hand by practicing in front of a mirror.
- Another workable action is keeping the audience on guard. Have you ever had the feeling in a class where the teacher has a habit of walking amongst you and suddenly single you out for a question? Well, the same thing can be used for a presentation! People are always wary that if a person teaching or doing a presentation might walk around and pick them up for a question, so this keeps them attentive in case they are not able to answer!
- Though presentation is about talking sometimes the reverse is also true, be a good listener and not just a talker. Encourage the audience to voice themselves, give them a feeling of participation rather than just listening to you. When you listen, look them in the eye to say “Yes, you have my full attention” this shows that you are concerned about their issues as well and not just yours.
- Always answer questions posed to you in short sentences. This way it is easier for your audience to understand you as well as to catch what you are saying and if someone asks a really good question, praise them for raising such a good question! They will appreciate you for it.
A successful presentation event involves not just the presentation itself but also all the back support such as those provided by event management solution application that has an event management system implemented to make things easier for you. A successful presentation event is only as successful as the event solution provided. Event Malaysia solution applications are now very advanced in their management of such events regardless the size and audience capacity. One such application available on line is an Evenesis event management application. You can conduct a survey at the end of the event to gauge audience response and the application will generate a report for your evaluation. Keeping track of these reports help you to improve your presentation skills from feedback received. All this is possible with the right application and at the end of the day; nothing is more fulfilling than a standing ovation and all with the help of a nifty application!
