While every job may not demand it, the odds are high that you’ll be required to deliver a presentation at some point at work. This exercise may be as simple as sitting at a desk with another colleague or the more traditional model where you have to stand before numerous partners or co-workers in a board room. In whichever situation you may find yourself in, giving an effective presentation could be quite challenging.
In this article, we will examine the 4 keys you must consider in order to deliver a successful event presentation.
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Design
The design has always been an essential part of the entire process. This is because it will be difficult to deliver a good event presentation without a good base. Also, a lot of individuals have to manage their nerves right before and during the real event presentation. You must consider delivery as its own art itself, hence you need to pay attention to your intonation and articulation.
The aim must be to ensure that your audience is engaged from the beginning to the end – definitely not an easy task. Recall excellent presentations you’ve come across before. Consider the impressive features of such event presentations and why they were successful. Then try to replicate those areas. As you prepare your own presentation, bear in mind those things that you felt were most effective.
Importantly, before you start the PowerPoint, begin with a simple outline. What is the necessary information that should be included? What are the top 3 key points which you want your audience to hold on to? Consider if it’s important for the data to be presented from A to Z or if you may have to do some rearranging so as to make it more engaging.
For instance, sometimes it may be more interesting to your audience if you begin at the conclusion. After all, that’s what they likely came for, and you’ll be giving them the element of surprise by presenting it right off the bat.
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Content
Once you feel you’re good to go to pull together the real presentation, brevity must not be neglected. Regardless of whether or not you’re employing visuals, considering that the same applies for either kind of briefing. If you are using a PowerPoint or any other visual, first get down the text.
You can consider something like a headline with 3 to 4 points each. Anything beyond that and you risk losing the attention span of your audience.
Decide if you want the presentation to be interactive or strictly lecture format. Throwing questions and going around the room are effective ways of keeping people alert and interested in what you’re sharing with them.
If you’d be presenting to a smaller audience comprised of individuals who are not familiar with one another, try to start with brief introductions or an icebreaker exercise to make sure everyone feels more comfortable before the actual presentation.
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Visuals
Simplicity is key in terms of visuals. Your viewers should be able to read whatever is being displayed on the screen, no matter how far back they are. Thus, you need to use a bold font and a color scheme that will stand out against your chosen background. It’s essential to make sure the audience is listening to you – and not just reading your slides. Less is better.
Whatever backdrops or images you use should enhance the quality of your presentation and not be a distraction or confusion to people. Your choice of color is equally important, as you may have to put into consideration your company’s color or your client’s brand.
In addition, the text definitely has to be readable. ‘Noisy’ and obnoxious colors do not guarantee that they’ll help you capture peoples’ attention. In fact, it is often so distracting that they achieve the opposite.
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Practice
It’s true that some people have the natural ability to execute excellent presentations, and it rarely fazes them. These individuals can easily project their voices loudly in large rooms and with different tones.
However, for many other people, it takes rounds of talking to themselves to get rid of the tension, in addition to practice – lots of it. If you are to deliver a presentation to a few people in a small room, you don’t have to worry much about projection, although you still have to think about how you’d ensure engagement with your listeners, just as you would with a large audience. Key in mind that pacing back and forth can be distracting, so endeavor to retain the attention of your audience with a bit of movement.
Final Thought
Decide if having a small notecard with notes in front of you as a personal guide or an actual duplication of the visual presentation will help you deliver better. Be sure to keep a glass of water nearby, if you know your mouth tends to get dry.
Additionally, consider if you would have to jot down questions, comments, or notes from the participants? If yes, keep a pen and notepad handy. It’s easier to have calmer nerves when you have a general plan and other necessities in place
The organization and delivery of a great event presentation is a crucial skill every professional must develop at one point in their career. It takes time and practice to master the art of successful presentations. Think about the things you’ve learned from past successful presentations you’ve experienced and try to implement those aspects on your own.
Try to be concise, while keeping the audience engaged by giving them precisely what the takeaways are and asking them questions ask through. In all, while you possibly cannot satisfy every member of the audience, you can however have a significant impact by presenting less information in the most effective way.