What’s the point? Whether it’s expert positioning for the speaker or increased sales for a corporate brand, all presentations have an end result. The first step in outlining your presentation is to define clearly what you hope to achieve when the curtain comes down. Make sure every message you deliver supports the achievement of your goal — don’t waste time or attention spans with unnecessary information that doesn’t work toward your success.

Boil it down! When you’re facing an audience, it’s understood you’re the expert on the topic at hand. But don’t let your knowledge hinder your connection with the audience! Speakers often deliver presentations saturated with details and industry jargon — two ingredients that are sure to make an audience check out.

Who’s the audience? Important presentations often bring important people to the table. And although you know the company, you haven’t taken time to understand how the company makes decisions or identify key influencers in the decision-making process. Presentations are usually the final step in cementing relationships. Don’t wait until the presentation to build bridges to influencers!

Avoid optical overload! It happens all the time. A speaker finally delivers the speech he’s rehearsed for weeks. The message is convincing and right on point — but no one’s listening because they’re anticipating when the next piece of Clip Art will fly across the screen behind him. Multimedia visuals should complement your presentation — not compete with it! “A picture is worth a thousand words, but 1,000 words don’t make a pretty picture.” Learn how to create visuals that support your content, not repeat it.

Don’t nurture nervousness! We all get nervous before important presentations — after all, there’s a lot riding on the situation. But you can learn to relax physically before a presentation and focus your energy toward the audience, rather than shifting your feet or wringing your hands. You also gain confidence by practicing your presentation. Be sure you’re not hearing the presentation for the first time along with your audience. Rehearsals allow a speaker to become comfortable with the flow of the content and the pace of the presentation.

Online Resources
History’s hottest speeches! Have you struggled to develop speech content, but don’t feel inspired when you put pen to paper? Check out the greatest American speeches and the top 100 speeches of the 20th Century to get your creative juices flowing!

Study to stay strong! Even if you’re in front of an audience every day, you’ll be a stronger communicator by understanding the obstacles others have encountered along the way and how they resolved them. See how some experts have addressed their communications challenges — and learn from their mistakes.

Proper pronunciation! One of the biggest speech blunders is incorrect pronunciation — you risk losing credibility and the audience’s attention if you stumble over a word. Be sure you say it right the first time!

Dramatic delivery! You want to say it with passion, but you can’t find that one word you need to express yourself effectively. Don’t let your creativity be hindered! Research spelling and grammar aids and specialty dictionaries to keep the words flowing.