how to start a presentation

how to start a presentation

How to Give an Engaging Presentation

1. Introduction

But let’s take a step back to the idea of “understanding what you were thinking”. If you have a thorough understanding of your topic, you may be able to give a very effective presentation without providing the detailed information in the presentation itself. This statement is an effective way to outline a presentation method that I think is one of the most underused – the talking head. I will discuss this method and more in my next post.

The post will go into further detail of ways to explain and show effective content using slideshows as well as alternative methods to slideshows when giving a presentation. Now back to the confidence factor. If you understand your content well and you’re confident in explaining it, you’re much less likely to fall into the trap of reading your slides. A great way to force yourself to be well rehearsed in explaining content is to prepare presentation notes. I tend to make a list of bullet points of things I want to explain about each slide. This method is far more effective than writing a script. With a script, it’s easy to fall into temptation of reading it word for word. This is not ideal for engaging a listening audience. Reading from a list of bullet points is more effective because if you can understand what you were thinking when you wrote it, you can probably explain it in a more natural and interesting way. Keep in mind that when you’re explaining detailed content, it is a good idea to provide handouts of an outline to go along with the presentation. This will make it easier for your audience to follow along and take additional notes.

The first way to improve your presentations is to have confidence in yourself and the content you are presenting. If you don’t believe that what you’re talking about is interesting, no one else is going to think so either. Keep this in mind while you are preparing the information. Pick something that you find interesting and think of ways to relate it to your audience. If you’re successful at this, it is a lot easier for the audience to have interest in what you’re talking about. Now, the most common manner of presenting is by using PowerPoint or similar slideshow tools. While you can definitely create a good and effective presentation using these tools, most people fall into the trap of using slides as their default notes for what to talk about. This often leads to presentations where the speaker is literally reading what is on the slide. This is not interesting for anyone to watch and it’s not an effective use of a presentation tool. Remember, you want to explain the content, not just show it.

Today, I’m going to be talking a little bit about how to give a more engaging and effective presentation. Most of us find ourselves in situations where we need to give presentations – whether we’re in school, at work, or for some other type of organization. But how often do you find yourself either attending or giving a presentation where the content is not very interesting? Have you ever been guilty of preparing a presentation the night before it’s due, including last minute slides of bullet pointed text? Unfortunately, I think a lot of us are probably familiar with these situations. But there are some easy ways to avoid falling into these habits and to produce and present more interesting information and in more engaging ways. In this post, I will run through a few different methods to help you make simple and effective changes to improve your presentations.

2. Captivating Opening

The first minute of your presentation should be light and informal. The best way to do this is to tell a story, whether it be a real-life account, a hypothetical scenario, or an anecdote. It gives a sense of narrative. By doing this, you can create a sense of anticipation. Cite a shocking statistic, quote, or headline from a current event to communicate the relevance of your topic. Sometimes it is effective to engage the audience by asking a question. The response will be silent, but the question will get them thinking and ready to engage in the topic. Using a prop as a prelude to your topic can effectively stimulate some curiosity and anticipation. A quick audience poll can involve your audience and make them inquisitive about the topic.

The opening to your presentation is vital. If your audience is not excited about your presentation, they may not pay attention. When your audience is coming into your presentation or when they are taking their seats and getting out their notebooks, they will probably be talking amongst themselves. You want to get their attention and focus it onto you. To do this, you have to be captivating.

3. Structuring Your Content

4. Move them to action – Your ultimate goal is to motivate your audience towards your intended action, so you want to tell them what they must do after leaving your presentation. Make this as clear and achievable as possible. A good presentation will create an action in the audience during the presentation, like smiling, nodding, questioning, or agreeing with the speaker.

3. Develop desire for your message by selectively heightening awareness of needs and concerns. The aim is for the audience to develop an emotional bond with what you are saying.

2. Create interest in your audience about how your message will benefit them. This could involve pointing out a problem, offering a solution, or promoting a positive image.

1. Grab their attention – Begin with a story, quote, question, statistic or visual which has a point and is related to your presentation. For example, don’t start with a joke if the intention is not to amuse the audience.

Decide the order you want to present your material and structure it. Pick a clear and logical structure and don’t confuse your audience. Build your structure around the AIDA principle (Attention, Interest, Desire, Action):

4. Effective Delivery Techniques

Next, you will want to use visual aids when you give your presentation. Statistics prove that when you use visual aids, people are more likely to understand your point and, more importantly, they will remember it. Visual aids can include anything from a PowerPoint presentation to a short video clip. There are a few important pointers to make when using visual aids. First of all, it is important that the visual aid does not shift the attention away from you. You are what is most important in this presentation, not the PowerPoint slides, so make sure the slides are relevant to what you are speaking about. Keep them simple, but not too simple. A slide with no color and just plain text is not very appealing. Try to add an image to the slide that relates to the topic. This will make the slide more interesting and it will keep your audience attentive. A second point to make is that you do not want to speak facing the visual aid; keep your body positioned towards the audience. This will also prevent you from turning your back towards the audience, which is a big presentation no-no. Step to the side of the visual aid and continue speaking to your audience.

Vocal variety is the most important skill to learn in presentation delivery. It is important to vary your volume, pitch, and rate of your voice. If you speak in a monotone voice, your audience will lose interest. Imagine a friend speaking to you in a quiet voice at a slow pace. You would wonder when he was going to finish or if he was bored at the time. Chances are you would also be bored halfway through the story. You want to bring enthusiasm and liveliness to your presentation voice. You will want to sound interested and confident in what you are saying. This does not mean that you need to be loud and obnoxious; you can still have an effective voice with a little excitement. Try to maintain a conversational tone with your audience. This technique will establish a better connection between you and your listeners.

If you follow these steps, you will be on your way to a successful presentation. It is important to engage your audience and get your message across in an effective manner. If you are not delivering your presentation in an engaging way, it will be difficult for your audience to maintain attention or interest in what you are saying. This is why it is important to take notice of your delivery techniques. A few of the most effective delivery techniques include using vocal variety, using visual aids, and having effective eye contact with your audience.

5. Closing and Call to Action

During your presentation, you have established that you are a credible person and you have also built a reasonable level of trust from the audience. This is the time to act on this as you must clearly show the audience how the proposal that you have demonstrated applies directly to them. Always deliver the proposal in terms of the benefits to the audience. Tell them what they stand to gain if they were to act on what you propose; this acts as an incentive for them to take on your ideas. After which, tell them clearly how they can do it. If possible, end your presentation with a visual image of your ideas in action – it has been said that a picture speaks a thousand words. This will go some way to cementing your ideas in their minds, ending with the strongest possible impact. This is exactly the sort of thing that you want to leave in the minds of your audience: a crystal clear image of your ideas with the want to see it happen. Always remember to pause after the final statement, leaving a lingering effect to captivate your audience, where they will then approach you to inquire further on the matter.