There are many rules you should follow when presenting, but some are more important than others. We prepared 5 golden rules that every presenter must be aware of when presenting. Read them now and become a better presenter. For more presentation skills tips look at our section Presentation Skills.
Crisp and relevant
Lengthy presentations with excessive information are boring and drab. Instead, it is important to have presentations which are crisp, precise and relevant. Presentations must contain pointers which communicate large volume of information in a few words. Human brain creates images of the information communicated to them and words are carriers of information. Hence, it is critical to ensure that maximum information is communicated in minimum words. This keeps the presentation interesting and short and makes it easier for the audience to remember the key points. Since a short and crisp presentation will only communicate important points, the audience will not get distracted by any irrelevant to periphery information. Similarly, the points need to be relevant to the core issue or the topic. It is a general tendency to put a good quote or thought in a presentation, but it only makes sense to do it if it is relevant to the topic. Adding information to the presentations is meaningless if the information is not relevant. Therefore, while making a presentation, ensure that there are few and limited points which are relevant and specific.
Right structure
Every presentation must have an interesting introduction, informative body and an effective conclusion. Introduction sets the tone and the pace for the presentation and arouses the interest of the audience. The right introduction ensures that the audience gets more involved and curious about the presentation. The right body structure of the presentation is like telling a story or unfolding important events which keep the audience interested with making them wanting to know more. The sense of heightened curiosity and interest leads to a profound impact over the audience and an emphatic conclusion which forces the audience to think further even after the presentation is over, converts an otherwise boring presentation into an interesting and information rich session. While designing and presenting, ensure that you use the right words for introduction, use sentences in the body of the presentation which make the audience more curious and conclude with the statements which make the audience think and contemplate about the subject.
Humor
Being humorous helps while making serious and boring presentations. The audience generally expect a serious tone and when they hear a humorous sentence irrespective of the subject or the situation. Making the right use of humor will not only make the session more interesting, but will be a surprise relief to the audience who did not expect it coming. Many of great leaders and elocutionists have a great time for humor and make effective use of it. It can certainly to crack a joke or being satirical about a situation as it gets the audience involved and make them think. However, it must not be overdone and a balance needs to be maintained. You can add humor to the presentation by adding funny images in places or making funny comments. This will release the pressure from you as well as your audience and will help you connect with them in a better way.
Body language and movements
Your body language and movements communicate more than your words and these factors affect the response of the audience. If your body language is negative, the audience will lose interest, whereas a positive body language results in an equally responsive and positive audience. Similarly, how you move around while making a presentation affects the manner in which the audience responds to you. Positive body language and movements not only help create a positive environment, but also communicate to the audience the fact that the presenter has conviction about what is being said. While making a presentation, make use of appropriate movements. Use the right gestures, poses and movements. Check this link to find out which movements are advisable and which not: Body Language.
Open communication
Two-way and open communication gets the audience involved in the presentation and makes the session interesting. A highly involved audience results in better communication and learning. The transmission of information is more efficient and the presenter is able to get immediate feedback from the reactions of the audience and can improvise and make necessary adjustments. Presentations sessions with open communication also result in higher retention and recall levels among the audience and this is critical to achieve the objectives which are intended from the presentation. To ensure that there is effective and open communication, ask questions to the audience and encourage them to ask questions.
