presentation synonym

presentation synonym

The Importance of Effective Presentations

1. The Power of Presentations

They can see us, but can we really see them? More importantly, are we letting them see us? Too often, professionals keep their heads down and the data at eye level. Research published in the MIT Sloan Management Review shows that “as automation and smart systems evolve, people will find themselves needing to effectively frame and present data to their colleagues and outside partners – sometimes with little or no preparation time” (Hoven 2010). This presentational evolution will require individuals to develop an entirely new set of skills and habits. Data and logical analysis will always be necessary tools, but the traditional “put your head down and work hard” mantra may leave too many professionals unprepared for the coming change. In addition, when asked to present, these same individuals may struggle to make a compelling case that logically fits the data they’ve collected. These skills are vital in bridging the old and new ways of analysis, and will ensure that professionals deriving logical algorithms and analysis aren’t left in the dust by new systems that can perform the same tasks. In the service industry, effective presentations and the ability to clearly and compellingly translate data and analysis are essential. Professionals could have the best possible solution for a client, but if they can’t effectively communicate why it is the best solution, it may lose impact or never even be set in motion. Effective presentations force the presenters to look their audience in the eye, ensuring comprehension and buy-in. They are also an efficient way to make a case and derive feedback. A much wider range of analysis professionals can benefit from brushing up their presentation skills. Where presentation was once left to a sales team or upper management, now even a financial analyst may have to explain his group’s new analytic strategy to an IT dept. With benefits both direct and intangible, honing presentation skills is a savvy career move.

2. Key Elements of a Persuasive Presentation

Auditing the audience, 1. Analyze the audience. The first step in preparing a persuasive presentation is to learn about the audience to whom you will be speaking. You can do this in several ways. If your audience is small enough, you can interview some of the members individually. You can distribute questionnaires or survey forms to obtain their opinions and attitudes. If you have scanty information about your audience, you may want to ask a series of rhetorical questions to get them thinking in the right direction. Determining patterns of belief and behavior within the audience will be useful in predicting how they will respond to your proposal, and tailoring the presentation to elicit that response. Step 2 in Monroe’s Motivated Sequence is to need knowledge, establishing the need for the change you will propose. This involves a strong form of persuasion, and thus establishing this need will require you to ask numerous probing questions and give plenty of supporting evidence to an audience that is probably not yet in agreement with your position. You must consciously plan to achieve a higher level of attention and involve your audience actively in this stage. Find questions and activities that will get the audience answering in agreement to your queries, and then ask the more rounded address of your whole audience. Visual (especially statistical) aids are generally very helpful in getting a point across, and if the situation allows it, you may want to present a demonstration with the intention of proving that things need to change. Your goal here is to firmly establish in the minds of your audience that change is required.

3. Techniques for Engaging Your Audience

Remember you should generate text only for section “3. Techniques for Engaging Your Audience”.

Start with a well-prepared presentation. If you’re not well-versed on your topic and are not familiar with your slides, you’ll have a difficult time convincing your audience that the topic is indeed interesting and relevant. On the other hand, a well-prepared presenter is already a giant leap towards presentation success. A well prepared presentation is a smooth presentation. You’ll encounter fewer stops and starts due to disorganization. You need not backtrack to cover a topic in more detail because you’ve briefly mentioned it. Topics will naturally flow from one to the next. This means an overall more substantial presentation. This is exactly the fallback point for many presenters. They’ve assembled their information in a haphazard manner and their presentation becomes bits and pieces of random chunks of data.

Maintaining your audience’s attention is critical to any presentation’s success. There’s nothing more frustrating as a speaker than to look out across a sea of bored and distracted faces. Yet, it’s a common experience for many presenters. How do you avoid this scenario? How can you keep your audience attentive and interested? First, recognize that you are in control of the situation. Your audience’s attention is yours to keep or lose, so make your best effort to retain it.

4. Overcoming Presentation Anxiety

Focus on message not the medium. Learn the controlled relaxation response which is to replace the feeling of anxiety with the feeling of confidence. Visualize yourself giving a successful presentation. Imagine how you would look and act; what your posture would be like; how loud or soft, fast or slow you speak. Imagine how your presentation is received, and how you feel at the end of it. View the presentation as an opportunity to shine. Remember the audience wants you to succeed. Know the subject thoroughly. Inadequate preparation and lack of confidence are the main causes of nervousness during a presentation. Don’t apologize for nervousness. It makes the audience uncomfortable. Turn attention away from your own anxieties to your audience. Your purpose is not to impress them with how wonderful or witty you are, but to provide them with valuable information. Gain experience. It’s still true that to combat fear you must do the thing you are afraid of.

5. Conclusion: Mastering the Art of Persuasion

The question is, would it have been difficult if people were to do these things on their own, without a presenter wasting his sweat to prepare and deliver a presentation? The answer is definitely no. People generally do only such things which they consider beneficial for themselves, and it is really difficult to change this perception. Now, if someone has to bring a change in others’ perceptions, he needs to do something which is more convincing than the status quo. He needs to induce a change! And this change is what is called persuasion.

Here, the word ‘persuasion’ needs a thorough analysis because the entire motive of a presentation, especially the persuasive one, is to make the audience do what the presenter wants. It may be to accept his ideas, to buy the product, to accept a proposal, or simply to pay attention.

An effective presentation is a successful tool that can change the destiny of any venture. Particularly, when it is a concern of persuading the listeners, effective presentation is the single most momentous device. Unfortunately, an art of persuasion is not much in practice, even though it is an essential part of communication. The present era is an era of information, where only knowledge is not the key to success. One needs to communicate what he has, to sell his ideas, products, services, or his own image. And what is the effect of communication if it doesn’t persuade the listener to accept the message? Here lies the importance of an effectively persuasive presentation.