By: Megan Jones

When it comes to public speaking in front of your colleagues it can be nerve-wracking. But there is more to presenting than just standing up and speaking in front of your peers. An effective presentation will use the correct medium to present, have quality content, ensure your message gets across adequately and appropriately and have a captivating presentation. Each of these elements are important to have an effective presentation. But worry not! Here are 7 tips to become a pro at presentations!

The first step in your presentation is to put together all the content or information you need. Whether you need to research or gather your sources, get all your information you need and then, analyze it. Take the important points and succinct them into 3-5 bullet points that your can put on a slide (cite if necessary). Then, create a title that ties the main idea of what your bullet points describe. Now you have the basics to your presentation. Let’s take this and jazz it up to ensure you have the best quality content in a  presentation!

Write A Script

Once you have created your presentation it is time to write a script. Consider writing a script on notecards, or in the notes section of the presentation. You should not recite exactly what is written on  your slides. The bullet points serve as the points, but you will most likely need to elaborate on this information. Creating a script will help you further organize your thoughts and ensure you don’t forget any information.

Make the Information Accessible

Is this information that people will need to reference back to? If so, consider printing out the slide deck or creating an outline for others to take with them. On the outline you can go into further detail and list your references of where you pulled your information.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Like the age old saying, practice makes perfect! After you have completed your slides for your presentation and written your script practice it. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will be with the content, the more comfortable with the content, the more confident you will be to present it! Practice not only what you are going to say but also run through the slides and the timing of your presentation.

Create a Captivating Slide Deck

Just because your presentation is professional does not mean you should keep a plain background. Spruce up your presentation with an appropriate but entertaining background. Microsoft Office has plenty of options to choose from. However, you can also use Slidesgo, an online template platform, that you can download templates for both PowerPoint and Google Slides! Additionally, Canva is another great option for creating presentations. But remember to keep these professional and clean. If your slide deck is too busy it can be distracting for the audience and they may miss the important content.

Add Graphics

Your slides should not be filled with writing, add photos, graphics, tables, or charts to help get your point across. Moreover, this will help break up your work and provide another explanation to the content that you are speaking on.

Body language and Eye Contact

When presenting always create eye contact with your audience. Not only does this make your presentation more personable but it also exudes confidence! Additionally, if given the space in a large enough conference room, you can move about the room. Again, this is another example of how to display confidence, moreover, this can help you get rid of the any anxious energy that can be detected when standing in one place!

Get Excited!

Presentations don’t have to be scary they are a great way to express and discuss your thoughts! Plus, the more enthusiasm you put into the presentation the more excited your audience will be too!

We hope this helps you create an outstanding and lasting presentation!

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