how to give an amazing presentation
TRANSCRIPT
VAR 101: How to Give an Amazing Presentation
Melissa Henley Director of Marketing Communications Laserfiche
Know Your Audience
‣ Size ‣ Roles ‣ Background
knowledge ‣ Relationship to you ‣ Balance of introverts
and extroverts
Know Their Expectations
‣ Time ‣ Topic ‣ Structure ‣ Most important: Are
you excited and interested?
Know Your Strengths
‣ Figure out what you’re good at
‣ Be passionate! ‣ The most important
element is you
Organize Your Content
‣ Utilize “The Rule of Three”: Support your core message with three main takeaways
Keep Your Audience Awake
‣ A picture is 3x as effective in conveying information as words alone
‣ Words and pictures together are 6x as effective as words alone
Keep Things Easy to Read
‣ Use at least 30 point font
‣ Keeps content minimal ‣ Keeps slides easy to
read in a variety of formats
Manage Short Attention Spans
‣ Max: 45 minutes ‣ Reality: 15 minutes ‣ Remember, no more
than 2 minutes on any one slide
Remember Your Takeaways
‣ Keeps people on track ‣ Ensures you aren’t
making slides too complex
‣ Makes sure everyone gets the same value as you
“Winging It” is for the Birds
‣ Practice (in front of an audience if you can)
‣ Record your practice sessions
‣ Get comfortable!
Making the Most of What You Have
‣ What’s your venue setup?
‣ How much time do you have?
‣ What equipment will you use?
Presenting in Person
‣ Arrive early ‣ Interact with your
audience ‣ Watch your eye
contact ‣ Don’t forget to breathe!
Presenting a Webinar
‣ Make time for a pre-event sound check
‣ Display a welcome slide
‣ Be more lively than usual
Presenting on Camera
‣ Be careful about wardrobe
‣ Talk to the camera ‣ Don’t move excessively ‣ Turn off your cellphone!
Ask for Input …
‣ Plan in advance ‣ Directly address
individuals ‣ Ask for feedback ‣ Draw on their
experience
But Be Prepared to Tweak on the Fly
‣ You may have to think on your feet
‣ Remember to take things offline
‣ You can always hold questions for the end
Some Books I’ve Found Useful ‣ Harvard Business Review Guide to Persuasive
Presentations ‣ How to Deliver a TED Talk: Secrets of the
World’s Most Inspiring Presentations ‣ Lead With a Story: A Guide to Creating Business
Narratives that Captivate, Convince and Inspire ‣ Why Most PowerPoint Presentations Suck …
and How You Can Make Them Better