How to deliver better presentations
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PRESENTING a topic to a crowd can be daunting to many, more so if you’re not delivering it in your first language. Feeling shy and nervous when facing and speaking to people are also quite normal. Hence, consider these points to feel more at ease in delivering good and effective presentations.
Start off with a joke or ice breaker, even a thoughtprovoking question to capture your audience’s attention. Try to keep their attention. Think about who your audience are: whether they are familiar with the topic or whether they understand specialised vocabulary you might use. Keep explanation, examples and language simple and not too technical if the answers are no. Ensure your slides or PowerPoint production are used as props and not the sole focus of your talk. Maintain the focus of your listeners on you instead of the screen by keeping the information on the slides to a minimum. Avoid reading from the slides. Write down key points on small cue cards if you’re afraid of forgetting what you need to say. Give a brief introduction at the start so your audience will know what they can expect in your talk and keep focused. Consider using “signalling words” and phrases such as “Let’s move on to talk about ...”, “Next, we’ll look at ...”, “Following from this ...”, etc, so the audience are preempted when you change the topic or introduce a new idea. How you say it is as important as what you say. Voice and body language are crucial to a successful presentation. Practice also makes perfect so rehearse your talk many times before facing your audience. Speak slowly and clearly so your audience can hear and process the information. Your body language should be relaxed and open to your audience;. Avoid standing too rigidly or with folded arms but try not to move too much either as your audience won’t know where to focus. Practice in front of a mirror if you’re unsure how you should stand. Most importantly, enjoy yourself. If you’re having fun, so will your audience.
The article above was brought to you by the British Council which offers full-time and part-time English courses year round covering wide areas including development of presentation skills.
Visit www.britishcouncil.my/ adults for more information or to secure your placement test.