How To Make Your Presentations Shine Part II of II

Here's part two of my article on making presentations shine.

Give Your Audience a Preview
Tell them what you are going to tell them. Use the ten or less main topics you prepared for earlier and name them off one-by-one. It's critical to get buy-in. Show them that learning this information will benefit them in some way. Be specific! List the ways your training will help them to be better, more efficient, make their job easier, less stressful, etc. Talk about the problems that your topics were created to solve.

Present
Okay, you have told them what you are going to tell them and even explained why they need to listen up. Now, actually Tell Them. Here is where you go into each of your topics one-by-one. Create subtopics as well so your presentation is main topic 1, then subtopic A, B, And C. Then main point or topic number 2 and subtopics, A, B, and C. And so on until you have each of your ten or less main topics outlined with sub-points or subtopics you want to make about each.

Cover Your Technical Bases
In your preparation you need to decide when and where you will be using graphs, charts, or other important visual aids and make sure they are all set up and ready to go when you are. Technical issues need to be taken care of and tested before your presentation. You can ruin a good presentation with technical problems that make you seem less than professional.

Don't Run Low on Supplies
It make you look stingy. Make sure you have all of the supplies you and your audience will need. Make a list and check it twice just like Santa Claus does. You must appear professional. Friendly, but still a pro. A professional is prepared. People listen to a professional who knows their topic and who comes prepared.

Summarize What They Learned
This is where you “Tell Them What You Just Told Them.” You need to summarize what “we” have learned today. Repeat your main topics to them and ask if they have any questions on each. Keep it moving unless you have unlimited time. A couple of questions on each topic is enough depending on the number of topics you covered. Always close with an “Impact Statement”, like “If you want to have what you have never had, you have to do what you have never done.” (Say that last line slowly, give it impact.)

Other Tips to Consider
*Practice your presentation out loud to someone before you go on. Repetition is not only the way THEY learn. It is also the way YOU learn.

*Try not to make last minute changes to your presentation. Do not overdo graphics, illustrations, and visual aids. Low-quality images are not better than no images at all! You are the teacher here, not the aids. Use words in your presentation that help to “create” the images in their heads and you will be a lot more effective.

*Do not get into a debate with people who have questions. Answer their question and go right to someone else or your next topic. The person asking questions can quickly become the one in control if you let them. Again, when they ask a question, answer it and move on. Don’t wait to see if they think you gave them a good answer. If you pause after answering their question, you invite them to invent another question.

*During your preparation, try to anticipate the questions that might be asked and have ready answers to those questions. In some instances it is a good idea to use bait to get the questions asked that you want them to ask. Like, “If you need to find out more about this you can call the company.” Obviously someone will ask, “Do you have their phone number?” That is a simple example of baiting a question. Try to think of ways you can bait them to ask the questions that you want them to ask. You will seem helpful and you will seem to know what you are doing. It will also keep you in total control of the presentation.

I hope this article is helpful to you in preparing your training session or presentation. Just remember to relax. Take deep breaths before going on and have confidence knowing that you are prepared and have a plan to reach your audience.