5 Ways to Ace Your Next Presentation

As the common pop culture factoid goes, most individuals would rather choose death over presenting in front of an audience. And yet, the ability to give a great presentation is a powerful tool in business, and in life.

As Tom Peters would put it, referencing Barack Obama's historic speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, "17 minutes [of presenting] can change the world!"

Don't let the fear of public speaking hold you back. We spoke to a few presentation experts to find out how the greatest speakers captivate their audiences.


1. It's true: practicing is the best preparation possible

It's true: practicing is the best preparation possibleWinging your presentation is almost always a recipe for disaster. Even the best public speakers don't do it -- it takes lots of practice to appear so effortless.

Gary Schmidt, International President of Toastmasters International, heeds the old adage of "one hour of practice for every minute that you're speaking." It's not an exact recipe, he says, but it shows you how important practicing is.

If your prep time is limited, practice the first three minutes more than the rest, presentation guru Garr Reynolds recommends.

And "practicing" doesn't mean running through it under your breath.

As Jerry Weissman, founder of Power Presentations and the presentation coach behind such business presentation leaders as Cisco and Netflix, would put it: "Verbalize". Actually speaking out loud will help you refine your ideas and structure your presentation better, all while making you more comfortable.

And perform it several times through in front of an audience of people who you can trust to give you honest feedback.


2. Remember: you're speaking for the audience, not yourself!

Remember: you're speaking for the audience, not yourself!The greatest public speakers in the world all share one trait: their ability to engage and captivate their viewers.

How do they do it? They present only what the audience wants to know.

"Far too many presentations are all about the presenter," Weissman says. Instead, he tells all of his clients to constantly ask, "What's in it for you?" (where "you" is the viewer), and tailor their presentation around what their audience is going to care about.

It's even better if you periodically verbalize that question to your audience in the real presentation, then tell them out loud why the information you just presented matters to them.


3. Research your audience and custom-fit for them

Research your audience and custom-fit for themWeissman says that the only way you can tailor your presentation to your audience is by doing research beforehand. You should always have a good image of who you're speaking to before you start preparing.

Find out your audience's demographics and the issues that are pressing to them. When you know the names of specific people who will be in attendance, learn more about their individual backgrounds, and speak directly to them during your presentation.

The most engaging presenters are those who make people in a crowd feel like they're being spoken to directly -- this is one way to do just that.


4. Start off strong

Start off strongStart off by immediately pulling your audience in.

Weissman has seven approaches to the "opening gambit," two of which are:

1) Tell a story. One with a human interest theme, in the style of Ronald Reagan, is usually a sure bet

2) Use an analogy. Using imagery to describe an abstract idea is more interesting.

All of our sources fervently cautioned against starting off with humor -- there's no guaranteeing how your audience will receive it, and it will likely just distract from your real message.


5. Give your presentation structure

Give your presentation structureYour presentation should have a defined structure so that your audience can easily grasp the train of your thoughts, and so that you can get into a natural rhythm.

Weissman suggests three examples:
*Chronological: frame it in terms of past, present, and future
*Numerical: lay out your "x" number of major points, then discuss each one
*Issues and actions: present the issues that are facing the audience, then how you will address them

Kawasaki advises following his 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint:

*10 slides is optimal "because a normal human being cannot comprehend more than ten concepts in a meeting."
*20 minutes is an ideal time frame, and if you're slot is longer it leaves time for the important audience-engaging Q&A.
*30-point font is the smallest size you should use. More talk, less text!


See 7 other tips to ace your presentations ->



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