If you want to give presentations that are both interesting and enlightening, then you need to bump them up to the next level. Most presentations are anything but exciting, forcing participants to try to stay focused. This leaves guests wondering what they just wasted a few hours of their life for; participants easily forgetting what was presented in the first place. However, if you’ve ever been to a great presentation you’ve probably noticed that the information presented stuck with you for months afterwards. That’s called an “elevated presentation” and it’s what you should be aiming for every time.
To help you give your presentations that extra edge this year, here are 5 easy tricks the pros use to rev up their audiences and make a big impact.
Create intrigue. The best presentations begin far before the curtain call. Be sure to get the word out about your presentation at least a good week before the big day. Give little snippets of teaser information to potential attendees. Provide them with an agenda the day before, but build up the hype before your meeting to get them excited. Make sure you have a special offer or an innovative idea that they don’t want to miss.
Open up with a bang. On the day of your presentation, make sure you are ready to open it up with impact. Create an environment that is exciting and in theme with your presentation topic. Whether you do this live or virtually, make sure you present yourself with a burst of energy from the get-go. Get people going with ice breakers, a powerful story, and interesting dialogue with participants, then dive right in.
Visuals are everything. Every stellar presentation includes several visual elements to get even the least interested audience members going. Visuals can range from live sharing of slides to recorded videos and live video feeds from speakers. You’ll also want to give some takeaways, such as handouts, flyers, premium gifts and more.
Connect with your audience. The key to giving a great presentation is connecting with and inspiring your participants. It doesn’t matter what your topic is about , as much as it matters that your audience can deeply relate to what you are presenting. Get to know your audience, invite participation and questions from all. Make eye contact, smile, and speak directly to your participants.
End with music. You may think this is cheesy, but music has been scientifically proven to help people retain facts and information long after a presentation. Teachers use music along with other teaching techniques to help concepts become easier, so why not take this and run with it? Choose a powerful song that has meaning to your cause.
If you want to give presentations that will leave your audience wanting more, be sure to interact with them as much as possible. Hold a FAQ session immediately after so that individuals can ask questions confidentially. Learn to be a better presenter by attending an upcoming Dale Carnegie course – High Impact Presentations.
This post is brought to you by the good folks at Dale Carnegie Training of Mid & Northern Michigan. We would love to connect with you on Facebook.
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