"Painless
Presentations."
By John Robertson
Did the "Painless" part of the title
get your attention?
Speaking in front of a group ranks with death
of a family member and loosing a job when it comes to the emotional
toll it takes on some people.
If you are one of those folks who look for any
excuse not to give a presentation in a meeting, social club or
your church take heart. You can learn to present with confidence
and style. All it takes is following a few simple steps BEFORE
you get up to speak.
The first decision you need to make is determine
what kind of presentation you are giving. Generally presentations
will fall into one of six different forms.
- Providing information
- Teaching a skill
- Reporting specific progress
- Selling a product, a service or an idea
- Agreeing on a decision
- Solving a problem
After you accurately determine the form of presentation
you plan to make, the next step is building an outline. Things
to consider when building you outline include an
- Incorporate a Strong Opening statement,
- What information does your audience need to hear?
- Be sure you clarify and industry jargon on acronyms.
- Clearly tell the participants exactly what's in if for
them.
- What are the benefits?
- And a strong close.
When you have developed your outline it is time
to "fill in the blanks". The detail of your notes will
vary depending on factors such as your familiarity with the subject,
the number of details that need to be given and the level and
amount of technical information you will be sharing.
When the outline and notes are developed it's
time for Practice, Practice and then some more PRACTICE.
It takes about six times going through the presentation
before a facilitator is comfortable with the material. Don't skimp
on time here, it will show up later.
During and after your presentation, be prepared for questions.
A few tips to help here include planning for questions. Plan by
answering as many questions as you can during your talk. If you
get a question you don't know the answer too, don't fake it. Tell
the group that you will get the information back to them as soon
as you can.
Be sure to answer the question briefly, yet completely.
Do not go over your entire presentation; simply answer what was
ask.
Don't be afraid to ask for clarification if you
don't understand the questions.
If you wold like to learn more on Painless Presentations
email info@TrainingConnections.ORG. We offer a one-day or two-day
class for your organization.
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