The thought of standing in front of a group of people will cause a lot of people’s hearts to crumble in fear. The fear of public speaking is quite common and with valid reason. However, by taking your attention away from the fact and focusing more on what the purpose is behind your virtual presentation, you will be able to ride the wave of nervousness and still accomplish your purpose. Here are a few tips to follow when preparing for professional presentation skills training.
What is the purpose of you giving your presentation? Is it to convey information, update or inform your audiences about new procedures, products, or initiatives, or is it to persuade them to buy or join a membership that will be beneficial for them? You should have your purpose as the driving force behind how you will approach your topic and your audience.
The next thing you should know is who your target audience is; who is the message intended for? Your target audience will determine what choice of words you use, the level of information and your speaking style.
At the moment when your heart rate accelerates and you break into a cold sweat, your preparation will act as the guide in your feeling of bewilderment. So, take the time to do your research beforehand and fully acquaint yourself with the topic you are discussing. In addition, practising beforehand aids in building your confidence as well as helps in identifying areas where improvements are needed in your presentation.
The organisation of your material aids whether you achieve your purpose or not. In the beginning, you need to grab your audience’s attention within the first 30 seconds. In addition, you need to maintain this level of focus by the flow of your central ideas, main points and general purpose of your presentation.
You are part of the presentation; your gestures should be your aides. Allow non-verbal gestures to convey the message too.
Do not stay stuck in your material; allow yourself to become part of the presentation. This means that if you have prepared well, you then have the chance to take full control of how you convey the information you have prepared. A presentation is more of a conversion of the presenter’s energy to their audience as the audience will feel your excitement and enthusiasm will show through.
Start your presentation by grabbing your audience’s attention with an interesting anecdote or direct question. By ending with a summary, the points presented in your presentation will be accentuated. You could also end with a strong statement sure to have your audience thinking well after you finished your presentation.
Don’t strive for perfection. No form of communication will perfectly be conveyed due to individual interpretations. However, good preparation and practice can assist in achieving your desired purpose.