Before diving into the tips, remember that presentations are challenging for everyone- even if you have to give them regularly. Our nerves can feel worse when we feel as though the people listening are bored, or as if they can’t wait for it to be over more than we do! Therefore, the tips here will help you to grab the interest of your audience and let your passion for your subject shine through.
Tip #1
Start out big to capture your listener’s attention. This could be in the form of a fact, a statistic, or a quote. For example, if you want to give a talk about climate change, you could start with a fact such as: “Do you know, by 2050 X amount of our oceans will be filled with plastic?”. As well as grabbing the listener’s attention, it gives them a good idea of what the content and tone of the presentation will be.
Tip #2
Make the structure of your presentation clear to your listener. This will make sure that they know when they should be taking a break from listening, rather than when they want to. An easy way to do this is to have an agenda that you share before you start. This can be a list of bullet points outlining the main structure of your presentation such as: addressing the issue, how you will solve the issue and then what you would like others to take away. You can also start with an objective of what you would like the listeners to learn by the end, so they can gauge your presentation on how much they have learned.
Tip #3
Know what you want your listeners to take away. It can be hard to think of what is the most important point from your entire presentation, so try coming up with the top 3 things you think your presentation is about, and then choose 1 thing you think is most important. This can help you stick to your main point and stop you from anxiously talking about other things which are off-topic, keeping you and your listeners on the right path.
Even after these tips, you may find presentations difficult. What is most important is that you let the audience see your passions, and be yourself, as this is what is most authentic and most likeable about you!
