Duncan Brodie

How to develop and deliver great presentations

For many people the mere thought of giving a presentation fills them with fear.  So how might you execel?  Follow these simple steps and watch yourself excel.

For many people the mere thought of giving a presentation fills them with fear. 

Planning

It seems really obvious when someone says you need to plan your presentation.  Often however this is an area that is skimmed over.

How long?

As a general rule, I suggest that you take the time allocated for the presentation time and multiply it by 3 to give you an indicative time for your planning.

Structure

If you are going to get your message across you need structure.  One of the best tips I ever received was to think of the presentation like a newspaper article.  You have:

• A headline
• Two or three messages

Slides

Many of us will have heard the term death by power point.  Presenters can often:

·        Have too many slides

·        Have too much content on the slides

·        Use too many graphics

Again, as rule of thumb, if you are doing a presentation lasting 10-15 minutes you are unlikely to need more than 6 slides.

Practice

No matter how many times you have delivered a presentation you need to practice you presentation in advance.  Start with standing in front of a mirror.  Then move on to practising in front of your family or partner.  Then colleagues and friends.  Try to do at least 3 practice runs.

Feedback

Ask and listen carefully to the feedback you are receiving about the structure, slides and delivery.  See this as an opportunity to turn a good presentation into a great presentation.

Delivering Presentation

For many, this is the part they dread.  Here are a few tips to ensure things go smoothly.

• Check the equipment in advance
• Make sure you know how to load the presentation
• Take a few minutes to relax yourself before you start
• Don’t worry about memorising the words, just remember your headline and key messages
• Pace yourself
• Try not to be  too serious
• Have fun

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