Whether you are in a role where you need to develop and present in formal business situations – or you find yourself pitching business propositions in less formal circumstances, here are some great tips to help you put together a communication which will engage your audience and get your message across.
Tip # 1: Remember it’s all about the audience The audience is the most important factor in your presentation process and keeping them at the core of everything you do is vital to your presentation success. Prior to starting to develop your message or content, consider who your audience is and how they might like to ‘consume information’ based on their personality type – this will then provide guidance for setting the tone and approach your presentation takes.
Tip # 2: Story-Telling works To make your message stick in the minds of your audience, you need to evolve it into a story. This allows you to introduce structure and a narrative which allows you to bring your audience with you and share your message at key moments during the story-telling process.
Tip # 3: Use relevant, rather than clever visuals Clever visuals are great (and we have all got our favourites that tempt us to somehow find room for them in our presentation) but if they are not relevant and do not support your story and important message, then they are just a distraction and can lead to audience or presenter distraction. You don’t want to run the risk of losing your audience or the opportunity to influence their decision-making, so careful consideration needs to be given to matching messages and visuals so that they work together to create maximum impact.
Tip # 4: What does your audience need to know – deciding on content Your presentation content is all about deciding on the information you need to share with your audience to help you deliver your message and help in your audience’s knowledge gathering and decision-making process. Don’t fall into the trap of cluttering up your presentation with large amounts of information that your audience doesn’t need to know – or knows already. Your content should engage your audience and share information which is compelling and valuable to them.
Tip # 5: Practice makes perfect Make sure you leave yourself adequate time to practice the delivery of your presentation once you have your story, messages and content honed to perfection – and if you can practice in front of an audience all the better. If you can’t rustle up an audience – then presenting to the mirror also works. Practicing out loud will allow you to focus on the message you are delivering and to adjust your script and delivery to ensure it is clear and includes a call to action for the intended audience.
Written by Suzi West
Suzi West is founder of Harley West. She is a business consultant with a background in management, strategy, transformational change and strategic marketing.
Prior to starting Harley West, Suzi held a number of senior roles within global organisations in the fields of Marketing and Change Management. She holds a Masters in Business Administration and certifications in Six Sigma process improvement methodology, Lean Six Sigma and Agile project management.
Suzi is passionate about working collaboratively with business owners, CEOs and their senior management teams to help them drive their business forward in the most effective and efficient way, turning ideas into actions which will deliver real business benefit. https://www.harley-west.com/