<p>Tips for Making Professional Presentations</p><p>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.</p><p>Here are some tips for making excellent professional presentations.</p><p> Practice! Practice! Practice! Public speaking is difficult and is a professional skill that </p><p> improves significantly with practice. Seek out every opportunity to speak in public, whether </p><p> it is in a small department meeting at your work, a sales or training opportunity with a client, </p><p> or a large group opportunity with colleagues and your community. </p><p> Make a plan for improvement. Start small. Think carefully about the areas in which you </p><p> need improvement. Make a plan for improvement and write it down. Then, constantly </p><p> evaluate your performance and implement your own feedback. Also, gain feedback from </p><p> others.</p><p> Know your topic well. Prepare effectively before you make any kind of presentation, </p><p> whether it be to one person or to a larger group. Knowing your topic well gives you the </p><p> confidence you need to be relaxed and to focus on your presentation skills. Organize your </p><p> thoughts well in advance of the presentation event. Write down your thoughts on paper. </p><p>1 Think carefully about the kinds of questions that might be asked of you during and after your</p><p> presentation and develop your response to these questions ahead of time. </p><p> Address various learning styles. Unless you are speaking to just one person and understand </p><p> fully how that person learns best, you should develop your presentation so that all learning </p><p> styles (audio, visual, and kinesthetic) are reflected. This means that you should explain in </p><p> words, show visuals that help to clarify what you are saying, and provide your audience with </p><p> something tangible, if possible. </p><p> Recognize that each member of your audience is an individual. When you talk to a small </p><p> or large group, remember that you are speaking to a collection of individuals. Try to </p><p> individualize your presentation by implementing the following:</p><p>1. Arrive early to meet and get to know each person in the audience.</p><p>2. Maintain eye contact with each individual in the audience as much as possible. </p><p>3. Use members of the audience as examples, if appropriate.</p><p>4. Acknowledge the expertise or experience of individuals in the audience.</p><p>5. Ask questions and solicit comments.</p><p>6. Provide opportunities for the audience to participate and be active.</p><p> Avoid distracting mannerisms. You want your audience to focus on what you are saying </p><p> and what you need for them to do as a result of your presentation (make a decision, purchase </p><p> a product, come around to your way of thinking, take an action, etc.). Avoid mannerisms that</p><p> will distract from their concentration on your message. Some of the common annoying </p><p> mannerisms include the following:</p><p>2  Saying “um” or “you know” or “like” as a habit</p><p> Making unusual movements with your hands (twirling your hair, touching your </p><p> face, moving your arms unnaturally, playing with your clothing, pacing inappropriately, </p><p> etc.)</p><p> Making distracting sounds (clicking a pen, tapping the table, etc.)</p><p> Facing a board or screen when talking</p><p> Looking down or at your notes continuously while speaking</p><p> Speaking too fast or too slowly and having an annoying voice tone or pitch</p><p> Look the part. Look like a professional. Not only will a professional appearance make you </p><p> feel more confident, which leads to a more relaxed and professional presentation, it will </p><p> instill more confidence and respect in you by the audience. Looking like a professional </p><p> includes dressing appropriately, maintaining excellent grooming, polishing your shoes, and </p><p> the like. Casual dress is common and typically accepted in many workplace situations; </p><p> however, casual in the business world (and most other industries) does not mean Saturday </p><p> attire. Think carefully about what you wear for a presentation. It should reflect your </p><p> expertise, competence, and professionalism. In addition, make sure you have good posture. </p><p>This reflects confidence and competence. </p><p> Give your audience something to take home. Most presentations are given for a purpose. </p><p>You are trying to persuade your audience to make a decision, take an action, come around to </p><p> your way of thinking, or something similar. To help foster the desired behavior, give your </p><p> audience something to hold in their hands and take home after the presentation. For example,</p><p> if you are presenting a business presentation that includes sales numbers or a budget, give </p><p>3 your audience a copy of the spreadsheet or a summary of the numbers. (And, make sure it is </p><p> correct!) If you are explaining a procedure or process, consider designing a flow chart to help</p><p> your audience follow along and give them a copy so that they can take notes on it or review it</p><p> after the presentation. Many presenters who use PowerPoint presentations provide their </p><p> audience with a copy of the slides in handout format.</p><p> Organize your presentation effectively. Think carefully about the big picture organization </p><p> of your presentation. Tell your audience what you are going to tell them (introduction). Tell </p><p> them (body). Then, tell them what you told them (conclusion). Within this organization, </p><p> create a structure that meets your purpose for the presentation. Close by telling your audience</p><p> directly what you want them to do with the information. Consider drawing out a visual </p><p> representation of your structure first before putting in the content details. This strategy will </p><p> help keep you focused on your organizational plan.</p><p> Make your content concrete. To make content concrete, use examples, anecdotes, statistics,</p><p> stories, illustrations, bad examples (examples of what not to do), and so on. Think about the </p><p> experiences and background of your audience and relate your content to what they already </p><p> know. Be direct and to the point.</p><p>Making an excellent presentation is not an easy task. It takes thought, preparation, skill development, and practice.</p><p>4</p>