The Art of Giving Presentations
Every presentation has one simple, core goal: to influence listeners. In a face-to-face setting, you have the unique advantage of receiving immediate feedback by scanning your audience, and even offering opportunities for verbal feedback, allowing for a dynamic and responsive interaction. To maximize this opportunity, keep your content concise and engaging. Here are a few tips explained:
Keep It Concise, Keep It Relevant
Short and simple is best. People absorb and retain information better when it’s presented in bite-sized pieces. Avoid overwhelming your audience with too much detail. Focus on the essentials that directly impact your audience.
Tip: Break up lengthy explanations into clear, brief parts. Be sure to introduce your key point.Know How An Audience Evaluates You
”Why should I listen to you?”: Every audience evaluates your message based on what’s in it for them. Make sure your content addresses their needs and interests
”Why should I trust what you say?”: Ensure your message is easy to understand and comes from a credible source. At the back of every listener’s mind in your audience are these questions:
”Why does this matter to me?”: Highlight how your information is useful and necessary for their personal or professional lives
Tip: Incorporate diagrams or visual aids to make your points more memorable. Illustrate your point with relatable examples or stories - your audience is more likely to remember a vivid illustration than a long verbal explanation.Engage With Questions
Keep your audience interested and engaged by asking thought provoking and interesting questions
Example: “Why should this idea matter anyway?” or “Why should we bother to do this?”
Guide the discussion and introduce new topics by framing them with questions. This technique keeps the audience curious and invested.
Example: “So how can we implement this with our teams in a real scenario?”
Finally, at the end of every presentation, don’t leave your audience hanging with all that information (overload) to figure out what to do with it themselves. Conclude with a strong, clear call to action. For example, ask, “What’s the next step we could take?” or “How will you apply this information on your next client call?” This reinforces the purpose of your presentation and encourages your audience to act on your message.
