Giving Business Presentations Without Putting Anyone to Sleep
Giving business presentations doesn’t have to be horribly boring. If you take the time to do the proper preparation, there are several ways that you can make your presentation much more interesting and help your audience to make the decision that you would like them to make.
Before giving business presentations, you must fully prepare. The first thing to do is to create a story. This is the number one way that you will hold the attention of your audience. Giving them just a whole bunch of information with no meaning or context is extremely boring and you lose your audience. You also want to keep your presentation relevant. Figure out what decision you want the audience to make and build a case that will lead them there.
Be short and simple when creating your introduction. Something that drags on to tell all about you, your business and how you got there will just bore people. Even for a longer presentation, keep it to a sentence or two only. You’ll also want to do this with the entire length of your presentation. Cut the time in half of how long you thought it should be, or even shorter.
Start out with an eye-opening fact that will give your audience a unique perspective and that leads well into your presentation. Also, use facts instead of generalities. Make your presentation memorable and dramatic with verifiable facts.
You’ll also want to consider the type of audience you are presenting to. Customize your presentation accordingly, as each audience is different. Simplify your graphics on any slides or other pictures you use, and don’t try and use fancy, confusing backgrounds. Make sure you use simple, readable fonts as well. Don’t try and use features such as all caps, boldface or italics.
Before the presentation begins, make sure your equipment is working properly. This is the last thing you want to be fumbling with during the presentation.
Speak to your audience instead of focusing on your notes or slides. This will encourage the audience’s focus on you and the message you are giving. Also, do not ever read from your slides, as this insults the intelligence of your audience and will bore them. Don’t try to be a comedian either. When giving business presentations, there is no place for joking or polite laughter.
Another important aspect of your presentation is the time of day that you give it. Don’t try and present right before lunch, at the end of the day or the day before a holiday. Also, don’t appear disorganized by skipping around from point to point. Don’t go back to slides you already showed your audience or show slides that don’t fit into your presentation. This will ruin the credibility of the message you are trying to give.
With the proper preparation, giving business presentations can be informative and interesting for your audience and you will have a much better chance of getting your message across.
