Let’s face it: public speaking is frightening. Even the best speakers experience jitters before they go onstage. They just hide it really, really well—or they’re so used to stage fright that it’s no longer an issue after their warmup exercises.Audience members pick up on signs of discomfort when you as a speaker have a hard time onstage: excessive sweating, stuttering, shortness of breath, etc. When they do, you become more conscious about what you’re doing, and the anxiety starts to build up. Does that mean you’re not ready? Possibly.There’s no denying that some people, to no fault of their own, have a hard time dealing with high-stress situations—and you can bet that giving a speech in front of a crowd is stressful. Imagine the scenario: You’re minutes away from being called onstage. Your presentation is ready, perhaps designed by a PowerPoint design agency. The lights focus on your spot. But backstage, butterflies are abuzz in your stomach; your knees are shaking, and your palms are sweaty. You feel a bit lightheaded. Dizzy even.These are uncontrollable responses to nervousness. While completely natural, especially in the context of public speaking, they’re still something that faze lots of people—80 percent of the US population, in fact. However, there are people easily debilitated by the mere thought of speaking in public. Those who suffer from a specific social anxiety disorder, glossophobia, feel nauseous and are prone to having panic attacks, which is why they try to stay away from doing it as much as possible.For those who need to speak in public, though, how do you deal with stage fright? The ways to do it vary from person to person since each individual handles stress differently. Check this infographic to learn a few tricks to calm down and nail that speech.https://www.slideshare.net/SlideGenius/public-speaking-fear-getting-rid-of-it-in-a-jiffy
Resources:
Hagen-Rochester, Susan. “Got Public Speaking Jitters? Experts Say Embrace the Fear.” Futurity. April 8, 2013. www.futurity.org/got-public-speaking-jitters-experts-say-embrace-the-fearMcClafferty, Alex. “12 ‘Fear of Public Speaking’ Symptoms and How to Beat Them.” Forbes. January 12, 2015. www.forbes.com/sites/alexmcclafferty/2015/01/12/fear-of-public-speaking/#b4fe7fd37a0cMorgan, Nick. “Why We Fear Public Speaking and How to Overcome It.” Forbes. March 30, 2011. www.forbes.com/sites/nickmorgan/2011/03/30/why-we-fear-public-speaking-and-how-to-overcome-it/#4848c54fea43Jamieson, Jeremy P., Matthew K. Nock, and Wendy Berry Mendes. “Changing the Conceptualization of Stress in Social Anxiety Disorder: Affective and Physiological Consequences.” Clinical Psychological Science. 2013. journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/2167702613482119
Have you ever come across a speaker who knocked you breathless with his or her speech? A speaker who pulled you to the edge of your seat and made you feel like you’re part of a privileged audience? At least once in your professional career, you’ll be granted the chance to be that speaker. You’ll find yourself holding the opportunity to make an impact and leave a lasting impression that will resonate with the audience for a long time.
It doesn’t matter if you’re ready or not. Circumstances don’t choose their preys. You’ll have no choice but to take the limelight when the moment strikes, so bask in its glory while you can. No excuse is good enough to turn down an opportunity to be great at something. Greatness doesn’t happen by accident, and mastery doesn’t come in a snap. You need to invest both time and effort to be a better presenter.
Below are some aspects of public speaking that you can hone with dedication and perseverance.
Building Around Your Core Message
You can’t plunge head-first to a speaking engagement without fully understanding your core message. Take time to get your thoughts straight and identify the essentials of your speech. Don’t treat your presentation like a dumpster for ideas. If you cover too much material, your audience will end up either bored or boggled. In a typical public speaking setup, less is more, so know what to include in your talk and what to leave out. Once you have a tight grip on your message, structure your thinking so that you can present your ideas in a way that’s both interesting and comprehensible.
The Audience as Your Touchstone
You can’t preach to an audience that you know nothing or little about. Unless you speak with their interests in mind, don’t bother speaking at all. The audience is an important part of your presentation that you can’t ignore. You need to know their pains, opinions, desires, and goals. What do they understand about the topic? Where do they stand about the issue? How can you challenge them to think differently? How can you improve their lives?
Your presentation will be for nothing if the audience remains unreceptive to your message. Make sure your ideas don’t fall on deaf ears. Speak on a personal level to encourage your listeners to engage in a conversation with you. When you make the mistake of being self-righteous, you’ll lose the game. Remember, the goal is to communicate effectively, not to look impressive.
Crafting a Killer Slide Deck
Your supporting visuals can have a huge bearing on the success of your presentation, so make sure you use the right design elements across all your graphics. Do away with bullets, long texts, and cheesy slide transitions. Be consistent with the font, and stick to a simple color scheme. If you’re going to use an image, don’t go hunting in the clipart library—use high-quality stock images and authentic photos instead. If you need assistance for PowerPoint design, collaborate with a slide design artist who can take the aesthetics of your presentation to the next level.
Fine-tuning Your Presentation
How many stage presenters does it take to screw in a lightbulb? Four. One to do the actual task, and three to help him rehearse the act.
That may be a pathetic attempt at comedy, but it sums up the importance of constant practice in public speaking. Once you have your content and design all figured out, it’s time to put everything you’ve worked hard on to the test. Demonstrate your presentation to three qualified people, and elicit their feedback and reactions. Make sure to address everything they have to say. Find time to practice your gestures and rehearse your speech. Learn the piece by heart, and don’t stop until the day of your presentation. Don’t worry about over-practicing—there’s no such thing.
A Word on Authenticity and Confidence
Presentation jitters are natural, but that doesn’t mean you should let them overpower you. Don’t beat yourself up for having the urge to shy away from the spotlight. Although it’s true that the audience don’t want to see how nervous you are, they will likely empathize with you if you fail to keep your composure onstage. You’ll be amazed at how many people can relate to the nerve-racking feat that is public speaking. Just take deep breaths and remember who you are and what you’re there for. Tell yourself, “I have something unique that the audience wants, and I’m going to go ahead and share it.” Stamp out your self-doubt by letting your personality shine through. If you stick to the real you, the audience will be more willing to receive your message.
The Performance of a Lifetime
Take every public speaking assignment like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Prepare for it like it’s the performance of your life. If you look at it this way, you’ll be able to prepare thoroughly and put your best foot forward. While onstage, you need to project a good stage presence. You can do this by dressing professionally, establishing eye contact, taking full control of your voice, and breathing evenly. It would also do you and everyone else good if you respect your audience’s time by sticking to the schedule.
Of Passion and Enthusiasm
If there’s one thing you should be while delivering a speech, it’s enthusiastic. Nothing beats the warm vigor of a presenter brimming with passion about his or her speech. If you’re passionate, the audience will be too because passion is infectious. When all’s said and done, energy is more impactful than eloquence.
Becoming a better presenter will serve you well throughout your professional career. It will open new opportunities that you’ve never had before. Take your presentation skills to the next level, and watch as you get closer to finding success.
Resources:
Cummings, Harriet. “You Could Be a Better Presenter, Here’s How.” Distilled. August 21, 2014. www.distilled.net/resources/you-could-be-a-better-presenter-heres-how
Kaye, Jezra. “For Great Public Speaking, a Little Daily Practice Goes a Long, Long Way.” Speak Up for Success. n.d. speakupforsuccess.com/practice-a-little-every-day
Kim, Larry. “20 Ways to Improve Your Presentation Skills.” WordStream. November 3, 2016. www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/11/19/how-to-improve-presentation-skills
Malone, Sean. “10 Tips to Become a Better Presenter.” Virtual Studio. August 17, 2010. www.virtualstudio.tv/blog/post/13-10-tips-to-become-a-better-presenter
Singer, Thom. “Get Noticed: 7 Tips for Better Presentation Skills.” Pragmatic Marketing. February 17, 2015. pragmaticmarketing.com/resources/get-noticed-7-tips-for-better-presentation-skills
“Authentic Public Speaking: Why Being Real Makes All the Difference.” Presence Training. January 18, 2014. presencetraining.co.uk/authentic-public-speaking-real-difference
“Enthusiasm: Bringing Passion to Your Performance.” Voice and Speech. n.d. voiceandspeech.com/articles/enthusiasm.html
Speech outlines are often overlooked in presentations. They’re dismissed as a waste of time by amateur presenters who don’t realize their relevance. Why flesh out your speech when you can go straight to writing it whole, they’d argue. Most professional speakers, however, claim the opposite. They know better, and they understand that time spent mulling over a presentation’s basic framework is never wasted time. In fact, they consider it as time well-spent.
Think of your speech outline as the blueprint of your presentation. It’s there mostly as an assurance that your speech is coherent, focused, and ready to be brought to life. It will help you clear your presentation anxiety, so you’ll feel less apprehensive about muddling it up with ambiguous ideas and obscure statements. Crafting a speech outline is a critical step to make sure that your presentation is ready to go.
The Importance of Preparing a Speech Outline
Your speech outline will help you see your core message clearly and without obstruction. It will force out from your mind the key logical elements of your presentation—the bits that, together, form your speech skeleton.
An outline is a good way to find out, possibly for the first time, exactly what it is you want to say. It will help you organize your material and put your thoughts together in a way that yields a comprehensible output. It will ground you and keep you on topic from the time you write that first draft to the moment you deliver the actual presentation. And the best part is that it’s easier than it seems. You don’t need a flurry of words to make one—you need ideas. Cues and fragments would do, as long as they mean something to you.
As the backbone of your speech, the outline will help you enhance the logic of your content and the sequence of your narrative. It will improve the flow and style of your presentation so that whatever you share to the audience will be received with interest and understanding. Laying out the basics of your presentation will help you look at the bigger picture without delving deep into the details.
Structuring Your Speech Skeleton
Speech outlines, like many write-ups, usually follow a three-part structure. This basic formula is something that anyone who has ever read or written anything can easily recognize:
Introduction – where you tell your audience what you’re going to tell them
Body – where you actually tell them
Conclusion – where you tell them again what you just told them
It’s an easy enough way of framing a speech. Structuring your outline this way will help you determine which sections of your presentation need to be given more importance.
The Brainstorming Stage
Before you can write your outline, you need to go through one more stage: brainstorming. This will jumpstart your creative process by allowing you to explore all possibilities, exhaust all means, and let your stream of consciousness flow. In this stage, you’ll have to experiment with different concepts to come up with the basics of your presentation. Decide on your topic to keep your speech firmly grounded. Define your goals and identify how to achieve them. Determine the essence of your presentation from the audience’s perspective. Of course, whatever you decide on while brainstorming won’t necessarily be set in stone. They can still change as you move forward. Brainstorming will only help you create idea maps in your mind so that you can organize your thoughts before outlining.
Part One: Introduction
The Introduction is where you establish the topic and the core message. This is where you define the problem, state your goal, and tell the audience how they can benefit from it. It’s concise in form, but it encapsulates the theme well. Your first few minutes onstage is your chance to establish your credibility and assert your qualifications. This is where you establish your right to speak on the topic.
Professional speakers will agree that, more than anything, an introduction must grab the audience’s attention and compel them to listen. This is why the most memorable presentations use humor as an opening salvo. A bit of wit is effective in offsetting the somberness of later discussions.
Part Two: Body
The Body contains the bulk of your talk because this is where you elaborate and flesh out your main points. It’s your opportunity to give credence to your claims and present supporting points to your arguments. You can either support your premise by introducing factual evidence, or you can dismiss opposing arguments. The body is also where your story solidifies—you can tell a narrative that relates back to your core message.
Part Three: Conclusion
The Conclusion is where you recap your main points—the pieces of information you want your audience to remember. This is where you neatly wrap up your main arguments and reiterate your core message to tie every aspect of your speech together. Before you step out of the limelight, you should’ve already established your call to action. Move the audience to join your cause and suggest future actions that they can take. But most important of all, you need to make your closing remarks memorable. Dress them up so you’ll end with a bang that will resonate with your audience long after you’re done talking.
The initial draft of your outline is unlikely to be the final draft. Writing is a process, after all. You’ll have to constantly review and revise your work until the finished output is seamless. Instead of a tedious hurdle, see this as an opportunity to shape and refine your speech to perfection. Don’t worry, the outline is 60% of the work, so once you’re done with it, you’re more than halfway to finishing your presentation.
Resources:
Dlugan, Andrew. “Don’t Skip the Speech Outline.” Six Minutes. February 29, 2008. sixminutes.dlugan.com/speech-preparation-3-outline-examples
Dugdale, Susan. “Sample Speech Outline.” Write Out Loud. n.d. www.write-out-loud.com/sample-speech-outline.html
Guay, Matthew. “Presentations 101: The Absolute Basics of Making a Presentation.” Envato Tuts Plus. February 18, 2014. computers.tutsplus.com/tutorials/presentations-101-the-absolute-basics-of-making-a-presentation–cms-19551
Hansen, Brianna. “7 Techniques for More Effective Brainstorming.” Wrike. November 16, 2016. www.wrike.com/blog/techniques-effective-brainstorming
Pfeifer, Tom. “Start with Your Speech Skeleton: Add Some Tasty Skin.” Tom Pfeifer. n.d. tompfeifer.wordpress.com/tag/how-do-i-frame-a-speech
Zomick, Brad. “How to Write an Outline: 5 Techniques and 5 Learning Resources.” Skilled Up. May 29, 2013. www.skilledup.com/articles/how-to-write-an-outline-techniques-resources
“Building a Speech: Starting with an Outline.” Boundless. n.d. www.boundless.com/communications/textbooks/boundless-communications-textbook/organizing-and-outlining-the-speech-10/principles-of-organization-51/building-a-speech-starting-with-an-outline-206-6814
“Creating a Presentation Outline.” Think Outside the Slide. n.d. www.thinkoutsidetheslide.com/lesson-1-creating-a-presentation-outline
“How to Create a Presentation Outline.” eHow. n.d. www.ehow.com/how_2057469_create-presentation-outline.html
“Speech Outline Example (Informative or Persuasive).” My Speech Class. n.d. www.myspeechclass.com/outline.html
“The Rough Draft Outline.” Boundless. n.d. www.boundless.com/communications/textbooks/boundless-communications-textbook/organizing-and-outlining-the-speech-10/outlining-56/the-rough-draft-outline-223-7317
PowerPoint is an effective communication tool when rebranding a business, as it allows for clear visual storytelling, presenting complex ideas in a simplified, engaging way. During a rebrand, key stakeholders, employees, and clients need to understand the new brand identity, its values, and its visual elements. Here’s how PowerPoint can play a vital role in this process:
1. Visualizing the Brand Identity
Why it matters: PowerPoint presentations enable businesses to visually demonstrate the new brand’s logo, color schemes, fonts, and design elements. Visuals are crucial in communicating the changes in a brand’s identity effectively.
How to use it: Create slides that show before-and-after comparisons of logos, packaging, or marketing materials. Use the slides to showcase how these new visual elements align with the company’s refreshed identity and mission. This visual comparison helps the audience understand the shift in tone and aesthetic.
2. Articulating the Brand Story
Why it matters: Rebranding involves more than just a visual change—it also means conveying a new or refined brand story. PowerPoint can help narrate the evolution of the brand, from where it began to what it stands for today.
How to use it: Use PowerPoint’s narrative flow to tell the brand’s journey in stages, from the old brand identity to the newly redefined one. Add key messages that explain the brand’s vision, mission, and goals, using storytelling to engage stakeholders emotionally.
3. Highlighting Market Research and Insights
Why it matters: A successful rebrand is often driven by market insights and customer feedback. PowerPoint can be used to showcase the research behind the rebranding decisions, offering a transparent view of the data that influenced the change.
How to use it: Present graphs, charts, and infographics to explain customer sentiment, competitor analysis, and market positioning. This builds trust among employees, clients, or partners by showing that the rebranding is grounded in concrete data.
4. Educating Employees and Stakeholders
Why it matters: Internal stakeholders need to understand how to implement the rebrand consistently. PowerPoint presentations are an efficient tool for conducting training sessions on how to apply the new branding across various platforms.
How to use it: Create training decks that provide guidelines on using the new brand elements, including templates for emails, internal documents, and social media posts. Use slides to offer practical examples of what to do—and what not to do—when applying the new brand.
5. Communicating Brand Strategy and Future Goals
Why it matters: PowerPoint can help communicate the strategic direction of the rebrand, highlighting how it aligns with the company’s long-term goals. It offers a structured way to convey key milestones and next steps.
How to use it: Use the presentation to map out future marketing campaigns, product launches, or partnerships that align with the new brand. Showcase the brand’s evolving role in the market, using timelines and roadmaps to outline future initiatives.
6. Creating Investor and Client Buy-in
Why it matters: PowerPoint presentations can be used to pitch the rebrand to investors or clients, providing a professional and polished way to showcase the potential benefits of the new brand.
How to use it: Create a deck that highlights the rationale behind the rebrand, its anticipated impact on business growth, and how it will improve customer engagement. Use statistics and market projections to show the value of the rebrand to investors or partners.
7. Driving Consistency Across Multiple Channels
Why it matters: For a rebrand to be successful, consistency across all channels is crucial. PowerPoint can serve as a brand guideline document that is shared with all departments.
How to use it: Develop a comprehensive PowerPoint that acts as a style guide for the new brand. Include detailed instructions on how to apply the branding across print, digital, and social media platforms. This ensures uniformity in the way the brand is presented externally.
By using PowerPoint as a communication tool during a rebrand, businesses can ensure that they visually communicate their new identity, explain the rationale behind the changes, and educate key stakeholders on how to apply the brand consistently across channels. This combination of visual storytelling and structured messaging is crucial for ensuring that the rebrand is well-received and effectively implemented.
Even experienced presenters can feel nervous before stepping in front of an audience. The fear of public speaking can cause anxiety, shaking, or even mental blocks, but with the right techniques, you can manage and overcome these nerves. The key is to counterpunch your nerves with strategies that build confidence and calm your mind.Here are some presentation tips to help you manage nerves and deliver with confidence:
1. Practice, Practice, Practice
Preparation is the best antidote to nerves. The more you practice your presentation, the more familiar you’ll become with the material, and the less likely you are to feel anxious. Rehearse your presentation out loud multiple times so that you can deliver it naturally and confidently.Why It Works:
Builds Familiarity: Repeated practice helps you internalize your content, making it easier to recall under pressure.
Increases Confidence: The more you practice, the more confident you’ll feel about delivering your presentation smoothly.
How to Apply It:
Practice in front of a mirror, record yourself, or rehearse in front of friends or colleagues.
Pay attention to your pacing, tone, and body language during rehearsals.
Example: Run through your presentation 3-5 times before the actual event to ensure you’re fully prepared and can anticipate any challenging sections.
2. Breathe Deeply
Deep breathing is a simple yet effective technique to calm your nerves and reduce anxiety before and during your presentation. It helps regulate your heart rate and relaxes tense muscles, allowing you to regain control when you feel overwhelmed.Why It Works:
Reduces Physical Symptoms: Deep breathing helps reduce the physical symptoms of anxiety, such as a racing heart or shaky hands.
Centers Your Focus: Focusing on your breath shifts your attention away from negative thoughts or fears, helping you stay present and grounded.
How to Apply It:
Before starting your presentation, take a few deep breaths—inhale slowly through your nose, hold for a few seconds, and exhale slowly through your mouth.
Use deep breathing during your presentation if you start to feel nervous.
Example: Take three slow, deep breaths before you walk on stage or begin your virtual presentation to help calm your mind and body.
3. Visualize Success
Visualization is a powerful technique that involves imagining yourself successfully delivering your presentation. By visualizing a positive outcome, you can reduce anxiety and boost your confidence, making it more likely that you’ll perform well in reality.Why It Works:
Boosts Confidence: Visualization helps replace negative thoughts with positive ones, making you feel more confident and in control.
Prepares Your Mind: When you visualize success, you mentally rehearse the actions and behaviors that will lead to a positive outcome.
How to Apply It:
Close your eyes and imagine yourself walking confidently onto the stage, delivering your presentation smoothly, and receiving positive feedback from your audience.
Visualize every detail, from your body language to the way you articulate your key points.
Example: Before your presentation, spend a few minutes visualizing yourself delivering the presentation confidently and receiving applause from the audience.
4. Channel Nervous Energy into Enthusiasm
Nervous energy doesn’t have to be a bad thing—it can be channeled into enthusiasm and passion. Instead of trying to suppress your nerves, use that energy to engage more with your audience and bring excitement to your presentation.Why It Works:
Turns Anxiety into Positivity: Channeling your nervous energy into enthusiasm helps transform anxiety into something positive and productive.
Engages the Audience: Passionate delivery captures the audience’s attention and makes your presentation more compelling.
How to Apply It:
Focus on the message you’re passionate about and let that passion drive your delivery.
Use gestures, facial expressions, and a lively tone to express enthusiasm.
Example: If you’re excited about a new project, let that excitement show in your voice and body language, turning nervousness into positive energy.
5. Start with a Strong Opening
The first few moments of your presentation are critical for setting the tone and calming your nerves. Starting with a strong opening—whether it’s a personal story, a surprising fact, or a thought-provoking question—can help you gain control and establish confidence from the get-go.Why It Works:
Builds Momentum: A strong opening helps you gain confidence early in the presentation, making it easier to maintain your composure throughout.
Captures Attention: A compelling opening immediately grabs the audience’s attention, allowing you to focus on delivering your message instead of worrying about nerves.
How to Apply It:
Plan and rehearse your opening several times so that you feel confident in delivering it smoothly.
Choose an opening that resonates with your audience and relates to the main message of your presentation.
Example: Start with a surprising statistic or a personal anecdote that ties into your presentation topic to establish credibility and engage the audience from the beginning.
Final Thoughts
Overcoming presentation nerves requires preparation, mental focus, and the right techniques to calm your body and mind. By practicing your presentation, using deep breathing, visualizing success, channeling nervous energy into enthusiasm, and starting with a strong opening, you can counterpunch your nerves and deliver with confidence. These tips will help you transform anxiety into positive energy that enhances your performance and engages your audience.
Your first few minutes onstage is an opportunity to capture your audience’s attention. If you want your listeners to be all ears when you start talking, prove from the outset that your presentation is worth their time. Your opening remarks will set the tone of your talk, so you should make them as gripping as possible.Don’t waste your introduction on platitudes and pleasantries. There are better ways to form first impressions and establish a connection with the audience.
1. Kick off with a dramatic pause.
Silence makes people apprehensive. That’s why it’s a powerful tool to start a presentation. Before you deliver your speech, take a moment to pause and amble around the stage while keeping a confident stance. Even the audience members who are busy with their gadgets won’t be able to resist the dramatic pull of the moment you’ve created. A whole minute or two of silence will draw all eyes on you.[sg-blog-modules module=three]
2. Appeal to the audience’s imagination.
Take your audience to a different space and time. Introduce a “what if” scenario that they can delve into and explore. The power of imagination will reel them in and make them a willing audience to your presentation.For better effects, use props and visual aids such as videos or an informational design Try a gimmick that has never been done before. Take one of Bill Gates’s TED Talks, for example. While introducing his talk about malaria, he released a scourge of mosquitoes from a jar. The mosquitoes were, of course, malaria-free, but Gates didn’t tell the audience that until after a minute or so.
3. Drop a series of rhetorical questions.
If you want your audience to participate in your presentation, ask rhetorical questions that stimulate the mind. They may not engage with you physically, but they’ll be with you mentally, pondering over your questions and framing their own answers.
4. Relay your message through storytelling.
The human brain is hardwired to love stories. If you have an interesting narrative to tell, share it. You’ll establish a stronger connection with your audience if you do so. The vulnerability is a powerful tool if you use it to communicate a message.
5. Turn heads with a contrarian statement.
One of the easiest ways to grab an audience’s attention is by contradicting a universally accepted concept. Whether your listeners agree with you or not, they’ll be at the edge of their seats to hear what you have to say, no matter how unconventional it may be. Just make sure that the statement you make offends nobody.
6. Underline a shared pain point.
If there’s a common problem you share with the audience, express it. You can win their sympathy and make yourself relatable by doing so. Your presentation will be more relevant if you can address something that the audience is concerned about.For example, everyone can relate to the frustration of creating website passwords. There seems to be no end to the list of requirements needed: the number of characters, the types of characters, the capitalization of letters, the inclusion of numbers, and so on. Discussing a topic like this captures your audience’s interest because you’re shedding light to a common issue they think is unique to them. You’re uniting the audience and bringing them to a common ground where your sentiments and theirs are one.
7. Promise something irresistible.
What do great presentations have in common? They all leave something for the audience. It doesn’t matter if it’s an idea, a tangible object, a lingering feeling, or a solution to a pressing issue. As long as it’s something that the audience finds useful, it can increase the value of your presentation.
8. Use multimedia to catch attention.
Words can make an impact, but videos and graphics often send a clearer message when used properly. If you’re unsure about how multimedia can complement your talk, use a multimedia presentation PowerPoint service that will do all the work for you. That way, your slides will not only look professional but also engaging.
9. Break the ice with a joke.
Popular opinion will claim that jokes are a good way to kickstart a presentation, but professional speakers should know better. Strictly speaking, it’s your sense of humor that elicits smiles and chuckles from the audience. It’s the humor, not the joke, that lightens up the atmosphere. So the more you can make the audience crack up and feel at ease without forcing a joke, the better.
10. Add a twist to an old saying.
Quotations are a common way to start a speech, but you can make yours stronger by tweaking it a bit. A cliché will sound fresher if you add your own take to it. For example, you can say, “To err is human, and to forgive is simply an acknowledgement of the error.”Of course, this will only work in a casual and laid-back presentation. If you’re opting for a more serious delivery, you can use proverbs or references to historical events instead.Coming up with an exciting presentation grabber is a task that takes time, effort, and talent. If you do it right, it pays off in the end.
An effective financial presentation is key for communicating important data, whether it’s for investors, board members, or internal teams. The goal is to present complex financial information in a clear, concise, and compelling manner. An impactful financial presentation not only makes the data easy to understand but also helps the audience grasp key insights and make informed decisions.Here are steps and best practices for creating an effective financial presentation.
1. Define the Purpose and Key Message
Before diving into data, it’s essential to define the purpose of your presentation. Whether you’re giving a quarterly earnings report, pitching a new investment, or reviewing financial performance, having a clear objective will help you focus your content and message.
How to Do It:
Identify Key Takeaways: Decide on 2–3 key messages or takeaways for your audience. For example, are you highlighting profitability growth, cost-cutting measures, or the impact of market trends?
Tailor Content to the Audience: Understand your audience’s knowledge level and interests. For example, executives may want big-picture financial insights, while a finance team might need more detailed data and metrics.
Example:
In a quarterly earnings presentation for investors, your key messages might focus on revenue growth, profitability, and future outlook, with charts and numbers supporting each point.
2. Start with an Executive Summary
An executive summary at the beginning of your presentation helps set the stage for what you’ll cover. It allows your audience to quickly understand the context and key findings before diving into detailed financial data.
How to Do It:
Summarize Key Points: Provide a brief overview of the presentation’s objectives and key financial metrics (revenue, net income, cash flow, etc.).
Highlight Major Insights: Identify any trends, changes, or standout metrics that will be discussed in more detail later in the presentation.
Example:
For an earnings report, the executive summary might highlight total revenue, year-over-year growth, and net profit, as well as an upcoming product launch that will impact the next quarter.
3. Use Visuals to Simplify Complex Data
Financial presentations often contain large volumes of data that can be difficult to digest. Well-designed visuals help simplify and clarify this information, making it easier for the audience to follow and interpret.
How to Do It:
Use Charts and Graphs: Visual aids like bar charts, pie charts, and line graphs are ideal for comparing financial metrics over time, displaying proportions, or showing trends.
Limit Data Per Slide: Avoid cramming too much data onto a single slide. Focus on one key metric or insight per slide to maintain clarity.
Highlight Key Figures: Use bold colors, callouts, or icons to emphasize important numbers or insights. This draws attention to the most critical points.
Example:
In a revenue performance slide, use a line graph to show revenue growth over the past five years, with key years or quarters highlighted to illustrate significant growth or decline.
4. Provide Context for the Numbers
Numbers alone don’t tell the full story. It’s important to provide context around the financial data to explain what it means, why it matters, and how it impacts your company’s performance or strategy.
How to Do It:
Explain the “Why”: For every key metric, explain why it’s important and what factors are driving the results. For instance, if operating expenses increased, highlight what led to the change (e.g., investments in R&D, marketing).
Compare with Benchmarks: Provide comparisons to past performance, industry benchmarks, or competitor metrics to give the audience a sense of relative performance.
Use Trends: Where possible, show trends over time (monthly, quarterly, annually) to illustrate how performance has evolved.
Example:
If you’re reporting an increase in gross margin, explain that it’s due to improvements in production efficiency or changes in product pricing strategies. Compare the current margin to last year’s margin and industry averages.
5. Highlight Key Financial Metrics
While financial presentations include a lot of data, certain metrics are especially important depending on your audience. Highlighting key performance indicators (KPIs) ensures that the most relevant numbers are given the attention they deserve.
Key Metrics to Include:
Revenue and Profitability: Show total revenue, net income, gross margin, and profit margins.
Cash Flow: Include cash flow statements, particularly focusing on operational, investing, and financing cash flows.
Cost Structure: Break down operating expenses, COGS (cost of goods sold), and major cost categories.
Liquidity and Solvency: Show metrics like working capital, current ratio, and debt-to-equity ratio to give insights into financial stability.
Growth Metrics: Highlight year-over-year (YoY) growth rates for revenue, earnings, and other financial metrics.
Example:
In an investor presentation, dedicate slides to key metrics like revenue growth, operating margin, and return on investment (ROI), with charts and explanations of any major fluctuations.
6. Address Risks and Opportunities
Every financial presentation should address potential risks and opportunities that could impact future performance. By providing a balanced view, you help your audience make informed decisions and show that you’re aware of factors that may affect future outcomes.
How to Do It:
Identify Risks: Highlight potential risks such as market volatility, regulatory changes, or operational challenges. Quantify the potential financial impact where possible.
Explore Opportunities: Share opportunities for growth, such as new markets, product launches, cost-cutting initiatives, or strategic investments. Support these opportunities with data or projections.
Provide Mitigation Plans: For each risk, outline how your company plans to mitigate the potential impact. Similarly, explain how you plan to capitalize on the identified opportunities.
Example:
In a financial forecast presentation, you might highlight economic risks such as inflation or rising material costs, while also discussing opportunities like expanding into a new geographic market or launching a new product line.
7. Simplify the Language
Not all of your audience will be financial experts, so it’s important to present financial data using simple, straightforward language. Avoid jargon and technical terms unless your audience is familiar with them, and ensure that your message is easy to understand.
How to Do It:
Explain Financial Terms: If you need to use terms like EBITDA, leverage, or net income, provide simple definitions or explanations.
Use Plain Language: Avoid overcomplicating the narrative. Focus on what the numbers mean rather than just listing metrics.
Be Concise: Keep explanations brief and to the point. Use bullet points to break down information into digestible parts.
Example:
Instead of saying, “Our EBITDA margin increased due to improved SG&A efficiencies,” you could say, “Our earnings before interest, taxes, and depreciation increased because we reduced selling, general, and administrative costs.”
8. End with a Clear Conclusion and Call to Action
Conclude your financial presentation by summarizing key points, providing actionable insights, and outlining the next steps. A strong conclusion reinforces your main messages and leaves your audience with a clear understanding of the actions needed moving forward.
How to Do It:
Summarize Key Findings: Recap the most important metrics and takeaways, such as financial health, growth potential, or areas that need improvement.
Provide Actionable Recommendations: If applicable, offer suggestions or action points for how to address challenges or capitalize on opportunities.
Include a Call to Action: Encourage your audience to take the next step, whether it’s approving a budget, making an investment decision, or scheduling a follow-up meeting.
Example:
At the end of an investment pitch, conclude by summarizing your company’s strong financial performance, highlighting upcoming growth opportunities, and providing a clear CTA such as “We encourage you to schedule a meeting to discuss investment opportunities.”
Final Thoughts
An effective financial presentation is not just about presenting data—it’s about telling a clear, compelling story backed by numbers. By defining your key message, simplifying complex data, using visuals, and providing context, you can deliver a financial presentation that engages your audience and drives action. Always keep your audience in mind, and tailor your content, language, and visuals to ensure your presentation is clear, insightful, and actionable.
Eye contact is one of the most powerful non-verbal communication tools in a presentation. It helps establish a connection with your audience, builds trust, and boosts your confidence as a speaker. Here’s why eye contact is essential and how to master it during presentations.
1. Builds Trust and Credibility
When you make eye contact with your audience, you show sincerity and openness, which helps establish trust. People are more likely to believe and engage with speakers who look them in the eye.Why It’s Important:
Establishes Trust: Eye contact conveys honesty and confidence, making the audience more receptive to your message.
Increases Credibility: Maintaining eye contact with different audience members throughout your presentation makes you appear more credible and authoritative.
How to Do It:
Practice making eye contact with individuals for a few seconds before moving to another person in the audience.
Avoid staring at just one person or section of the room; make an effort to scan the audience evenly.
2. Engages the Audience
Eye contact makes your audience feel included and valued, increasing their engagement. When you connect with people visually, they are more likely to stay focused on what you’re saying.Why It’s Important:
Keeps Attention: Audience members are more likely to pay attention when they feel directly involved in the conversation.
Increases Interaction: Eye contact creates a two-way communication flow, encouraging audience participation and feedback.
How to Do It:
Look at different sections of the audience throughout your presentation, as though you’re having a conversation with them.
Use eye contact to emphasize key points and gauge reactions from the audience.
3. Boosts Speaker Confidence
Maintaining eye contact can make you feel more confident and in control during your presentation. When you see positive reactions from the audience, it reinforces your performance and helps you stay focused.Why It’s Important:
Increases Confidence: Seeing audience members respond to your message can make you feel more confident and reduce nervousness.
Creates Focus: Eye contact helps you stay grounded and present, preventing distractions or wandering thoughts.
How to Do It:
Practice in front of a mirror or with a small audience to become more comfortable making eye contact.
Start by making brief eye contact, then gradually increase the duration as you become more comfortable.
4. Helps Gauge Audience Reactions
Eye contact allows you to read your audience’s non-verbal cues. You can assess whether they are engaged, confused, or bored, and adjust your presentation style accordingly.Why It’s Important:
Adapts Your Delivery: By observing audience reactions, you can gauge whether your message is resonating and make adjustments on the fly.
Improves Engagement: If you notice that your audience is disengaged, you can use eye contact to regain their attention and refocus their interest.
How to Do It:
Look for signs of confusion or disengagement, such as blank stares or fidgeting, and adjust your tone, pace, or content to re-engage the audience.
Use eye contact to acknowledge positive audience responses, such as nodding or smiling.
Final Thoughts
Eye contact is a powerful tool that can enhance your connection with the audience, boost your confidence, and make your presentation more engaging. By mastering eye contact, you can create a more dynamic, effective presentation that leaves a lasting impression on your audience. Practice this skill, and watch how it transforms your delivery.
Your pitch doesn’t end with your last slide.After delivering a successful presentation, you’ll often face a question and answer portion. For many presenters, this is a source of anxiety. Key points can be memorized and outlined, but you can’t do the same to other people’s inquiries.Q&As are spontaneous, as the University of Leicester’s presentation guide indicates, so it’s best to prepare for any question. Although outlining your points can help you identify possible questions your audience might ask, you still need to expect the unexpected and know your topic inside out.That said, you need to maintain proper presentation etiquette when addressing your audience’s comments.We’ve compiled three things to help you during an open forum:
1. Accommodate Questions
Since questions supplement your presentation, take those that are directly related to your points as an opportunity to expound on your pitch.Instead of restraining audience questions, welcome them – especially if they’re valid. People ask questions when something is unclear to them, or when they’re interested to learn more. Answering the ones they bring up in your Q&A allows you to fuel their interest by providing the information they need.Of course, unrelated or unnecessary questions can’t be helped. A member of the audience may misunderstand you, and give you a question that doesn’t directly match your core message, but is still somewhat related to what you were saying.Taking that kind of question still lets you explain your points better.
2. Be Honest and Polite
Although most inquiries can strengthen your presentation, sometimes, you’ll come across some inappropriate questions. These may be about a different topic entirely, or an unnecessary comment.When dealing with rude audience members, remember to maintain your composure. The negative image of losing your temper will reflect on you, not your listeners. Handle inappropriate questions with honesty and politeness. You can briefly inform the person that their question threw you off, and ask for other questions.Being honest and polite will help you keep your integrity as a speaker in front of everyone. You’ll stay on your intended topic without hurting any feelings.
3. Say ‘I Don’t Know’ – Without Saying It
In line with being honest, it’s alright to admit that there’s a limit to what you can answer. On the other hand, directly saying ‘I don’t know’ can send the wrong message by making it seem like there wasn’t enough effort on your part.In her Forbes article, women’s leadership speaker and Forbes contributor Selena Rezvani provides five alternatives for those times when you’re stumped for an answer. Thank the person for their question. This can serve as valuable input in improving your pitch for future reference.Promise the audience that you’ll find an answer to their query instead, but state that at the moment you don’t have it yet. A simple statement like, “I haven’t encountered that yet. Thank you for your output, I will work on it.” can mean a lot to your listeners.Doing this saves you from giving away incorrect information and losing credibility. People will appreciate this humility rather than a forced façade of expertise in something you’re unsure of.
Conclusion
Dealing with the audience’s questions can be a tricky task, but given the right answers, you can use these to your advantage.Welcome any question that can help improve your pitch. These queries are a sign of interest, and you could be able to convert your leads just by answering them.Be diplomatic with inappropriate questions, but be honest in telling your audience that you’d prefer not to answer it. Admit the limits of your current knowledge, but always promise an answer in the future.Face up to the challenge of a good question. Take it as a chance to improve your presentation and generate sales.
Resources:
“Responding to Questions Effectively.” University of Leicester. Accessed December 8, 2015. www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ld/resources/presentations/questionsRezvani, Selena. “Five Alternatives to Saying ‘I Don’t Know’.” Forbes. August 8, 2014. Accessed December 8, 2015. www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2014/08/08/five-alternatives-to-saying-i-dont-knowFeatured Image: “Questions” by Derek Bridges on flickr.com
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Who said presentations are only for grown-ups? Kids can do them too, and they can do them just as well.Meet thirteen-year-old Carter Cohen, a boy from Coronado, California, who convinced his parents to let him buy a hedgehog by preparing a slide presentation. Complete with the details about his dream pet’s name, home, and medical expenses, Carter’s presentation is something that even professionals and businessmen can learn from. Here are six takeaways from Carter’s simple presentation called, “Everything About Hedgehogs.”
1. Use a minimalistic design that sends a clear message
If your presentation purely consists of text, don’t attempt to dress it up with a myriad of colors. Unnecessary design elements are just that—unnecessary. Two font colors should suffice to make your slides more visually interesting.Just look at how Carter employed the power of simple design on his Google Slide show. He used a striking orange for the headings and a subtle gray for the body of each slide. The result was a neat and comprehensible presentation.
2. Present the cons alongside the pros of your pitch
Your audience will naturally expect to hear good words from your pitch. The pros are, after all, the point of the presentation.Still, you should state the cons to gain your audience’s trust. It doesn’t matter what angle you’re coming from. If you really want to hit a home run with the audience, don’t hide any vital information from them. If they need to know it, let them hear it.Carter did the same on his presentation. He let his parents know exactly what they’d be getting themselves into once they agree to allow him to buy his own hedgehog. He gave an estimation of expenses to prepare his parents for the possible hassle that getting a pet may bring.
3. Lead your audience carefully to your point
Wise presenters don’t assume that their audience understand them from the get-go. If you want to get your message across, guide your audience throughout the presentation.When giving away something that’s not common knowledge, make sure to couple it with explanations—but do so without sounding condescending. Be the right kind of informative and courteous—the same way Carter was. Carter explained everything that might concern his parents, and he did it with the natural grace of a child.
4. Use interesting titles and headings as kickstarters
There are a few easy ways to write compelling titles and headings for presentations. Carter used interrogative headings in some slides before proceeding to his rationales.For most, starting with intriguing questions is the way to go when opening discussions.Interrogative titles or headings stimulate the audience to answer the question. It encourages them to dig deeper into the content and read them in a linear manner.Candid headings like “What is Fleece” and “Why I Can’t Wait” make you think of two things. First, Carter’s innocence and wit is adorable and second, that interrogative headings are simple yet thought-provoking.If you’re having trouble typing in your thoughts, start a slide with any of the five W’s, then write your points constructively. Lastly, ask yourself, “Did I answer my question?” This strategy will ease your customers from strenuous thought-processing.
5. Emphasize value over cost
Carter wanted to convince his parents to allow him to purchase a $350 pet. And indeed, there are no better ways to say the words than to write “Why I Want My Ollie” and “Why I Can’t Wait” as headings.He had a ready answer to his own questions when he tried to persuade his parents to allow him to invest his own money into a new pet.Carter had three reasons for getting a hedgehog: 1) it provides a sense of companionship, 2) it will make him more responsible, and 3) it meets his requirements.Additionally, he informed his parents that having a hedgehog will make him a responsible pet owner since it will obligate him to provide his pet with clean shelter, food and company.When convincing people, it’s always important to know the value of their efforts and the resources they will invest.Just like Carter, show what else your audience can get besides owning what they expended on.
6. Express urgency if needed
One principle to follow when effectively influencing and persuading is using scarcity as an edge.Under the subheading “Why I Can’t Wait,” Carter explained that he needed a hedgehog soon, even though his parents asked him to wait until November 5, which was 30 days after his birthday.Scarcity, which is sixth in Dr. Robert Cialdini’s list of principles of persuasion, suggests that the lesser there is of something, the more people will want it.The day Carter wanted to take home his “Ollie” was the time the hedgehogs wouldn’t sell out yet and would receive treatments for mites.Always indicate if there’s a demand for your products. This will be your gauge when convincing an audience to act sooner.Without a doubt, Carter’s parents were impressed by their son’s creative act. How could they say no to a presentation that ends with a “thank you” and an “I love you”? After all, those two statements are among the most powerful in the English language.Did you find the aforementioned lessons helpful, too? Did Carter’s techniques convince you that kids can make compelling presentations just as well as adults? If there’s anything you can learn from this post, it should be this: Never underestimate the power of kids.
Resources:
Porter, Jeremy. “Five Ws and One H: The Secret to Complete News Stories.” Journalistics. August 5, 2010. www.blog.journalistics.com/2010/five-ws-one-hPolanski, Tom. “Dr. Robert Cialdini and 6 Principles of Persuasion.” EBiZine. www.influenceatwork.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/E_Brand_principles.pdf
