Tips to make a good presentation

"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears…"

We have all had our moments before an audience, but many of us return with a sense of 'I could have done better had I not been nervous' or 'I could have said this in a more convincing way' etc etc. It's quite natural as most of us are not prolific talkers like Mark Antony. However, we can make the most of those few moments at the pulpit. All it takes is a little conditioning and some hints.

- Preparation is the key
The key to good presentation skills is preparation. Organise your presentation in the context of your audience. Your preparation does not end with the text material. You need to check the presentation room for seating arrangements, proper lighting, board, chalk and other requirements. If you are using OHPs (Over Head Projectors), videos or slides keep the equipment ready in advance and make sure that there are no snags. And do some advance testing with the microphone. So, now your infrastructure is fool proof.

- Know your subject
Know your subject thoroughly and don't ignore the kind of audience you are addressing. Dress appropriately, keeping the topic and audience in mind. Have an introduction, a body and a conclusion in your presentation, just like any other speech. Make sure the conclusion summarizes the presentation.

- You are an actor
While giving a presentation, you are an actor. And like an actor, you don't have the text material in front of you, but keep the notes or the prompts and don't hesitate to refer to them. Don't run over the presentation; pause and make sure the audience is able to absorb what you are saying.

- Rehearse
Rehearse the speech several times before the final presentation. Rehearse in front of the mirror, in front of your friends or relatives. Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse.

- Eye contact
Never lose eye contact with your audience and avoid focusing on any one particular person or section of the audience.

- Enthuse life
Enthuse life in your presentation by make appropriate gestures, walking around rather than standing or sitting in one place. Change the intonations in your voice. Do remember, overdoing these actions could also be irritating to the audience.

- Add humor
Add some anecdotes and humorous touches to your presentation. But adapt some seriousness if your presentation is solemn. Go with the mood of the presentation but also keep in mind the age group and the type of audience you are addressing.

- Remain calm
Above all, remain calm even if you are nervous. You are an actor here, so keep in mind that there are no cues.

- Keep time for questions
Fix an appropriate time for questions. Don't get emotional if any question is sensitive, or flare up if it is provocative. Don't get flustered if you can't answer a question, tell them that you would get back after some more research.

- Back to the beginning
After the question and answer session, briefly run over your entire presentation. Don't forget throughout the presentation that you know more than the audience does (that's why you are at the pulpit). And if the audience is wiser by the end of your presentation, you know that those friends, Romans and countrymen did lend you their ears.