The pandemic might have halted our lifestyle and society at large, but that does not mean it should stay the same way forever—the world still has to go on running. This situation also means that your career should not only keep on going but also strive and keep your best foot forward. Doing your best and having attention to the slightest detail that may make or break your career are some of the secrets. During presentations, you can say that those are the times when we finally have the spotlight. Today, we give you some tips on how to give a dashing presentation that will surely impress your boss and might even give you good feedback for your career:
1. Settle on a reliable platform
First things first, assuming you have already drafted your proposal, settle on a platform where you will put your presentation. Some use PowerPoint presentations, while some use Prezi. Each of these formats has its charm and setbacks. The key is to tell which of those two you are comfortable with. However, you should also think about how it will appear once you are already in front of people because sometimes, the device used is not compatible with your presentation, thereby messing the format of your slides. Your lifesaver during these situations is preparing a PDF file as back up. PDF files have become the go-to file of students and professionals alike because of its versatility and utility. You can convert not only your Doc to PDF but also preserve the design and format of your presentation.
2. Mind the format
Your presentation should not be too text-heavy and not be too overstimulating because of the amount of contradicting designs and pictures. Guy Kawasaki from Apple gave a few tips on how your slideshows would best appear, particularly, the 10-20-30 rule:
- Contain no more than 10 slides
- Last no more than 20 minutes
- Use a font size of no less than 30 point
Some experts also recommend the 5/5/5 rule:
- Only until 5 words per line of text
- Only until 5 lines of text per slide
- Only until 5 text-heavy slides in a row
Primarily, slides are there to help you with your presentation, but you must not rely solely on it. If you want to share more information, you can give out hand-outs to your audiences.
3. Review your presentation
This step may go without saying, but we are here to start with the basics first. Believe it or not, some people rush their presentation so that they no longer review it. Make it a habit to run through your presentation again and explore lefts and rights. You might be surprised by the questions your audiences will ask. You must prepare yourself as early as you can get with the best answers that you can give. Some practice in front of a mirror and some would imagine how they would present.
4. Add ample data to your presentation
It is one thing to charm your audiences with the ideal solution through your plans, but your presentation would give more depth and anchor to the real world if you would back these all up with data. A good presentation calls for the right sources, the right propositions, and the right data that would back these propositions. Case studies would also help.
5. Be enthusiastic and engaging
We can all agree that presentations can be nerve-wracking, especially under the scrutinizing eyes of your audiences. The key here is to condition yourself to show your love with what you do and become enthusiastic with the plans that you present. Audiences will sense if you are hesitating with your presentation. You, yourself, should do ways on how to appear more confident. If you become passionate enough at what you do, these things will follow. It is best, too, to be engaging and establish rapport with your audience so they will appear less scary to you and more like true colleagues that unite for a vision.
6. Be concise
A charming and enthusiastic presenter alone is not enough. The core message by which your presentation focuses on should also guide you. Without this, you would go on and ramble even about unnecessary things that might bore, if not overwhelm your audience. You should keep it simple and focus on the right questions where your plans evolve. Not all matters that are related to your topic are necessary to your core message.
7. Have a good start
Related to the point mentioned before, starting well is important in a presentation. This tip is crucial because you have to grab your audience’s attention and keep them reeled in as you now present your plans. You need to make sure you entertain your audiences as well and hit the necessary points that you think will keep them at the edge of their seats listening to you.
Give a dashing presentation
Now that you know some tips for nailing your presentation, it is not up to you to put it in to work and let these help you. The most important tip to give a successful presentation is to focus on a vision, anchored by the needs and conditions of your target audience or the society. Once you revolve around these and hold on to your vision, these things will follow. Keep on dazzling the audiences who believe in the essence of your work, while enlightening more those who still need to see your point.
