3 Ways to Own Your Next Presentation

Are you the type of person that gets stage fright during a major presentation? Well, you aren’t alone; many people struggle to present ideas in front of a group of people. It’s easy to get sidetracked wondering what everyone is thinking or to put a lot of pressure on yourself to deliver. Fortunately, many common presentation errors can be corrected with consistent effort. Let’s look at three tips for a killer presentation.

Less is more

A clear sign that someone is struggling to present is that they go around in circles instead of making a concise point. The best presentations may be long, but they are also concise. Every statement has a purpose. While it’s easy to feel like everything needs to be scripted if you are too wordy, it more likely just needs rehearsed. When you rehearse your speech, you should be able to identify when you’re getting off track and can make adjustments beforehand.

We All Like Pictures

 People’s attention spans are short and get even shorter during a full day of work. It’s inevitable that some people will begin to daydream within minutes of your presentation. Let’s reel them back in. Use pictures within your presentation that are eye-grabbing and help tell your story. While many of us focus on graphs or demonstrations, they can be mixed up with fun photos that relate to your presentation.

Focus and Refocus

 In sports, athletes will often call timeouts so they can refocus quickly. It’s no different during a presentation when your mind is racing. Self-doubt can come grab you a few minutes in, and the crowd hears you stumbling on your words. If you find yourself in this scenario, finish your statement, pause for a few moments, smile, and continue. Many people fear silence, but a quick couple of seconds to refocus is needed in presentations that last for several minutes. Don’t be afraid to take pauses, they can help you focus.

Presenting is not a skill that comes naturally to everybody, but it’s necessary in many workplace scenarios. With these tips you’ll be able to walk into your next big presentation and kill it!

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