How to Create & Deliver Effective Presentations

Hi all, Just wanted to give you all a flavor of my new ebook as well as pass on some invaluable presenting advise

Creating & Delivering an Effective Presentation

Presenting is easy isn't it? You stand up and give a fabulous, witty, engaging delivery which the audience loves and you can’t wait to do again....No?

Everyone at some point will have to prepare and deliver a presentation. This could range from a workplace meeting or demonstration up to an international conference and they can all be just as intimidating. Just as the venue and presentation type changes so do how a person reacts - I have seen everything from 'bring it on' to paralyzing fear.

  

So, why should you be a great presenter? Surely your material will speak for itself, right?... Wrong. A well planned, practiced and executed presentation will increase the impact of your message, add to your professional reputation and credibility and ensure your key objectives are met.

“I passionately believe that's it's not just what you say that counts, it's also how you say it - that the success of your argument critically depends on your manner of presenting it” (Alain de Botton)

We will all have encountered inspiring, motivational people whose presenting style and message leaves us feeling inspired and enthused. Conversely we will have experienced a lackluster style which is ineffective, de-motivating and sometimes painfully embarrassing. I call these two styles the 'Nails down the Blackboard' and 'Powerful Presenter'.

The Nails down the Blackboard

These will be delivered by presenters who lack confidence and preparation or who don't have the audiences’ interests at the centre. It’s the 'I've got a speech and I'm going to deliver it'. As a result the audience isn't engaged or motivated to listen and this style will often be accompanied by a monotone voice, cluttered or inappropriate visual aids, reading verbatim and a lack of enthusiasm or passion for the subject. Audience phrases will be unforgiving and examples include:

'I need a coffee'

'I didn't think that would ever end'

'Where did they get him/her from?'

'That was painful'

The Powerful Presenter

Unlike the style above these presenters tailor their delivery to the audience. Their visual and auditory aids are appropriate, they know the experience level and needs of the audience and deliver with an engaging, enthusiastic style which flows logically from one point or theme to the next.

Audience comments will be positive and they will appreciate that their time has been well spent in attending your event. Examples of positive audience comments include:

'That was great'

'I didn't know that'

'They really knew their stuff'

'I wonder when their going to do another one?'

Quite clearly we all want to deliver the second style but this doesn't happen by chance. You need to have; great planning, knowledge of your audience and venue, clear key objectives and appropriate visual and auditory aids. This can be challenging especially when you are gripped by shear panic and a desire to lock yourself in the bathroom and not come out!

The ‘Fear Factor'

When you ask people why they are apprehensive you get the same comments regardless of age, gender or industry.

I don't know where to start

I don't like people looking at me

I always loose where I am

My mouth goes dry and my brain goes blank

I can't stop my voice, legs and hands from shaking

They might laugh at me

Someone might ask me something I don't know the answer to

If any of these sound familiar you are certainly not alone and this apprehension comes from a desire to portray yourself, product or organisation in the best way possible.

When people prepare a presentation they often use the title e.g. 'Presentation Skills' as the frame on which to hang their points. However, the two main premises of any delivery is to i) tell the audience something they didn't know or ii) inspire them to take action. Therefore, your presentation should be built around that main objective. In the example above my main objective would be 'How to create and deliver effective presentations'.

In order that your presentation flows and has 'signposts' that the audience can follow its content should be designed around bite-sized chunks or themes. So, in my example my main themes would be; audience, content, presenter and venue. You can now add in the points that come under each theme. These should only be included if they support or add to your main objective, in order words they are essential. It is only if you have the luxury of time, or your presentation length is suddenly increased that you should add in points that are 'nice to have'. Each theme can now have its own introduction, main body and summary. So, that's it? Not quite! Every presentation no matter how small needs a powerful introduction, conclusion, Q&A section and if audience size and situation allows you should include a learning recap which acts as a check to ensure learning transfer.

An introduction; sets the scene, tells the audience why they should listen (what's in it for them) and tells them what your going to tell them. For many it is the initial getting up and introducing themselves that they find difficult. There are two main approaches you can take here. The 'play it safe' method e.g. 'good morning my name is Sarah I'd like to thank you for inviting me here today to talk to you about presentation skills'. Or, there is a 'hook' method 'good morning my name is Sarah and today I'm going to show you how to increase your professional reputation and make presenting an enjoyable experience'.

What about your conclusion? If you used the method above your theme summaries will form your conclusion. This is the 'tell them what you've told them bit'. The conclusion should not contain anything that has not been in the main presentation delivery.

The Q&A section should never be left out even if you find it uncomfortable. There are various methods and techniques for dealing with question concerns and many involve turning the question back to the audience. For example you are asked a question and don't know the answer. Admitting you don’t know the answer (after telling them what a great question they have asked) is always preferable to making something up, only to be found out later. However, another approach might be to ask the audience what they think e.g. 'Catherine has just asked a great question about A,B&C, what does anyone else think?'. This approach engages the audience and encourages participation.

Finally, a word about humour. Some people will feel more comfortable leaving humour and story telling to the stand-up comedian but this isn't to say you can't deliver in a unique way that breaks down barriers and builds rapport. There is a fantastic example of this available online of a lecture on high level physics in which the presenter uses scenes from the children's cartoon My Little Pony. It's captivating, engaging and he gets his key messages across perfectly.

Quite clearly creating and delivering a presentation requires much more than I can cover here. Other considerations include; the use of stories, metaphors and analogy, slide do's and don'ts, PowerPoint, keynote, and Prezi. As well as consideration of visual and auditory aids, contingency planning, tailoring, size considerations and venue and message.

I hope this has inspired you to try something different and start building your presenting reputation and experience. Remember the only ‘bad’ presentation is one you don't learn from and there is always a next time.

Sarah Simpson owns Dragontooth Training and Consultancy and is the author of 'How to Create and Deliver Effective Presentations'.www.dragontoothtraining.org.uk
read my latest eBook at   http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0081KT2FA