How to Do Presentations

We all face situations in life where we are compelled to stand in front of a massive crowd (or could be lesser as well)be it in office, schools and colleges, and are expected to explain about some subject, which, in layman terms is called, delivering of a presentation. But how many of us know the technicalities of a perfect presentation? How many of us are confident enough to meet the eyes of hundreds and speak in a flow? What are the things to be kept in mind before giving a presentation? What are the strategies to be followed for an effective presentation?

Well trust me, its not something which is unattainable and before going beyond this line just change your concepts slightly and start believing it to be a simple task than a massive hurdle that you’ve always thought it is, as, I might help you technically but who really can help you, truly, is you. So start believing in yourself and let’s find out together what it takes to be a perfect presenter.

Firstly I would deal with the subject of facing the crowd, the steps and solutions how to combat the problem of nervousness. Well, nervousness or anxiety is an inevitable phenomenon and if you feel like a coward, then probably it would help you if I say that even veteran speakers, if , are not nervous, at least suffer from mild apprehensions before their delivery of presentations, even though they are in practice all the time and its their full fledged

Profession. So what can you do to fight your fears and nervousness before a presentation? Here is what you can do-

1. Hear the music inside you

   You need to, firstly, believe in yourself and be assured of what you are doing and saying, because unless you are really sure of what your task is, you’ll for sure land up in an awkward situation.

2. Breathe

   Breathing, well, is a universal technique of subsiding the fears and getting your heartbeats in order. This is one of the most effective ways to combat nervousness.

3. Don’t drink caffeine or consume sugar

   (Sad but true! It makes you less jittery).

4. Massage Your Hands

   Do this before you play.

5. Eat a Banana

   I read this somewhere recently and am still testing its accuracy, but eat a banana before performing, because they are supposed to be big beta blockers and helps control anxiety…

6. Convince Yourself Its No Biggie

   Try to convince yourself that it’s not a big deal (even if it is). The more you get worked up about it, the harder it will be for you to calm yourself down. You don’t need to give yourself more pressure than there already is! (At the moment, this technique has been working the best for me as long as I REALLY try to make myself believe that it’s not a big deal and it’s just fun!)

7. Find a theme song for yourself.

   I know it sounds funny, but when you start putting yourself in a character with a background score which is the music you relate with (something inspirational) you find yourself more confident and full of energy.

8. Be A Little Conceited
   

   Well, that’s really isn’t a good way to put it. Just be REALLY confident! Tell yourself that there’s no use to be afraid because you know you’re better than everyone else (even if you’re not) don’t go overboard, but you can’t have a low self esteem if you want to be able to play in front of others.

9. Keep Warm

   Make sure your hands and your flute are warm! Cold fingers just make the trembling worse.

10. Remember, You Are Nervous

    Keep in mind that when you are nervous, you have a tendency to go faster than normal. This is a BAD thing! Have the steady tempo in your mind.

11. Visualize, Visualize, Visualize

    Visualize yourself doing it perfectly and amazingly beautifully. You might surprise yourself!

12. Learn Your Subject

    Fill your mind with information about your subject. If you put in the time to do proper research you have won half the battle. Your confidence grows along with your knowledge of your subject. But be prepared… that the nervous stomach of yours may not disappear until you actually begin speaking, so don’t expect to be anxious free. Actually, some nervousness is good; otherwise, you may become overconfident. However, when you have something to say and you know what you are going to say your confidence will shine through.

13. Be the expert

    If you have studied, done the research and are properly prepared, then you are the expert. You assume the role as the instructor. Develop the mind set that you are the teacher who is teaching them. You are not being arrogant when you assume the position as the expert. You are simply having the attitude that you have paid the price to speak about your subject and you will deliver.

14. Never apologize

    Do not begin a speech by saying you are sorry for being un-prepared. As soon as you do you have lost the right to speak. You should never start a speech with any kind of an apology. If you are late or lacked the time to prepare like you wanted, simply do not mention it. Just get started with your speech.

15. Begin your speech without words

    When you walk up to the platform to make your speech, pause before saying anything. Look your audience in the eyes. When you approach the beginning of your speech in this manner you communicate to the audience that you are in control. You appear not to be nervous and everyone begins to feel secure. They will be more likely to receive your message.

16. Take your notes, but not your manuscript

    You will want to take your outline. This will give you a sense of security. You have studied. You are prepared. The outline will be there to guide you. It will help you stay on track.

    However, if you take the manuscript you will have a tendency to read too much. You may even get lost in all of the writing you have before you, consequently, you may find yourself filled full of fear.

    Do not attempt to memorize your manuscript either. You may forget where you are in your speech. Your mind may go blank. Or you may simply look very unnatural as you deliver your memorized script.

17. Practice, Practice and Practice

    You must practice what you are going to say, how you’re going to say it and when you’re going to say it. You need to get a feel for how your speech is going to come out. You need to make sure your timing is right and your delivery is going to have it’s maximum impact. So, practice, practice and practice.

18. Speak In Front of a Mirror

    Get used to the ideas, the words and pronunciation.

19. Smile

    When it is time to present, get up and smile.

20. Keep your voice flexible

    Modulate your voice to emphasize major points and most importantly, avoid monotony.

21. Summarize

    Summarize what you have said (no more than one minute) to help end your presentation.

Well these were the tips to combat nervousness effectively but how do we actually present? What are the things to be kept in mind while doing presentations? What are the dos and donts? Lets check that out.

Dos

Smile! When audience members see a genuine and sincere smile, it makes them want to smile too. What could be better than looking out on an audience of happy, smiling people?

Move. Don’t hide behind your podium. Presentations can be scary, but the audience won’t eat you alive. This doesn’t mean you should pace furiously from one end of the stage to the other, but a little movement will help keep your audience awake.

Test your setup before the presentation. Can you see your visual aids, slides or overheads clearly from the back of the room? Is everything working as you had expected?

Present to the crowd. Consider your audience before your presentation. If your audience is a group of university students, leave your suit at home and make your presentation less formal. If your audience requires more formality, perhaps it’s best if you forget the animation. It’s unlikely that swirling text and funny noises will impress this crowd.

Don’t try to impress with jargon. Never speak above the crowd in hopes of impressing people. When you’re speaking in a language that doesn’t compute, they’ll tune out. The audience may also see you trying too hard to impress and you may come across as false or insincere

Use a computer and multimedia projector. Professional presenters use a computer and projector, so why shouldn’t you? Overheads projectors are a little old-fashioned and printing those overhead slides is a nuisance. Get out of the comfort zone and try using new technology. If you’re worried about its reliability, bring your overheads as back-up.

Be yourself! Be honest, open and sincere. You’re best at being yourself, so let your true self show. People relate to honesty and expressiveness.

Update your slides for each presentation. Don’t use the same slides again and again. In the World of Visual Aids, fresh is good.

Use light colours on a dark background and vice-versa. This seems obvious but it’s important to keep in mind. The easiest combinations to read are white or yellow bold text on a dark background.

Don’ts

Forgetting to turn off your screen saver. Your presentation is going smoothly, and you’re taking a little extra time to explain each of your PowerPoint slides. You turn to look at the projection screen and, in horror, realize that the audience has been watching cute little tropical fish swim for the past five minutes. If you’re using a laptop for your presentation, be sure to turn off your screen saver before you begin.

Beeping laptop. If you usually present using a laptop, you’ve probably experienced the low-battery warning. It screams for attention and successfully irritates any well-intentioned audience. Bring an extension cord if you’re using a laptop and plug it in. This way you won’t have to worry about low batteries interrupting the flow of your presentation.

Speaking too quickly. It’s natural to speed up when feeling nervous. But when you speak at record speeds, not only is it difficult for the audience to understand what you’re saying, but it’s a dead giveaway that you’re sweating bullets.

Overusing animation. Animation is great for capturing the audience’s attention and adding interest to any presentation, if used in moderation. However, when things are whirling, whizzing and zooming across the screen, they direct the people’s attention away from your message. They’ll be too busy trying to figure out how you got your visuals to do those amazing trick

Unexpected animation. Be sure to rehearse your animated presentation before you give it. This ensures the animation you’ve used is working properly and is appropriate for the audience. Don’t let any unexpected sights or sounds catch you off guard.

Using too many bullets and fonts. Keep it simple by using only a few bullets and a maximum of two fonts per slide. If you get too many fonts and bullets, the design becomes cluttered and the information more difficult to read.

Forgetting to delete all guidelines. If you’re using PowerPoint, there’s nothing worse than a slide that appears as “Click to add title.” Of course the audience will forgive you, but it certainly won’t help you look like a pro.

Using a font that’s too small. The smaller the font, the more difficult it will be for the audience members at the back of the room to read your information.

Placing too many words on a slide. Keep the information in your presentation concise. The words that appear on the slide should spark the larger thought, not explain it. Follow the 7 x 7 rule, which that appear on the slide should spark the larger thought, not explain it. Follow the 7 x 7 rule, which limits the words on a visual to no more than seven words per line and a maximum of seven lines, for a total of 49 words or less per visual. Headings or titles should be kept to four words or less.

Spelling is very important. Don’t trust your word corrector and before presentations, scrutinize the spellings once to ensure an error free text.

So this is all about presentations, but this can, as I said before, only help you technically but you are the one who can help yourself and hence, always believe I yourself and your abilities and just go for it! So all set to do a presentation?