Bloomsbury Publishing - Give Great Presentations: How to speak confidently and make your point

Give great
presentations

How to speak confidently and make
your point

A & C Black London

Revised edition first published in Great Britain 2010
This electronic edition published 2010 by A & C Black Publishers Ltd

A & C Black Publishers Ltd, 36 Soho Square, London W1D 3QY
www.acblack.com

Copyright A & C Black Publishers Ltd, 2010

First edition 2005 Bloomsbury Publishing, 2005
Reprinted 2006, 2007 by A & C Black Publishers Ltd

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No responsibility for loss caused to any individual or organisation acting or refraining from action as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by A & C Black Publishers Ltd or the authors.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

eISBN: 9781408128039
Print ISBN: 9781408128022

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Contents

If youre reading this as a presentation is looming, take heart! This book will help you conquer your nerves, get your message across, and give a great performance. Start here by answering these questions and reading the guidance points.

How do you feel about public speaking?

a) I hate it.

b) I prepare very carefully to avoid nerves.

c) I always enjoy it and never get too stressed.

How do you deal with nerves?

a) I dont really. I just have to get on with it.

b) I try to take it in my stride. I think being a bit nervous helps me to perform.

c) Although I do get nervous, I always pretend that I dont and bluster my way through by playing a role.

Do you practise?

a) Yes. I often try to improve my presentation at the last minute.

b) I rehearse four or five times but when I feel I have got it right, I dont tinker with it.

c) I dont bother to rehearse. I know Ill be fine.

How long do you usually make your presentations?

a) I keep it as short as possible.

b) As long as it takes to cover all the necessary ground.

c) As long as it takesI really enjoy public speaking.

How do you deliver your presentation?

a) I often fiddle with my hair or props as I get so nervous.

b) I stand up straight and make sure I address my audience directly throughout the presentation.

c) I tend to sit down and relax.

Do you cater your presentation to your audience?

a) No, not reallyI just want to get my point across.

b) Yes. I try to find out as much about them as I can beforehand.

c) Yes. I tend to aim it at the most senior people.

How long do you arrive before you are due to give a presentation?

a) Im always a few hours early.

b) I like to leave enough time to check my equipment.

c) Im often late.

What would you do if everything went wrong?

a) If Im honest, Id completely panic.

b) Id keep smiling and try to keep calm.

c) I dont think Id be too bothered. Im not likely to see the audience again.

a = 1, b = 2, c =

Now add up your scores.

: The very thought of presenting makes you nervous, so take some action to calm your nerves. Chapter will help with this particularly, but chapters and feature lots of practical tips on planning and research that will help make your life easier too. Theyll help you work out your objectives, so that you know exactly what message you want to get across. Read Chapter and find out that you can survive if things dont quite go to plan!

: Well doneyouve realised that practising is the key to a great presentation! Chapter will show you how you can take your performance up a notch further still by boosting what you say with the way you say it. Chapters and offer lots of advice on how you can further enhance your message with the clever use of visuals and images; chapter is particularly useful if youre having to present virtually.

: Its great that you enjoy presenting; its a really useful skill to have and will stand you in good stead as you move up the career ladder. Try not to be overconfident, though, and take the time to tailor what you say to your audienceyoull really grab their attention then. Chapters and are particularly helpful here.

Preparing great presentations

Giving a presentation can strike fear into theheart of even the most experienced businesspeople. It takes some courage to stand up in frontof an audience and deliver a well-structured andinteresting talk, and most of us at one time oranother have experienced the panic, sweatypalms, blank minds, and wobbling voices thatsometimes accompany this.

Being able to cope with presentations is a veryvaluable skill, though, whatever your job. Presentations are useful in many situations, suchas pitching for business, putting a case forfunding, addressing staff meetings, or even aspart of the application procedure for a new job. Few people like speaking formally to anaudience, but there are many real benefits and asyou gain experience in giving presentations,youll probably find that it becomes less of aworry, and even enjoyable.

This chapter offers you help on the first step ofyour journey towards a great presentation: preparation. It will give you some suggestions forpreparing the content of what youre going tosay, looking at your objectives, gearing it to youraudience, and getting your points across well.

Step one: Work out your objectives

Clear objectives are the starting point for all great presentations. Start by working out your objectivesask yourself why youre giving the talk and what you want your audience to get out of it. Think about whether using speech alone is the best way of communicating your message, or if your message might benefit from using visual aids and slides to further illustrate its main points.

When youre planning and giving the presentation, keep these objectives in mind at all timestheyll focus your thoughts. Having an objective for giving the presentation will ensure that youre not wasting anyones time, either your audiences or your own.