Making a Great Presentation

One of the things all leaders must do is make great presentations.  Sometimes that means giving a speech to a large audience; other times it means delivering a presentation to a smaller group; still other times its effectively communicating one on one with an employee.  Whatever the case, great leaders are great communicators.

I read a blog post today providing tips for corporate speakers that must be followed to make an effective presentation.

Some of these suggestions are obvious or even “old hat” but others may be new to you.  If you don’t want to read the whole article, here’s my summary:

• You will be nervous.  That’s natural and okay.  Be confident and turn your anxiety into positive energy
• Tell a story.  You will engage your audience more if you get your message across through story-telling.
• State a fact, Give an example for the fact, then restate the fact.  It’s like when you learned how to write in grade school – tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them.
• Use visuals but make sure they are professional and they illustrate your points.  Don’t get too fancy or they’ll be distracting
• Summarize your points with “soundbites”.  This will allow people to remember what you told them easier and it will make your message “tweetable”
• Practice, Practice, Practice
• Have a conversation with your audience.  Don’t talk AT them
• Be passionate.  If your message is delivered with passion because you believe in it, your audience will connect with it and with you.

Good luck.  What tools do you use to be a great presenter?