Speaking engagements at industry tradeshows or events are a terrific way to build thought leadership amongst peers and potential customers. But for many, the thought of presenting in front of a large group can be a scary one – to say the least.
Preparation is essential to giving a good presentation and with a little work, a speaking engagement need not be a terrifying ordeal. Here are a few tips that have helped us and our clients deliver great presentations over the years:
Know your audience – Will you be presenting to professionals in your field? What is the size of the audience? Will they be managers or C-level executives? Knowing your audience will help you deliver a message they find relevant and useful.
Understand the format – How much time will you have? Are you the only person presenting or will you be on a panel? If you’re participating on a panel, who else will is on it? How will the panel discussion be moderated? Does the moderator understand what each panelist brings to the discussion? Are there a set of questions that the moderator has in mind for the panelists to discuss?
Stay focused – Make sure your presentation has a clear, focused theme. Ideally, you should have three main messages. You will probably lose your audience if you wander off into tangents and try to explain every supporting detail of your story. Instead, deliver a simple message and allow your audience to ask questions at the end.
Provide supporting materials – For many business presentations, a good PowerPoint will do the trick. But resist the urge to fill your slides with lots of text. We find it best to use compelling images with speaking notes to capture important statistics or reinforce an important point. The bottom line is that you should do the talking – not your PowerPoint.
Practice, practice, practice – Mark Twain once said, “It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” He has a point: by spending time practicing alone and in front of a friend or colleague, you can ease your nerves and find any weaknesses in your presentation. But take note: even if you’ve memorized every word, you should deliver your presentation in a conversational tone on the big day to keep your audience engaged and the discussion lively.
Consider a coach – If you’re still feeling jittery about your presentation consider hiring a coach to help you prepare. A good coach can help you with your subject, supporting materials and speech delivery. Communiqué PR often provides this type of support as we help executives develop their speeches and prepare for their presentations.
Gather Feedback – After your presentation, you can distribute comment cards to your audience or ask the conference producers and moderators for feedback. This information will help you improve your public speaking skills and prepare a more compelling presentation next time.
We hope you find these tips helpful and would love to hear any ideas that have helped you prepare and deliver a stellar presentation.