Delivering an excellent presentation is about a whole lot more than sharing an excellent message. If you actually want your message to be received and utilized, then you need to know how to deliver it in a compelling, persuasive way that moves and inspires your audience. Of course, that’s no easy feat; it requires a wide range of skills that must be honed and practiced to ensure you nail it every time.
If you master the following skills, you’ll be well on your way to presentation excellence.
Storytelling
Mastering the art of storytelling is essential to delivering a good presentation. Not only do stories make your information more interesting and easier to recall, but more importantly, they inspire action—emotions, rather than logic, are what drive action. And, according to research, when we’re told a story, we experience the emotions and feelings of the characters as our own, which compels us to act far more than if we receive facts and figures alone.
Visual Design
Your visual aids are hugely important to a successful presentation. For starters, they make your presentation much more engaging for the audience; a well-crafted visual will paint a clearer picture of your message and be compelling to look at. Additionally, visuals help your audience remember your presentation significantly more than if you didn’t include them at all. So, don’t let your visuals be an afterthought; they are just as important to your talk as the content itself.
Body Language
Your body language has the power to make or break your presentation. If you step on stage with hunched shoulders and keep your eyes glued to your notes the whole time, it’ll be nearly impossible for your audience to pay attention and trust your message. On the other hand, if you hold your shoulders back, make eye contact with audience members, and flash a smile, you can bet your message will be much more well-received.
Persuasion
Whether you’re trying to persuade someone to invest money or bring someone on board with a new idea, nearly all presentations require some form of persuasion. Therefore, you definitely want to have the art of persuasion in your presentation skills toolbox. That means knowing how to use your content and voice to not only convey your message, but to get others to trust and believe in it as well.
Focus
In our social media-obsessed world, it seems like we face distractions more today than we ever have before. That means you have to fight even harder to find your focus, but that fight is definitely worth it. If you work on putting your phone down, shutting your door, and closing your browser tabs in favor of focused presentation prep, your final product is guaranteed to be more fluid, clear, structured, and overall better received.
Research
Speaking of focus, you’ll need it to master the skill of research, which is crucial to effective presenting as well. Thorough research is what gives you the valuable nuggets of information and insight that others don’t have, which is what makes your presentation worth it for your audience. And thorough research means going well beyond the basics. To be an effective researcher, you must commit time, energy, and focus to finding the information that’s often overlooked by others.
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