Tips for Making Professional Presentations

Regardless of your career area, you will no doubt have the opportunity to make a professional presentation. It may be to persuade a manager to implement your idea, to inform a group of colleagues about the progress of your project, to make a sales pitch to a client, or to explain to others outside of your industry what you do. Professionals who have mastered the art of effective presentation are at a great advantage over those who let public speaking get the best of them.

Here are some tips for making excellent professional presentations.

 Practice! Practice! Practice! Public speaking is difficult and is a professional skill that

improves significantly with practice. Seek out every opportunity to speak in public, whether

it is in a small department meeting at your work, a sales or training opportunity with a client,

or a large group opportunity with colleagues and your community.

 Make a plan for improvement. Start small. Think carefully about the areas in which you

need improvement. Make a plan for improvement and write it down. Then, constantly

evaluate your performance and implement your own feedback. Also, gain feedback from

others.

 Know your topic well. Prepare effectively before you make any kind of presentation,

whether it be to one person or to a larger group. Knowing your topic well gives you the

confidence you need to be relaxed and to focus on your presentation skills. Organize your

thoughts well in advance of the presentation event. Write down your thoughts on paper.

1 Think carefully about the kinds of questions that might be asked of you during and after your

presentation and develop your response to these questions ahead of time.

 Address various learning styles. Unless you are speaking to just one person and understand

fully how that person learns best, you should develop your presentation so that all learning

styles (audio, visual, and kinesthetic) are reflected. This means that you should explain in

words, show visuals that help to clarify what you are saying, and provide your audience with

something tangible, if possible.

 Recognize that each member of your audience is an individual. When you talk to a small

or large group, remember that you are speaking to a collection of individuals. Try to

individualize your presentation by implementing the following:

1. Arrive early to meet and get to know each person in the audience.

2. Maintain eye contact with each individual in the audience as much as possible.

3. Use members of the audience as examples, if appropriate.

4. Acknowledge the expertise or experience of individuals in the audience.

5. Ask questions and solicit comments.

6. Provide opportunities for the audience to participate and be active.

 Avoid distracting mannerisms. You want your audience to focus on what you are saying

and what you need for them to do as a result of your presentation (make a decision, purchase

a product, come around to your way of thinking, take an action, etc.). Avoid mannerisms that

will distract from their concentration on your message. Some of the common annoying

mannerisms include the following:

2  Saying “um” or “you know” or “like” as a habit

 Making unusual movements with your hands (twirling your hair, touching your

face, moving your arms unnaturally, playing with your clothing, pacing inappropriately,

etc.)

 Making distracting sounds (clicking a pen, tapping the table, etc.)

 Facing a board or screen when talking

 Looking down or at your notes continuously while speaking

 Speaking too fast or too slowly and having an annoying voice tone or pitch

 Look the part. Look like a professional. Not only will a professional appearance make you

feel more confident, which leads to a more relaxed and professional presentation, it will

instill more confidence and respect in you by the audience. Looking like a professional

includes dressing appropriately, maintaining excellent grooming, polishing your shoes, and

the like. Casual dress is common and typically accepted in many workplace situations;

however, casual in the business world (and most other industries) does not mean Saturday

attire. Think carefully about what you wear for a presentation. It should reflect your

expertise, competence, and professionalism. In addition, make sure you have good posture.

This reflects confidence and competence.

 Give your audience something to take home. Most presentations are given for a purpose.

You are trying to persuade your audience to make a decision, take an action, come around to

your way of thinking, or something similar. To help foster the desired behavior, give your

audience something to hold in their hands and take home after the presentation. For example,

if you are presenting a business presentation that includes sales numbers or a budget, give

3 your audience a copy of the spreadsheet or a summary of the numbers. (And, make sure it is

correct!) If you are explaining a procedure or process, consider designing a flow chart to help

your audience follow along and give them a copy so that they can take notes on it or review it

after the presentation. Many presenters who use PowerPoint presentations provide their

audience with a copy of the slides in handout format.

 Organize your presentation effectively. Think carefully about the big picture organization

of your presentation. Tell your audience what you are going to tell them (introduction). Tell

them (body). Then, tell them what you told them (conclusion). Within this organization,

create a structure that meets your purpose for the presentation. Close by telling your audience

directly what you want them to do with the information. Consider drawing out a visual

representation of your structure first before putting in the content details. This strategy will

help keep you focused on your organizational plan.

 Make your content concrete. To make content concrete, use examples, anecdotes, statistics,

stories, illustrations, bad examples (examples of what not to do), and so on. Think about the

experiences and background of your audience and relate your content to what they already

know. Be direct and to the point.

Making an excellent presentation is not an easy task. It takes thought, preparation, skill development, and practice.