Great presentation skills are vital for lots of roles in the corporate world but many of us feel decidedly wobbly when we take the floor. If you want to increase your chances of nailing the next internal presentation or customer pitch, inc.com has some great tips that will boost the quality of your presentation and your confidence. We’re pleased to share an abridged version of those tips with you below.
- Preparation
– Research your target audience. Tailor your presentation to their needs and interests.
– Structure your presentation. Start by telling your audience what you’re going to say and how it’ll benefit them. Make an emotional connection with them through a story, a question, or a shocking statistic.
Next, address your three most important points which should work naturally toward your conclusion. Accept that you can’t say everything. Present both sides of an issue or refer to your competitors to appear more credible. Remember to explain afterward why your company is better or your argument is stronger.
Refer back to your opener in your conclusion and show how you’ve delivered what you promised. End on a note of optimism, along with a memorable slogan or a call to action.
– If you’re using supporting slides, favour images over text and keep the latter to the bare minimum.
– Practice your presentation out loud lots of times but don’t memorise it word for word. Record yourself so you can see and hear where you need to improve.
- Delivery
– Attention spans are short so don’t ramble. Ask questions to keep the audience engaged. Speak in a confident tone and use language that matches that of your audience. Avoid filler words like ‘umm’ and ‘like.’
– Use confident body language. Keep your shoulders back and your arms at your sides or in front of your body when making gestures. Don’t forget to smile!
- Questions
– Answering questions well is a great way of boosting credibility. If possible, ask your audience to write down their questions before the presentation. Even if you don’t get a chance to cover them during the presentation itself, you’ll have had a chance to prepare your answers before Q&A time. If you don’t know the answer, thank the person for their question and say that you’ll get back to them with an answer later. Be sure to get their contact details so that you can do so.
Would you like to add any other tips to the list? Please contact us at info@ablrecruitment.com or 020 7092 3911 if so. ABL Recruitment is the UK’s leading multilingual recruitment agency and we would be delighted to hear from you about this or any other recruitment or work-related matter!
