There’s only one thing that makes a business presentation or any presentation a memorable one-IMPACT. Today, there are more than fancy ways to jazz up a presentation, thanks to some really creative tools and graphics. However, content is still king! Here are 6 super hacks that will help you create maximum impact.
- Get up-close and personal with your topic: if you’re not interested in what you’re presenting, no one will be. Conviction is key and no tool can reflect that except your gestures, voice and words. Do all the research you need to, make it your baby. The more in-depth understanding you have, the more effortlessly can you make your presentation personal. And the more personal it is, the more impact you make.
- Create and follow a structure: A step-by-step structure will help you make all the points you need to in the most articulate way possible. A structure will also help you breakdown your content to top 3/ top 5 points. You‘ll be able to focus on points which need more emphasis. Your audience too will know what to pay more attention to. A structure will also help you frame a solid opening and closing.
- Let your slides NOT do all the talking: Your powerpoint shouldn’t have too much text or content. People want to listen to you, watch you speak and not the slides. So reserve the sides for graphics and just a few very important points that you want to highlight.
You are the presenter, and therefore, the focus of the presentation.The slides are just your sidekick and should not take the focus away from you. - Keep necessary content in your slides: Avoid being Captain Obvious. Headlines like ‘chart’ ‘plans for next year’ don’t add any value. You will be anyway hinting towards what your slides will be showing, so these are not necessary. They simply add clutter. If your end slide reads ‘thank you for your time’, remove it. You, the presenter, will be enunciating these things anyway, you don’t need a separate slide for them.
- Keep it conversational: Start with a question. Questions are great attention grabbers and make for very good conversation starters. As a presenter, it’s your responsibility to include your audience, to make them comfortable and to build a rapport. If you think your presentation can invite someone to add a point or an example, then make it happen. For eg, if you’re empathising with your audience. Ask them how they feel, follow-up with questions. When people are included they feel like a part of something rather than just being mere spectators.
- End on action: Continuing with including your audience, is ending on an actionable goal. Feedback forms, surveys, questionnaires etc will help you get your audience’s point of view. Of course you could have a quick Q & A, but not all may actually comfortable with talking and writing helps articulate thoughts really well. More importantly, you’ll have access to some form of documentation which can help you further your inquiry.
