By: Richard Stone

Formal presentation skills training should, we suggest, be included as part of every managers personal development plan. Managers at all levels, not just executives, are increasingly likely to have to speak in public. Whilst most managers can pull off a passable performance a little bit of appropriate training can develop them into competent and engaging presenters. The key tips and techniques in this article will also help make you a better presenter.

It has been said that the three golden rules of powerful presentations are preparation, preparation, and preparation. You can not afford to leave anything to chance. 80% of the total time of your presentation should be spent preparing – it really is that important.

A good starting point is to think about two things. As a starting point, who will be in the audience? To use an example, a salesperson selling a pension scheme to the company directors would deliver a different presentation when selling the same scheme to the shop floor. The subject is the same – but the two parties involved would be interested in different aspects of the product. Secondly, consider what your objective is. It could be to inform; persuade; sell; or get commitment to a particular project. The answer to this question will shape the entire presentation so make sure it’s as specific as possible. Write it down – that forces you to think clearly.

Another factor to consider during preparation is the issue of notes to guide you through the presentation. Bluntly, scripts are out! If a presenter just reads from a script, they may as well email the presentation to the audience, and save them the time and trouble of attending.

Far better to use post cards or index cards, with key words on to act as a reminder system for you. These cards should be numbered, and then a single hole punched in the corner. Push a treasury tag through the holes and your presentation prompts are handy to use – In addition, if you accidentally drop your cards they will be kept together – imagine the horror of having to shuffle them all back into order in front of an amused audience!

The next key point to address is the structure of the presentation. Structure – or lack of it – can make or break any presentation, even by the most accomplished among us. The audience wants to know what’s coming up, so the presentation needs an introduction, a main body and a conclusion.

Contained in these main component parts should be some smaller ingredients that heighten the presenter’s impact. Audience attention is at its highest at the start, and the end, of any presentation or learning event – as anyone involved in management training will tell you! Reviewing your agenda or objectives now misses a great opportunity. Instead, try a power opener: a few sentences or phrases that are deliberately designed to sound dramatic. Don’t use any visual aids or props at this stage – you want all their attention on you. Stand still, speak slowly and emphasise key words. Then move into your objectives, or agenda, with the appropriate visual aids. By now your audience will be sitting on the edge of their seats!

One last factor – and it’s vital – to consider at this point. Nearly all presentations carry a time restriction, and it’s imperative not to overrun. It’s bad to finish early – you’ve probably not done as good a job as you could have – but it’s worse to finish late. The audience will switch off and become restless if you miss the deadline, so make sure you time your sessions during practice. Remember to leave time for questions – will they be asked at the end, or as you go along?

Nowadays, presenters are faced with a wide choice of visual aids. The two most common are PowerPoint and flipchart and each has certain benefits which the other doesn’t offer. We’ll take PowerPoint first.

LCD projectors, needed to project your PowerPoint slides, are reasonably portable and the slides that you produce for your presentation can be used again. Using animation can mask any details that the presenter doesn’t want the audience to see until a certain point, which keeps their attention. A PowerPoint slide is easier to produce than a flipchart – and often easier to read (flipcharts require larger than normal handwriting so can look messy or “wobbly”). Remember, though, that you will need a power supply – maybe an extension lead as well – and have a back up plan just in case the power or the equipment fails.

The flipchart is best used for spontaneity. The presenter may want to explain the answer to a question from the audience, and for this, the flipchart is ideal. The sheets can be scored off, and stuck to the wall with masking tape. Try not to use red and green on the same sheet, as they look the same to someone who is colour blind. Use marker pens with a wide tip whenever possible.

Any visual aid should be there to help the audience understand the topic. Estimates vary, but we all take in around 75% of the information that bombards our senses via the Visual channel – a picture really does paint a thousand words. Whenever you can, use graphics, rather than words. Keep visuals uncluttered – a few key points per slide or flipchart is enough.

Try and eliminate repetition of certain words like “Okay?” and “Right!” from your presentation, as the audience may start to count them. Do use effective gestures – for example a circular wave of a finger depicts the structure of a spiral staircase instantly whereas trying simply to describe the same thing could easily burn up precious minutes. However, be aware of annoying mannerisms, like jangling coins in a pocket or speaking with your hand over your mouth.

Only ever use jokes if you are totally confident that they will work, and never use them early in the presentation. Above all else, be aware of your eye contact with your audience. Looking at each person for a couple of seconds regularly is enough to keep them with you, and conveys that you believe in what you’re talking about.

Lastly, how will you finish? Many a good presentation has fallen flat because the close hasn’t been planned. A simple solution is to summarise, ask for final questions and then move into a power close. Take a few well-chosen phrases, and commit them to memory. Our management training experts often suggest using the following approach: when you are ready, turn off the LCD, or ensure the flipchart is showing a blank sheet of paper, and then move towards the audience (this tells them that something important is going to happen), look them in the eye, deliver your power close, and finish with “Thank You”… then step back and enjoy the applause!