Whether you are tasked with giving a presentation for work or school, the aim is to give the most effective demonstration of your skills as possible that will also portray your knowledge of the topic and your dedication to the outcome.
To help you get started, here are five tips for giving an effective presentation.
1. Research
The most effective aspect of any presentation is the preparation that goes into it. Before you start putting together your PowerPoint presentation or choosing your blazer, you need to know the topic inside and out. Your background information should only include what is absolutely necessary. If you are giving a 15-minute presentation, a general rule is that after the first five minutes, you should be discussing the data or new relevant information. The purpose of your presentation is usually to have people learn about your new and exciting research or to present a certain point of view. Your presentation will not be effective if it’s just a summary of old work. You should also be prepared to answer any questions that the people you are presenting to may have. Having the research to back up your presentation will make it the most effective that it can be.
2. Utilize Graphs
Visuals can be powerful tools. Studies show that visual imagery and infographics help with memory and learning. Graphs provide data visualization for the people you are presenting to. They take complex information and translate it into something readable which allows people to understand the information in just a couple of minutes. Graphs emphasize the most important information as it pertains to the presentation and allows you to strip away any information that will only add confusion. Data visualization is a standard throughout business and education.
3. Choose clean and clear slide templates.
Often when people are preparing a presentation, they go overboard with colors and designs in order to demonstrate their presentation ability. However, bright colors, busy patterns, or too much movement can make the slides difficult to take in. Additionally, if the font is too small to make room for images and designs, the slides can be laboring to read. The best google slides templates have simple, clean, and clear designs that will put the emphasis on your content. Using simple templates will let you focus on your writing, graphs, and images that will best display the information you are presenting.
4. Dress for success.
By dressing professionally and exuding an air of expertise, the people you are presenting to will be more likely to believe what you are saying. Forbes also suggests that dressing in a way that makes you feel confident impacts your own internal processes and allows you to deliver a better presentation. Additionally, dressing successfully will diminish the chances of the people you are presenting to being distracted by the way you are dressed and missing portions of your presentation. Dress like a pro by adorning a well-tailored business jacket from stores like Chico’s who carry a full line of jackets for women that are both comfortable and professional. You can pair a nice jacket with dress slacks and a blouse, a skirt and blouse, or a simple dress. If the presentation is more casual but you still want to appear professional, you can use a fitted jacket to dress up with flattering denim jeans or leggings paired with a blouse or top. A solid-colored jacket should be a staple in every woman’s wardrobe, and a versatile black jacket can be paired with just about any color scheme.
5. Don’t read the slides.
One of the most frustrating things for people who are sitting through a presentation is when the presenter does nothing other than read the slides. If you’re only going to read slides or notes, your presentation could just be an email. As the presenter, the information that you put on a slide should speak for itself. Your job is to add details and relevant information when you speak. If you must read your slides, you should read in a way that the audience can’t tell you are reading. This can be done successfully if you write in a conversational tone, practice several times, and read with emotion, conviction, and variation in tone. One of the easiest ways to have your information stand out is to give a fantastic presentation. Knowing your information and presenting it in a professional manner that engages your audience will help you deliver an effective presentation.
