Presentation skills aren’t something that comes naturally to most, and it takes years of experience and practice to present with confidence and conviction. Most people will have certain presentations or speeches that stick firmly in their memory because of how well the speaker conveyed their message. Professional speakers do this very well and are often a highlight of an event because of their ability to connect with audiences. Here are some of the most highly-rated presentation skills that will help make a presentation unforgettable.
1. Control your breathing
While it may sound obvious, ensuring that you keep your breathing under control is a crucial skill when presenting. Deep breaths from your stomach will help calm your nervous system and keep any pre-presentation stress under control. Diaphragmatic breathing exercises can be done in the lead up to delivering a presentation.
2. Practice
Presentations are delivered much more successfully if you know what you’re going to say before you say it. Practice is essential and there are techniques that can make remembering the content in your presentation much easier, such as cue cards and recording your presentation. Presenting out loud or to others helps to bring your presentation to life and offers an opportunity to receive constructive criticism to improve before the event.
3. Be clear and keep it simple
If you have supporting slides on a PowerPoint presentation or something similar, ensure that you follow design tips, keep it as simple as possible, and have a clear and concise message. Having too much text on a slide will result in your audience reading it at their pace, which takes the emphasis away from what you’re saying, and you’ll lose their attention.
4. Eye contact
Even if you’re presenting to a large group of people, it’s important that you make eye contact with the people in the room to encourage audience engagement. Although it can feel daunting, pausing and making eye contact for around 3-4 seconds will make you come across as more trustworthy and allow the audience to trust what you’re saying.
5. Be passionate
By being passionate and emotive when presenting, you automatically capture your audience’s attention on a deeper level. When your listeners can resonate with what you are saying, it can trigger emotions within them that will stay with them and make what you have said memorable and more effective.
6. Work out your timings
There is nothing worse than listening to a presentation that starts off slow and unengaging, which then gets rushed at the most interesting part because the speaker hadn’t worked out their timings. Have regular run-throughs of your presentation, understand how long it is and adjust it depending on your allocated speaking slot. Break your presentation down into times for each section and keep a timer close to ensure you’re spending the right amount of time on each point.
7. Smile and have fun!
Lastly, always try to smile and have fun with your presentation. Not everything will always go perfectly and sometimes things don’t go to plan, but if you smile, are genuine, and focus on building an authentic rapport with your audience, you will deliver a great presentation.
