Giving a presentation can be a challenge at the best of times. If you’re not used to public speaking, presentations can be even harder. As the majority of the groups and organisations that use our venues will listen to or give a presentation at some point during their event, we thought we’d take a look at six simple and easy ways to improve the quality of your presentation and ensure your audience stays engaged from start to finish.
Be passionate
As everyone knows, enthusiasm is infectious. If you’re passionate about the subject you’re speaking about, your audience will pick up on your enthusiasm and will be more likely to stay engaged for the duration of your presentation. If you can’t get excited about your subject, those that are listening to you could struggle to get on board with your presentation.
Stay focussed
Going off on a tangent during your speech will only confuse your audience and dilute your message. Try to stay focussed and on point throughout your presentation and make sure that all of the things you discuss support your core idea and reinforce the overall meaning of your speech. Note cards or bullet points can help with this, ensuring you stay on topic and cover everything as planned.
Do your research
If your presentation is going to include a question and answer section, it’s imperative that you do your homework. Read around your subject as much as possible to ensure you can answer all of the queries that come your way easily and concisely.
Keep it short
However interesting your subject is, the longer your presentation goes on the less likely your audience are to remain engaged. Once you’ve written your presentation, put it aside for a few days and then re-read it. Take this opportunity to cut out any sections that don’t clearly add to its content or that repeat points you’ve made elsewhere. Ideally, you should ask a few other people to listen or read your presentation to get more opinions on what can be cut out and what needs to stay.
Keep it simple
Using long words and complex sentences in your presentation is likely to put people off and cause your audience to lose their concentration. Instead of turning to the thesaurus every few sentences, try to keep your words simple and your phrases short. Clear, concise language is much more likely to keep your audience engaged and get your message across.
Make eye contact
Although it can be daunting, looking at your audience can help them to engage and connect with you. It reinforces that you are addressing them, and makes them feel valued within your presentation, as you are sharing your knowledge and expertise with them directly.
For more ideas on planning, organising and executing conferences and events or to book one of our high-quality venues, explore our website or get in touch with a member of our team.
