Writing a Winning Presentation

Perhaps the thought of standing up in front of an audience makes your knees tremble, try these tricks to delivering seamless and engaging presentations

Create an outline: You may not think you need to outline your topic, but it will likely save you time in the long run. Outlining your entire presentation before you start to write it lets you organize the flow of information and ensures that you have included all the relevant topics.

Determine the proper number of slides: If you are using Power Point, the rule of thumb is that each slide will require two to three minutes of discussion. If you are speaking for an hour, 60+ slides will be too many. You know your topic best, but 25 to 30 slides would probably be appropriate for a one-hour presentation.

Limit the amount of text: Slides that are too wordy will cause your audience to lose interest faster than the freeway Try to stick to no more than five bullet points and whenever possible, show instead of tell. This means that you should illustrate your topic with charts, graphs, graphic images, or other visual representations to keep your content engaging.

Minimize the bells and whistles: A lot of activity or noise on your slides is bound to distract your audience. Resist the temptation to pepper your slides with flashy animation or music unless it truly enhances your message.

Proofread and check spelling - twice: Nothing kills a presentation faster than grammatical mistakes. You could be the most engaging speaker in the world, but spelling errors and misplaced punctuation can cause your audience to lose focus and question your credibility. If you don't trust your own proofreading ability, have a colleague review your presentation.

Practice, practice, practice: If you don't have an audience to test your materials on, lock yourself in an empty room and start talking to the chairs. It may seem awkward at first, but it's the best way to calm your nerves and to be thoroughly prepared. If you've practiced to the point of practically memorizing the whole speech, you will launch into autopilot and deliver a flawless performance when showtime arrives and stage fright kicks in - even if your brain checks out.

Pace yourself: Nervous presenters often talk too fast and rush through material. When you practice your speech, time it and give yourself some room for questions or interruptions. To help with pacing, consciously pause between sentences and slides. Two seconds may feel like an eternity to you, but it allows your audience time to absorb what you've just said. Even taking a slow, deep breath between sentences and slides can slow you down and calm your nerves.

Record your performance: Professional speaking programs use video cameras to show students how to improve their presence on stage. As painful as it may be to watch yourself on film, this is the best way to discover your flaws and nervous ticks. You may find that you sway, play with your pen, jingle the change in your pocket or look like you're dancing because you're moving around so much. Using a video camera to capture your performance lets you identify your nervous habits and break them before you leave the audience talking about how many times you said "Um."

Use note cards or cheat sheets: Even the world leaders use a teleprompter when giving speeches, and you have the right to use notes or 3x5 cards to keep you on track. Just be careful not to read them or rely on them too heavily; if you've practiced, this shouldn't be a problem. Avoid writing your entire speech verbatim on the cardssince they will be difficult to glance at and could cause you to end up reading from them. Instead, write down only short bullets to jog your memory and keep your flow.

Warm up the audience: The best way to get the crowd on your side is to open with humor. Start with a joke or quip that is related to your topic.

Keep an eye on the clock: Audiences and event organizers appreciate speakers who stick to the time line. Keep an eye on the time so you can speed up or slow down. You can also ask someone in the audience to give you hand signals if necessary. If your presentation ends before the alloted time, open the floor to questions.

Talk to foreheads: Make an effort to speak to the whole audience, which means looking around the room and making each attendee feel as though you are speaking directly to that person. If eye contact makes you even more nervous, then talk to foreheads. Nobody will notice your lack of true connection, yet you will still convey your ability to engage the entire room.

Don't forget to smile: Use inflection in your voice and keep a smile on your face. Your audience will mirror your behaviour and if you get onstage with a stone-faced, monotone delivery, the whole audience will be bored (or asleep) by the time you are done. Weave in some humor or anecdotes and let your personality shine through.

Whether you are speaking to a room of six people or six hundred, these tips should help you become a more polished presenter. Remember that the number one key to success is to be prepared as possible. Another great way to learn new techniques is to critique the performance of other presenters. Watch presentations on television or at venues in your area. Notice how the speakers engage the audience and watch for tricks that you can incorporate into your own regimen.

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