Sales tips: Secrets of great presentations

shyam3190

New member
f you want to know the secrets of a great presentation, the first thing you need to realise is that there is no quick fix, no off the shelf package that will present your subject in a successful way. What you need to know is, that neat, polished presentation you have just seen is the culmination of some hard work.

It is true that some people seem to have a gift when it comes to presentations, but it is also true that many more people give good professional presentations and it is not difficult to get to that level with some effort.



The key to giving a professional presentation is preparation. No matter how good you are at public speaking, if your preparation is poor, your presentation will not be as good as it could have been.

At the outset, you have to know the purpose of the presentation you are preparing. There needs to be a goal or a point to be made. Once this is known, you can then design the route to this goal via your presentation. You will also then know what information is required to present this route, including graphics and any technical details.

Prepare your subject matter, do some research. You need to make sure that any facts presented are up to date and can be substantiated should they be questioned. There is nothing worse than standing in front of a group of people and have one of them refute something you have said, particularly if you are not ready for such. Make sure the subject matter is relevant.

It may be that you will need to call upon some help with the preparation of your presentation. Perhaps someone with more technical knowledge than you possess. Or, it may be that you need help with the presentation materials such as putting your presentation on a media package such as Powerpoint. If you have included technical details provided by someone else, invite them to your presentation, so that you can call upon them if such details are questioned.

Understand who will be attending your presentation, and why they are there. This is easy if it is a prearranged meeting or if invitations have been issued. By knowing this, you can set the level of the presentation, so that attendees are not receiving information that is either above their level of comprehension, or that the information given is irrelevant to your audience.

As much as is possible, arrange the location of the presentation, choosing a suitable location, that can easily accomodate the size of your audience. Also try to make sure this is a place that will be free from anydistractions during your presentation. You want to be the focus of attention at this presentation, and this will be detracted from if a phone keeps ringing for instance. Make sure all attendees are aware of this location and provide directions if necessary.

Another area of preparation is rehearsal. Start by presenting to a friend or colleague who will give you constructive criticism. If there is time, expand this to include several others, so that you are used to giving this particular presentation to a small audience. You need to know your presentation really well so that you do not have to refer to notes or even the presentation screen during delivery. This gives you time to direct your speech to individuals within your audience. Direct eye contact with members of your audience during the delivery of your presentation is really important.



Ensure all visual aids required for the presentation are working and you understand their function. No matter how good your prepared presentation is, if the laptop you are using has crashed or the bulb has failed in your overhead projector , it will detract from your message. It is also worthwhile giving this equipment a last check just before your present as well.

If you are the sort of person that gets nervous before making presentations, perhaps learn some relaxation techniques. Tension and nervousness may detract from the message you are trying to give. You may not actually enjoy standing up and giving your presentation, but your audience does not need to know that.

It is worth remembering that actors that put on a show seldom do this off the cuff. They are successful due to many rehearsals before the first night. To overhear two people that attended one of your presentations say 'That was a great presentation!' means that your efforts have been rewarded.
 
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