Absolutely! I think the idea of defining the objective is so key and unfortunately is often missed. I think this applies to discovering if I'm trying to inform, persuade, influence, etc. Do I want my audience to take action? Do I need their permission or support to move forward? Or am I just being curteous by informing them? It is so important to define that objective. Great job.
Ryan
I completely agree. Additionally, when you are relaxed I feel this allows you to come across authentically. Too often I see presenters coming across as fake or "showy" and I believe a good deal of that stems from the fact that they are incredibly nervous. When I am well prepared, I am much better able to relax and as you said come across as confident, knowledgeable & credible.
Ryan
The first step to prepare and deliver an effective presentation is to define the objective. This will pave the way for developing the presentation. In the second step, the presenter must ask him or herself various essential questions. Examples of key questions include:
Is the subject controversial, familiar, or new or a combination to this audience?
Who are they and what is their relationship to your topic?
In the third step the presenter must get familiar with the audience to customize the presentation. Learning about the audience maximizes the impact of the presentation.
I think the three or four things should include RELAX, RELAX, RELAX and prepare. I cannot underestimate the importance of the relaxation part, for you can have the best prepared presentation in the world, but if you are not relaxed you will not come off as confident, knowledgeable, or credible.
Joseph,
Great insights & thank you for pulling the visually appealing concepts into your response. I think these are some great tips for all of us.
Ryan
As a visual person, I would key into the things that make for a visually appealing presentation:
The use of pictures where possible (being careful not to distort them when editing size), not using vertical text, Selecting one or two fonts and being consistant and remembering that things that are projected are much larger than on the computer screen you created the presentation on.
Tim,
Great ideas. A couple of other things that I have found to be particularly effective are to follow the old rule of tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them & then tell them what you just told them. This helps to cement the points.
Another technique is to allow the audience to check in. This can be done at strategic points in your presentation. After talking for a few minutes, pause, have the group pair up & ask them to discuss for 90 seconds to 2 minutes a couple of thought provoking questions pertaining to your content. This helps them to make meaning for themselves out of what you're discussing & keeps them engaged. It sounds a little strange but this can be very powerful.
Ryan
Grab their attention in the first minute.
Prepare the content in a logical order.
Be prepared to thoroughly understand the content for credibility and for any questions.
Be confident and competent.
Practice and practice some more.
Relax and have fun with your presentation.
Absolutely! Nothing is more effective than strong & careful preparation.
I also liked your point about being yourself. I see too many speakers who are trying to be somebody else & no matter how effective that other person is, if it's not authentic, it doesn't work.
Confidence definitely comes from preparation.
Ryan
I believe that preparation is the key. I was a detective for many years and can still remember being at ease in the courtroom with only a few asst prosecutors because i knew that we were both on the same page and thoroughly prepared. I also taught inservice and basic courses and if you weren't knowledgable about your presentation you could be eaten alive. Confidence, in public speaking, comes easy when you have mastered the above, and when you are confident you can be yourself and come across more clearly.I still get those butterflies but they are gone a whole lot quicker when you know you are ready.
Absolutely. My personal feeling is that the more preparation you can have the better. I honestly do not think there is such a thing as being "overprepared."
Ryan
Good ideas. I also would stress the need to keep in mind who your audience is & exactly why they are listening to you. This aligns with your main points, but also goes a little deeper as you seek to understand their motives for being there.
Ryan
I would also consider the questions that may be asked in order to anticipate the answers.
I believe the top three or four things to remember is your purpose, credibility, facts and main points you want to stress.
Building on your idea of knowing your audience I would also emphasize knowing agenda: time of day, what precedes/follows you, what else have they discussed, what potentially is their frame of mind, etc.
Ryan
Knowing who your audience is, keeping it simple, using visuals, good eye contact, asking questions.
Susan Cuffari
Great observations. One of my biggest pet peeves is for presenters to use a powerpoint & then to read exactly what is on the slides. As you observed I can read myself & I believe the presenter should add meat to the bones that are represented on the slides.
Ryan
From my experience in delivering presentations to our faculty and also our students, I've learned there are sevreal key points. The length of the presentation is very important. Be concise and to the point. Do not give too much information. Do not read stright from your visual aids. You lose the attention of the audience, becasue they can read faster then you can talk. Also, body language is important when delivering the presentation. It helps to establish a relationship with the audience, and you can use the body language of thers as cues.
I only wish you could hear applause over the computer! You hit on two huge pet peeves of mine. First of all, having a point & making it clear is vital. And then your comment about never reading your slides is dead on! I'm amazed at how many times I see this happening even at advanced management levels.
Ryan
Know your audience and the context you will be giving the presenation in. (If you get that wrong, you will have lost before you begin.) Never assume people will know what you are talking about. Be sure to introduce your topic and state the objective up front. (I have been to presentations where we had to guess what the point of the presentation was.) Don't make your slides too "busy" and NEVER EVER read your slides. They are supposed to be talking points, not a script.
