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untitled presentation

The Power of Effective Communication in Presentations

1. Introduction

The potential to be a busy professional to alter workers’ lives for the higher in his or her work is very important. A really efficient communicator will get one other individual to change his angle. An perspective change might be motivated to take some actions and if the actions result in enhanced capability then academics’ lives and the lives of the individuals they contact might be altered. Imagine a top quality in-service presentation hold that results in altering the method a pacesetter teaches and leads which in flip would possibly end in a greater organizational custom and finally a greater life for these served by the group. The preliminary high quality of instructing has a domino impact lastly influencing the youth concerned. There are numerous examples of power to change by way of communication within the realm of instructing and coaching. Think of when a time a peer got here to ask you a query since you had been an individual who might clarify issues properly. You had been a simpler communicator than others who asking you questions. If profitable you had been capable of change his behaviour with what you defined and he went away with a unique angle or new information. For higher or worse this can incite an perspective change for he has extra information and data has an impact his efficiency and determination making. This is an uncomplicated instance involving simply two males however this course of is duplicated many instances over and might take many alternative instructions. Effective communication is a software that may have nice or dangerous affect on individuals’s lives and there are a lot of alternative ways to vary attitudes and behaviors. The essential level is that it usually makes a superb instructor or coach simpler than he would possibly in any other case be; and efficacy has a big bearing on ones high quality of life because it results in constructive outcomes with much less wasted time and power.

2. Understanding the Audience

A speaker must approach the audience with a degree of empathy if he or she is to get the message across. The speaker must work from the audience’s base of experience, knowledge, and attitudes to a new understanding of the topic at hand. A message that is not understood is not communicated – it is lost. The audience’s position on this issue largely dictates the method and style of the speaker’s presentation. A speaker must assess the existing level of understanding of the topic on the part of the audience, as well as the existing attitude towards the issue. If an audience is fundamentally opposed to an idea, the speaker will have to do more to get the message across. The speaker must use evidence and reasoning to change the attitudes of the audience. If the audience already agrees with the speaker’s position, he or she will not have to spend as much time trying to change attitudes and can allocate more time to developing understanding. With each of these factors in mind, the speaker now has a decision to make on the best way to communicate the issue to the audience. This is largely a decision of which style of presentation will be most effective. A more formal presentation involving evidence and logical reasoning may be appropriate to change the attitudes of a skeptical audience, while an issue already agreed upon by an audience may simply require an entertaining speaker to reinforce the attitudes and understanding of the topic.

3. Crafting Compelling Content

The most critical element of effective presentations is producing compelling content. Most people use presentation slides like a teleprompter. When they can no longer remember what point to make next, it is time to click to the next bullet point. The purpose of using slides should go far beyond creating a memory aid to prevent presenters from going off track. Slides should help illustrate points, but the presenter should remain the focal point of the presentation. We are all visual learners and pictures can paint a thousand words. Aim to be more visual in your next presentation by focusing on infographics and diagrams to help explain points. Practice the “Takahashi method” and use hand-drawn diagrams to explain complex topics. This serves to simplify complex ideas into viewers can understand and remember. Another common pitfall with content crafting is being too detailed or not having a clear point. Aim to have the “Goldilocks principle” of being just right. A method from the book “Made to Stick” suggests the “Velcro theory of memory – the idea is that if you want to make an idea stick in someone’s head, you have to cover it with Velcro. Velcro has hooks and loops that fasten it tight to a similar patch. Your ideas are the same – they only stick if they fasten onto something else.” By this Dan Heath means that your points should be remembered by the audience and it should leave them wanting to know more. If you just give out a bunch of facts or ideas without explanation, there is nothing for the ideas to stick on to. When creating content remember to also “show and tell”, not “tell and tell”. One of the most common errors that presenters make is the assumption that their point and the need for its understanding is intuitive to the audience. This leads to presenters simply explaining the effects of their slide without the cause i.e. telling that nuclear warfare on a global scale would be bad for humanity. You should be thinking the audience would not understand if I didn’t explain this. Use a contained example with visual aids that represent the cause and effects of the point to ensure full understanding. On a similar note, remember to show the value of what you’re trying to persuade. Too many times people over-explain the problem to their solution. You need to resonate with your audience so they can see what’s in it for them and the quicker you get to the point the better.

4. Delivering with Confidence

It’s okay to be nervous, and almost everyone is nervous, even experienced speakers. After all, Socrates, widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest public speakers, used to look deathly pale and break into a sweat when he addressed an audience. But being nervous and looking nervous can seriously distract an audience from your message. People who are nervous often try to hide their nervousness by clutching the lectern, folding their arms, or putting their hands in their pockets. When a presenter is nervous, their voice and body language usually reflect it. This is a problem because what the audience sees and hears is what it emotionally reacts to, regardless of what the presenter may be saying verbally.

To be effective, a presenter must convey a strong message. This task is easier if the presenter feels and looks confident. Confidence is a vital tool for effective communication and nowhere is it more important than in making a presentation. To appear confident, the presenter has to be at ease, feel in control, be sure of his facts, and be well prepared. He must also demonstrate confidence through his body language as this is a major factor in winning over your audience. It is especially important in the first 30 seconds as this is when people will make initial judgments and impressions about you.

5. Closing Remarks and Call to Action

By way of example, in sales presentations, several studies have shown that presenters who have a clear objective of what they want to achieve are up to 50% more successful than those with a vague objective. It is this clarity and the effect of knowing exactly what to say to achieve your objective, and creating and leaving behind the desired message that differentiates average and great presenters. Without a clearly defined message, all the hard work on the rest of the presentation is largely wasted. High impact presenters who understand this concept will often write their statement at the top of their presentation plan and will keep it in mind throughout the whole presentation design process. At the beginning of closing remarks, ask the audience if it is clear in their minds the answer to the question: “What is that guy trying to get me to do/believe/think?”

Of course, the main aim of any good presentation is to impart your key message. Techniques such as presentation organization, ensuring effective delivery, and creating visual aids are all a means to this end – getting your message across. High impact presenting spends considerable time and effort on ensuring that you have created and left behind a clear, concise message. Whether decision making, selling, informing, or training, preparing a clear statement of what you want your audience to know, believe, or do at the end of your presentation is the single most important thing you can do to improve the effectiveness of your presentation. This will dictate the content of the presentation and the way in which you deliver it. Clarity as to what you are trying to achieve is paramount in creating a focused and effective presentation for your audience to understand your message.