How to improve your presentation skills

Here are some tips that are important to consider and that can help you to increase your confidence and ability to engage audiences over time.

Be clear on the message and purpose:
It is very important to structure the presentation around the key message and specific supporting points the speaker is trying to communicate. Once you have decided on your key messages, and thought about organizing your material, you next need to think about how you will present.

Understand the Audience:
Know your PAL™ (Purpose, Audience & Logistics).
Collect current, accurate and relevant information.

Add examples, stories, emotional appeals, and some visuals when critical, to support the data.

Practice in front of a real audience, similar to your target audience:
Practice in front of people who are similar to the “real audience.” If there are words that you are using they don’t get, or concepts that aren’t clear, it’s better to find out in front of this group, rather than the “real audience.

Practice your delivery:
Making and keeping meaningful eye contact with the audience rather than watching the floor or the horizon. Another aspect is the voice. It’s critical to project it, avoiding the monotones or quiet voices of the unprepared. A third aspect is the smoothness of delivery.

Get comfortable with PowerPoint:
PowerPoint is a great presentation tool, but too many don’t use it to its full potential. Presentations are often put together in a way that detracts, rather than enhances the audience experience. Think of a PowerPoint slide with 14 or 15 bullet points, each containing two sentences or lines.