Your Go-to Guide for Delivering Successful Presentations at Work

Presentation Woes

Picture it: you’ve been chosen by your manager to give a presentation at an upcoming meeting – not just in front of the company’s executive committee, but the entire company staff!

While you are keen to share your ideas, thoughts and observations, doing so in front of your peers and bosses can be daunting. The fears of stumbling over a sentence, putting together a messy presentation or losing the audience’s interest can result in severe physical symptoms such as shaking, dryness of the mouth, sweating, nausea and passing out. It can also cause a knock to your self-esteem, morale and productivity in the long-run.

Here’s What You Can Do

Luckily, you can follow these six steps in order to deliver a presentation to the best of your ability (while also helping you grow more confident in your burgeoning public speaking skills):

1. Prepare Your Presentation

If you have time to put together your presentation, eg. it takes place in two weeks’ time, use this period to conduct the necessary research, sift through your existing notes, and collect viable data – case reports, client feedback, input from your boss, etc – in support of it. This will also help you decide which format you will use, such as PowerPoint, Prezi or Google Slides.

This process may take a considerable amount of time. Therefore, do NOT make the mistake of putting it together at the last minute. This can lead you to make errors not just in the presentation itself, but also in your delivery, which can make you lose credibility.

2. Simplicity and Brevity

Once you’ve collated enough material, aim to make your presentation as simple and as brief as possible. It doesn’t help to drag the presentation on, which can make the audience lose focus and leave them with more questions than answers. Focus on the key points and present these in large-fonted boxes of short text, preferably no more than 16 words per slide (bullet points can be used to highlight important points).

Use cue cards with the key points written on them instead of whole scripts to keep the flow of the presentation running smoothly. Language-wise, avoid using project-specific jargon – this is so that your colleagues from other departments can understand what you’re talking about.

Supplement your slides with visual/audio aids such as images, videos and sound clips so that they help reinforce the ideas you’re presenting. By the same token, don’t rely too much on using these as they can clutter up your presentation or distract the audience from vital pieces of information.

As you put together your presentation, make sure not to make it too long – aim for 20 minutes at most, with an additional 10 minutes set aside for a question-and-answer session. If there’s any extra information that you didn’t manage to cover, you can either email these to your colleagues afterwards, or print them and hand them out beforehand.

3. Practise Makes Perfect

To both help you improve your public speaking skills and the presentation itself, rehearse in front of a mirror, a colleague or a friend. Practise the most difficult parts so that you deliver these flawlessly on the actual day. Take any feedback you receive from your colleague/friend in your stride and apply them accordingly when implementing any changes or improvements.

Don’t forget to ask them if they understand what you’re trying to convey with your presentation – chances are if they don’t, then your colleagues and bosses won’t, either!

4. Know Your Audience

Speaking of your colleagues and bosses, who will make up your audience, it’s important to make them feel comfortable, make them feel connected to you, and to engage with them.

Again, avoid using jargon that may be unfamiliar to some of your colleagues. For example, if you’re a member of the company’s graphic design team, mentioning certain buzzwords, techniques and software may not be known to those who deal primarily with finances or human resources.

Treat your audience as equals, which means maintaining a respectful and professional tone. As such, tailor your presentation so that it caters to everyone present – for example, you don’t want certain people to feel excluded and disrespected because you’re (unintentionally) directly speaking to only members of the executive committee.

When the presentation is done, open the floor for discussion so that the audience can ask you questions, make constructive comments, etc.

5. Be Mindful of Body Language

Presenting does not lie solely in your words. It also lies in your body language.

Your stage presence needs to be captivating, purposeful and strong enough in order to grab your audience’s attention from the get-go and keep them engaged. At the same time, you also want to feel relaxed and comfortable so that you can reinforce your points with confidence.

As you speak, smile and make eye contact with the audience to create a connection between the both of you. Project your voice and speak as clearly (and concisely) as possible, especially if you’re presenting in a larger setting such as a conference room.

While presenting, try to stand firm without swaying back and forth, pacing or crossing your arms, as these movements convey a sense of anxiety and/or disinterest. Position yourself in such a way so that everyone in the room can see you and you’re not obscuring the visuals. As for hand movements, use these when highlighting specific ideas or to point at visuals; otherwise, your hands should remain in a resting position.

6. Don’t Forget to Breathe

If you find that you’re running short of breath or that your words sound rushed during the presentation, take a few seconds to breathe in deeply through the nose and mouth, exhale, and then repeat. The more air that flows into your body, the more calm and less anxious you will feel.

Try practising breathing techniques for a few minutes daily before the day of the presentation. This will help you feel calm and relax, both physically and mentally, when the time comes for you to present.

You’re All Set!

With this guide in hand, you’re now better prepared to deliver an effective and successful presentation at work. With each presentation you make, your public speaking skills will improve, your confidence will grow and your anxiety will lessen. Your peers and bosses will definitely notice the difference, and it will certainly contribute to a positive, long-lasting career. Good luck!