Business

Business Plans: Presentation Resources

Whether you are just starting out as a presenter, have been presenting for years, or are terrified at having to make your first presentation, there are many presentation resources for you. (Presenters are made more often than they are born, so novices take heart.) Presenting is a skill just like any other and it needs to be polished and practiced to keep it in good form. So whether you are a novice or a pro, there are tutorials, workshops, and publications that speak to your skill level.

Presenting is a matter of preparation, organization, and confidence. If you prepare your material and yourself exhaustively, you will have no problem knowing what to say. This means researching your topic (especially if it is not in a field with which you are intimately familiar) and researching your audience (knowing to whom you will be speaking allows you to tailor your remarks accordingly). You do not want to speak down to an audience that may know more than you, and you do not want to lose an audience that may know less.

If preparation helps you know what to say, organization helps you know when to say it. Organization simply means you have reviewed your presentation, edited it, reviewed it again, and edited it again. Once you have trimmed away all the fat, you can organize your speaker notes. If you use note cards, number them and do not put too much information on each card. A scrolling text file works just as well as note cards if you will have access to it. Also remember to cross reference your visual aids (slides) in your speaker notes, so they coincide with your prepared remarks.

Present Your Material with Confidence
Turning your back on your audience, reading slides, and having it seem like the slide show is directing your presentation, are all surefire ways to lose an audience. Trust in your preparation, be strong in your convictions, and rely on your notes if your mind goes blank. If you are confident and make the effort to connect with your audience, including eye contact, they will hear you out–even if they disagree with you.