No matter what position you have in a company, developing your presentation skills is an evolving task that can play an integral role in climbing the corporate ladder. Follow these tips to help ensure your next presentation is your best yet.
Preparation
When preparing for a presentation, you can start by conducting research related to your topic, create visuals (like charts and graphs) to depict the research findings, and get a sense of who your audience will be in order to tailor the information to their needs. Afterwards you can create digital slides, break up the presentation into appropriate lengths, and prepare any handouts, office supplies and/or digital references your audience may need throughout and after the presentation.
Delivery
Delivery is one of the most important parts of the presentation. You’ll want to deliver an attention-grabbing opening, provide a summary of what will be discussed, and make eye contact if possible – all while exuding confidence. However, a presentation is more than just the structure. Be sure to pause when emphasizing key points, articulate clearly, speak with enthusiasm and project confidence. Once the presentation is over you can summarize your key points and ask if anyone has any clarifying questions. One way to help guarantee success is to practice your presentation several times before the big day.
Follow-Up
Following up after a presentation can oftentimes be overlooked, but can be an incredibly effective way for your presentation to resonate with your audience. Some ideas of ways to integrate follow-up into the presentation itself are to create evaluation forms for attendees to fill out, email presentation slides to attendees, and interview key attendees to gain additional feedback. Remember that all feedback you receive after the presentation is valuable information when considering how to improve presentations in the future!
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