PRESENTATIONS –

Rules for Success

Having carried out over 60 recall exercises after making many presentations  in 7 countries I am now in a position to share tips on simple ways to make your next presentation more memorable.

                The best thing to put into your presentation is time. Time to prepare , time to practise and time to set up.

A Handful of Tips to help make your next presentation more memorable

* Do Your homework

               Eighty percent of of a successful presentation is in the preparation.

        First analyse the situation and your potential audience.

        Who do you expect to be in your audience? What do they know about your topic?

        Aim to appeal to their beliefs, attitudes and values. What do they want to know?

        What are their wants and needs? 

        What will they gain from your presentation?

* Don’t say too much

               Focus on a simple clear message.

        Try to make no more than three points and make them three times.

        Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them your message with facts and recommendations and in your summary repeat your main points once again.  

* Get their attention

               Get your audience’s attention right from your start. Tell a story, or a well selected joke.

         Don’t lecture them, chat to them.

         A good visual aid can be memorable.

         If you are showing a picture of an environment,  a good visual can save you thousands of words.  

         If you are projecting  words, or numbers, they must be simple, bold and seen by all.  

         Lace you presentation with stories and humour. Make your stories brief , clever and memorable.      

         Spice them up by sharing your feelings and emotions. Try to act out events.

* Work up to a climax

               Summarise with strong recommendations.

       Make your summary clear and simple. It must be well prepared. Finish strongly working up to a climax.

       After you finish give a simple handout containing your message and your contact details.

Geoffrey Moss (mossassociates.co.nz)

“When preparing your presentation keep in mind the fleeting nature of oral communication.”

Source: “Persuasive Ways. ‘Tricks of the trade’ to get your ideas across”. First published by  Moss Associates Ltd., New Zealand and in Chinese by the Shanghai People’s Publishing House, the Singapore Institute of Management, Kogan Page Ltd, U.K and in Hungarian by Bagolyvar Konyvkiado.  Also published as the “Secrets of Persuasion” by Cengage Learning Asia and as an e-book and sold by Amazon.com.