Anyone that is new to presentations will no doubt have some butterflies in their stomach as the event draws closer. There are lots of ways to practice so one becomes comfortable with giving presentations. There are also some great resources like our site here that is dedicated to this topic. No matter whether you are new to presentations or experienced what you find here may act as a good refresher. It is not uncommon for seasoned speakers to pick up some bad habits and refreshing one’s memory about the basics can help to overcome this. There are many different topics that can be covered regarding presentations but here we have decided to focus on some of the most important ones.
The Plan
There are stages that a good speaker must go through when giving a presentation. Here there are some good posts that focus on these. There may be some variations in the stages but knowing what they are will help the speaker go through every phase of their presentation without missing anything.
The Notes
Many new speakers wonder if relying on notes is acceptable when giving presentations. Here we have also covered that topic and have offered some very useful suggestions for doing just this. Using notes is acceptable but there is a proper way to use them to make them the most effective. The notes can be valuable at any point in the presentation. They can help keep the speaker organized and can ensure that no important points of the presentation are missed. The focus we have put on this area is not with scripts but with guide notes.
Body Language
When an audience is staring at the person on the stage giving the presentation their body language says a whole lot about them. For the newbie, to presentations, their body language can quickly tell the audience that they are new to this or they are nervous. The information that we have provided about body language will be most useful right from the very first presentation. Some of it will come natural other segments of it may need to be practiced.
This site has enough information to make any speaker feel confident right from their first presentation. There is a lot more that can be learned about presentations, but what we have to offer here is an excellent starting point. A lot of the rest will come with experience.
Practicing In Advance
Another topic that we have covered quite extensively is practicing in advance. When it comes to presentations the adage that practice makes perfect is certainly true. The more one rehearses the more familiar they are going to be with the content of the presentation. Along with this, the other components like body language can be practiced as well as to where which movements are going to be the most natural. The rehearsal is also important when it comes to timing. This is often a stumbling block when it comes to presentations. There is always the worry that they are going to be too short or too long in accordance with the time that has been allotted for it. The practice will help the presented with their timing when it comes to the delivery. It will also indicate whether material needs to be cut or added.
There should be more than one practice session. The presenter should practice in front of a full-length mirror when focusing on their body language.
Practicing in front of family and friends is also a good step. Making sure that this audience will give some constructive feedback.
Hopefully, the information provided here will make the presenter feel confident and will provide them with good tips for at least getting started. If everything learned here is applied to the presentation then the presenter is well on their way to becoming recognized as a good speaker and presenter.
There is a lot to remember at first but if the new speaker focuses on just one phase of the presentation at a time then it will all quickly come together and the presenter will build their confidence.