Whether you are a student or working professional, giving an effective presentation is a skill that you need to succeed anywhere.
An effective presentation is a great way to integrate various communication skills along with various aspects of language system. In other words, it’s an effective approach of a task based learning that involves a well preparation, and understanding of subject matter as well as communicating them with others.
An effective presentation allows you to structure your ideas and express them in a creative way. Moreover, giving an effective presentation skills are crucial in the workplace. For example, meeting with clients, presenting at conferences, speaking to colleagues, and many more. In the business world, having an effective presentation skills not only demonstrate professionalism but also helps to strengthen your professional career.
If you are wondering, what makes an effective presentation? Here are some effective tips that every student should know before giving an effective presentation.
Topic Selection
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Research well
Do your homework. In other words, research well about the topic to make an effective presentation. Read books, use online resources to find the supporting facts and opinions and prepare yourself well about the topic.
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Context
Your topic (content) should tailor with the context. To give an effective presentation, you need to consider your audience’s needs. The best way to do is to think from an audience perspective, and being passionate about the subject you are going to deliver. The audience will respond, if you love your topic and show your enthusiasm.
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Concentrate on your core message
Ask yourself- “What your audience is going to get (major takeaways) from your presentation?” At the end, you should be able to communicate your key ideas or information with your audience. So keep it simple, concise, and concentrate on your core message.
The Format
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Presentation timing
Know your allowed time for making an effective presentation. Many presenters often take too long, waste too much time or leave their audience boring. To borrow from Garr Reynolds, the world needs you to stop being boring.
Make sure you know about the timing for your presentation, and you plan your content accordingly within the time constraints. Make sure you allow adequate time to end your presentation with a question and answer segment (Q&A) to interact and clarify your audience’s queries/concerns.
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Plan
You need to organize your ideas and images in a better way, and give it a proper structure before putting it on powerpoint. Moreover, you need to collect and curate relevant information and facts, creative content, enticing title and put them together. To make an effective presentation, you can plan on paper, mind mapping programs or use various tools and resources.
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Powerpoint
Powerpoint presentation is standard tool for making an effective presentation. However, you should use it following the proper guidelines to make it appealing with your audience. You need to keep your slides interesting and on topic. An effective powerpoint presentation may consist of 10 to 12 slides, or more depending upon the subject matter and type of presentation.Use concise words without losing key points in every slide. You must avoid using jargon, complex terminologies or long sentences in your presentation. Besides, you can use other presentation software for making an effective presentation.
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Use visual aids
Visual aids are an essential element of effective presentation. They are most effective to hold the audience’s attention compared to text and written words. Studies reveal that the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text, and 90% of information transfer in the brain is visual. In fact, using visual aids help people to understand the message quickly at a glance. To make an effective presentation, you must use powerful images to make it appealing with the audience. Read here to know more about the effective use of visual aids in presentations.
Tell Stories
Storytelling creates an immersive experience with audiences. That’s because we, human beings are hardwired to listen stories. A good storytelling approaches will provoke the emotions of your audience and allows them to connect with your messages. In fact, stories trigger human imagination, induce creativity and inspire audiences to take action. That’s why using storytelling approaches helps to elevate your presentation to the next level.
Your story should be relatable with your presentation. You can start with some interesting facts, quotes, thought provoking questions or a good story that appeals to your audience. Make sure you address your audience’s needs, problems or solutions, something your audience can relate themselves to your story. Sometimes, you can create conflict, drama or suspense in your story in order to illustrate your message. Or, you can be vulnerable, get personal and show human side (emotions) in your storytelling. There are several ways to use storytelling to be a master communicator and give an effective presentation. Read here to learn more about storytelling tips to give an effective presentation.
Connect with audience
Most students get nervous and feel uncomfortable in front of a large group, and it’s hard for them to connect with an audience. Just like an entertainer engages with an audience during a performance, a great presenter needs to connect with an audience.
An effective presentation captivates audience attention from the beginning to the end. One effective approach is to create identification with your audience. For instance, share common values, experiences or goals, that helps to find common ground between you and your audience. This helps to eliminate the invisible barrier between you and your audience, and connect with them better. Similarly, you need to perform certain actions that ignites liking and immediacy with your audience. For example, use your body gestures wisely. Smile and make eye contact with your audience. It helps you build rapport and connect with your audience. Pay attention to how your voice sounds. The tone of voice should be improved when giving an effective presentations. You need to vary the tone of voice and pitch to grab your audience’s attention.
Making an effective presentation requires a lot of practice. If you do follow the above tips, it will help you produce and present an effective presentation. At Samriddhi School, we are educating our students valuable skills they need to learn beside academics. We are committed to inspire and motivate students to achieve the highest standards of intellectual development as well as personal growth, through a stimulating and comprehensive STEAM educational programme. For more information about our school in Kathmandu, please visit our website or Contact us– 014390590/ 4383777.