“I already know everything there is too know about presenting”

I get this often when discussing presentations with people. There is usually two types of responses one is “Help us” and the other is a wall of resistance, “I know everything”.  As a *Presentologist we are merely sharing with you some of the best practices in presenting. We watch the best presenters and presentations from across the globe and we share that knowledge back to you. Of course being confident as a presenter has great value. Especially when public speaking is one of the top 3 fears in the world, however don’t let this confidence hinder your growth as a presenter.

If you are trying to grow as a presenter these 7 quick tips may help you with your next presentation:

  1. Choose a PowerPoint font that is easy-to-see in full screen. A three-inch letter is readable from 30 feet.
  2. Press the “.” in PowerPoint to make your screen go blank/black.
  3. Left or right align your text in PowerPoint rather than center aligning it for easier readability
  4. Don’t Apologize – Apologies are only useful if you’ve done something wrong. Don’t use them to excuse incompetence. Don’t apologize for your nervousness or a lack of preparation time. Most audience members can’t detect your anxiety, so don’t draw attention to it.
  5. Speeches are about stories – explain your points through short stories and anecdotes. Great speakers know how to use a story to create an emotional connection between ideas for the audience.
  6. Don’t talk right away- never talk as you walk out on stage. Quietly walk out on stage. Then take a deep breath, find your place, wait a few seconds and begin. This can feel awkward at first but it shows the audience you’re totally confident and in control of the situation.
  7. Speak remarkably slowly- When you get nervous, it’s not just your heart beat that speeds up. Your words also tend to quicken. It’s almost impossible to speak too slowly on stage. It’s amazing that you can stand on stage and speak so slowly that there are several seconds between each of your words and people… will… hang… on… your… every… word. Give it a try!

Conor Hyland