Unless you can deliver a presentation in a professional and credible manner, you risk not being taken seriously in business. Here’s some presentation skills to help you engage, motivate and inspire your audience.

These simple presentation skills will help you make the most of your presentation, so the expert in you can shine through.

Prepare

Know your subject and expect that you will be asked questions. Research what you can, but also be aware that you may not have all the answers. If that’s the case, simply tell the audience you’ll get back to them with an answer shortly (and make sure you get back to them!)

Manage your nerves

If you feel nervous, there are many strategies you can put in place to help manage the situation. You can prepare well, shift your thinking to become excited instead of nervous, or simply realise that the presentation is about your audience, not about you. (For more tips on managing public speaking nerves, head here).

Prepare a dynamic opener

Dynamic openers get the attention of everyone in the room. They make people hungry for more, and get them excited about what you have to say. Try reciting a shocking statistic, telling a funny story, showing a YouTube clip, or performing a short skit. Basically, you’re looking for something that will grab the attention of your audience.

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Close with a killer call to action

The end of your presentation should include a monster call to action. What do you want people to do now, as a result of your presentation? Tell them! Get them motivated, get them moving and get them to take action.

Invest in your presentation skills

If you’re serious about learning to become a better public speaker, you might like to participate in a presentation skills workshop or enrol in Toastmasters, which offers regular meetings to help you slowly overcome your nerves and gain confidence. Or you may prefer to do one on one professional coaching for people who are nervous about delivering presentations. Whatever you decide on, the investment will be time and money well spent, because once you’ve delivered your first presentation after you’ve developed your skills and overcome your anxiety, you won’t be able to stop! 

What are you waiting for?

Delivering a presentation is one of the most empowering ways of communicating ideas and concepts to team members, prospective clients or to the general public. It’s time to get out there and show them what you’re really made of.

Do you have more presentation skills for developing or presenting engaging presentations? How about for overcoming nerves? Speak up!