I believe the that:
1) You need to be an expert or have an subject matter expert on hand to help you to understand the message that needs to be conveyed and handle any and all possible questions that arise from your presentation
2) You must absolutely make the client understand why your message is relevant to them
3) You must make it interesting and entertaining while nailing down the message to be conveyed
4) Close with a good, quick summary
I believe that number one thing is knowledge of the topic. I also believe that you must have a general idea of what type of people you will be teaching, are they from the industry or are they new to the industry. Time, how much time will you have to present presentation and being able to manage your time to be able to have a question and answer period.
All great reminders. I especially like your point about eye contact. This is key.
Ryan
Be prepared. Trim down your speech to a few meaningful points. Use the "rifle" approach not the "shotgun" approach. Key in on a few very specific points. Do not throw out lots of points and hope a few stick. Keep your eyes on the audience, know when they are getting restless or bored. If so it's time to pause, tell an appropriate joke or a life story. Take a break or something but do not go one and on.
Great attitude to have, especially the idea about every day being a new opportunity to learn.
Ryan
Great summation Tim. And you are right that the key ingredient in all of this is knowing your audience.
Ryan
Be prepared for the day and rehearse what you will be talking about that day. Every time it changes a little bit and you have to be able to adapt to the class and conditions. Know your people or on a class room environment you learn something about each of them to keep them involved with you. Keep it from getting boring, even though some people look at their jobs and think of them as just that I think I haven't worked in years as every day is a new day to learn and change and get that chance for another opportunity to learn or get a do over and move on.
In order to deliver a presentation effectively, you must first determine the desired result of the presentation. Next, you must know your audience (this is the most critical part of preparation). Third, you must determine what medium will best convey your message and move your audience.
You're right that too often those who are experts are also very boring, but that doesn't have to be the case. We can be knowledgeable & interesting.
Ryan
to be an effective presenter you have to know your subject and not be boring. Sometimes those two things are mutually exclusive. Next, you have to have a good, solid, visual media to back up your ideas.
Paul,
Preparation is a great way to boost our own confidence as well as effectively presenting.
Ryan
Also, being well prepared helps you feel comfortable with the material and therefore you will appear comfortable with the audience.
All great points & I especially like your point about being open to change. And I believe the more prepared we are the more adaptable we are so once again a good reason to prepare!
Ryan
Murphy is my last name so I am especially prone to Murphy's Law!
I think it is important to remember these three things when preparing and delivering an effective presentation:
1) Adapt to audience feedback. It is important to use the audience's nonverbal and verbal cues as an indicator of what changes may need to be made.
2) Be open to change. No matter how long you spend planning a presentation, be open to the idea of change. A lot of times, things happen during a speech that you never planned for and you have to be calm when improvising or rolling with the punches.
3) Always use examples your audience can relate to. People pay attention to things that impact them directly. Change the examples your use or the main points you focus on to directly reflect the interests of the speaking context or your audience.
True, preparation for a presentation is an essential point. If we have to dig little deep on this key point, I believe that the presenter must have comprehensive knowledge on the topic, and in order to getting to know the topic well so that to be ready to answer all kinds of questions, certain amount of researching works are necessary.
Great point Dawn! I know I have seen many well prepared but unenthusiastic presenters in my life & they were not effective.
Ryan
I agree that preparation is essential. I also believe that you have to be enthusiastic about the topic you are presenting. No matter what size group you will be presenting to, you must engage your audience. They should feel your presence.
Once again all great ideas. I especially like your limiting of main points; quantity does not equal quality!!
Ryan
Yes to all three. And just to reemphasize the importance of knowing your audience. You may not be able to control who is in the audience but by knowing the overall makeup of the group you have a better chance of appropriately adapting your presentation.
Ryan
