It’s the start of 2019 and it’s your year to become a presenting wizard (even if your name’s not Harry).
We’ve all been there – you’re tasked to give a presentation and you want to inspire, whether it’s your peers, your boss or a room full of strangers. But you’ve got a case of writer’s block and are not quite sure how best to start it. Nor how best to structure it. Nor how best to tell it. Nor how best to win people over with your fabulous ideas.
If only there were a checklist of easy steps you could follow… Well, we’re here to serve.
Here’s our five-step process on how to create better, more effective presentations (you can click on each step to read more):
Step 1. Create a clear and logical structure.
Unless you love doing things the hard way, always have a clear blueprint for the structure of your presentation. And better yet, tell a story.
Step 2. Use storytelling headlines.
A storytelling headline is exactly what it sounds like: a headline at the top of each slide, summarising the main thing you want to say. It commits you to just one key message per slide.
Step 3. Use straight-talking language (drop the mumbo-jumbo).
When writing your content, lose the corporate mumbo-jumbo or superfluous waffle. It won’t impress your audience – or worse still, it could confuse them.
Step 4. Make your presentation sticky.
To help your ideas take hold, you need to read one VIB (Very Important Book) called, “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die” by Chip & Dan Heath. We’ll summarise it for you…
Step 5. Know your audience.
To kick ass on the big day, kill the nerves and deliver your most effective presentation, the secret is to understand your audience. Why is your audience there and how can you appeal to them?
While our five-step process isn’t designed to be exhaustive (we’ll talk body language, stage presence, authentic delivery, visual design, public speaking secrets, etc. in future posts), it’s a handy foundation to help you better communicate your ideas – one presentation at a time.
We hope they help to ignite some magic in how your present. Let us know how your presenting wizardry grows in 2019!