Two biggest problems that people usually encounter when they have to deliver a presentation are public speaking (speaking in front of a group of people, which can be big or small) and whether their presentation is engaging and enjoyable. It takes time and practice to be able to successfully tackle the first problem. If you are finally able to manage your nervousness and stay focused, you still have one other problem. Will you be able to engage your audience during presentation? Or will your presentation put people to sleep?
It’s not very easy to deliver an interactive presentation; you have to work hard to develop the right skills. But if you know the secrets, it will be easier. So, here’s how you can make a more engaging presentation:
1.Keep your presentation short and nice and the content simple and to the point
It’s a guarantee that you will bore your audience with a long, dull presentation. By giving that kind of presentation, there is a risk that your audience will not get the core ideas that you are trying to convey. How to keep your presentation short and nice? By keeping your points simple and to the point. Don’t beat around the bush. It doesn’t make you sound smart for delivering a long and meandering presentation.
2.Start with a good ice breaker
You are new to your audience at the beginning, despite the fact that you probably know them personally. Being the presenter, it’s like you have the authority, and they are not familiar with it. There is no rapport and there is no trust. So, what can you do to create a nice and warm atmosphere to make you and your audience have that kind of emotional connection right from the very beginning? Having an ice breaker is a really excellent idea. You can make a joke, use a metaphor or say something bombastic, for example. Your ice breaker should be a really good one though.
3.Don’t forget about humor
Humor is known to have the ability to melt down the walls between people, including between the presenter and the audience. So, feature plenty of humor in your presentation. But of course, don’t include humor that is considered to be rude or offensive.
4.Involve your audience
An engaging presentation is one that involves the audience. Your presentation is going to be more powerful if your audience actively participates, instead of them being passive recipients.
5.End more seriously
The purpose of delivering a presentation is to make your audience understand and remember your main ideas. It would be even better if they keep thinking about what you were saying during the presentation long after you ended it. Therefore, it is best to end your presentation with a quote, an important idea or even a question.
6.Gesticulate purposefully and smile
To convey a message, you don’t necessarily have to use your mouth all the time. There is an alternative called the body language. What you have to remember is gesticulating only what you want to convey. For example, if you are asking your audience to raise their hands, you can raise your own hand first. And, don’t forget to smile.
7.Practice and practice
You are familiar with the old saying ‘Practice makes perfect’, right? It’s true that you have to practice a lot to better yourself. Stand in front of the mirror and practice the speech or presentation that you want to deliver. Look at your posture, does it need fixing? Pay attention to your voice, accent and facial expressions. What can you improve? You can also ask your friend to listen to what you are saying and ask for feedback.
