6 Keys to Presenting Well

Most of us have been the victims of ridiculously boring presentations, and I hope to spare you and your listeners this torture! I have helped lots of professionals deliver high quality and professional presentations. In this article are a handful of things I've figured out over the years.

Here are 6 simple and easy tips to help boost your next presentation:

1) Capture the audience's attention. People can tell if you are passionate about your presentation as soon as you start talking. Put together an interesting or funny story that you are looking forward to telling in your introduction. March up to the stage with a smile on your face.

2) Use the visuals as a backdrop but not as the key focal point. The main attraction of the presentation should be you. The slideshow and graphics should help underscore what you are already saying, not the other way around. Pretend for a moment that in your next presentation, your projector breaks right before it's time for you to speak. Would you still be able to make it work?

3) Don't go too text-heavy in your PowerPoint slides. Simply place the key ideas in your slides with a graphic. If there is too much text, it is difficult to see from the back of the room, and for those that can see it, they'll read it all themselves rather than listening to you.

4) Don't use the stock templates in Microsoft PowerPoint that everybody else uses. That's the most effective way to lose your listeners. If you don't have the time or artistic savvy to come up with an amazing PowerPoint presentation, you may want to consider hiring a company that offers PowerPoint outsourcing.

5) Open it up for discussion. Research reveals that individuals retain only 10% of the information they hear but 70% of that which they discuss. If your subject matter lends itself to group discussions, divide them up in smaller groups and get them to talk about it. You will raise your effectiveness by 60%!

6) Make it Humorous. Find a funny video on YouTube that illustrates your point. A little comedy goes a long way during a boring meeting.

I hope your next presentation goes well!