Planning and preparation is the key to giving powerful presentations

Giving an oral presentation is an important part of doing business, whether it is to pitch ideas to a prospective client or to give people an insight into what your company do at a business conference, but for many people the thought of speaking in public can fill you with dread. According to Joyce Duncan of Enterprise North East (Enterprise) with adequate planning and preparation, your audience need not know that you are nervous about speaking in public.

"Giving a formal talk can be a daunting task, nerves alone can prevent you from presenting well, but by following some simple guidelines there are ways that you can make sure you make the most of your presentation. Good preparation is the key to confidence, spending a great deal of time preparing what you are going to say will help to reduce your nerves. Experts recommend that you should spend at least five hours planning for one hour’s presentation." says Joyce.

Enterprise, the largest provider of office and meeting room space, give their top tips help you make a positive impact with your presentation…

When creating your presentation always keep its purpose in mind, selecting the correct material and organising it into a format that flows will help you present the main points you want to make. Your presentation should have a good opening introduction, as this is your opportunity to make a positive first impression and should have a clear overview of what you are going to speak about. Try to keep your slides simple as people can be distracted by over complicated slides, it is best to use bullet points to summarise what you are saying. Keep the presentation short and punchy, as this will keep your audience focussed on what you are saying and they are more likely to take the main message away with them, if the presentation is not too long.

Once you have finalised your presentation practise, practise and practise. Never present from the full draft of your presentation as it can be difficult to locate the main points you want to say amongst the other text. Don’t read straight from presentation slides, use the bullet points as a prompt and elaborate on them by summarising your main points on cue cards using key phrases and words as prompts. Once you have your cards prepared, rehearse firstly in front of yourself, this will allow you to consider how the words and sequence of visual aids go together, then practice in front of friends, family or colleagues and ask them to time you. Try to keep within the time limit, so as a rule you should allow at least two minutes for each Power Point slide you use. Practice your presentation several times, as this will give you a clear idea of how your presentation will flow. Good preparation can also increase the likelihood that you avoid making errors.

If you are a speaker at someone else’s event, it is a good idea to visit the location prior to the day of the conference to make sure that you have all the necessary equipment available for your presentation and to get a feel for the room and where you should position yourself. Alternatively if you are hosting the client meeting or conference, Enterprise has a range of professional and stylish meeting rooms available for hire at their business centres across the north east. In addition to the meeting room space you can also access a data projector, flipchart, catering and refreshments. Enterprise staff can arrange your space in accordance with your needs, so if your presentation requires some team debating then theatre style seating can be arranged, whereas if you want a co-operative debating approach - boardroom style seating is best. It is also important to ensure that everyone can see you and your visual displays – even from the back of the room, so be aware that you are not blocking anyone’s view by standing in front of the screen. Also, be aware of the temperature controls for the room, adjusting the heating to an acceptable level in accordance with the number of delegates in the room.

Feelings of nerves and anxiety are natural before giving a presentation and a small measure of them will help to keep you on your toes. As long as you are well prepared you will be able to feel more relaxed, so try to enjoy your time presenting and remember the audience is on your side. Start your presentation by greeting your audience with a confident and firm ‘Good morning ladies and gentlemen’, try to talk as naturally as possible projecting your voice clearly and loudly. As you go through your presentation you should try to vary the tone of your voice and at times, use your hands to emphasise what you are saying, this will keep your presentation interesting. Maintain eye contact as much as possible but try not to focus on one person as this can be intimidating, instead look around the audience drawing people in to what you are saying. As you look around the room, try to keep an eye on your audience’s body language, if people begin to look bored, try to conclude the point you are making and move onto the next one. Also, encourage people to ask questions at the end of the presentation, as constant interruptions can be distracting for your audience.