Lynn Espinoza is a broadcast news veteran with more than a decade of media, presentation and executive coaching experience. She has developed personal coaching sessions for Fortune 100 C-level executives, corporate communicators of all kinds, doctors, lawyers and leaders in non-profit.
Essentials of Powerful Presentation
Posted on August 26, 2009. Filed under: The Tip Sheet
Until about a year ago, the bulk of my coaching sessions involved media training - maybe 80% - and most of the people in those sessions had not received formal presentation training. It’s interesting to me that my sessions today run about 70%-30% in favor of presentation training. I actually find this both refreshing and insightful on the part of my clients. These are the executives who know that you can try to summon the media all you want, but if you don’t speak well or present a compelling story, you’ll never get the ink. So they invest the time to improve the fundamental craft of communication, working on visual, vocal and verbal skills. Smart. Very smart.
Here is a cheat-sheet of presentation skills essentials. Enjoy! I hope it’s helpful.
The Essentials of Powerful Presentation
Before your presentation:
Your Story – Beginning, middle and end:
Before you put words to paper, chart out the three distinct parts of your story; where it begins, where it ends, and what happens in-between. List all of the data points that strengthen your story, and determine where they fit best – in your introduction (beginning), the meat of your story (middle), or in the close (end).
It’s OK (in fact, it’s best) to leave things out:
You will usually have more data than you need to tell a great story. Use only the most compelling; most colorful; most memorable data points in your presentation. Other data can be left in handouts. Don’t give them the handouts until the end of the presentation – you don’t want them reading ahead and missing your presentation.
What’s an audience to do?
Before your preparation is complete, you must decide what you want the audience to leave with. Do you want them to do something, or just know something? If you want them to do something, make sure there is a clear call to action. You can highlight the call to action anywhere in your presentation, but it must be clear at the conclusion. If you want them to know something, consider ending your speech with a powerful moral-of-the-story.
Practice!!
Make sure to build practice time into your timeline – the more the better. Even if you’re not quite done building the presentation, start practicing a week out. Practice out loud and, if possible, in front of people. If you find yourself consistently stumbling (or just feeling uneasy) in the same place – change the presentation. Even consider removing the rough patch altogether. Practice at least twice a day leading up to the presentation, but only once the day of. If you’ve practiced throughout the week, you should only need a quick refresher the day of the presentation, and you don’t want to hit the stage over-practiced.
During your presentation:
Breathe!
Before you begin your presentation, take a few deep breaths. Hold them, and let them out slowly. This simple exercise will help to calm your nerves, clear your head and even help you to appear more confident. Pay attention to your breathing throughout the presentation. If you begin to feel nervous, go ahead and take a cleansing breath (maybe between slides, when you would naturally pause). Your audience won’t notice the breathing – they will notice your composure.
Smile, introduce yourself and say “Hello”
If your audience genuinely likes you, they will be much more positive about your overall presentation – even if you stumble a bit. Even if someone else has introduced you, give the audience your name again, and tell them why you’re happy to be with them. You’ll set a positive mood that will support you throughout the presentation.
Involve your audience:
Look for opportunities to engage your audience. You can ask questions, ask them to share their experiences, or use them in interactive exercises (e.g. role playing or short competitions). The more you involve them, the more they’ll remember you.
Don’t let the slides tell your story:
If you’re using PowerPoint (or another graphic display), make sure that you are controlling the slides, rather than letting the slides control you. On each slide, draw attention to only one or two important points. Speak to the essence of each slide, but don’t read any slide word-for-word. Limit bullets to 3-4 per page.
Movement: Gestures and pacing:
With regard to movement during a presentation, there is no right or wrong way. If you naturally use your hands when you speak, feel free to use your hands during your presentation. You will appear more comfortable and energetic. Conversely, if you don’t naturally gesture, just let your arms and hands fall comfortably to your side. Avoid fidgeting with a pen, pointer, etc. Also, keep your hands out of your pockets. Putting your hands in your pockets looks less professional, and tells the audience that you may be nervous. Pacing can also be an effective tool, if it’s natural for the speaker. Movement across the stage or room should be deliberate, to help reinforce a point, or to get closer to part of the audience. If you are a nervous pacer, work to stand in one place; still and confident.
GOOD LUCK! AND HAVE FUN!
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