Delivering a powerful and convincing presentation is of course about more than just the content. The way you deliver the presentation is also of great importance. The most important factor in this is the connection you have with your audience. The better the connection, the more attentive your audience will be, the better they understand your message and the more they can do with it. But making that connection is precisely what is not equally easy for everyone and sometimes even feels uncomfortable.
Many people who have to speak and present in front of a group switch into a kind of ”presentation mode”. An official voice takes over and, because of nerves, we start speaking at a faster pace.
Of course you have to take a few elements into account, but it is above all important to stay yourself as much as possible. As if you are telling your story in the pub to your best friend. With the difference that during your presentation more people are listening to you. Remember that you do not HAVE to present but MAY present. And the perfection of a good presentation lies in the imperfection. So you are allowed to make mistakes! So relax and tell your story.
What can help enormously to bring your story calmly is to ask yourself a question. And you can do that out loud or simply in your head. The story you then tell is the answer to the question you have asked yourself. “You may be wondering how to go about something like this?” is the question you ask yourself. And then you give an answer to it. It is an answer you know, after all you know your material, so you do not have to learn it literally by heart. In this way you can build up your entire presentation. If you use a PowerPoint, then keep as a rule that every slide must be an answer to a question. Tip: put the question in the Notes of your slide. That, and not a written-out text, is your handle for that slide.
A good ‘ice-breaker' and a way to make contact with your audience is by beginning with a question you ask the audience. That way you start with interaction with the audience and make direct contact. Of course make sure the question aligns with your story. “Do you sometimes also find that …”, “put your hand up if …” or “do you recognise yourself in …” are good examples. A question evokes emotions, connects your audience and you build up a connection. This works very well at the beginning of your presentation but you can also do it in between. That way you retain the connection with your audience during your presentation. You keep them involved and attentive.
And no, not just over their heads. But straight in the eye. That way you build up a personal connection and you radiate self-assurance. With a small audience you can look at everyone individually. In a large hall you can choose focus points. Left, right, central, at the front and at the back. The smaller the room, the more you have to look at people effectively. Compare it with a Teams meeting you do with your laptop. Looking into the camera or not is only a difference of a few centimetres but your conversation partner sees whether you are looking at the screen or at him/her via the camera. The larger the room and the group, and therefore the greater the physical distance from the audience, the less explicitly that is needed. Use the stage to direct yourself towards the different blocks in the hall.
During your presentation, keep a close eye on your audience. Look at the non-verbal signals. Looking at their phone, talking with the person next to them, … those are signals that your audience is losing attention. Asking a question, leaving a silence and shifting your intonation and volume are a few ways to restore attention again.
As with many things, here too ‘experience' is important for standing on a stage more authentically and more self-assuredly. Above all, remember that people come for you. And not for someone playing a role. Be yourself, show yourself and then the rest comes of its own accord.
Best of luck with your next presentation!
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