How to Prepare an Outstanding Presentation

Presented by Saundra Washington

www.techtools4biz.com

You’ve got to give a presentation and you’re dreading it.

Not to worry: The secret to a good presentation is effective preparation.

Following are 10 tips to help you prepare an outstanding talk.

1. Don’t use technology as a crutch.

For example, too many speakers depend too heavily

on PowerPoint®.

PowerPoint®, Keynote® and other software should

enhance your presentation. They should never become

your presentation.

My Presentation

2. Start by outlining your talk.

Don’t even turn on PowerPoint® until you know

what you want to say.

Use a pencil and paper or your word processor to

create an outline.

Or better yet, use a mindmap to organize your thoughts.

Never read the slides word-for-word unless you’re

planning to put your audience to sleep.

Instead prepare speaking notes in advance and use

them to speak extemporaneously.

3. Don’t be boring.

4. Practice.

Run through your talk in advance to ensure a smooth

delivery.

If possible, practice in the room where your

presentation will be given.

5. Be prepared for technology failures.

Have a hardcopy of your presentation with you in

case something goes wrong.

Practice giving your talk without a computer or

slides.

6. Don’t try to tell too much.

A short, well-organized presentation is better than a

long, rambling talk.

Therefore, identify only two or three main points you want to

convey and build your presentation around those

points.

Blah, blah, blah, blahBlah, blah, blah, blahBlah, blah, blah, blah

7. Structure Your Talk.

The Beginning: Give an introduction in which you highlight what your talk will be about.

The Middle: Present the body of your talk.

The End: Wrap up by giving a summary of your main points.

8. Avoid information overload.

• Too much information• Too much information• Too much information• Too much information• Too much information• Too much information• Too much information

• Too much information• Too much information• Too much information• Too much information• Too much information• Too much information• Too much information

Limit each slide to 2-3 bullet points.

9. Keep it simple.

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Slides, charts, and graphs should be simple to understand and easy to read—even from the back of the room.

10. Don’t clown around with special effects.

Use animation and fancy slide transitions sparingly.

Encourage your audience to focus on what you’re saying rather than the funny stuff

that’s happening on the screen.

To sum it up: A good presentation…

…is not dependent on PowerPoint®,…is not dependent on technology,…and is presented spontaneously.

A good presentation…

… is short and to the point;…is planned around a few central ideas;…and has an easy to identify beginning,

middle, and end.

It features…

…simple, easy-to-understand visuals;

…uncluttered slides readable even in the back of the room;

…and minimal special effects.

Finally, a good presentation has a confident, knowledgeable presenter…

…You.