Ms. Career Girl

Top Menu

  • Home
  • Media
  • About
    • Terms of Use
    • Copyright Infringement Policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise
  • Contact
    • PR and FTC Disclosure
  • Subscribe

Main Menu

  • Home
  • Careers
    • Productivity
    • Career Confessions
    • #SideHustle
    • Job Search Advice
    • Resume Optimization Tool
    • Job Board
  • Lifestyle
    • Life After College
    • Health & Beauty
    • Style
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Product Reviews
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Marriage
    • Working Moms
  • Specials
    • Real Career Girls
    • Style Your Life
    • Book Club
    • Giveaways
  • Home
  • Media
  • About
    • Terms of Use
    • Copyright Infringement Policy
    • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise
  • Contact
    • PR and FTC Disclosure
  • Subscribe

logo

  • Home
  • Careers
    • Productivity
    • Career Confessions
    • #SideHustle
    • Job Search Advice
    • Resume Optimization Tool
    • Job Board
  • Lifestyle
    • Life After College
    • Health & Beauty
    • Style
    • Money
    • Travel & Leisure
    • Product Reviews
  • Relationships
    • Dating
    • Marriage
    • Working Moms
  • Specials
    • Real Career Girls
    • Style Your Life
    • Book Club
    • Giveaways
Featured
Home›Featured›Easy Tips to Improve Your Presentation Skills

Easy Tips to Improve Your Presentation Skills

By Marne Platt
Nov 16, 2016
17553
0
Share:
presentation skills

In today’s world of work, everyone has to give presentations. Whether it’s a formal talk to a big group, or a short proposal in a team meeting, public speaking is part of everyone’s job. But not everyone loves it!

What about you? Do you hate speaking in public? Does your mouth go dry and your heart race at the thought of giving a presentation? You’re not alone! Almost 75% of us experience anxiety about public speaking, according to glossophobia.com. If you have presentation jitters, or worse, take heart. For most of us, a few simple tips can help.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare

The work starts long before you step out on stage. First, think about your topic. What do you want the audience to remember when they walk away? Write down a short sentence that summarizes your most important take-home points.

Start by writing down the most important take-home points

Next, think about your audience: what is their age, level of expertise in the topic, whether they are already passionate about your topic. Is the audience diverse? What characteristics do they share? This helps you get into their heads and understand what will grab their attention.

Now that you know something about your audience, and what you want them to remember, you can start writing your presentation. Build it around one or two core messages, and include explanations of why these messages are important, or why your audience should care.

presentation prep 1116

Keep it Simple

The old KISS principle (Keep It Simple and Straightforward) is the best advice. Your points should be clear enough that you can give the talk, and people can understand it, without the help of slides.

If slides are required or expected, keep them as simple as possible. Avoid jargon, buzzwords, and slang.  Too many words, complicated graphs and tables, and fancy animations often distract from the message rather than supporting it. Simple slides with a few key words or an illustrative graphic are all you need to be reminded of key points, and they help your audience listen to you instead of reading.

Think of your presentation as a story

Think of your presentation as a story; people are more likely to learn and remember stories than lists of facts.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Written words are different than spoken words. When you practice your presentation out loud, you will better understand how it flows, whether the message is clear, whether you can say it smoothly and how long it will take. There is no substitute for this, so repeat your presentation for friends, family or even your cat.

Practice your presentation at least 5 times before the big day. Doing this will help you understand how long it takes, where to pause for breath or for emphasis.

Practicing your presentation builds your confidence

Try to learn your talk by heart: not the actual words, but the general sense of it. If something goes wrong with your projector, you will still be fine! Making a powerful presentation when the projector fails leaves an even better impression! Practice automatically reduces nerves; practice enough and your presentation will flow from the first word, with much less effort.

practising speech 1116

Power Up

A few easy steps help you be at your peak of energy and self-confidence when you speak. Eat before you talk: a light meal or a protein-based snack and a glass of water an hour or so before you go on stage will give you energy. Avoid alcohol until the talk is over; you want a clear head.
Just before walking on stage, take 3 deep breaths to get oxygen flowing to your brain. Give yourself a short pep talk. Remind yourself that no one knows this talk better than you do. Remind yourself of the one or two key messages you need to get across. Some people repeat the first line of their talk to themselves once or twice to warm up.

When you go on stage, you’ll have the right messages in the right format, with plenty of energy. Take one more breath, count to 3, smile at your audience. Then put up that first slide and shine!

 

Image credits.

Main.   Prep.     Practice.  

Previous Article

Three Stereotypically Masculine Jobs In Which Women ...

Next Article

How To Turn Your Great $$ Ideas ...

0
Shares
  • 0
  • +
  • 0
  • 0

Marne Platt

Dr. Marne Platt is the President of Fundamental Capabilities and the author of 3 books (so far): Living Singlish: Your Life, Your Way; Professional Presence; and PREP For Success. Originally a practicing veterinarian, she built a successful career in the pharmaceutical industry. She founded Fundamental Capabilities to ‘pay it forward’ by providing career development workshops and coaching for women. ‘Living Singlish: Your Life, Your Way’ is an ‘older sister in your pocket’ packed full of advice for young women on building their own independent and exciting life. 'Professional Presence' and PREP For Success' help you strengthen your spoken and unspoken communication and leadership presence.

Related articles More from author

  • Credit Card Debt
    FeaturedWork

    Take Advantage of Your Employee Benefits!

    Nov 30, 2013
    By Ms. Career Girl
  • FeaturedSelf

    Why You Should Be A Morning Person

    Aug 21, 2013
    By Vivian Ta
  • FeaturedSelf

    Dear 20-Somethings: Stop Saying You’re Old!

    Sep 4, 2013
    By Vivian Ta
  • FeaturedSelf

    My Pursuit of Good Energy

    Sep 6, 2013
    By Nicole Emerick
  • Career ConfessionsFeaturedWork

    How Weekend Productivity Can Lead to Success

    Oct 14, 2013
    By Ms. Career Girl
  • FeaturedSelfStyle

    Win Three InStyleEssentials #PerfectWhiteShirts!

    Nov 20, 2013
    By Nicole Emerick

  • Career ConfessionsLife After CollegeSelfWork

    A Tale of High Achieving Career Ladies

  • work in sales
    Life After CollegeSelfWork

    Why an entry level sales job is a great way to kickoff your career

  • #SideHustleLife After CollegeSelfWork

    Get a Modern Day Career Path Dream Catcher

Subscribe

Job Search

As seen on

career advice blog badge oriel badge

Featured On

  • About
  • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Resume Optimization Tool
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
© Copyright 2021 Ms Career Girl