{"id":1,"date":"2020-11-02T11:03:21","date_gmt":"2020-11-02T10:03:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cinco.ie\/?p=1"},"modified":"2024-11-25T18:38:41","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T18:38:41","slug":"how-to-wow-with-your-presentations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinco.ie\/?p=1","title":{"rendered":"How to \u2018WOW\u2019 with your presentations"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Presenting in front of a large audience or a group of senior people can be extremely daunting.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s very normal to be nervous and most people wish they could be anywhere else in the world.\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry, it doesn\u2019t need to be like this.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Here are our top 5 tips to help you become a great presenter:\u00a0<\/p>\n

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  1. Know your audience and figure out what a successful presentation will feel like to them and you<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u201cSpeech belongs half to the speaker, half to the listener.\u201d \u2015 Michel de Montaigne<\/em><\/p>\n

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    It\u2019s really important to understand who the people are in the \u2018room,\u2019 be that virtual or face to face.\u00a0 Consider different levels, age, gender, cultures, knowledge of the topic, etc.\u00a0\u00a0 Determine who the key players and decision makers are.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Ask yourself what problems are they needing you to help solve.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Where possible, connect with a few of your audience beforehand to understand those needs better and what might resonate most.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 You can use this information to tailor your content.\u00a0 It\u2019s all about informing and engaging them to get to your desired outcome.<\/p>\n

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    1. Make the content uncomplicated but unforgettable<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      \u201cMake it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.\u201d \u2015 Leo Burnett<\/em><\/p>\n

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      Depending on the type of presentation, it\u2019s likely you will have to create slides that you can refer to in the presentation.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Think of these as a way to make your key messages \u2018hit home\u2019 rather than to communicate all the information.\u00a0 Plan out how many slides you need for the time allowed.\u00a0\u00a0 2 minutes per slide isn\u2019t a bad assumption but if you have to share significant amounts of data or know that your audience is going to be asking lots of questions, you may even need to push that out to 5 minutes per slide.\u00a0\u00a0 I recommend using a white board or even just a notepad to map out, at a very high level, what each slide should cover.\u00a0 This helps you to think through the presentation and really shortens the time spent on the design.\u00a0 Too often I\u2019ve seen people create way more slides than they need and then have to cut out 70% of them \u2013 this is a big wasted effort and takes time away from other prep that you need to be doing.\u00a0 \u00a0As you get into the design of each slide, people often think of the slides as a crutch to help them remember all the points they want to communicate.\u00a0\u00a0 This can lead to information overload and a tendency for the presenter to look at the slides, reading them out and completely ignore their audience.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s true that \u2018pictures say 1000 words\u2019 so choose photos and graphics and maybe a few key words to supplement them.\u00a0\u00a0 When you\u2019re sharing data, highlight the key numbers or information you want the audience to take away.\u00a0\u00a0 Be aware that it\u2019s very fair for your audience to ask a question about anything on your slide so watch out for too much data and try not to put anything in there that you don\u2019t want to \u2018rat hole\u2019 on.<\/p>\n

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      1. Weave a storyline through the presentation so it\u2019s easy to engage with<\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        \u201cI\u2019ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.\u201d \u2015 Maya Angelou<\/em><\/p>\n

        Once you\u2019ve got your 1st<\/sup> draft of slides created (or if you don\u2019t have slides), work on the story that accompanies it.\u00a0\u00a0 Too many people spend 95% of their time on the content and then struggle through the presentation as they haven\u2019t thought through the words they will use to kickoff the presentation or how they will link from one slide to the next seamlessly or how they will ensure they get across their key message on each slide.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As you build this \u2018talk track,\u2019 you will find yourself modifying the slides and this is a great sign you\u2019re on the right track as the whole presentation is coming together as one, connected narrative.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Depending on what works for you, writing down notes to accompany the slides will help you when you get to the next stage of rehearsal.\u00a0 Some presenters like to write the whole thing out, others like to use bullet points or even key words that trigger the point they want to make.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Be conscious of the language you use and that each phrase is important.\u00a0\u00a0 Once you have the content and story finalized, it can be really good to pre-wire a few key people in the audience\/senior team.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 They will give you feedback on what\u2019s working and what might need to change.\u00a0\u00a0 It also enables them to digest the content and think about how they will act in the meeting.\u00a0\u00a0 Often, they will feel they are on show in front of their Boss as much as you are and this gives them a chance to make a good impression too.\u00a0\u00a0 They will tend to be more positive and supportive during the meeting which will help it go even better.<\/p>\n

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        1. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          \u201cThe more I practice, the luckier I get\u201d \u2015 Gary Player<\/em><\/p>\n

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          Now that you\u2019ve got your content and story, the next stage is to make sure you can deliver it in a consistent manner.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Practice until you get totally comfortable with the material.\u00a0 You should also spend time trying to predict questions that you might get and either address them in your presentation or have your answer prepared.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As you rehearse, it\u2019s best to present out loud and even imagine you are speaking to a person on the other side of a closed door.\u00a0 This will enable you to come across strong and confident and again, it just helps replicate as closely to the conditions you will face at the event or meeting.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As you visualise yourself presenting, consider what clothes you will be wearing, where you will be standing in the room and even where the key people in the audience might be sitting.\u00a0\u00a0 This visualisation will help you to feel less nervous on the day as you will almost feel like you\u2019ve done it all before and that it went well.\u00a0\u00a0 Finally, timing is really important.\u00a0\u00a0 Work out how much time you need for presenting and for Q&A.\u00a0\u00a0 As you practice, make sure you can keep to that time but also work on a version of the presentation that can be done in about 25% of the time.\u00a0\u00a0 Often, your time can be cut at the very last minute and you could be asked to come in and just hit the core messages.\u00a0 If you\u2019ve prepped for this, it won\u2019t phase you on the day.\u00a0 It\u2019s also a brilliant exercise in helping you strip out the key points that you must get across.\u00a0 Don\u2019t fall into the trap of just trying to present everything by speaking faster, it won\u2019t work.\u00a0 Prioritise your messages and focus on getting those across in a calm manner.<\/p>\n

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          1. Believe in yourself & deliver with confidence<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            \u201cBelieve you can and you’re halfway there.\u201d \u2015 \u00a0Theodore Roosevelt<\/em><\/p>\n

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            Now you\u2019re ready to present.\u00a0\u00a0 Take some deep breaths and give yourself credit for all the preparation you\u2019ve put in.\u00a0\u00a0 Due to this, the chances of your presentation going well are far higher.\u00a0\u00a0 Now it\u2019s all about believing in yourself and telling yourself to just \u201cgo for it!!\u201d \u00a0\u00a0Work on the 1st<\/sup> minute of your presentation because if this goes well, you will automatically relax and your audience will be with you.\u00a0\u00a0 Depending on the situation, it could be a light hearted start or hitting the audience with a key, memorable message up front that grabs their attention.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Preparing the last minute is also worth doing so that you leave them on a high with the key call to action or most important take away.\u00a0\u00a0 During the presentation, try not to look at the slides too often.\u00a0 Focus on eye contact and engaging everyone in the room, especially the critical decision makers you identified beforehand.\u00a0\u00a0 Try to read the room.\u00a0 If it looks like you are losing them, you may have to skip forward to the next point or topic.\u00a0 \u00a0Other times, you will see they are craving more detail so that can be worth doing with a plan for how you will catch up the time during other parts of the presentation.\u00a0\u00a0 If you lose control of the room where people are talking about your presentation but are excluding you or they \u2018rat hole\u2019 into a discussion about something that isn\u2019t that important, you\u2019ve got to step in and take control back.\u00a0\u00a0 It could be that you suggest setting up another meeting to follow up or that you are capturing an action to go investigate the item further or even that you will take that subject offline with the individual afterwards.\u00a0\u00a0 Doing this can allow you to keep on track with your presentation but just make sure you are still giving the audience what they want.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 After you\u2019ve successfully presented, seek out feedback from some trusted attendees and reflect on what went well and what didn\u2019t so you can correct anything for the next time.\u00a0\u00a0 Then all you need to do is to give yourself a pat on the back and go celebrate, you will have earned it.\u00a0\u00a0 By the way, the more presentations you do, the easier they will get and the better you will be so embrace each opportunity and have fun with it.<\/p>\n

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            I hope you found this helpful.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 If you\u2019d like us to help you in any way, feel free to email us at tommy@cinco.ie<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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            Thanks!!!<\/p>\n\n

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            \u00a0<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Presenting in front of a large audience or a group of senior people can be extremely daunting.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s very normal to be nervous and most people wish they could be anywhere else in the world.\u00a0\u00a0 Don\u2019t worry, it doesn\u2019t need to be like this.\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0 Here are our top 5 tips to help you become […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":119,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-classe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinco.ie\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinco.ie\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinco.ie\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinco.ie\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinco.ie\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1"}],"version-history":[{"count":14,"href":"https:\/\/cinco.ie\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":363,"href":"https:\/\/cinco.ie\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1\/revisions\/363"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinco.ie\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinco.ie\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinco.ie\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinco.ie\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}