Improving Your Presentations

We all have been through distasteful lectures and reporting. Let’s do some math: If we spent 10 years in primary to secondary education, and another four years in college, every school year having 10 months, and finally assuming that there is at least one class presentation (or student-lead discussion) every month, we will have: 10 (10+4) = 140 presentations. Before joining the workforce, we would have endured at least 140 presentations! And honestly, most of us never really paid attention to them. Most of them are just people reading words from the screen while we sit and stare for a good few minutes, hoping for something interesting to happen, like a mispronounced word, to spice things up.

Honestly, it’s a challenge. Along with stage fright and the surreal sudden drop of temperature in the room is trying to remember everything you have prepared (assuming that you actually prepared). It’s easier to read slides rather than memorize and present your mastery of the subject.

Not only that; along with the upsurge of smartphones and Internet connectivity is the collective deterioration of people’s attention span. You either have to figure out ways on how to keep them interested, or finish everything before they lose attention. Today, effective presentation requires you to overcome a plethora of obstacles. Bad news is that for most of us, presenting does not end after school.

Sooner or later, you are going to find yourself presenting in different situations in the workplace. It can be during an interview where you present yourself, to a staff meeting where you report matters concerning your position, or to a board meeting, if you are one of the head honchos in your place. At least you don’t get graded, right? Close, in some manner, but no cigar. True that there may be no immediate repercussions in giving a dull one. However, there are a lot of benefits in having a good one — from something as small as a pat on the back or a handshake to a potential boost in the company ladder.

Let me present to you some ideas to help put life in your presentations:

Thought Processing. When you are trying to come up with what needs to be put in your presentation — your visual aids, your script, even your attire — your two focuses are to connect then inform. Your first priority is to be able to engage your audience to make them give their full attention to you for the whole duration of your stage time. The second one is more obvious, getting all the important details in order. But it is not as simple as it sounds, especially on the part of establishing a connection with the audience.

When you are making your script, make sure that you sound conversational rather than textual, or at least human-like. Don’t make your words too formal that you end up sounding like a page from a manuscript. This is what set presentations apart from books and fact sheets. You will sound more human, more pleasing, and more convincing. Pronouns (I, we, you, etc.) will help you in this matter. Consider the difference with “The sales have gone up 10 percent” versus “We were able to raise the company sales by 10 percent.” The latter sounds more rewarding, and more attributable to the collective effort of your department.

When you are figuring out what to include in your presentation, always make sure you can answer what, why, how, when, where, which, and what else, at least in the most parts. Be organized in the manner of delivery. It can be chronological, where you show past data first, your current status or plans, and finally, the predicted results of your plans or your target for the coming months/years. Keep everything structured, deliver with clarity, and best keep straight to the point. Sharing anecdotes and side comments are good for a story-structured presentation like those from motivational speeches. For business presentation, it should be precise and concise.

Presentation. The most nerve-wracking part of it all is when you are about to present. Stage fright is not an unusual problem. A lot of people have this, and there are no secret techniques to overcome this aside from getting used to it. Embrace stage fright as it is part of learning how to overcome it. But remember that you have nothing to fear if you prepared properly. You have devoted your time in preparing your presentation. You are familiar with all the facts you included. You have practically mastered every detail included. All you have to do now is to deliver.

Making excellent presentations is one of the best ways to get noticed by upper management or to close a sale. Do not be afraid of committing errors. Learn from them and keep improving. Remember that good preparation leads to good presentation.

*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin. C-6, Sunday, June 12, 2016. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.