How To Deliver An Effective Business Presentation?

Delivering a business presentation for some is as natural a task as any other. For some this is a skill which has been developed over time with preparation and evenings spent in front of the mirror rehearsing to their pretend target audience. Neverless the only way to overcome the fear of presenting yourself to staff or potential business associates is with hard work and determination. Here we look at what is needed in order for you to achieving the confidence to deliver an effective business presentation.

Who Are You Presenting To?

First rule is to know your target audience. Are you presenting in house to colleagues who know the ins and outs of the company? Are you presenting to middle and higher management? The reason as to why you should know your audience as this enables you to structure your presentation so that your target audience understand what you are talking about i.e. will your audience understand technical jargon?

The Five P’s

Prior preparation prevents poor performance. Know exactly what you are talking about, because if you don’t, you will lose the attention of the audience shortly after your presentation begins. Through an analysis of your data you will be able to incorporate such information into visual data such as graphs and charts, this way enabling audience members to physically see information compared to just hearing it.

The Format

Will you be using a powerpoint presentation or going for the traditional style of pen and flip chart paper? Obviously context and audience will ultimately determine as to what format you select. Either way you should ensure all information is neatly presented and not overburdened with complicated jargon. If you decide to go with a powerpoint presentation it’s important not to simply read your information straight from the powerpoint. Instead ensure your presentation is bullet pointed and makes use of keywords and phrases. From here you should have self developed queue cards which enable you to expand on these points.

Practice, Practice, and….

Practice is the key route to ensuring you deliver an effective business presentation. When you become confident in what you are saying you are more likely to grab the attention and respect of audience members. When practising, begin to time yourself to see how long your presentation exactly lasts for. No doubt you will have been given an allocated time frame for you to present so make sure you can stick within these perimeters.

You

So you have been generating ideas and preparing and developing exactly what it is you are trying to portray, now is the time to think logically. Where are you presenting? Does it have adequate seating and refreshments? Do you have an internet connection? Just some of the key areas people fail to address when making a presentation. Such factors, should be addressed when beginning preparation for your presentation.

By incorporating these techniques in to your presentation planning should enable you to captivate your audience and ensure it’s a presentation that sticks with them for a long time.

Ashley Hunt is business coach who works closely and advises SME’s and Entrepreneurs in how to effectively capture an audience.