Making a presentation
Clammy, trembling hands. A voice that bears no resemblance to your own – shaky, squeaky, uneasy. What’s going on? Aren’t you supposed to be the one in control?
The fact is, it’s been a while since you’ve had to do a presentation and you feel a bit rusty around the edges? Or perhaps it’s your first time ever.
High standards have been set for 21st century business practices around the world. When presenting yourself to another within an organisation – whether it’s on the phone, face-toface or via a satellite communications network – you are transmitting vibes that automatically translate to the workplace. They portray signals about your company culture, ethos and how you present yourself outside work. After all, many business decisions are made based on the confidence the ambassadors of the product consciously or subconsciously portray. This not only applies to sales people, but each and every individual within an organisation.
According to Roma Bhowmick, group hea
The importance of presentation skills
d of training at a large recruiter, ‘For any individual within a company who has a customer-facing role, or has to report back to their team; for anyone in management or above, or anyone who wants to progress to management, good presentation skills are invaluable.’
Learning to present your ideas in a structured and logical fashion is a skill that can be translated to everyday working life. It is useful during meetings, on the phone and when convincing your director to purchase a particular product or service. ‘What’s more,’ says Roma Bhowmick, ‘you’ll see your confidence gradually increase, you’ll save time putting your projects into a structured fashion and you’ll see faster results.’
According to Roma, ‘The art of speaking in public is not essentially a natural ability – although it does help – anyone can perfect the art with good training skills.’
Whether you’re shy, confident or arrogant, you have to overcome certain obstacles in order to achieve success. No matter what the personality type, when faced with a crowd of people and the pressure to perform, the harsh reality of the situation sets in – the fact that there is one voice only – your voice! This, combined with a multitude of eager eyes all looking at you, can create a sense of panic for the speaker. Some people tend to focus on one particular person throughout the presentation. Although this can be effective when large audiences are present, it can be off-putting for a smaller group.
The key to effective presentations if to practise – get used to the sound of your own voice. Rehearse in front of friends or colleagues, and gain as much feedback as possible.
Preparing your presentation
The planning, preparation and delivery of a presentation can be likened to an iceberg. The tip of the iceberg – the actual delivery – is all that can be seen. Underneath the surface is the bulk of the iceberg; in this case, the planning and preparation.
The most important part of a presentation is the planning and preparation. If it is not structured – with background information and relevant content – it does not appear credible to the listener. Therefore, all attempts to educate or inform, are overshadowed by the negative aspects of the presentation.
During the presentation
Maintaining and sustaining interest throughout the presentation is essential if you’re to reach your goal in convincing or educating your audience. ‘One way to do this,’ says Roma, ‘is to incorporate visuals into your PowerPoint slides. It is also worth remembering that if handouts are distributed during your presentation, it can draw the audience’s attention away from you, and act as a distraction. However, if the subject is more of a technical nature, a copy of the sides can be useful for those wanting to take notes. It’s often best to distribute them before the presentation begins.
‘A good presentation is one which transmits a clear, concise message that is relevant to the audience. This is easily recognisable, as the audience will remain upbeat and their questions will reflect their curiosity in the subject matter. An unsuccessful presentation is one that fails to entertain the audience, in that the subject matter or stance bears no relevance to them. When the speaker fails to prepare for the speech, when they mumble the words or have no intonation in their voice, the audience does not respect the speaker’s views; therefore they do not listen.’
Have you ever attended a meeting where an over-confident sales person turns up to sell you something, and disaster strikes when they try to set up the laptop with your system? Roma says: ‘This is one of the most common experiences during a meeting – the presentation might be prepared to perfection, but what’s the use if the audience cannot see it? The key to success is preparation. Make a few phone calls to find out what systems are compatible with your laptop; arrive early to set up the room. And remember, a wise person always anticipates crisis, so if the unforeseen happens – a power cut – make sure you have a hard copy of your presentation so that you can use a flipchart or an OHP if all else fails!’ So, what’s the golden rule to making a great speech? Preparation. A sound structure can automatically set the ground rules for allowing you to tell the audience what you want to say, and then say it. For the complete guide to a successful presentation, see ‘Presentation techniques.’ If you use these simple steps, you’ll feel more confident before you present, and the after-effects will be amazing!
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