How to Give a Presentation Like a Pro

A presentation is not just a set of slides with certain information - it's an art. Many people underestimate the advantages and value of presentations, and they, for a second, have a very strong impact on people, and society as a whole. From the way you present information, not only your fate depends on, but also the fate of your audience. Well, it's a serious thing because a good presentation can change people's thinking, create new goals or topics for conversations, and also stimulate them to search and study the information they learned at the presentation.

So, how to prepare a presentation properly? Of course, the main task of any presentation is just to inform, but a good presentation leaves a trace in the soul. The most important thing is to give a message of the presentation, its main idea that people need to understand. Let's look at the main steps to creating an ideal presentation.

Step 1. Make Your Presentation a Drama Show

The first and the most important thing that you must remember before you start working is that your presentation should evoke emotions. As in the play where the main actors gesture and pronounce the speech with a certain intonation, so you should "play on stage" when you make a presentation. A presentation is not memorized for its filling, but for the message as a whole. So, firstly, decide on the main theme of your presentation and think about how to present it correctly. Secondly, ask yourself what kind of reaction you expect to see from your viewers. And thirdly, think about how you want to influence them and for what purpose.

Never make your presentation a boring collection of facts or statistics – create a living story out of it. Gather some interesting examples, anecdotes, funny stories, catchy questions so that you can interest the public.

And one more thing - concentrate mainly on your speech, and not on what will be presented on the slides. Learn to move properly, gesticulate, and pronounce words with a certain intonation. You are the main actor on the stage of your own theater, so go for it!

Step 2. The Speaker Is the Center of Attention

It may seem like an overly difficult or unpleasant task for you, but you should always be in focus during the presentation. This is obvious, in fact, since the speaker can better influence the public and leave a pleasant impression due to his/her emotions. A presentation without a good speaker is just dry information not necessary to anyone. Remember, never hide behind the information on slides, but focus and attract the attention of the audience.

Step 3. Grab the Attention of Your Audience

To complete the last step in preparing a presentation, you should review the following tips. So, in order to attract the attention of listeners, you need:

1. Be concise

Each slide of your presentation should inform about only one fact, idea or problem. So when the viewers see the slide, they will need a detailed description of it so you can be in the center of attention. If you put multiple ideas on the slide, people will bother to read them all and stop listening to you. This is due to the fact that it multi-tasking is difficult for anyone hearing something new. Therefore, remember to be succinct.

2. Use a 3-second rule.

Try conveying a message within 3 seconds so that your audience will easily understand you.

3. Highlight only key points.

You cannot put directly all information on slides that you found in the process of investigating the topic. Choose only crucial points, and get rid of excessive facts and things.

4. Use images.

According to statistics, pictures placed on slides help to memorize more information during the presentation than just information slides. Visual and photo memory work better, faster and much more efficiently than auditory memory, so do not forget to illustrate your slides.